I recently picked up a model 57 8 3/8” barrel. The frame is marked 57 but it’s chambered for .45 Colt. Barrel is marked 45 Colt. Serial # 706XXX. There is a letter included from Roy Jinks stating it left the factory like that and was an error. Any info? Value? It’s in mint shape. Shot very little if at all. It came in the wooden box the lining deteriorated. but I plan to sell it. Is it’s value as a standard .45 Colt in the configuration? I have plenty of pics i can provide. Thanks.

I just read this over on single actions. Interesting miss marked mistake.

I'm still wondering if the chambers are oversized like many of the 25-5?

Good luck with your sale.

In general, mis-stamped guns don't bring a large premium over a correct gun in equivalent condition. But as you describe it, someone may pay more for a factory condition gun with the wrong model mark.

"N"706xxx is probably from 1980-'81.

With the case needing a rehab (a Forum member does excellent restorations, by the way), but with the original box contents, call it $1100 or so.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Let's see this bad boy. Should still have a pinned barrel. Blued, I suppose? Ought to be a great gun to shoot, .45 Colt is fairly mild in a heavy N frame. If the mis-marked model number is all that's 'wrong', that should be a -5 gun. My 4" M25-5 is N8243xx.

I took a bunch of pics today. I will post them tomorrow.

Here’s a few pics.

I find a lot of folks blather on the internet about Model 25-5's somehow having oversized chambers. If this were true they would not be accurate. Every one I have owned, and it has been a lot of them, have been extremely accurate. Instead of posting stuff like that, try shooting one. They are fantastic revolvers. Remarkably accurate.

That one looks really nice. Shoot it with some Remington 255 grain factory ammo in the yellow and green box. It will no doubt shoot better than you can.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

I have a 25 and it’s a shooter as you stated. This one I’m not shooting. Bought it to sell.

I think the over sized throat deal depends on how much over and what bullets and loads. I have found that model 29 cylinders are often oversized also and you seldom hear anything negative. Then when I was prepping to make a new style 44 mag cylinder into a 45 colt I discovered its throats were just over .428. No way would a .429 plug gauge go in all of the chambers. I have a bunch of 45 colts. Only one has a factory cylinder. The rest I made from 44 mag cylinders so I get just what I want.

Here is another interesting fun fact on S&W cylinders I recently discovered while making a model 19 cylinder into a 22lr cylinder for a model 53. I was using a .222 chucking reamer 9which mic ed at .2215) to make the pilot holes in the inserts. What was interesting about that is I discovered the reamer would not fit in the throats of 2 of the 22 cylinders I had in my shop. One from a K frame and the other from an I frame. This indicates to me that their throats are under sized. I plan to turn a piece of round stock to exactly .222 and verify it with a mic and try it in all my 22lr cylinders. But, this lead me to check a bunch of 22 ammo. I checked a few Amscor, Federal, Gemtech, Winchester and Remington, from stingers to subsonics and CCI shorts. None of them were .222 but ran from .2225 to .224.