Model 57 shipped on April 7, 1964 and refinished by S&W in September 1966. It is a greater shooter and the Nill stocks make the recoil a lot less uncomfortable.

Bill

Another great one Bill

Hey just for everyones ed. could you post a pic of the refinish stamp as there has been a lot posts lately about factory refinish jobs?

Curtis...this is not your typical refinish mark. It has a B followed by a diamond stamped in the ejector rod shroud and on the cylinder underneath the extractor. The date 9 66 is stamped on the grip frame. Normally, you see an R-N, R-S, or R-Bi inside of a rectangle as the more common refinish marks.

Also, the Nill stocks fit so snug it may take an hour to get them off without damaging them.

Bill

Bill, why did it need refinishing after only 4 years? Also, do those stocks command the same premium that cokes do?

Anyone who says that the factory couldn't do nice refinishing, need only look at this gun!

G4F...Roy Jinks opined the refinish was probably done under warranty because of a flaw in the finish that occurred during manufacturing and was missed during final inspection. However, there is no way to know with certainty what the reason was.

I bought these stocks about two years ago for $206 from a Nill distributor in Florida. I believe they are still listed on the Nill website, but I am not sure what the price is currently.

Bill

No dont damage those stocks!!!

Did the frame have a date code indicating the trip back to the factory, did the date come from Roy?

Thanks Bill. I was under the impression that they had gone out of business. I don't know why I thought that, I just seem to remember someone here asking about them, and that was the answer given.

What makes them more comfortable? Are they wider across the backstrap?

The stocks might be a little wider and the extra wood where the stocks meet the trigger guard helps. Also, the checkering is not sharp, but rather smooth. All in all, great stocks for shooting magnum handguns.

Bill

I see that the checkering is very fine lined. I am going to check into them. Thank again!

The Nill grips are still available from the US distributor Mac-Tec.

http://mactec-militaryarms.com/nill_grips.html

Looks like they are $213 plus shipping.

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Kevin Cowherd
SWCA #2271

Thanks for the link. It looks like $219 for the ones I'm interested in.

An unsolicited plug for Nills...

Bought a K frame set at a gunshow for my 19-4; the stock grips are too small to shoot comfortably. The Nills are worth the $$, IMO; superb work, and they made the little 19 much easier to shoot. They are, as Doc noted, hard to remove once they're on, but I'm gonna leave them on for a while.

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50 Years of DSOTM

Beautiful 57 Bill.

Nills are THE best grips bar none. I have a few sets and they are meticulously crafted as you can probably tell in the photo.

IC

I have one question Doc. are you a millionaire? Some sort of investment genius or did you win the lottery? I have never seen one person blessed with so many unique and desirable S & W revolvers. Some day I hope to have a few really nice Smith's, but I think you have them all already!

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Vaya con Dios

Ditto on the Nills. I have a pair of the finger groove type on my 8" 29 and the fit and workmanship is flawless.
They make the gun feel like it is part of you.

Doc44;
Can you provide a serial # range for this "EARLY" 57?
Thanks

S237400 range.

Bill

Great looking gun Bill and the Nills are really nice. Nills are extremely popular with the Sig bunch on their forum as well. They are outstanding grips but are subject to breakage so taking them off and on requires both patience and skill.

That model 57 is a beauty...thanks for sharing.