Model 28
- Thread starter wordfan
- Start date
Reading this topic makes me wonder if some posting really have any experience with the Model 28 and similar revolvers.
I've read a bit of both Bryce & Jordan. Jordan I can agree with in most parts, Bryce, not so much so. Not saying Bryce doesn't know what he's talking about but he was FBI. They run around in suits with concealed weapons. I doubt they ever carried a Model 28.
I was a street cop, I wore a uniform and a duty belt, so Jordan carried his service revolver much the way I did, except he carried (for the most part) a Model 19, I carried a Model 28.
I also carried full magnum loads. To me, with 357s the Model 28 is easier to shoot then the Model 19 do to the weight difference. I use the hard rubber grips that make for easier to maintain your grip.
Most of my shooting was double action. For fast, point, and one hand shooting it's quicker. For slow deliberate fire I went with the single action.
They make and call it a "DOUBLE" action for a reason, so you have the option of double or single action.
I was issued my '28 when I hired on with the Anchorage Police Dept in '74, carried it most of my 20 years in LE and still have it 19 years after I retired in '94 (they gave me the gun when I retired.
I've shot it a heck of a lot, mostly with full blown 357s. Shot it more then any other gun I have. It works.
I've had K frames and they just don't hold up to that many heavy rounds.
A Model 19 is a 38 you shoot 357s occasionally, a Model 28 is a 357 you can shoot 38s occasionally.
I shoot a lot of action style pistol shooting, and when I need power I use my Model 28 (nothing says authority like cast SWCs at 1300 fps taking bowling pins off the table). I can shoot faster double action but even with pins, with single action I can easily take 5 pins off the table in 5 shots.
You throw in a miss or two, the slower single action is indeed faster.
As to Bryce & Jordan, pick you experts based on the way you shoot. Nothing against the FBI but they don't work like I did. They work in pairs, we rode in one man cars. FBI doesn't do building searches, we did every night, FBI doesn't do many bar fights, we did.
I doubt Bryce or Jordan had to put down may moose and other large animals, I did, a lot of them. I wanted a heavy revolver that I could use either double or single action. I read Keith.
Same with the military, Abrams tank crews don't work the same way as light infantry paratroopers. They need different guns and tactics.
For plain cloths, concealed carry, I'd read Bryce, for a street cop, in uniform and a gun belt, I'd go Jordan.
I've read a bit of both Bryce & Jordan. Jordan I can agree with in most parts, Bryce, not so much so. Not saying Bryce doesn't know what he's talking about but he was FBI. They run around in suits with concealed weapons. I doubt they ever carried a Model 28.
I was a street cop, I wore a uniform and a duty belt, so Jordan carried his service revolver much the way I did, except he carried (for the most part) a Model 19, I carried a Model 28.
I also carried full magnum loads. To me, with 357s the Model 28 is easier to shoot then the Model 19 do to the weight difference. I use the hard rubber grips that make for easier to maintain your grip.
Most of my shooting was double action. For fast, point, and one hand shooting it's quicker. For slow deliberate fire I went with the single action.
They make and call it a "DOUBLE" action for a reason, so you have the option of double or single action.
I was issued my '28 when I hired on with the Anchorage Police Dept in '74, carried it most of my 20 years in LE and still have it 19 years after I retired in '94 (they gave me the gun when I retired.
I've shot it a heck of a lot, mostly with full blown 357s. Shot it more then any other gun I have. It works.
I've had K frames and they just don't hold up to that many heavy rounds.
A Model 19 is a 38 you shoot 357s occasionally, a Model 28 is a 357 you can shoot 38s occasionally.
I shoot a lot of action style pistol shooting, and when I need power I use my Model 28 (nothing says authority like cast SWCs at 1300 fps taking bowling pins off the table). I can shoot faster double action but even with pins, with single action I can easily take 5 pins off the table in 5 shots.
You throw in a miss or two, the slower single action is indeed faster.
As to Bryce & Jordan, pick you experts based on the way you shoot. Nothing against the FBI but they don't work like I did. They work in pairs, we rode in one man cars. FBI doesn't do building searches, we did every night, FBI doesn't do many bar fights, we did.
I doubt Bryce or Jordan had to put down may moose and other large animals, I did, a lot of them. I wanted a heavy revolver that I could use either double or single action. I read Keith.
Same with the military, Abrams tank crews don't work the same way as light infantry paratroopers. They need different guns and tactics.
For plain cloths, concealed carry, I'd read Bryce, for a street cop, in uniform and a gun belt, I'd go Jordan.
wooly booger
Moderator
So...enlighten me.
If you decide to take your DA Model 28, 29, Redhawk, Super Redhawk, Ragin Bull deer, hog, et al hunting, you "want" to shoot it Double Action because that is what it is? If true, why were they not made DAO?
Is there not a single action cock notch on all these for a reason?
Do you shoot DA when load test off a rest for accuracy?
Mike Irwin
Staff
I'm positive that my shooting my 28s, 19s, 58s, 24s, 25s, etc., single action on the range will some day make me dead.
In fact, I'm counting on it.
In fact, I'm counting on it.
wooly booger
Moderator
better be careful Mike
A fat whitetail might get the drop on you if you ear back that hammer and take precise aim.
A fat whitetail might get the drop on you if you ear back that hammer and take precise aim.
Times and attitudes change. People discover things that can, and cannot be done well with any system, over time. And advice from experts is nothing to be ignored, however, you have to factor in their target audience, and how it relates to you.
My first experience with a centerfire DA revolver was my Dad's Model 28. It was, for decades, the "cannon" of our handguns. First handgun I ever handloaded for. Truly one of the finest examples of a revolver in its class ever done.
I had no idea the can of worms I opened up when I said shoot it the way you want.
I have seen the experts, and general opinions change over the years. Today there is a huge emphasis on DA shooting of DA guns. That is attitude. And opinion. Nothing wrong with it, until you take it too far.
An interesting quote, and possibly true in an extremely rare situation, one only a tiny fraction of a percent of handgun owners will ever be in. And the odds are quite high that of that tiny percentage, the majority of them will be LEOs.
I'm not. And neither are the majority of people I know who have handguns. Neither is the majority of the shooting public. We simply are not going to be in the same kinds of situations as police officers.
If shooting it DA was the only way to do it, why do the makers put the SA capability in the guns at all? Obviously DA is not the only way that is useful.
Waaay back in the day, before men like Stubby McGivern, Jordan, and others showed the world what was possible shooting DA, the DA mode on the revolver was generally considered an emergency feature.
You learned to shoot SA, aiming carefully, for each shot. DA was there for that emergency close/point blank shot, & rapid fire. Especially the rapid fire part.
Extremely fast SA shooting was well known, and for many many decades after the introduction of good DA guns the draw and fire speed record was still held by the SA revolver.
While the SA for accuracy and DA for emergencies worked pretty well (and still does) for the majority of shooters, those who were LEOs needed something better for what they did. And, over time, techniques were developed that were a huge improvement, and increased the odds of success in a gun fight. Most of us, however are never going to be in a gun fight.
Accurate (and hopefully fast) DA shooting is a worthwhile skill to have. Might even be the deciding factor in some situations. But to say its the only way to shoot the DA gun is fallacy. Might be the best way, for some people, but as a blanket pronouncement, covering all situations, it is patently false.
Saying "SA shooting will get you killed" is even worse. More than a few people survived gunfights using Colt SAAs. If single action gets you killed, why weren't they? Its a classy sounding phrase, the kind you would use to inspire and focus troops you were training to shoot DA. Like a lot of things I got told in training, in the outside world, it's simply not true.
Hesitation, taking time to choose between one mode and the other, that, I would think, is more dangerous in a defensive situation than shooting in one mode, or the other.
My first experience with a centerfire DA revolver was my Dad's Model 28. It was, for decades, the "cannon" of our handguns. First handgun I ever handloaded for. Truly one of the finest examples of a revolver in its class ever done.
I had no idea the can of worms I opened up when I said shoot it the way you want.
I have seen the experts, and general opinions change over the years. Today there is a huge emphasis on DA shooting of DA guns. That is attitude. And opinion. Nothing wrong with it, until you take it too far.
An interesting quote, and possibly true in an extremely rare situation, one only a tiny fraction of a percent of handgun owners will ever be in. And the odds are quite high that of that tiny percentage, the majority of them will be LEOs.
I'm not. And neither are the majority of people I know who have handguns. Neither is the majority of the shooting public. We simply are not going to be in the same kinds of situations as police officers.
If shooting it DA was the only way to do it, why do the makers put the SA capability in the guns at all? Obviously DA is not the only way that is useful.
Waaay back in the day, before men like Stubby McGivern, Jordan, and others showed the world what was possible shooting DA, the DA mode on the revolver was generally considered an emergency feature.
You learned to shoot SA, aiming carefully, for each shot. DA was there for that emergency close/point blank shot, & rapid fire. Especially the rapid fire part.
Extremely fast SA shooting was well known, and for many many decades after the introduction of good DA guns the draw and fire speed record was still held by the SA revolver.
While the SA for accuracy and DA for emergencies worked pretty well (and still does) for the majority of shooters, those who were LEOs needed something better for what they did. And, over time, techniques were developed that were a huge improvement, and increased the odds of success in a gun fight. Most of us, however are never going to be in a gun fight.
Accurate (and hopefully fast) DA shooting is a worthwhile skill to have. Might even be the deciding factor in some situations. But to say its the only way to shoot the DA gun is fallacy. Might be the best way, for some people, but as a blanket pronouncement, covering all situations, it is patently false.
Saying "SA shooting will get you killed" is even worse. More than a few people survived gunfights using Colt SAAs. If single action gets you killed, why weren't they? Its a classy sounding phrase, the kind you would use to inspire and focus troops you were training to shoot DA. Like a lot of things I got told in training, in the outside world, it's simply not true.
Hesitation, taking time to choose between one mode and the other, that, I would think, is more dangerous in a defensive situation than shooting in one mode, or the other.
kraigwy, I thoroughly enjoy every post of yours I get the pleasure to read, but this bit I quoted must be tongue in cheek.
As far as I know, "double action" refers to the trigger's ability to both cock hammer/advance cylinder -AND- light off a round, where as a "single action" trigger press will only light off the round.As to DA revolvers and how we choose to use them... I decided long ago (but not at ALL when I first started shooting, not nearly that far back) that I was going to do all of my shooting double action. That's just how I much prefer to shoot a DA revolver.
For certain, it's not because I'm training myself to get the drop on a crack head... it's simply because my grip on the handgun tends to not change one iota when I get in to the routine of sending a full cylinder of shots down range by shooting double action.
When I attempt to shoot single action with a DA revolver, I end up using my primary (right) hand to thumb back the hammer and I have to reset my grip on the revolver. If I try to use my secondary (left) hand to cock the hammer, it just feels completely unnatural AND it leaves my trigger finger trying to find a job--trying to find it's way OUT of the trigger guard and away from the trigger when I am certain that I'm not ready to break a shot.
Double action shooting is absolutely the way I most enjoy using a double action revolver. But my reasons are free of some of the emotional attachments I've seen in this discussion.
kraigwy, thanks for another great tale and that is a fantastic picture as well.
Strafer Gott
New member
If I'm going to limit myself to DAO I'm going to do it with a Smith or a Colt, and preferably the Smith. Even so, my model 28 wears a six inch barrel, and an aimed SA shot really lets you reach out.
Another big plus for the Smith 28 was found in the days when Harry got us all fired up over the M29 .44 Mag, and the only .44 Specials to be found in the new market were the occasional 5 shot CA Bulldog or the SAA Colt. A South Georgia police officer and gunsmith, George Trulock, built a cottage industry of converting 28s to .44 Mags and Specials. He later evolved into a highly successful choke business.
Before the special run of 24s in the mid 1980s by S&W, I sent a 28 to David Clements for a conversion to a .44 Special. Still have it. Sometimes the dinosaur will come back.
Before the special run of 24s in the mid 1980s by S&W, I sent a 28 to David Clements for a conversion to a .44 Special. Still have it. Sometimes the dinosaur will come back.
That's correct -
- I typed:
People such as Bryce and Jordan agree that shooting a D/A revolver S/A is a habit that could one day get you dead.
What part of that don't you comprehend?
Is it clearer now - or should I make the fonts larger?
For reasons known only to you, you decided to twist that around to say I said shooting S/A - then cite some ridiculous example of a gun (Colt SAA) which is, not even a D/A, but not even a S&W - which is what the OP mentioned he had.
Initially all I suggested to the OP was that he learn to shoot the M28 double action.
You're the one that had to come back and say shoot it any way he pleased.
I guess I could surmise from that that you don't feel it's worthwhile to learn how to shoot D/A.
Bryce, Jordan, Wilson,,,,,there's a long, long long list of law enforcement that was disatisfied with the lack of quality firearm instruction available & wanted to impress on the decision makers how inadequet it was.
Standing straight up - cocking back the hammer - placing your off hand in your pocket - and firing - for all intents and purposes a "Bullseye match" was getting people on the streets injured and/or killed.
They had to fight extremely hard to get that changed.
Instead of mocking their efforts it wouldn't hurt to give them a nod of thanks.
Sheesh...I have a M28-2 with four inch barrel that was made in 1968. The M27 and M28 are essentially the same revolver. The M27 was more highly polished and has red insert front and white outline rear sights as well as a target trigger and hammer and I believe target grips were an option. The M27 came in a number of barrel lengths and had checkering on the topstrap and barrel rib. The M28 was a less expensive, less polished revolver intended to be used by law enforcement officers and sportsmen. In those days, many officers had to buy their own revolvers. I did when I was hired by my first department in the 70's.
M28's were only square butt and came in four and six inch barrels only.The were shipped with Magna grips. They have no topstrap and barrel checkering and have standard service type hammer and trigger and plain, black steel adjustable sights.
The M28 is a large and heavy revolver. Its a load to carry around on a long day but it is a great model for lots of heavy .357 shooting. The recoil is very mild and the gun is easily controlled in rapid fire. I have Ahrends smooth target type grips on mine and they fit my medium sized hand perfectly.
When I went through the police academy that I attended in 1978, we did all our shooting with the authorized S&W M10 revolver in double action mode. The one exception was that final qualification included shooting at a target 50 yards away while in a prone postion. For that, we shot in single action mode. That was only done in the academy and never for regular requalification every year. I never knew of any case when such shooting was required. For self-defense at distances up to 25 yds, I shoot DA only. for longer ranges while hunting or playing, I use SA.
Whatever you do with it, its a great, classic revolver and is the platform that was THE .357 Magnum revolver. Enjoy it!
M28's were only square butt and came in four and six inch barrels only.The were shipped with Magna grips. They have no topstrap and barrel checkering and have standard service type hammer and trigger and plain, black steel adjustable sights.
The M28 is a large and heavy revolver. Its a load to carry around on a long day but it is a great model for lots of heavy .357 shooting. The recoil is very mild and the gun is easily controlled in rapid fire. I have Ahrends smooth target type grips on mine and they fit my medium sized hand perfectly.
When I went through the police academy that I attended in 1978, we did all our shooting with the authorized S&W M10 revolver in double action mode. The one exception was that final qualification included shooting at a target 50 yards away while in a prone postion. For that, we shot in single action mode. That was only done in the academy and never for regular requalification every year. I never knew of any case when such shooting was required. For self-defense at distances up to 25 yds, I shoot DA only. for longer ranges while hunting or playing, I use SA.
Whatever you do with it, its a great, classic revolver and is the platform that was THE .357 Magnum revolver. Enjoy it!
SPEMack618
New member
The only time I have wanted to visit vioence upon a gun store employee was when he told me that the Model 19 I was eyeballing wouldn't do me any good in a tactical situation.
Guess he unable of comprehending the lapel ribbon on my sport coat.
Love the 19/28/27/66s.
Guess he unable of comprehending the lapel ribbon on my sport coat.
Love the 19/28/27/66s.