Quote History Quoted:
So, they saved money by custom-ordering a handgun that deleted the micrometer rear sight and took extra time to get delivered because of it? NY has been full of intellectual giants for decades now apparently. I'd take one if it was a steal, but in no way would this quell my desire for a model 27/28.
View Quote
The guns were never delivered and it wasn't about saving costs on the initial order. It was about saving money in the long run by not having adjustable rear sights being busted through wear and tear. NYSP didn't want to pay armorers to fix busted rear sights.
Big Blue fucked it all up since they couldn't finish the order for the Model 520s in time. NYSP threatened to cancel the order and go with a competitor, Big Blue offered Model 28s at a lower price. Roy Jinks, S&W Historian states the follwing:
"After production of the model 520 had begun, the New York State Police decided that a six month delivery was too long and they became interested in a standard production model. They selected the 4 inch Model 28 as an alternative based on Smith & Wesson's commitment to immediate delivery."In the end, they went with the Model 28 as a stop-gap until the Model 681 came out.
My Model 681:
Attached FileAnd it isn't like S&W had to make the such a gun from scratch either. They already had a fixed sight N-Frame gun, the Model 58 in .41 Magnum.
It was produced from 1964 to 1977. They had the tooling for the Model 58 still, the only difference between the Model 58 and Model 520 is .41 Magnum cylinders and barrels versus .357 Magnum cylinders and barrels.
But S&W promised a very short turn around time and couldn't deliver. So instead, they offered the NYSP the Model 28s they had on the shelves.