Are there more S&W M28s in 4-inch or 6-inch barrels?
- Thread starter CaptSkip
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To get a more accurate answer I would suggest you contact Roy Jinks, Smith & Wesson's company historian. I would speculate that more 4" then 6" guns were made because the model was intended for police use. It was never cataloged in any other barrel lengths. If you wanted something special the more deluxe (and expensive) model 27 was available.
I concur. N-Frame guns look better in a 6" than a 4". 5", however, is quite pretty. The 4" just looks odd. 3.5", also, looks good.
K-Frames, OTOH, look best in a 4" if it has combat sights. 3" if it is a HB (M&P sights). And I don't like the pencil barrels at all.
yes, yes. That's just my opinion. Judging by the many 4" HBs and pencil barreled K-frames out there, it is by no means shared by all.
JMO,
Mike
K-Frames, OTOH, look best in a 4" if it has combat sights. 3" if it is a HB (M&P sights). And I don't like the pencil barrels at all.
yes, yes. That's just my opinion. Judging by the many 4" HBs and pencil barreled K-frames out there, it is by no means shared by all.
JMO,
Mike
Johnny Guest
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Oh, no. Uh-uh. No way, man.
Sorry, Elmer and friend Coronach- - I respectfully disagree. The other, shinier, N-frames look good with longer barrels, but, to me, the Highway Patrolman, by definition, MUST have a four-inch barrel and standard magna service stocks with a Pachmayr grip adaptor. Gotta. You know why? Such was my first service revolver, back in March 1967.
As to the original question, I can't locate any figures, but I'd hazard a guess that less than five per cent of the Highway Patrolman revolvers had other than four-inch tubes. Really, in my personal experience, I've seen far fewer than that.
CaptSkip, you're quite right about the other lengths being rare. SCS&W indicates there were 25 Florida Highway Patrol models produced with five-inch barrels, in 1959. Same book indicates that "Less than 100" were made with the 8-3/8 inch barrel.
Best,
Johnny
Sorry, Elmer and friend Coronach- - I respectfully disagree. The other, shinier, N-frames look good with longer barrels, but, to me, the Highway Patrolman, by definition, MUST have a four-inch barrel and standard magna service stocks with a Pachmayr grip adaptor. Gotta. You know why? Such was my first service revolver, back in March 1967.
As to the original question, I can't locate any figures, but I'd hazard a guess that less than five per cent of the Highway Patrolman revolvers had other than four-inch tubes. Really, in my personal experience, I've seen far fewer than that.
CaptSkip, you're quite right about the other lengths being rare. SCS&W indicates there were 25 Florida Highway Patrol models produced with five-inch barrels, in 1959. Same book indicates that "Less than 100" were made with the 8-3/8 inch barrel.
Best,
Johnny
Shear_stress
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I like the look of the 4" Highway Patrolman. Sort of like an M15 holding in a deep breath.
With either barrel length, the gun is so beefy that it's hard to say whether it would be worse to be shot or pistol-whipped with one. My 6" model is the only handgun I've got that actually makes my arms tired at the range!
Edited to touch up grammar a skosh.
With either barrel length, the gun is so beefy that it's hard to say whether it would be worse to be shot or pistol-whipped with one. My 6" model is the only handgun I've got that actually makes my arms tired at the range!
Edited to touch up grammar a skosh.
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Coronach:
>> And I don't like the pencil barrels at all. <<
Ah ... Maybe ...
But try to make a long shot by holding up the front sight blade in the rear notch if you have a K-frame/fixed sights/heavy barrel. Because of the rib the blade is only about 3/16" or so high - perhaps as much as ¼" sometimes.
Using a pencil-barreled Colt Detective Special or S&W Military & Police snubby one can easily drop the shots into the K-Zone of a silhouette target at 100 yards or better. A 4" barrel has an obvious advantage.
Yes indeed!!! I do like those ol' pencil-barrels ...
>> And I don't like the pencil barrels at all. <<
Ah ... Maybe ...
But try to make a long shot by holding up the front sight blade in the rear notch if you have a K-frame/fixed sights/heavy barrel. Because of the rib the blade is only about 3/16" or so high - perhaps as much as ¼" sometimes.
Using a pencil-barreled Colt Detective Special or S&W Military & Police snubby one can easily drop the shots into the K-Zone of a silhouette target at 100 yards or better. A 4" barrel has an obvious advantage.
Yes indeed!!! I do like those ol' pencil-barrels ...
Marshall
Member
I like em all. Those 4" M25 N-Frame Mountain Guns are pretty darn nice looking!
nitesite
Member
I'm partial to the 4" version.
(mine's a 9-shot... )
(mine's a 9-shot...
)
This seems to be a popular topic. I notice that it comes up every few months on various forums. I currently own two 6" M28's and one 4" M28. I had no trouble finding the six inch versions, but I had to search high and low for the 4". I was told by one of the local dealers that the 4" models seem to have dried up a few years ago - at least here in Idaho. I used to have a theory about the 4" models being used more often (being duty guns and all) and therefore the 6" models are more plentiful because they sat in safes and cabinets. Don't know how accurate that is though. Anyway I like all three of them. They're among my favorites.
I never claimed to be unbiased. I like 4" N frames. I also like nickel plated revolvers.
I think the 5" N frame may be the best proportioned revolver ever made. Looks good in nickel, too.
Of course, it looks great in bule, as well.
As for the original question, my personal observation is that I see more 6" M28s than I do 4" examples. I doubt that anyone knows for sure which barrel length was produced in greater numbers.
I think the 5" N frame may be the best proportioned revolver ever made. Looks good in nickel, too.
Of course, it looks great in bule, as well.
As for the original question, my personal observation is that I see more 6" M28s than I do 4" examples. I doubt that anyone knows for sure which barrel length was produced in greater numbers.
I see more 6" N frames than 4" ones usually. This seems slightly more so in the model 28 although I do not see these guns all that often though in my area let alone any decent N frames of any caliber. For instance I would like a 4" 25-5 in 45LC but I almost never see them and when I do it is usually a 6" although I did meet someone who had a 8 3/8" one.
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