S&W 357 model 28 - 4.2 inch barrel price

westcoast73

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I am looking at a S&W 357 model 28 with 4.2 inch barrel, what is the approx used price to pay. Its about 80-85% shape.

Current price is $650 with five speedloaders.

Thanks
 
Model 28 was ONLY made with 4" and 6" barrel.
It means that the revolver was altered from the original form (God only knows by whom and how).
Value is probably lower (by $100-150 or so if the gun works fine and is still accurate) than the asking price is...well at least in my opinion.
Good luck.
 
The shop said it was a 4.2 inch restricted revolver, so it must be the six inch. I will have to double check, what is a good price for the six inch version?

Thanks for your reply
 
80%-85% would make it no more than $500 in my books...assuming that the barrel conversion has been properly done. If you're interested in it I'd ask who did the conversion--a S&W barrel swap is not trivial if you don't know what you're doing, and in this case it's probably meant cutting down and rethreading a longer barrel which would be even trickier. I've seen some awful conversions on the EE...such as a barrel with a tall front sight (meant for an adjustable rear sight) that was mated to a fixed-sighted frame...meaning that the revolver would shoot WAY low. Any S&W barrel conversions demand extra attention to make sure you're not getting a lemon.
 
There are two possibilities, if this is in fact not a 12(6) gun:
1. An originally 6" barrel shortened.
2. A nominally 4" barrel that has been verified as having an actual length of 4.2". Due to the nature of the fitting process, barrels can vary from their advertised length.

Assuming a well-executed barrel shortening and including the speedloaders, the price isn't unreasonable when you consider what it would likely cost to have a barrel shortened.
 
The way to tell if the barrel has been shortened will be to look at the roll marks on the barrel. On both 4" and 6" barrels the marks are more or less in the middle of the barrel--if the barrel has been shortened the roll marks will be very close to the frame. If the roll marks are in the middle of the barrel and the revolver is registered as restricted then it's very likely that it's a factory barrel that's a smidge longer than 4", as tjhaile mentions above. In that case it'd definitely be worth what they're asking.
 
There are two possibilities, if this is in fact not a 12(6) gun:
1. An originally 6" barrel shortened.
2. A nominally 4" barrel that has been verified as having an actual length of 4.2". Due to the nature of the fitting process, barrels can vary from their advertised length.

Assuming a well-executed barrel shortening and including the speedloaders, the price isn't unreasonable when you consider what it would likely cost to have a barrel shortened.
3. As many of us seen, sometimes they weld an extension on the 4" barrel to make it Restricted, in that case very often the site sits behind the welded piece and the barrel looks like Pinocio to me.

One more thing, it could be a 27-2 and not a Patrolman. Some people including gun store employees may not know the difference. The 27 came in many barrel lengths and visualy is much nicer. One sure way to tell is look at the inside crane(for model number) and the top strap, if smooth (not checkered) then its a 28. If only barrel portion is checkered than someone swaped barrel from 27 onto 28.
 
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3. As many of us seen, sometimes they weld an extension on the 4" barrel to make it Restricted, in that case very often the site sits behind the welded piece and the barrel looks like Pinocio to me.

One more thing, it could be a 27-2 and not a Patrolman. Some people including gun store employees may not know the difference. The 27 came in many barrel lengths and visualy is much nicer. One sure way to tell is look at the inside crane(for model number) and the top strap, if smooth (not checkered) then its a 28. If only barrel portion is checkered than someone swaped barrel from 27 onto 28.

The original barrel would have to be bored out and a liner installed (rather than an extension on the end), but yes, that is another possibility.

Model 27s were made with 3-1/2", 5", 6", 6-1/2", and 8"-3/8" barrels as catalogue standard, with 4" replacing 5" some time in the 1970s. A slightly long 4" or a non-standard barrel length would be very rare.
 
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