WD,
This is a great post.......it sure takes me back some years. My first duty gun was also a Smith & Wesson "N" frame, Model 28, Highway Patrolman. Again, this was in the days "Pre-speed loader", so I carried my extra 12 rounds in 6 round Bianchi speed strips. We were issued full house .357 magnum rounds back then and they were screamers!!!!!!
Talk about a "Big iron"......that gun was sure a major piece of steel. This was when the smaller, "K" frame, Model 19's were coming out and everyone had to have one of those. I stuck with my Highway Patrolman until we were allowed to switch to the higher capacity semi-auto handguns for duty use....