TJ's Gun Blog

The Smith & Wesson Patrolman

I have always been fond of firearms that have names instead of model numbers. To me it gives the gun more of a personality. Guns like the Colt Peacekeeper and the Colt Single Action Army helped win the West. Just about any gun nut would recognize a Henry Rifle. Remington did a great job with names like The Wingmaster, The Woodsmaster and the Speedmaster. Bill Ruger was also a genius with gun names. Ruger's list is long. They manufactured The Standard, The Blackhawk, The RedHawk, The Security Six and the Red Label to name a few. Smith and Wesson had some great names as well. Names like The Baby Russian, The Registered Magnum and the Highway Patrolman come to mind.

Just imagine the confidence a trooper for the Georgia, Florida or Washington State Patrol had when they turned in their .38 Special Revolvers for brand new Smith & Wesson Highway Patrolmans in .357 Magnum. The Highway Patrolman or the Model 28 was a more affordable version of the Smith Model 27 designed with police service in mind. The model was a big hit and was used by the Florida Highway Patrol, the Georgia State Patrol, the Idaho State Police, the Maine State Police, the New York State Police, the San Francisco Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the US Border Patrol, the Washington State Patrol, the Wisconsin State Police, and the Italy and Norwegian police services.

Smith & Wesson's Highway Patrolman was manufactured from 1954 until 1986. It weighed 41 ounces with a 4" barrel, 44 ounces with a 6" barrel and 47 ounces with the rare 8-3/8 inch barrel (less than 100 made). The big N frame revolver was blued steel with a six shot cylinder and wood grips. They made twenty-five 5 inch guns with a nickel finish marked F.H.P. for the Florida Highway Patrol.

Classic guns like these can be found at our shop Gainesville Pawn. They can also be found at Gun Trader Shows. Our next show will be held in Fanning Springs. The Show will be held at the Suwannee River Fairgrounds on January 29,30. The Address is 17851 9 Ave Fanning Springs, FL 32693. Our schedule can be found at guntradershows.com or I can be reached at (352) 359-0134. I hope to see everyone there. Until then be safe everybody. Terry Jewell