Description
Popular enough to remain in S&W’s catalog for over 30 years, the utility Model 28 Highway Patrolman .357 Magnum was capable of working back to back shifts, Ray Bans not included.
Introduced in early 1954, the big double-action duty revolver was based on Smith’s popular N-framed Model 27 but with a “working” finish designed to be more practical than attractive with a dull matte blue finish being standard.
The Model 28 was for a time so associated with LE that it was even known as a literal “Tackleberry Gun” to fans of Police Academy movies, although it was also carried on-screen by tough-guy cops portrayed by everyone from Chuck Norris and Charlie Bronson to Mel Gibson.
The guns proved popular not only with law enforcement– special models were made for the Texas Department of Public Safety as well as the Florida and Washington State Highway Patrol– but also with hunters who picked up the guns as a dependable sidearm for use in bear country, bowling pin match shooters and many looking for a rock-solid home defense tool.
