The Bulls.











KO

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Halfway and one more step

Here's my old S&W Model 57-1 I picked up in 1987.

Very nice!!

Here's one Smith & Wesson hasn't made.



Just picked this up from the 'smith today.
Lyman 410459 220gr SWC over 8.1gr Unique gave me 3" 10 shot groups off a rest from 35 yards.

KO

Here is my only 41 mag.

657-3 Classic Hunter

My LGS has a new Ruger Blackhawk 41 mag on sale for $499. I'm tempted.

My all purpose plinking load isn't working the best for my new custom 657-4. It was leading the bore a bit plus I should be able to get tighter groups with the revolver.
Some more load development needed.......
Before I start adjusting powder, alloys, and diameter I'm going to try the plated 210gr FP from X-Treme Bullets that I bought to try in my Desert Eagle.



Or I could try one of the other cast bullets I have a mold for. The Lyman 410459 has been my main bullet for 30 years,
the Ranch Dog TL411-255 RF is for the Marlin 1894 and I use the Lee 170gr SWC in a Uberti 1873 rifle converted to .41 Magnum.
Most of the other molds are fairly recent acquisitions that I have only cast sample batches from.



Or a jacketed bullet, though I'm getting pretty low on some of the discontinued ones and you really have to look long and hard to find any of the jacketed bullets.


I should get loading.

KO

ko...what is the history of that gun?? I have never seen a 657 with a titanium cylinder and the "41 MAGNUM" on the barrel just doesn't look like anything I have ever seen come out of the S&W factory...

Bob

Bob, it originally was a standard used $400 7 1/2" barreled 657-4. I found a used 7 1/2" barrel and had a local gunsmith cut it down to 5 1/2" and milled to look similar to some of the Performance Center guns. Weigand front sight base installed. Model 357PD Titanium cylinder was ordered from Numrich (Took 4 tries to get a cylinder that wasn't all beat up.). I'm not too fond of the size of the ".41 MAG" on the barrel or that it says MAG instead of MAGNUM. I still have the original barrel and cylinder so I could swap them back if things didn't work.
It is a more neutral balanced 41 ounces vs. the front heavy 54 ounces of the full lug barrel and unfluted cylinder original configuration.

KO

Nice.... I have a first generation -2 Hunter that is very early...serial number 5. It has a fluted cylinder instead of a smooth one.

Also have a 6" 657 that I have thought about having cut to 5" and a Wigand front sight installed...something that should be on all Smiths...

Thanks for sharing...Bob

Long live the 41 Magnum.

How can you not own a s&w 41 Magnum revolver??

It's in between the 357mag and 44mag. Love it or hate it, it's stood the test of time. It's here to stay.

Want to thank member bbtrout for the excellent way of doing business here on the Forums. He put out a set of Cokes at a reasonable price and after buying them and letting him know that the check was in route shipped the grips before he even received the check...

The reason for looking for the Cokes in the first place was to complete a set of 1964 vintage 57s...a 4", 5" and 6". The 6" had the original pair that were shipped with it from the factory. The 4" was a mint gun but had been stripped of the Cokes before I bought it. I was lucky enough to buy a 27-2 with a nice set of Cokes that needed a chip repaired from the lower backstrap area that was fixed by a very talented friend...

The last gun was a rusted 6" that a local smith turned into a factory look-a-like 5"....but it had no Cokes...but now the gun is "complete"....









With big and small brothers...








...so thanks again to bb for an excellent transaction that let me complete this dream....

Bob

Put new shoes on one of the Mountain Guns....a set of Eagle Grips Hammer...they feel good...





Bob

Very nice, Bob!

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Steve
NJ State Trooper (rtd)

One heck of a nice set there Bob. That 5" just looks so right.

KO

Just posted this over in the ammo section...

.41 Magnum Defensive Rounds....

Bob

Got the 5" 27/57 back from the smith the other day...action is all smoothed out... Locking now just before the hammer drops DA the way it should...

Bob

Absolutely LOVE those old ads. Great stuff.

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I type. Therefore I am.

Dad has a S&W 41 magnum revolver with slotted thingie on the end like the last one in post #21. lts been his favorite lately and has let me shoot it a couple of times.. l find the gun more pleasant to shoot than some of his others. His Model 19 snaps harshly while the 44 mags kick a bit much.

This 41 is just right

Ain't near as pretty but I think it's gorgeous.


Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

I like them all but the 41 is probably my favorite.Well sometimes, the 45 lc is pretty nice too. But then again the 44 magnum is fun too. Sorry my photography skills are not as good as my shooting.

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Picked up some new "shoes" on ebay listed as Herretts S&W Classic grips...got them for $30.00 delivered. Thought I'd see how they looked on my stainless 4" 657...





Got to shoot today and just took that one gun...putting 50 rounds through it.. Just the standard load about 950 fps. The grips are a little slick which just requires a harder grip.










...anyone else have something new in .41???

Bob

They look great, Bob.

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Steve
NJ State Trooper (rtd)

Had the gunsmith who cut down the damaged 57 6" down to 5" do the same to a 6" 657. Figured I had a 3-4-6-6.5 & 8 3/8" cutting the 6" down to 5 would fill out the numbers...

He did a nice job on the crown and installed a Weigand front sight base that takes the S&W Classic front sights...

After following this thread for some time, it finally dawned on me that I ABSOLUTELY NEEDED to have one more caliber to reload!

Picked up this new to me 4" Nickel 57-1 recently. Got the dies, new Starline brass, SWC projectiles and loaded up a couple of test batches using some AutoComp and Trail Boss powder that I have on hand.





The Trail Boss loads had very little recoil and could be shot all day!

Got better groups with some very manageable recoil with the AutoComp loads.

My new Favorite revolver!!

Bill

__________________
"What does this button do..."

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.....another Cultist!!!

...and a BEAUTIFUL way to become one...

Bob

I see this is an old post from last July but I just found it. I have always been a fan of the .41 magnum and have recently re-joined the .41 cult! The first picture is of me shooting my S&W M/57 6" at a local handgun silhouette match. I used the .41 in both revolver competition using the creedmore position and in the standing competition. This picture is from about 1982 and must be a springtime shot due to the snow up on Mica Peak in the background. Foolishly I traded this 57 off at some time in the past, it came with the presentation case and all the goodies. (I still have the screwdriver from it, snicker, snicker)

A couple of years ago I again was bitten by the .41 mag bug and bought the S&W M/657 6" in the second picture. I bought it locally used and paid three times what I originally paid for the 57. (I was working for a S&W distributor when I bought the 57 so was able to but it at distributor cost) In addition to my S&W obsession I also have a Marlin obsession. The rifle in the picture is a Marlin 1894 in .41 mag. 1894 .41 mag Marlins are very hard to find so I am very fortunate to own both the S&W and Marlin. They are equally fun to shoot and generally when one goes to the range the other comes along!

An interesting side note, as dark as the revolver and beard are in the first picture are, both my current revolver and beard are equally silver! It's almost like we aged together.

...doesn't get any better than that...

Those Marlin 1894FGs are bringing $12-1800.00 on the auctions sites...crazy...

Bob

...so has anyone out there bought anything new .41 wise???

Bob

My 657 6 in 1978

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I tried to get a Virginian Dragoon Buntline but it got too expensive for me. There also have been a few customs that have piqued my interest on the auction sites but lately all my .41 funds have been diverted to upgrading our home theater equipment....too many hobbies, too little money.

KO

What an incredible thread. I finally replaced my long gone 58 of the 70's last year. Great shooter.

There are so many great guns here.

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Here again is my only .41 mag wearing her factory shoes.

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Picked up this finish challenged mod 57 today.
Bore, lock up as new....just ugly with a 8 3/8's tube.
I may have it chopped and re-finished.

Great Idea.

Congratulations on the new member of the family

...5"???? Or how about something different like 4.5 or 6.5..... Check on the rollmarks on the barrel to see what may look centered or too off centered...

I have a 657 and 57 with the 8 3/8" barrels and they are fun shooters....

Bob

My 657-2 Classic Hunter with 6½" barrel.

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No good deed goes unpunished.

Sorry, I haven't read the whole thread, so forgive me if one of these has already been posted.

Mod 57-1 Silhouette 10-5/8 inch







The silly Factory didn't even get the barrel length right on the box label................
Oh!........ wait........ they only shipped one or two, so we can forgive the label because there was no product code for a 10-5/8...........

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

HE...just go ahead and KILL ME why don't you...that has been my Grail Gun since I read about it.... I would just like to get one of those front sights to have it put on my 8 3/8" 57...

Bob

I have 657-5 that I bought in 2005 not sure that may have been the last year of production I have taken several deer with it

Received today.

Sounds as if you own at least half of them. Be nice to have a custom monster presentation case for showtime. Is that box longer than the usual 8 3/8" box or the same?

Awesome guns.

41 is my favorite caliber both for factory guns and for customs. These are 41's in 41 Special, 41 Mag, 41mag/41 Special dual cylinder and 414 Supermag.

Beautiful guns rb....

Bob

Thank you Bob, 41 is my favorite caliber and I bet over half my custom projects have been 41s over the years.

Has anyone traded a 3" 657 because he thought he needed something else?? Arrrrrrggg when will I learn?

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US RIDE FOR THE BRAND OR LEAVE

Been there and done that... When I was a dealer I bought one of the first ones available back in 1986....later sold it as the barrel was "too short".

Back about 2003 lucked into THREE of them in a two week span and bought all of them. Two were in excellent condition and one had been to Mag-Na-Port and had some surface scuffs... Two had the original Combat grips and one the later flat sided Combats.

The nicest one had the flat sided grips so I traded grips with the originals on the Mag-Na-Port gun and sold it for what I had into it ($350.00) to RGS here on the forums who is a GREAT friend. The other nice one went on GunBroker and I doubled my money... The scuffed up Mag-Na-Ported one I still have....

RGS's gun when it had the original flat sided Coambats...



The Mag-Na-Ported gun I kept...the smaller Combats actually fit my hand better that the originals... It also didn't have a cylinder release and I bought one of the later MIM ones for it...



Bob

After starting with a 4" Nickel 57-1 (Post #175) and really enjoying loading for and shooting this caliber, I added another .41.

Another 4" but this time a blued 57 No Dash (S835XXX 1980ish). Here are a couple of pictures:

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It locks up tight, no end shake and the timing is spot on. Appears to have been fired sparingly but the target trigger has been either converted or modified to be smooth. Not a big deal from my perspective.

Bill

__________________
"What does this button do..."

Oh, I could learn to be jealous real quick! Great looking handguns.

I'll have to figure out this image thing to post a couple of my own.

TA DA: Now I've got it figured out...I think. The top one is my Mod. 57 in .41. The other is a 19. I did this photo a few years ago to illustrate a piece in the old Gun Week. Still have both guns.

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Recently joined the club. 57-1 and 657.

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