I've been watching a ton of YT videos lately, blame the Wu-Flu I suppose. At any rate, firearms wise, I keep on ending up watching videos of old Smith and Wesson wheelguns. Yeah, I'm that guy, I skip it if it has that cursed 'trigger lock' nonsense. Real S&W revolvers are steel, have the firing pin mounted on the hammer and NO darned lock....they don't necessary have to be pinned & recessed, but it helps.

Pardon my digression, but at any rate the older I get, the more and more cool those old dark blue steel & wood gripped handguns get. Even though I have quite a few, I keeping watching those videos anyway and then wandering over to auction sites wondering if I really need a retirement account, maybe a m34 Kit Gun or Model 1950 .45 ACP is all it'd take to make me really happy! Or a bizzaro m1953 in .22 Remington Jet? Maybe a Texas Wagon Trail 544 in .44-40 Winchester? That's besides all the damned cool m19's, m40's, m29's, m28 Highway Patrolman's...and I'm not even getting into Colts, Dan Wesson's or Rugers.

One of my favorite revolvers, without a doubt, is one my father left me upon passing away. It's a m57 in .41 Magnum. Before my Father went to work for the Texas Highway Patrol in the very early 70's, he worked for the Amarillo Police Department for about 5 years; they were one of the few agencies that issued the .41 Mag in that era (curiously, San Francisco PD was one of the others, along with San Antonio PD). Most all of the .41 Mags that Amarillo PD issued were the less glitzy m58, with the gutter snipe rear sights, non-shrouded barrel and more matte finish. However, this particular m57's 'Birth Certificate' from S&W revealed it was one of the few bought by Amarillo PD, shipped to Amarillo Hardware for pickup, used for a few years then shipped back to Smith where it was sold on the commercial market as used. Why APD bought a m57 and not another workhorse m58 is unknown. Maybe it was going to be an upper supervisors' weapon until he found out he couldn't handle the daily weight or blast and recoil when shooting it. Who knows.

Anyway, my Dad didn't keep his issued .41 Mag from back then, money was tight for Police Officers in the 60's and 70's and he had a wife and two kids to care for. But when this came up for auction about 5 years ago, he had the chance the finally get his hands back around a real, documented Amarillo Police Department issued .41 Magnum. Since he was able to buy his Texas DPS issued m28 Highway Patrolman from when they retired those back in 1990, it meant he now had one each of the big N-Frame Smiths that he carried into the night, from both of the agencies he worked for.

Maybe in 50 years some father's sons will be talking about their Dad's Glock 19 or Springfield XD like this, but I doubt it. Those are near disposable weapons, almost appliances. Old revolvers, like old muscle cars, are works of art.

Here's my Dad's m57:





The guys on 'Top Gear' used to say, you're not really a car nut or 'petrol head' until you've owned an Alfa Romeo.

I've gotta say, I'm not sure how anyone can say they're really a firearms enthusiast if they haven't owned an old school, blue steel wheelgun.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TexasRaider,

Amen brother! That is a beauty. Congrats!

Like you, I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for what passes for a s&w revolver today. They can keep them.

But my model 19 that I carried on the job has a blue you can see your ancestors in and a seet trigger. Great revolvers from a better time. Regards 18DAI

Very nice. It has beautiful blueing on it.

Very nice revolver, and some cool family history to go with it. I love a good wheelgun, even though I got into the business well after they stopped issuing them. Some day my son will get my first duty gun, though...it's an older pre-rail P229. Not as much class as that model 58, but at least it's not plastic!

I have also started getting back into revolvers. My oldest is a 1995 S&W 640-1 in 357. I’m just getting a K-Comp to go along with it.

Wow, just an great story how you got that pistol. I just love old blued steel revolvers by S&W and Colt. And also I understand how it is to inherit a nice gun from my Dad.

About half of my handguns are revolvers. Can't post pictures at the moment, but let's see if I can list them;

Ruger Super Redhawk .44 Mag
Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Mag
Ruger Blackhawk .357 Mag
Ruger GP100 .357 Mag
Ruger SP101 .357 Mag
Ruger Single Six .22lr/.22 Mag
S&W 642 .38 Special

One of my favorite cartridges is the .41 magnum, and I have half a dozen .41's in one safe. Other than that, the other revolvers are all .38, .357, or .44.

I'll buy more revolvers at some point, but the one I keep saying I'll get and never do is a Freedom Arms .41 Model 95 with a 5.5" octagonal barrel and black ebony micarta grips. One of these days.

I have 3 41 mags, a S&W Model 57, 6”, a Ruger Redhawk 5”, and a Blackhawk with a 4.6” or so barrel.

I reload for them, no worries on various ammo. I even made a bunch of snake-shot with #11 pellets.

quote:

Originally posted by TexasRaider: Here's my Dad's m58...

Mmmmm, excuse me, that was a wonderful story, but what is pictured is a Model 57 - adjustable sights and ejector rod shroud. 58's had neither.

My P&R'd 629 no-dash. Less than 70 rounds through it. The original owner gifted it to me and he bought it brand new. Said he only fired 12 rounds through it.



Tony.

quote:

Originally posted by Pizza Bob:

quote:

Originally posted by TexasRaider: Here's my Dad's m58...

Mmmmm, excuse me, that was a wonderful story, but what is pictured is a Model 57 - adjustable sights and ejector rod shroud. 58's had neither.

That was a typo, now corrected. Thanks!

Without counting I’d say around half of my handguns are revolvers. Mostly Ruger, but I’ve got some Smiths and an Uberti and a couple others around.

Love revolvers, realized I was missing a snub in my line up and got lucky to find a LCR in 9mm, great trigger.

One of these days I will replace some of the ones I let get away. A M27 3.5" is on the top of that list along with a 4" M15 and a 4"M14.

Really love the Ruger Wiley Clapp G100, love to find a used one.

Not just revolvers, but single action revolvers, too. The Ruger Convertibles let you shoot cheap.

I always was a fan of S&W's revolvers, carried a Model 19 on duty as a young police officver and a light weight Smith snubbie as a detective.

Continued that as a Prosecutor and after i retired. Took a break for a Kahr 9mm for a while, and, of course played with lots of other guns, but a Smith snubbie and the old Model 19 were always around.

Now I only own one Smith-a Pencil Barrel Model 64 that shoots about as well as any gun I've ever owned. We have three Ruger LCRs and a few SAA replicas in 45 Colt, one in 38 Special and, of course, the little 22 mag NAA.

I carry a Sig for self defense and sometimes a Glock 42, but still would feel perfectly fine with one of the LCRs or that old Pencil Barrel.

But a new Smith revolver-not likely.

Bob

I love my revolvers! My oldest is a 4" nickel M29, circa 1975. None of mine have the lock. I think my newest is my 442, which I bought in 2008 or so. Thankfully they still produce them in special runs without the lock.

My dad has a early to mid-70's M19 that will one day be mine. I have always liked it.

Out of my collection, only one Ruger, a 3" SP101 in .357. I am thinking about a 6" Python sometime in the future.

It is OK to like both Texas and Smith & Wesson wheelguns. If we read the History book, those two things have gone together for many, Many years

That is a GREAT back story on your Model 57 and you were fortunate to have been handed down a piece that has such a rich history and close family connection

Probably more than 2/3 of my handguns are revolvers with the bulk of that being Smith & Wessons

The Smith & Wesson Model 57/357/657 family of 41 Magnums are among my favorite firearms. This 41 Magnum group photo is well over a decade old, currently it represents only a portion of my 41 Magnums



I accidentally got involved in 41 Magnums back in 1980 when a coworker of mine brought his two week old Nickel 6" 57 to me and asked if I could give him $250. He needed retainer money since his wife had just hit him with divorce papers.

At that time, I knew nothing about 41 Magnums. I only owned one revolver at the time, a 6" 27 I had bought new two years earlier, but I had family members that owned Smith & Wessons

Since the package ncluded the presentation case and a few boxes of ammunition, I grabbed a box of ammo and went to the range. I was going to try it once and then sell it to recoup my money (I already had an offer).

Well that was a BIG Mistake

I loaded the firearm and pulled the trigger.....bullseye, a dead solid perfect shot. I fired a second shot and could not see the hole. I was shooting next to a jeweler buddy who said I missed. We pulled in the target and the two holes made a slight oval in the paper. Back out for shot three and still no additional hole. So we checked again, tiny clover leaf. Shot four did the same thing. At that point my buddy said he would give me $5000 if the next shot did the same .....so I ended up pulling shot #5 #6 was touching the first 4.

That revolver is still in my safe. It will not be sold as long as I live.

This experience, 40 years ago, began a long term love affair with this amazing cartridge. Today I have over 3 dozen firearms chambered in 41 Magnum from various manufacturers and I do not see an end insight.

My most recent addition is an early Factory Engraved 4"

It left the factory wearing very plain standard Target stocks. I turned to the Master . . . . Cullina for a over the top set of presentation grips crafted from French Cake Walnut. One of the most expensive set of grips I have ever purchased, but I like the complete package



Where will the 41 Magnum path lead me next? For that I trust in the FORCE to Guide Me

quote:

Originally posted by TexasRaider:
Pardon my digression, but at any rate the older I get, the more and more cool those old dark blue steel & wood gripped handguns get. Even though I have quite a few, I keeping watching those videos anyway and then wandering over to auction sites wondering if I really need a retirement account, maybe a m34 Kit Gun or Model 1950 .45 ACP is all it'd take to make me really happy! Or a bizzaro m1953 in .22 Remington Jet? Maybe a Texas Wagon Trail 544 in .44-40 Winchester? That's besides all the damned cool m19's, m40's, m29's, m28 Highway Patrolman's...and I'm not even getting into Colts, Dan Wesson's or Rugers.

The Texas Sesquicentennial Commemorative Model 544 is a very interesting firearm. The Sesquicentennial Commission ordered 7800 of these, but sales were so poor that less than 5000 were ever manufactured and delivered. The Standard 544 was a 5" blue revolver with a few roll marks on the barrel and the Texas Wagon Train route depicted on the sideplate. These were shipped in a bass wood presentation case and wearing smooth presentation grips. This was a handsome revolver indeed



What many folks do not know is that the first 150 revolvers were Deluxe editions, product code 103196.

These had engraving and gold wire line work along with hand scrimshawed (depicting the Wagon Train), coke shaped, Elephant Ivory target stocks. The hammer, trigger, cylinder release and ejector rod are all gold plated. The Sesquicentennial Commission also had a bronze Texas Longhorn produced for the Deluxe version of the model 544. These bronzes are signed and numbered to the revolvers. There is also a large medallion that was produced.

All of this fits into a large presentation case with glass on 5 sides and lid that opens up. This huge case is also mounted on a lazy susan so that it can be rotated and viewed from any angle.

I like serial numbers. This example of the Deluxe Model 544 is a 44-40 chambered revolver whose serial number is 44.

I have often referred to the 150 Model 544 Texas Sesquicentennial Deluxe Commemoratives as one of Smith and Wesson's finest presentations of one of their worst selling Commemeratives.

My first new Smith I bought was a 6 inch nickel 57. I later on bought an 8 and a 4 inch. I did not keep the 8 inch very long, but still have the other 2. I also had a blue worn 58. I had the factory redo it in nickel and later on sold it also.

I have some 19's and 2 29's all in nickel. The only blue Smith I have is a 25-5 and it just looks good in blue.

quote:

Originally posted by colt_saa:
That is a GREAT back story on your Model 57 and you were fortunate to have been handed down a piece that has such a rich history and close family connection

Thank you, it is dear to me, as is his m28 Highway Patrolman

quote:

Originally posted by colt_saa:
My most recent addition is an early Factory Engraved 4". It left the factory wearing very plain standard Target stocks. I turned to the Master . . . . Cullina for a over the top set of presentation grips crafted from French Cake Walnut. One of the most expensive set of grips I have ever purchased, but I like the complete package.

Simply gorgeous!

quote:

Originally posted by colt_saa:The Sesquicentennial Commission also had a bronze Texas Longhorn produced for the Deluxe version of the model 544....I like serial numbers. This example of the Deluxe Model 544 is a 44-40 chambered revolver whose serial number is 44.

I'd love to add one of these to my safe one day. Gotta say though, being a native Texan, I really dig that bronze longhorn! LOL!