Not that I was around when 58's were made originally, but a an old guy with a table full of S&W's, including some 58's explained to me why the 58's aren't common........

58's were marketed for PD sales, but they started coming out in an era when (no offense to anyone intended, this is how it was explained to me)........... more "recoil sensitive" police recruits (smaller stature men, women) couldn't handle the .41 Magnum and it never caught on like S&W intended. Civilians and LEO's who purchased their own sidearms, who really wanted a .41 Magnum usually just bought 57's, so the 58 was kind of left out in the cold, so to speak.


Just like 10mm was supposed to be THE LE round but recoil and muzzle blast made it prohibitive to non-gun people LEO's. The FBI used it for like 10 minutes in the 90's, from what I hear but it was never widely issued. So, the .40 was born by shortening the 10mm and now .40 S&W is THE LEO round

I like the "Classic" 58's, they are neat but you can find a decent, honestly used 58 for the same or less $$.