Posted: 8/23/2026 10:06:46 PM EDT
|
Can someone tell me what I have here exactly? This is my dad’s. He bought it sometime in the mid to late 60’s for $95 with 2 sets of grips and no box. He says it’s a nickel finish but it feels and looks like stainless to me. I know Smith started stainless in the mid 60’s with the Model 60. This really feels and looks just like my 686 and 629. The other question is what model is this? I took the grips off and it’s not marked anywhere with a model number. I thought all the Highway Patrolman’s were either blued or matte blue Model 28’s. N frame Model 27 or something before? Were the early ones not marked with a model? The only thing under the crane is a large “7”. It also has assembly numbers on the crane and the frame, and the serial number on the cylinder, under/inside the cylinder pin housing, and on the bottom of the grip. Attached File Attached File Attached File |
|
Originally Posted By wvfarrier: Open the cylinder and look on the frame. Model should be stamped, my guess is its a 28-2. Nothing there but a large number 7 all by itself. I’ve looked the whole gun over with the grips off, no model number on it. Nothing but assembly numbers and the serial numbers. Attached File |
Nice, Here's a pre-57 HP I traded a franken AR for a week ago I also think yours is nickel plated. Factory plated guns will have an N stamped on the frame under the grips and also on the breech face of the cylinder. |
Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out.
General education should not be mere job training, but training in how to be fully human.
General education should not be mere job training, but training in how to be fully human.
|
I have a 28-2 from a late friend's estate. Blued, pinned barrel, countersunk cylinders, very good shape, wouldn't trade it for the world. He used it while he was with the AZ Public Safety back in the late sixties, early seventies. It has a history of having been in more than a couple of gunfights while he was on a drug intervention team on the border. Very solid firearms. You should contact SW with the serial # to ascertain if the nickel job was factory. |
Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down. They know its power. F. Douglass
|
Good responses, put simply a pre model number marked gun that would simply be called Highway patrolman - later the model numbers were added. With the exception of a handful of special order guns for a few police agencies ( no yours isn’t one of them) all Highway patrolman guns were finished in a dull blue. The 357 magnum ( name given the model 27 before model numbers were assigned) was S&W’s premier handgun with carefully polished finished checkered top strap etc, and the most expensive highway was a way to provide an affordable 357 to agencies and officers with no top strap checkering or serrations, no options and a dull finish. This design pre dated the combat magnum ( model 19) K frame that soon greatly surpassed the highway in popularity. Once a gun is refinished no matter how nice it looks ( the OP’s looks very well done) it takes a massive value hit. An excellent original finish gun of that era might top a thousand in value ,for the nickel refinish cut that in half or more. It will make a great shooter however. |
|
If you take the grips off there's a serial number on the butt of the frame (it's also in a few other places). If you post it, we can give you a year of manufacture. Or Al can via Co-pilot. After WWII Nickel plating guns was a very popular thing to do. Unfortunately, it ruined a lot of guns current value. As mentioned, your gun is a Highway Patrolman (first introduced in 1954) that was only offered in a matte blue finish. Later it became the model 28 when S&W went to model numbers. It wasn't offered in Nickel, although about 25 5" Nickel model 28's were made for the Florida HWY Patrol as a special order. Also as mentioned, your grips might be what are called coke bottle grips that came on certain N frame guns like the model 29 (yours probably shipped with what they call Magna's). If you look at the grip frame from the back, they have a coke bottle type shape. Here's Ai's assessment of the value of those grips. Not sure how accurate it is? Shooter‑grade cokes — $900–$1,200 Light wear, small dings, maybe a bit dry. Still authentic. Clean matching-number cokes — $1,400–$1,800 Crisp checkering, good figure, no cracks, correct football cut. High‑figure premium cokes — $2,000–$2,500 Beautiful grain, deep color, sharp edges. Museum-grade or provenance sets — $2,500–$3,000+ These are the unicorns: mint, perfect fit, documented to a pre‑29 or early 5‑screw. |
|
Originally Posted By 80sgyrene: Nice pre 28. Whoever did the nickel job left the hammer and trigger in the original case colors. Good on them, most of the old ones, they refinished everything. Agreed. I like the contrast personly too |
Do Good
Be Dangerous
Live Free
Be Dangerous
Live Free
|
What you have, is an outstanding revolver. I'd care not a bit about refinishing. It was made when S&W revos went out the door in solid shape. But, I'm the roach motel of guns, they come in but they never leave. Having 4 shooting rugrats + grandrugrats means every gun I own has a home when I tip over  Despite market value in 2026 that's a great gun, if you don't want it it can go to someone who really appreciates what it is. So,,, all is good, you just won't be able to retire off it's cash value. |
|
Originally Posted By JTMcC: What you have, is an outstanding revolver. I'd care not a bit about refinishing. It was made when S&W revos went out the door in solid shape. But, I'm the roach motel of guns, they come in but they never leave. Having 4 shooting rugrats + grandrugrats means every gun I own has a home when I tip over Despite market value in 2026 that's a great gun, if you don't want it it can go to someone who really appreciates what it is. So,,, all is good, you just won't be able to retire off it's cash value. I definitely will never sell it. I have several Smiths but only one pinned barrel and no counter-sunk chamber guns. My dad bought it from his sergeant when he was in the MP's back in the early 60's. Got a little bit more of the story today when I took it back to him. It will end up with either me or my brother one day. It doesn't have the Cokes on it. They don't look like what y'all described and there are no markings under the grips that would indicate factory nickel, only an assembly number and the serial number on the bottom of the grip. Grips have no legible markings on them at all. It does not appear to have any letters in the serial number, only 6 digits beginning with 1178**. There is the letter "S" but it's a good 3/4 to an inch away from the numbers? Is that part of the SN? Edit... What's a good method to clean up the nickel a little? I'm assuming the lead cloths you use on stainless steel would probably damage it like they do a blued firearm. Just CLP and elbow grease? |
|
Originally Posted By Southrnshooter: I definitely will never sell it. I have several Smiths but only one pinned barrel and no counter-sunk chamber guns. My dad bought it from his sergeant when he was in the MP's back in the early 60's. Got a little bit more of the story today when I took it back to him. It will end up with either me or my brother one day. It doesn't have the Cokes on it. They don't look like what y'all described and there are no markings under the grips that would indicate factory nickel, only an assembly number and the serial number on the bottom of the grip. Grips have no legible markings on them at all. It does not appear to have any letters in the serial number, only 6 digits beginning with 1178**. There is the letter "S" but it's a good 3/4 to an inch away from the numbers? Is that part of the SN? Edit... What's a good method to clean up the nickel a little? I'm assuming the lead cloths you use on stainless steel would probably damage it like they do a blued firearm. Just CLP and elbow grease? Originally Posted By Southrnshooter: Originally Posted By JTMcC: What you have, is an outstanding revolver. I'd care not a bit about refinishing. It was made when S&W revos went out the door in solid shape. But, I'm the roach motel of guns, they come in but they never leave. Having 4 shooting rugrats + grandrugrats means every gun I own has a home when I tip over Despite market value in 2026 that's a great gun, if you don't want it it can go to someone who really appreciates what it is. So,,, all is good, you just won't be able to retire off it's cash value. I definitely will never sell it. I have several Smiths but only one pinned barrel and no counter-sunk chamber guns. My dad bought it from his sergeant when he was in the MP's back in the early 60's. Got a little bit more of the story today when I took it back to him. It will end up with either me or my brother one day. It doesn't have the Cokes on it. They don't look like what y'all described and there are no markings under the grips that would indicate factory nickel, only an assembly number and the serial number on the bottom of the grip. Grips have no legible markings on them at all. It does not appear to have any letters in the serial number, only 6 digits beginning with 1178**. There is the letter "S" but it's a good 3/4 to an inch away from the numbers? Is that part of the SN? Edit... What's a good method to clean up the nickel a little? I'm assuming the lead cloths you use on stainless steel would probably damage it like they do a blued firearm. Just CLP and elbow grease? Way off subject, but: I have a model 65 that I clean with CLP initially; I always finish with the spray cleaner that I use on our stainless fridge and stove. The spray cleaner works well for cleaning the cylinder face and front of the frame/forcing cone area when used with a lightly used brass brush. |
Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down. They know its power. F. Douglass
|
Originally Posted By Southrnshooter: I definitely will never sell it. I have several Smiths but only one pinned barrel and no counter-sunk chamber guns. My dad bought it from his sergeant when he was in the MP's back in the early 60's. Got a little bit more of the story today when I took it back to him. It will end up with either me or my brother one day. It doesn't have the Cokes on it. They don't look like what y'all described and there are no markings under the grips that would indicate factory nickel, only an assembly number and the serial number on the bottom of the grip. Grips have no legible markings on them at all. It does not appear to have any letters in the serial number, only 6 digits beginning with 1178**. There is the letter "S" but it's a good 3/4 to an inch away from the numbers? Is that part of the SN? Edit... What's a good method to clean up the nickel a little? I'm assuming the lead cloths you use on stainless steel would probably damage it like they do a blued firearm. Just CLP and elbow grease? The S is part of the serial number. Do you have a picture of the grips from rear? If they are factory grips, the wide checkering area compared to other target grips combined with the diamond in the checkering pattern would indicate that they should be Cokes. For cleaning up the nickel, a gentle use of a little flitz on a soft cotton cloth can do wonders, but be gentle and don’t use anything mechanical. After doing that to repolish, regular cleaning. Also, don’t use any cleaner with ammonia. They say it is supposedly fine on S&W factory nickel, but since yours seems not to be factory, better safe than sorry. |
|
Looking at the grip frame carefully ( magnifying glass and bright light is helpful!) you might find a small marking such as: 9.60 Up to at least the mid 70’s if a gun went back to smith for factory work ( including refinishing) they would be so marked. The above example would be factory service in. September 1960 Post pictures of both sides of the grip frame - easy to miss the very small ( just a few millimeters high) factory service dates. As mentioned YES the S is part of the serial number. People miss this constantly in the S&W world, as often the letter and number are far apart on the butt. |