What Is A Registered Magnum

What is the difference between a registered and non-registered magnum and who is it registered by?

The first 5000 or so .357s made by S & W starting in 1935 were built to customer specifications, with any barrel length between 3.5 and 8.75" in 0.25" increments, with a choice of sights and stocks. The factory offered the owner the option of sending in a postcard that would register the gun to the owner, and these guns were stamped "REG ####". These guns are called Registered Magnums even without the certificate. The factory paper certificates mailed back are rare and highly sought after.

The factory stopped the registration process but made about 2000 more identical guns (minus the REG stamping) up to the beginning of WW II; these are called the "non-registered" guns. Both categories refer to pre-WW II guns.

Now you will be treated to lots of photos . Hope this is helpful.

A ".357" Magnum and its original registration certificate. The registration certificate unconditionally guarantees the revolver against defects in workmanship, etc.

Bill

Thanks Doc & murphydog.
I would guess that Patton's S&W was registered as it was shipped in 1935.

Patton's registered magnum

Walthernut said:

Thanks Doc & murphydog.
I would guess that Patton's S&W was registered as it was shipped in 1935.

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That is what I have read on several occasions. On the otherhand, there are so many myths surrounding General Patton (like Pearl Handled matched Colts) it's hard to know what to believe.

Patton carried a Reg Mag. There are several threads here about it.
Whether he sent the card in for the cert I have no clue.

LTC George W. Patton ordered his ."357" Magnum on 9 September 1935. It was assigned registration number 506.

Bill

Hey Lee,

I guess the time has passed fer sendin' in the card on 'er, eh...




Many Thanks Ol' Pard,

Dave

Actually, if you are the original purchaser of the gun and still have the return card to request the Registration Certificate, I think you could return the card to Roy and receive a certificate, as he has original blank certificates. I don't find any disclaimer in any of the S&W ads or brochures that indicates there's an expiration date on receiving a Certificate. ( Go for it, Lee! ) Ed.

opoefc said:

Actually, if you are the original purchaser of the gun and still have the return card to request the Registration Certificate, I think you could return the card to Roy and receive a certificate, as he has original blank certificates. I don't find any disclaimer in any of the S&W ads or brochures that indicates there's an expiration date on receiving a Certificate. ( Go for it, Lee! ) Ed.

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Ed received it for me- I bet he kept the card.......

Were there more registered or non-registered magnums?

Avery11 said:

Were there more registered or non-registered magnums?

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Alan answered this question in his earlier post:

The first 5000 or so .357s made by S & W starting in 1935 were built to customer specifications . . . The factory offered the owner the option of sending in a postcard that would register the gun to the owner, and these guns were stamped "REG ####". These guns are called Registered Magnums even without the certificate.
The factory stopped the registration process but made about 2000 more identical guns (minus the REG stamping) up to the beginning of WW II; these are called the "non-registered" guns.

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Even if the certificate was never requested or issued, the guns with the registration number in the yoke area are properly called Registered Magnums. I think the official number of non-registered Magnums (no reg # in the yoke area) was only about 1,400, rather than 2,000.
So the number of Reg vs. non-reg was about 4 to 1. (But see Supica's note near the bottom of the second column on p. 134 of the SCSW.)

So I understand this correctly, all of those 5000 have "Reg" preceding a number whether they were actually registered by the owners?

I ask because I was handed what I believe to be a pre war .357 and did not know enough to look. Before I even try, what is the low end on one of these guns? Can they be had for under $3000?

usually not in great condition unless someone doesn't know what they have. check david carrolls site for current reg mag costs. they can vary a lot due to bbl. lengths, sights, grips, you get the idea.

Avery11 said:

So I understand this correctly, all of those 5000 have "Reg" preceding a number whether they were actually registered by the owners?

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That is correct. The Reg # was stamped on the frame in the yoke cutout during assembly. Whether the purchaser would return the card for the certificate was, of course, unknown at that time.

Before I even try, what is the low end on one of these guns? Can they be had for under $3000?

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Yes, but . . . condition and provenance are everything with these. I know of a few (without provenance) that have changed hands for prices in that neighborhood over the past two or three years. But the better the condition, the more you should expect to pay (I guess that should go without saying, but I've already written it!). Also, there is usually a premium that attaches with uncommon barrel lengths - keeping in mind the latitude the purchaser had in choosing what length he wanted.

There are only sixty plus Registered Magnums with their certificates, so they are certainly at a premium!!

Bill

These were all custom revolvers. I have understood that even those earlier ones sold when registration certificates were being sent out often were not certificated, especially those that were purchased by law enforcement agencies. Pricewise, I'd guess that about $5K is a bottom price for one in reasonable condition, and way up from there. I ran into a near-junker condition RM about 4 months ago, Being in shootable condition was about the best I could say for it. It had a terrible non-original nickel plated finish.

A lot of these revolvers were sold to law enforcement agencies. The certificates that arrived with those guns were unceremoniously dumped in the trash.

And I still don't understand why Mr. Jinks doesn't include the 50 UHP guns in his tally of factory inscribed RMs.

We've been having these discussions over the years. Suffice it to say, there is no generally accepted definition of what a Registered Magnum is. We can all agree on the term "Prewar Magnum". We can even agree that some guns are clearly RMs, and others non-RMs. But there's a huge gray area and its where the discussion becomes fun. There is a very small group who feels a gun isn't an RM unless it had the certificate issued. Doesn't really need to be with the gun now, but for it to be registered, it needed to be registered.

Roy doesn't consider the KC guns to be RMs, even though they have the registration number clearly stamped in the yoke. So we do know the top stamped numbers were up around 5300, or maybe I saw a 5315 once. Doesn't matter. And they made a bunch of non-registered guns. They're fun to collect, too. And usually the best bargain because they're just as good but cheaper. The real problem is that the factory decided the registration process was time consuming and expensive, so they might have given great price breaks to all the citys that bought them, but those just didn't include the post card and weren't eligible for registration. So from Roy's perspective, those weren't Registered Magnums. Yes, just because the factory stamped a Reg # in the yoke wasn't defining.

At one time I actually owned and possessed 34 1/2 of them. I had a foolish goal of owning 1% of the production, and I was 2/3rds there. But then I got smart and dumped a bunch of them. No hard feelings, either. I even had 4 of the factory nickel ones! Sure, I've got some left. I even have a pair with consecutive RM #s. They're for sale if anyone wants them...

So from my perspective, a Registered Magnum is any prewar magnum that has a Reg # in its yoke. And I called the KC guns and the St Joe guns RMs even if it was unpopular to do so. Also keep in mind the guns made for overseas shipment weren't eligible for the program. You should make up your own mind before you buy one.

There is some published material. Some much better than others. Roy's article in the 1989 Collectors Journal was great. Less great was the reprinting of it in the Guns and Ammo handguns annual. Its the same except for crummy editing that changed enough stuff to make it suspect. Off and on over the years others have tried to write something of value. So far all have failed. There's even a commercial printing of a book on the subject. It costs a bundle, like maybe $75 after shipping, and didn't really add anything to the body of knowledge on the subject. Some nice photos though.

I have no idea what the current pricing is. For a while I was the one clearing the shelves of every one I saw. I was relentless. But there were others on the same mission doing maybe as well. Very unfortunately, two of them have passed in recent years and their collections dispersed to the winds. Let it also be said they were better guns than mine. And I don't even mind. Its kind of like pornography. I know one when I see one..