The only problem is ... you need a time machine to take you back to 1954!

Stumbled upon this short article about the Highway Patrolman's debut. Thought y'all would find it interesting. Boston Globe, April 20, 1954. Happy reading!

Attached Images

HWYPatrol.jpg (71.4 KB, 220 views)

hmm...to powerful for city cops or private citizens. I want one

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Some collect art; I shoot it!

That weapon must be a heck of a lot more powerful than those that were later sold to the private citizens. How much power must it have had to pass through the rear of the car, through the driver, through the engine block, and still keep going. Howitzer, perhaps?

Must have been a Ford with a small block engine.

$85 in 1954 is roughly $760 in today's dollars. That is still a bargain.

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Inconsistently consistent

Well, Hellstrom still ended up selling to cops and civilians.

And so the San Antonio (TX) PD adopts the Model 58 in 41 magnum. I guess things just needed to be bigger in south Texas than Boston...

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Randy
Provenance nerd

In another thread, a member posted that his local shop had a NIB 4" HP with tools for about $600. Granted, that was a great deal. But $757 shouldn't be too much off the mark for an HP NIB in 2016 if you look long enough.

Less than a thousand for a NIB M27 might be a stretch. Amazing that the price differential of $25 back then has swollen to near $250 now, but that just shows how much less money is worth these days.

My general rule of thumb is multiply prices from the '50s or '60s by ten and you get today's price. Not too far off in this case.

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You're shy a few manners.

Now lets look at deflation. Back then, a .357 Magnum would go through the back of the car. through the driver of the car, and all the way though the engine block and I assume the radiator and would still be going.

In 2016 you would need a Fifty caliber to accomplish the same.

Over the last 50 years the .357 Magnum load has been so reduced in power that it’s nothing close to the power produced by the original factory load.
At one time I had a Smith and Wesson advertisement, for the .357 Magnum revolver, this ad specked the ,357 Magnum round at 1,575 FPS and 800 foot pounds of energy from an 8 3/8” barrel. That’s a lot of power

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Always Stay Strong!

There was a argument on another forum a while back when a fellow posted that today's +P+ is close to what the normal loads were back in the day. He said SAAMI specs have been lowered repeatedly over the years for both the .38 and .357. I have no idea if it's true or not but he was standing his ground while a few other's poo-poo'ed what he was saying.

Interesting article, thanks for posting 357!

First there is no current SAAMI spec for the 38 special +P+ round. There may be for other calibers, but none I know of. That is why +P+ ammo can be so iffy.

Second, if I remember correctly the 38 special SAAMI max pressures have been lowered by 3 - 4 thousand PSI. The SAAMI max pressure has been lowered even more than that.

Third, if you feel the need for safe but smoking hot factory ammo try the Underwood brand.

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Always Stay Strong!

It's difficult to say just how much the .357 MV has declined over the years, as there is no good basis for comparing of the MV figures which have been published over the years.

1938 Remington Catalog, 158 grain metal point - 1510 fps, from an 8-3/4" barrel
1943 Western Ammunition Handbook, 158 grain metal point, also 1510 fps from an 8-3/4" barrel
1960 Winchester catalog, 158 grain lead bullet - 1400 fps, no barrel length provided
1976 W-W catalog, 158 grain lead bullet - 1450 fps, from 8-3/8" barrel
1978 Remington catalog, 158 grain metal point - 1235 fps, from a 4" VENTED barrel.

Note that the Metal Point bullets are equivalent to lead bullets as their driving surface is lead.

Someone would need to round up some early ammunition and some late ammunition and chronograph it from the same gun(s) to get good comparative data. My guess is that the .357's MV has not declined that much over time.

Handloads.

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Oh well, what the hell.

It didn't take them nearly that long to do that to the 10mm. Yep, we're living in different times now.

Bruce

357magster:

Wonderful clipping. I think that the word for that description is "hyperbole"... But great advertising. "This thing is too powerful for ordinary folks"... That would make me want one!!! I've heard folks recite that line about passing through automobiles including the engine block since I was a kid. Now we know where it came from!!

Thanks for sharing.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

My first house was $29,999. In 1976. In 2010 the value was $300k.

Remember, these are 1954 cars......

The bullet wouldn't have to go thru 5 computers and
two sets of air bags.

Cranking em' out at 200 a day !!!
Back when we still had machinists and skilled tool and die
makers.

Chuck

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They hold no Quarter