I purchased an advertised as new Model 57-5 off of Gun Broker. It was delivered and horrible. The seller said send it back as he had another one. I sent it back and called him after a week. He said he didn’t see anything wrong with it and never looks at a firearm before sending it out. The red light should have gone on then. Instead I let him send me another one which was marginally better. I asked for my money back and he said deal with Smith & Wesson. I left it at my FFL for a few weeks with the idea of pursing fraud against the seller, which the local County Attorney said he would be happy to do. I quit thinking about it for a couple of more weeks and finally picked up the revolver from my FFL, giving up hope of a resolution.

The second part of the story started with a phone call and emailing some pictures of the Model 57 to a young man and Smith & Wesson who agreed that the firearm was not right and sent me a shipping label to send it in to them. They would not say if it was used but they did agree after multiple emails and a couple of phone calls to refinish the revolver at no cost to me.

I must say at this time I know what a gun should look like. I am by no means a collector or a dealer but I do have over 30 purchases on Auction Arms and over 90 sales and purchases on Gun Broker, beside what I have purchased at box stores and Gun Shows over the last 40 years.

To make a some what long story a little shorter a Fed X truck pulls up to my house in the country a few weeks later and there the Model 57 is in all it’s splendor. It does have the lock. I have 3 Smiths with the lock and better than 25 without. I sold a 625 Mountain Gun in 45 colt to fund this one, it had the lock, and I missed it after I sold it and have since bought another.

The revolver looks as good as an unfired Python that I have had for years. I must say that it makes me want to send a revolver to Smith and pay for the service if they are capable of this kind of work. Pictures follow with after market grips. I don’t know if I should shoot it or not it looks so good. ( some oil shows up on the gun but there are no flaws )

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Wow what a beautiful refinish! S&W did you right. The seller needs to be banned from GB. I'd personally would be going after him through GB to have him disbarred from the website so he cannot put the screws to anyone else.

Glad it worked out well for you in the end as your 57 MG looks fantastic.

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Roger / SG

I kinda would like to know the seller so i keep away.

I would also like to know who made those grips. very nice

Craig Spegel made the grips. I have two sets of his grips. I have purchased many other grips over the years from a lot of different makers for both revolvers and autos and nothing has come close to his for fit and finish.

I'll agree with all of that. I have both Ahrends and Spegels, no offense to anyone, but the Spegels are top of the class. Yours just accentuate that.