Hi did any Police dept issue model 58 in .41 magnum ???

many thanks robbt

San Francisco and San Antonio. There were probably a few others.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

A friend of mine who I used to work with, has a SFPD marked Model 58. He won't part with it.

Hope this helps.

Fred

I think I remember Skeetor Skelton writing about Amarillo ,Texas issuing them as a duty weapon.

Your right about Amarillo...I work for a PD about 45 miles north of their....They were one of the first to issue the .41....some of the guys still carry them, but the ones I've seen have been 57......Don't know If they ever issued the 58, but they sure could have.

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"Keep It Simple Stupid"

Mine was shipped in June of 1977 to Philadelphia and I purchased it around 1989 from a distributor who had a bunch of them and said they were police trade ins but I have never been able to find any PA police agencies using this model.

The gun was so big and heavy with stiff recoil that it was not popular and didn't sell very well to police and the 57 with it's adjustable sights was a better choice for sporting use.

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No life story has happy end.

Nevada State Patrol back in the day was reported to have issued them as well.

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The Last Standing Knight

I read that the Nevada State Patrol was the first to receive the M58 and it was at their request for a fixed sight .41Mag. to better penetrate felons' cars.

There used to be a writer in GUN WORLD named Tom Ferguson. He was a retired sergeant with San Antonio, Texas P.D. He was there during the M-58's introduction, issue and retirement with his department and was a big fan.

He said that they weren't too popular with his fellow officers. The alternative issue was a K frame .357 and while the .357-armed officers qualified with light, cheap .38 Special wadcutter reloads, there was no reduced .41 Magnum ammo then and .41 shooters qualified with the 210 gr. SWC factory load, which ran about 900 fps and was a kicker compared to the wadcutter .38's. Plus they were a whole lot heavier on the belt.

He's been dead for a few years. I used to enjoy his writing.

I know that the Pennsauken Police Department here were issued 57 and 58's. I have one that was converted to adjustable sights by one of there officers.
Frank Jr.

Saxon Pig said:
Mine was shipped in June of 1977 to Philadelphia and I purchased it around 1989 from a distributor who had a bunch of them and said they were police trade ins but I have never been able to find any PA police agencies using this model.

Navy Frank said:
know that the Pennsauken Police Department here were issued 57 and 58's.

Saxon Pig, maybe your Model 58 was from the Pennsauken NJ Police Dept. which is just over the Delaware River from the Philly distributor you purchased it from.

I remember a newspaper article in the Courier Post about Pennsauken PD and their .41's titled "The Cops who couldn't shoot straight." They had problems qualifing with them and at the time I believe they were shooting the old 50 yard qualification course. Frank Jr.

hi frank , can you post a picture ??robbt

Disclaimer on the following:
I saw a picture and had a friend that rode with them in this time frame, and this is what he told me, and I have seen his 58 marked with the "APD" and his badge number, which still could have been done after market. Been trying to trade him out of it.

He stated that some members of the Atlanta PD motorcycle unit had a small quantity issued years ago. It was also stated that these guns were sent directly to the Atlanta Police Department for them.

I have no idea if these were T&E guns or someone pressured someone higher in the ranks to get them for them. All I know, is that APD was likely a bit different then than it is today.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

I used to work for Springdale Police Dept. in suburban Cincinnati. In the 1980's, we were issued the Model 57. The departments on either side of us- Forest Park and Sharonville- also carried the .41 mag. I believe one of them carried the 58, and the other the 57, but I'm not sure which was which. (When we switched to the Beretta 92FS, I couldn't come up with the $235 (!!!) to buy my 57. Always kicked myself for that. But, a few years ago, I invested over $900 to get one of the SFPD-marked 58s. Now I feel better!)

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LEO since 1981.

Another small Ohio city, Norwalk, also issued 58s,

robbt here is a photo of the 58 with adjustable sights.

hi , did any police dept issue nickeled 58 ??
many thanks, robbt

A quick glance and one thinks one saw a Model 15!

I meet a Sheriff in Maryland and I think the County was Princes County and they were issued .41 Magnums in 1968..I think they were model 57's with a 6 inch barrel..all5x

I believe Sheriff Buford Pusser (Walking Tall Movies) carried a nickle M58 but I don't know if the other deputies were issued that. I know he later carried a Colt Python and a S&W M-76 Submachinegun.

He carried a .41 Magnum until he and his wife were ambushed in August of 1967. I always assumed it was a four inch barrel, but don't know about the finish type or if it was a 57 or fixed sight 58. To my understanding, that gun is still in McNairy County today, which is about fifty miles north and west of here. No one that I know there can verify the model for me; apparently the gun is not in the family anymore, and whoever owns it isn't exactly wild about showing it for some reason. I've wondered for years exactly which .41 he used, but I seem to hit a dead end every time I've inquired about it to some of my friends in that area. If anyone knows anything further about it, I'd sure be curious to hear it.

I seem to remember that the San Jose CA PD carried them as well.

Thanks

I've also seen pics of a Colt Trooper Mk.III which he supposedly carried.

I have seen nickeled M-58 with SFPD markings , including a few in original box. Supposedly issued to the higher ranks.

I do not claim either of these to be gospel.

At one time, Birmingham, Alabama PD authorized .41 Magnum revolvers (loaded with the lead SWC round only) as a private purchase instead of the issue Model 10 HB.

I have a M58 nickel that was carried by a B'ham officer.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Trying not to go OT - but I find it really interesting that a community with the known reputation of San Francisco and their leftward leanings would ever get city officials sold on the purchase and issuance of anything 'N' frame or with the word 'magnum' on the barrel, or anything starting with the number '4'.

No offense to what I am sure is a first-rate highly trained department, but still, they have to work with what municipal government blesses.

I'd like to hear from any west-coast folks that could enlighten me.

(I won't include the pun that they couldn't have autos 'cause 'limp-wristing' caused so many malfunctions.....)

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

NavyFrank,

That 58 is just plain neat. I thought several times about doing that to mine but I never had the means to do so.

There was a Model 58 at the last gun show I attended marked S.F.P.D. on the left side of the frame below the cylinder release. I did not handle it but it looked to be in about 95% condition. It was fitted with smooth target stocks, probably worth $100 on their own. It was priced at $800.00 which seemed reasonable for California and if i hadn't just bought a new car I would have purchased it had it passed a mechanical inspection.

You can search in Yahoo Groups for a group called "Crimemyths", and it is dedicated to Bufford Pusser and has a list of his guns with the serial numbers. I believe the list of about 35 of his guns is in the photo section and I remember seeing several Smith & Wessons, including a .41 Magnum. You should be able to reference the serial number on the .41 and tell if it is a Model 57 or 58.

Man......I sure like the looks of that heavy barreled model 58 with the adjustable sights!

I can assure you that the SFPD of the 60s was quite different then the SFPD of today.....night and day..

True or not , but I was told by several that the San Antonio Pd was the first to get the 41 mag . They had been through a bad situation , lost an officer in a running shootout with their 38's and needed more firepower .
There has been in the past a fellow that used to post here was an officer with the Dallas pd . He carried a 58 for awhile then a 57 .
NM state troopers I am told as well as Santa Fe PO's also carried the 57 or 58 . Again, this is just what I have been told . I also read about a Baton Rouge PO that carried a 41 but I don't remember which model .
In San Francisco , it was very effective for officers working the docks . San Quentin prison is just down the road and a lot of felons , when released went to the docks for work . No one asked for references there.
The 41 got quite a workout for those officers working the docks and the warehouse sections . They are reported having said that they never felt out gunned .
I have 2/57's and a 58 . I won't sell / trade them .

Dirty Harry carried the m29 in 44 magnum but he shot the lighter 44 special loads. Sorry I couldn't help myself he was in Frisco,ca.

Now I've owned, shot the 44 magnums for most of my gun life. I find the m58 a well balanced revolver. I don't understand why a Leo would find the recoil too much. Unless there going from a 38 special to the 41 magnum?
Going from the 357 mag to the 41 mag to me really isn't much difference.
If I were a Leo I'd welcome the extra firepower on the job.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol had some in the early 1970's. They did not issue them to all their troopers. It may have been a limited test. A sergeant that I knew carried one for a time. Their guns, as all their older revolvers, was nickle.

I recall one of our members stating that the Roanoke County Sheriff's Department here in Roanoke County Virginia issued a S&W .41 mag but I think he said it was the Model 57 and not the 58 but I could be wrong.

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BCCI Life Member #2068

hi , heres a link on SAPD . 41 mags interesting article.

Why We Don't Have A .41 Keith

Roanoke County did carry model 58's when I went through the academy in 1983. They transitioned to model 66's in about '85. They carried Winchester 210 grain Silvertips in the .41's and used that round for everything from qualifying to on duty carry. I can remember going through night firing with one of them on each side of me. Pretty exciting! I always liked the .41 and bought a model 57 and then a 657 once I freed up some funds. A lot of the ammo I shot was old Roanoke County duty rounds that I got off of some of my fellow officers.

My understanding is .41 mag Silvertips were 175 grain and .44 mag Silvertips were 210 grain.

Amarillo pd till lTe 70s

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Got mine (58) there in the academy Nov 1974. Cost me 110 bucks with a 2 1/2 inch mdl 19.

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It was the model 58 in blue. Kept them until we could get no more and 57's were too expensive. The 58's were traded for 66's and individual officer buy back was $208.

U in dumas or Dalhart?

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It was a very different world in the mid '60s, even in San Francisco. The libs and PC were just beginning to insinuate their tendrils into the system. By '78, with the Moscone/Milk incident, it was clear the nuts were firmly entrenched.

I had been hunting for another
58 in nickel.
Tossed a bid on this one and won.
No smoking deal but I have the proper stocks
and will change out the targets.

S&W Model 58 41 Mag 4" Nickel Exc Cond : Revolvers at GunBroker.com

Blackhawk Co. Iowa Sheriffs carried Mod -57 in the 70's

I have a m58 marked SFPD. Refinished. But a very nice shooter.

If the police ammo had been loaded better, I think the .41 would have been more popular. The soft lead bullet leaded barrels and wasn't too accurate.

I fired a M-58 with imitation pearl Magna stocks. It was one of the hardest kicking guns that I've shot, much worse than my 6.5-inch barreled M-29.

I doubt that many cops shot the .41 well. Good Plus P .38 ammo probably doomed the .41 as a police round. I'd rather carry a .357.

Mine shipped in September 1964 for the Amarillo Police Department. The serial number makes it likely that it is one of the first 200 made. My interests are mainly in 357 an 44 cal now.