Chart that describes Registered Magnum barrel lengths and production quantities

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mrcvs

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All these recent threads regarding Registered Magnums caused me to look for the chart that describes the various barrel lengths and production numbers based on barrel length. Even using the Search function of the forum, I still cannot seem to locate it.

Who would like to volunteer to attach this chart to this thread, and then maybe it would be beneficial to place this thread under the "Registered Magnum" section of the Notable Thread Index?
 
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The chart in post #2 above was in Roy Jinks' article entitled "The Revolver that Changed the Direction of Handgunning" that was in S&WCA Journal Volume 24, Number 3 & 4, Winter 1989.

The below chart was in Roy Jinks' article entitled "Registered .357 Magnums" in S&WCA Journal Volume 4, Number 2, Summer 2010. He defined it as a production table for the .357 Magnums produced from 1935 to 1942.

Both articles are classics and should be in any Registered Magnum collector's library.

84eb460b40a9748ca1b74e832718e914.jpg
 
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Just curious, does anyone out there own, or have they ever seen, the ones that were truly one of a kind--that is, those of which only one were ever produced (these being with a 5 3/4", 6 1/4", 7 1/4" or 7 3/4" barrel length)?
 
I have seen some of the rarer lengths, but I would also guess there are RM owners who may have one, unlettered, not knowing they have a 4 1/4" instead of a 4". Pure speculation however.
 
This is a photo of a RM that letters with an 8 1/4 inch barrel and Tuskoid grips. It was in a calendar issued several years ago by the S&WHF featuring some of the great Magnums in the collection of Ray Cheely. Click on the photo for a better look.

Bill

orig.jpg
 
Any Reg. Mag shipped with less than the 8 3/4 in. barrel was shipped with a cut barrel, as all barrels were 1st made by joining 2 pieces of barrel to make the 8 3/4 in. barrel supplied to the production line. If an order was received for a shorter barrel than 8 3/4 in. the barrel was cut from the longer 8 3/4 in. barrel. and the gun was shipped and the invoice & shipping record indicated the short barrel length. Now, having said that, guns shipped with the 8 3/4 in barrels were sometimes returned to the factory to have the barrel shortened, as the owner decided the long barrel was not desirable, for what ever reason. The charts ( as posted above ) do not include the guns returned for shorter barrels, so the volumne of guns to be found with shorter barrels is greater than the charts show. The market values of RMs returned to S&W for barrel shortening, that letter as shipped with the 8 3/4 in. barrels, does not seem to adversly affect values. One of my RMs, Reg. # 176 with a 7 in. barrel, was returned to S&W by the owner to have the barrel recut to the 7 in. length. Ed
 
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That's a good point that someone may have one of the super rare barrel lengths and assumes it is the more common one that is 1/4" different. I made that mistake on my 8 1/2" gun when I requested a letter and listed it as 8 3/8".
 
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