Registered Magnum. Luxury item, or not?

[mrcvs]

Of course, it was a luxury item! It was marketed as such. And as a glamor gun, often bought by wealthy celebs, like Clark Gable, whose gun had Roper grips and a King hammer and trigger.

Frank Buck went to considerable trouble to obtain one about 1946. Prior to then, he wore either a .38-44 Heavy Duty or a Third Model .44. Maybe a Triple Lock. Can't tell which in photos. Barrel length was five inches.

D.B. Wesson sent one to Sasha Siemel, who promptly shot some jaguars with it.

This was great advertising for S&W.

This doesn't mean the way a Korth is now a luxury gun. But it was meant to be the top of S&W's line and the most powerful revolver, unless you handloaded, say .44 Special to higher pressures, as Elmer Keith and others did.

Just having a choice of barrel lengths and sights was a luxury.

This makes complete sense, except it doesn't. Market to celebrities, and, for a price, you, too, can have a glamour gun!

EXCEPT that price wasn't all that bad, especially if you belong to the NRA. Or have other memberships or affiliations. What would you rather have? A run of the mill Model 54 for $61.40, or pay 2% or so less for that snazzy Registered Magnum. Or, if you have an affiliation, get another 35% off!!!

Where else can you dress like a celebrity for less?

 

[mrcvs]

For those who say they will never be able to afford a RM, In the past 5 or 6 years I have picked up 2, One from an individual that bought a 1939 3 1/2 in at a LGS for $500 and wanted to turn a quick profit. I gave him $1500 and no argument. a year or so I walked into a local pawn shop and purchased a 1936 3 1/2 in advertised as a Highway Patrolman for $350. It depends where you look as to how much you will pay. prices are high at auction sites ETC, but if you frequent enough gunshows, pawn shops and small LGS you will come across some bargains.
SWCA 892

If you put $5 daily in a coffee can, in about 3 years you can purchase a Registered Magnum. This is a rather painless approach.

 

[Kinman]

It was competition, there were people that were willing to pay top dollar for the best there was available. Supply and demand, simply put. My 1940 edition of Stoeger's "The Shooters Bible." Colt National Match .45 starting at $50. Included are the Colt Shooting master starting at $52.50 Here are few more that were also attractive to people , the imports like Walther HP Army Pistol $75. Broomhandle Mauser 712 base price $110. A standard Luger was a bargain at $106.

People will always pay a little more for perceived quality, its just supply and demand and add to the fact you can keep your workforce working during hardtimes. Why do people buy an Oldsmobile or Buick when they really can get by with a Chevrolet.

 

[H Richard]

If the annual income was $1800 and the gun cost was $60, I know I would really hesitate to spend 40% of my monthly income on a handgun, even though I have done so, but only a couple times, and not until I was retired and no debts to pay. I wouldn't have considered doing it when I was younger and raising a family.

 

[6string]

It was competition, there were people that were willing to pay top dollar for the best there was available. Supply and demand, simply put. My 1940 edition of Stoeger's "The Shooters Bible." Colt National Match .45 starting at $50. Included are the Colt Shooting master starting at $52.50 Here are few more that were also attractive to people , the imports like Walther HP Army Pistol $75. Broomhandle Mauser 712 base price $110. A standard Luger was a bargain at $106.

People will always pay a little more for perceived quality, its just supply and demand and add to the fact you can keep your workforce working during hardtimes. Why do people buy an Oldsmobile or Buick when they really can get by with a Chevrolet.

Exactly.
The rivalry between S&W and Colt was especially fierce. The Colt Shooting Master and New Service Target (available in 357!) was just under the price of the RM. Colt advertising clearly portrayed guys like Charles Askins actually using for (and winning) pistol matches.
I wonder if S&W got a kick out of outpricing Colt, or if Colt got a kick out of underpricing S&W? I bet the salesmen for each saw it their own way.

It does my heart good to see a RM with some mileage on it. (Didn't Ed McGivern slap a scope on his?)
All the texts of the day (1930s: Hatcher, Sharpe, McGivern, etc.) emphasized the introduction of the S&W RM in terms of performance. Any mention in terms of aesthetics, while wholly positive, was overshadowed by the capabilities of the gun and cartridge.

Jim

 

[Texas Star]

I doubt that many with annul incomes of $1800 were the ones buying many items beyond necessities. There are always people who earn far more than the average annual income.

Most buying either Winchester M-54 (or a couple of years later, Model 70) rifles, let alone in Super Grade or RM's were hardly poor people. They'd be medium to upper income persons.

Was there a discount for NRA members then, as inferred above? Gen. Patton got an Army officers's discount, and there were maybe police discounts, I suppose. My comments were based on the retail list price, and I guess other guns that cost less were also available to some qualified buyers at a discount, too? At that rate, the .357 was still a premium gun. Look at total numbers made inc. non-registered Magnums, compared to the sales of M&P .38's.

I think the S&W .44 Magnum was introduced at $140?

Bill Ruger was said to have based the cost of his new Blackhawk revolver on what he thought a normal working man might earn in a week, in 1955. That was $87.50. Going by memory, that S&W .357 cost $110 then. I know it was soon at $120, a Colt Python at $125. I think a M&P, later Model 10, sold new for about $60-65 then. The .357 Magnum cost about twice what an M&P did. I consider that a luxury or premium gun. Something didn't have to cost as much as a H&H double barreled rifle to be a luxury gun!

 

[Absalom]

Ultimately, the question whether an RM was a luxury or not back then comes down to individual circumstances:

1. Could you afford one?
2. Did you feel you needed one, maybe as an officer worried about gangsters wearing vests, or needing to shoot through cars?

Nowadays it's a bit different. Nobody needs one. The questions have changed to

1. Can you afford one?
2. Is owning one worth the price to you?

For me the answer to 1. is "yes, no problem", but to 2. a resounding "no way". Financially, I've always been about opportunity cost. For the same reason I'll never own a 2" Victory, even though that's very much my field of interest. For the current average price, I can buy up to a dozen 4" Victorys and letter them all. No contest.

 

[Frank46]

I'll probably never to be able to afford a Registered Magnum and more power to those who forked over the money and do a show and tell with their new toys. Some real beauties have graced the screen and some not so beautiful. Actually those are the ones I'm most interested. Wether it belonged to a police officer.farmer,bank excutive or hunter.It shows that they cared enough in their daily persuits to get the very best. Framk

 

[LPD256]

It's fun to look back and realize it would have been nice to know what we could've made if we bought that 1964 Shelby Cobra for a song even 25 years ago. In the '70s while making $600/month I sold a Python to buy a Model 19. Which I sold for around $150. All the above are probably luxury items. As it comes to collectibles, to include hot rods, guns, etc. the real question going forward is who will want what we collect today? What will be valued?

 

[keith44spl]

Boys,
It's all about perspective.
My dad used to kid me about some of my earlier purchases....

He'd say, "Son, looks like you'll be ridin' a ten dollar horse,
just so you can be a forkin' on a forty dollar saddle."

I might not of had but a buck, ninty-eight worth of clothes between
a good hat and a good pair of boots. But, I always sported a darn good sidearm.

And still do to this day.

Until here just recently....

.

 

[Doc44]

Many .357 Magnums were ordered by companies that were in the business of selling firearms and sporting goods and not by individuals. Often, they were purchased several at a time. I am sure when potential customers saw one of these "new" revolvers in the case, many reached for their wallet rather quickly.

Bill

 

[glowe]

Not my era of collecting, but they have always interested me. Didn't the RM start production in 1935 and all sold were registered until 1938, with about 6,000 made? That is only 2,000 per year, and it seems that price must have hindered sales. I have a 1941 price list and the 357 Magnum was down to $43.64, while the 38/44 was down to $32.73 so the RM still held a 25% premium likely mostly due to that powerful caliber??

It seems that there are a lot of gun experts/authors who still call the RM the finest handgun ever manufactured.

 

[Doc44]

The .357 Magnum with registration number 1 was given to D. B. Wesson for presentation to J. Edgar Hoover in April of 1935 and continued to be produced until late 1939. The actual number produced is somewhere around 5500.

Bill

 

[Green Frog]

I like the RM......

Several have past through my calloused hands.

I've even used one for a custom revolver build.

At first glance this strikes one as sacrilege, but in fact it is what shooters can regard as just about normal... build what you want or need with the best parts you can find to fit the job. I actually think a Registered Special (44) is a more appropriate use of this frame than the original chambering. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "Works for me!" (with a proper nod to Fred Dryer.)

Personally, I find an N-frame a little too big for me to comfortably shoot, and a bit of overkill (pun intended) for what is essentially a hot-loaded 38 Special cartridge. They are certainly well made and nice to look at, but I don't think they are that much better than S&W's other target grade guns. For instance, the post-War Masterpiece series probably had as much hand fitting and care of building as the pre-War RMs and 357 Magnums, but they were made in much larger numbers so don't have anywhere near the cachet of the RM. In fact, with some serious shopping one could probably buy a set of all three of the post-War (ie late '40s vintage) Masterpiece revolvers (22, 32, & 38) for about the same $$$ as a single RM, a choice that would be very easy for me to make!

The foregoing is purely personal opinion based on my own personal tastes and experiences, and as with all things YMMV!

Regards,
Froggie

 

[austintexas]

When I was growing up in the 40s and 50s I don't remember anyone in my family or my families friends owning a pistol. There was no need. I grew up in eastern PA and my Dad had a used M-97 Winchester pump and a 94 30-30. The first hand gun I remember was owned by a Hillbilly singer my uncle knew, he traveled a lot and needed it. It was a M-36. When Ruger came out with a single six my uncle bought one. My real introduction was about '57, I was soda jerking after school and my boss was a target shooter and let me shoot his K-22,K-32 and K-38. This i think is where I got my S&W itch,
SWCA 892

 

[Kinman]

Although I now have the money to spend in any manner I choose, I still have problems pulling the trigger on anything over $2K, I have lost out on a few auctions because I got brushed off by a $2K bid, one of these days I'll step up and congratulate myself for breaking the barrier, but then whats next? The $3K mark?
I am getting a little tired of getting left on the porch while the big dogs run off with the goods...I still got time.

 

[mrcvs]

Although I now have the money to spend in any manner I choose, I still have problems pulling the trigger on anything over $2K, I have lost out on a few auctions because I got brushed off by a $2K bid, one of these days I'll step up and congratulate myself for breaking the barrier, but then whats next? The $3K mark?
I am getting a little tired of getting left on the porch while the big dogs run off with the goods...I still got time.

Unless you find a Registered Magnum that is misidentified (which has happened at least a few times in the last year, according to some threads on this forum), 2k, unfortunately, won't come close to purchasing a Registered Magnum these days, unless it has many problems. It's now usually at least a 5k plunge. You get what you pay for.

 

[Kinman]

With my problem of pulling trigger at $2K you can well imagine my dilemma when it comes to a $5K purchase. I can think of a few firearms that come up to the $5K price or even less that I have let slip by through the years, I well remember a 95% Model 1885 High Wall in 40-82 with dies and all for $4K that was sitting in Cabela's museum room...I still kind of regret that one getting by.

 

[mrcvs]

Although I now have the money to spend in any manner I choose...

You said it, not I! You only live once. Buy that Registered Magnum, if you like it!

 

[rct269]

You said it, not I! You only live once. Buy that Registered Magnum, if you like it!

What he said!!

The good stuff----the nice stuff doesn't fall into your lap----and depriving yourself of the enjoyment of owning something special because of some barrier you've created just flat doesn't make sense. Now if the Boss Lady has a hand in this------this barrier, then that's a different matter altogether.

I supposed there was some limit, unspoken though it may be, but I found out different when the time came. The time came when I walked through the door empty handed coming home from yet another show empty handed. "Did you get anything?" she asked. The answer was the same as it had been for months---but with a twist: "No, but I saw one I'd never seen before."----and I told her about a gun that was not for sale----at first, but then ended up with "You know, if I was to sell this gun to you, it would be $7,000." "Is it worth $7,000?" she asked. "Hell, I don't know---I saw one advertised about a year ago at $9,000, and it wasn't as good as this one." Then, wonder of wonders, she said, "Well why don't you just go on and buy it?"

She didn't have to twist my arm or anything---it was just "Yes Ma'am!", and I grabbed for the phone.

There never was a barrier----other than the one in my mind. And if there was a barrier in her mind, the way around or through it was good judgement-----plain old common sense!!

"Is it worth it?"

Ralph Tremaine

And that was coming up 20 years ago----and nothing's changed---except she's older.