3.5" S&W Highway Patrolman?

[357wheelgunner]

A local shop has a 99% condition S&W Highway Patrolman with a 3.5" barrel, pinned and recessed for sale for $500 in a nice wood box with papers and accessories. Is this a good price? That revolver made me drool. How rare are thes in that barrel length?

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

I'm no expert, but I think what you saw was the model 27. The "highway patrolman" was the model 28, which was a budget variation of the 27. To my knowledge, the model 28 was not offered in 3.5 inch barrel length.

Given that the gun you saw was in a wooden case, I'd guess it was a model 27. This was the cadillac of 357s.

Either that or what you saw was a four inch model 28 that someone put in a presentation case.

If a four inch 28, $500 is a bit expensive.

If truly a 3.5 inch mint 27 with presentation case, I'd be waiting on the step of the gunshop when it opens on Monday.

 

[thatguy]

The 28 wasn't offered in the 3.5 length. Sounds like a 27 to me, too. The presentation case was standard on these in the mid to late 1970s. The 27 is the Cadillac of the S&W line. The 27-2 is the most common since it was made the longest, from 1962 to 1981. The 3.5" is the most popular, most sought after, and they bring the best prices. I think the $500 price is very good for a retail store. I see them bring more without the box.

Does it look something like this?



Or maybe it's nickel plated?

 

[Majic]

Easy way to tell is to look at the top strap and barrel rib. The Model 27 has the top strap and barrel rib checkered. If it is a Highway Patrolman the the top strap would be matte and the barrel rib would be checkered as the M27 was the only one with a 3.5" barrel. Then again someone may have had a 6" barrel cut down to 3.5".

 

[SnWnMe]

It might be a 27. That's a good price for a boxed specimen.

If it turns out to be a chopped 28 then it's worth less than a shooter grade, unmodified 28. $250 max for me even in Kali.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Some model 28s were nearly as well polished as model 27s. The only way to be sure which gun you're looking at it so check the crane and frame facing the crane; it might also be worth your while to measure the distance from the front of the cylinder to the muzzle. The difference between 3.5 inches and 4 is often indiscernible.

 

[Jim K]

I don't know about "nearly", but I never saw a Model 28 that had anywhere near the polish and finish of a Model 27, although the matte finish was not unattractive. The Model 28 was made to provide a budget-friendly .357 for police departments, especially state police who felt the .357 was a better "car stopper" than the .38 Special. (That was why it was called the "Highway Patrolman.")

They were made only in 6" and 4" barrel lengths. Aside from the sand-blast top rather than the checkered, and the finish, the Model 28 is identical to the Model 27; just as accurate, and the action is (IME) just as good.

Jim