Here's one for Mike Irwin.

thatguy · Jun 18, 2005

I have read posts by Mike in the past where he expressed his admiration for the Model 28 S&W revolver. I have a couple of Model 27s and never really appreciated the more plain looking 28 but I saw this one for sale and thought what the heck.

It's a five screw pre-28 marked HIGHWAY PATROLMAN (I think this is an early marking that was changed to HIGHWAY PATROL?). It may be 1st year production since they started in 1954 at S103500 and this one is S116400.

Looks better than I expected with just a touch of blue wear at the muzzle and a few high spots from holster carry. It wears what looks to be an old set of Herret Trooper stocks. I'll try to find a correct set of Magnas but they are getting scarce and pricey.

So Mike, do you approve? Was it worth the $265 (+ $25 shipping) I paid?

Gewehr98 · Jun 18, 2005

Mike cannot respond here.

Perhaps a link to this post over on TheFiringLine.Com would be in order, if you'd like to get his attention and a response.

Bullet Bob · Jun 18, 2005

If you decide to sell the Herrett's please keep me in mind!

thatguy · Jun 18, 2005

Mike doesn't post on this forum?

Email me on the Herretts. I already swapped on a set of factory Magnas.

CA2005 · Jun 18, 2005

I'll chime in and say I think you did very well. It looks like it's been well cared for. Nice find!!

P95Carry · Jun 18, 2005

$265???? Sounds an excellent deal if the gun is well good enough. Shucks my M28 is a dash 2 and I'd not expect that to be as low a price as yours. Sounds like it may have been a ''shot little'' - ''fondled much'' and a small amount of bluing wear is well acceptable if mechanics are OK.

Mike has not been here for a year or so now but yeah - you may find him on TFL - but I know too he drops in to APS a fair bit.

surfinUSA · Jun 19, 2005

Was Mike banned and if so, for what?

P95Carry · Jun 19, 2005

Surfin .......... sorry, can't answer that here as such matters are not for public forum discussion.

Peter M. Eick · Jun 19, 2005

The pre-28 is on the bottom and the pre-27 is on top. Great guns! I paid a touch more for the pre-28 then you did and I sure like it though. One of my better shooters. I think I paid around $325 for my pre-28.

What's your serial number if you think its an early one? Mine is s1193xx. I believe that puts it in the first month of production but I have never lettered it.

thatguy · Jun 19, 2005

Peter, I included the serial in the first post, S116,400. Nahas & Supica say the HP started at 103500 so would 119000 really be first month? Seems like pretty fast production at that rate.

Yours looks a lot nicer than mine and has the correct stocks. Does yours say HIGHWAY PATROL or HIGHWAY PATROLMAN and do you know the shipping date on yours?

To all, I was advised that Mike Irwin is gone from THR. I didn't know this and wasn't trying to stir anything.

knzn · Jun 19, 2005

Around here at least, (Wichita) $265.00 for a nice Mod 28 would be a great deal. I have an eye for them and will say that at the last gun show we had that somewhere around $375.00 plus was as low as I saw.

Peter M. Eick · Jun 20, 2005

Sorry I missed your serial number. Kind of stupid of me not to see it, but I did not. From what I have been able to figure out, the serial numbers went very quickly from 103k to 120k and demand must have been pretty darn high. I cannot verify what my barrel says (I am a long way away from the gun right now) but I remember it saying "highway patrolman" not patrol.

Mine has matching stocks serial numbered to the gun. If you look carefully you can see some bluing corrosion on the front sight and a bit of wear, but otherwise the gun is in great shape.

I posted this picture because I had read that the pre-28's had less of a polish then the pre-27's. In my examples the difference is truely negligable. It was suggested that the early ones like mine and probably yours had a much better polish then the later ones. Does yours have a high gloss polish like is shown below?

thatguy · Jun 20, 2005

I have also read that early HPs had a higher polish than later ones. I had a 28 in the mid 1970s that was absolutely flat and matte looking. This one is certainly less shiny than my pre-27s, but not as dull as the later ones I have seen.

FPrice · Jun 20, 2005

surfingUSA...

Was Mike banned and if so, for what?

Mike was NOT banned. As I recall, he left for his own reasons. I think that he may be on TFL. I do miss his commentary here.

surfinUSA · Jun 20, 2005

Thanks. I didn't mean to hit a sore spot. I frequent a number of boards, and I occasionally see Mike post but not as frequently as I once did. I didn't actually know he stopped posting here till reading the prior post thats why I asked.

FPrice · Jun 21, 2005

surfingUSA...

Thanks. I didn't mean to hit a sore spot.

No problem, hope I didn't come across too strong to you. I just wanted to emphasize that it was Mike's choice, not try to rebuke you. If it came across that way, I apologize.

JPL · Jun 23, 2005

Mike's dead.

Or so he tells me when I have a chance to talk to him.

P95Carry · Jun 23, 2005

JPL - Care to elucidate?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ahh - seen your edit addition!

R.H. Lee · Jun 23, 2005

I don't think so. He's over at APS right now.

JPL · Jun 23, 2005

Sorry, posted before I should have.

I didn't mean to startle anyone!

Unless Mike passed since I spoke with him last Thursday, he's still among the living, just overworked like most of us in our company right now.

mtnbkr · Jun 23, 2005

Mike's dead

If not dead, certainly a bit ripe. :neener:

Chris

P95Carry · Jun 23, 2005

certainly a bit ripe

Bwhahaha - Chris - is this appropos the way fruit goes, or just a sign of maturity!!

Bless him!

Here's one for Mike Irwin.

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