Nickel Model 28s

Among his other shelf coolers, Neil had added a Llama Max-1 Government Model this morning. The price was attractive at $239, but Llamas have a spotty history of reliability. I have never personally owned one, but I have heard stories. None of the stories have been good. When I got home I did a bit of research on the Llamas and found that some folks are happy with them. I also found that the Llama does not have total parts interchangeability with the Colt 1911. That's enough for me. A spotty reliability history, limited parts interchangeability, and a company that has gone out of business twice. I also saw that $239 was a hopeful price on this pistol. Neil probably thought I would jump on it like I did the SW1911s. Neil thought wrong.


I made a point of going by to see Amber today. The road construction outside her place was complete. Amber had a nice little H&R revolver complete with a carved leather holster. It was tempting to buy the outfit just to get the holster and then sell the gun. For $125 that might be possible, but risky. I decided to let the little H&R lie.

Dave confirmed that I had missed out on a nickel Smith & Wesson last Saturday. He said it was a Model 28. I smiled. To my knowledge, the Model 28 was only made in brushed blue, as an economy version of the Model 27 for police use. Dave said he let it go for $200, since it was a bit worn. Dave felt certain the nickel was factory. I was pretty sure that I had not missed out on much. When I got home, I checked The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson anyway. My smugness was eroded when I saw that Supica referenced a "few reported" nickel Model 28s that were produced as salesman samples, and twenty five nickel Model 28s marked FHP for the Florida Highway Patrol. Damn.