Okay guys, here is your chance....post your photos, stories, and favorite loads for the unloved beast that is the Smith & Wesson Model 58.

I have been a fan since I held one the first time...many months later I finally came to own 2, now I am totally sold on them...how about y'all?

Here are my two, both are first year of production. The blue one gets carried while riding the fence lines, the nickel one is on BBQ detail

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On the Oak Savannah

I've got alot of these guns, some in perfect condition, but this beat up, blue worn old S frame with the wrong stocks is my favorite....



Note the caliber....



It loves 8.2 grns of Unique in a .44 Magnum case under a 242 grn. cast lead round nosed flat point.

The gun that serves no real purpose. Too big and heavy with excessive recoil for police work. The fixed sights make it less attractive for sporting use than the 57. There is nothing the 41 Magnum can do the 44 can't do better. The 41 is a caliber that demands reloading for economy and to make sure you have some as not every store will have it on hand.

Yet the 58 has developed a cult following. I described the 58 as "a Model 10 on steroids" many years ago. Back around 1988 when I had an FFL I saw a wholesaler offering 58s as police trade ins for $189. I bought one as a curiosity. Came with the usual (and abominable) Pachmayrs so I dug through my big box of parts and found that somewhere along the way I had acquired two sets of correct 58 Stocks (without even looking for them) so I slapped on a set.

No matter how hard I tried I never could figure out a specific purpose for this gun. The closest I came was as a "woods" or backpacking gun where one might want a lot of power for dangerous animals is the most compact package possible. But this was reaching. I am not in the least bit surprised that the 58 was a failure in the marketplace.

I have kept this gun for 23 years just so I can say I have one... I guess. I shoot it now and then. I must confess that I don't understand the fascination with this revolver.

But, I do have one. I lettered it back when it cost $20 and it was shipped to Philadelphia in 1977. I have never been able to ID any police agency in PA that used the 58 so I don't know which (if any) department used this gun. The serial suggests a 1974 date so it appears this pistol set in inventory three years before being shipped. They were not fast sellers.

SaxonPig,

Everything you said is true, but I would like add a couple thoughts if I may. The N-frame 41 mags are excellent deer hunters. Compared to my favorite 44 magnum, the slight reduction in bore size and bullet weight means a bit less recoil, and the slight increase in gun weight also helps mitigate recoil a bit. I find it actually quite a bit more comfortable to shoot than the 44 with higher-end loads. I don't have one at the moment, but two of my shooting buds have several and I get to shoot them as often as we shoot together. Our 41 experience started when one bud was looking for a M29 but found a really good 6-inch M57 at a low price and settled for it. The other bud doesn't reload and would rather shoot other peoples' ammo than buy his own so he got his first 41, a 4-5/8" Ruger Blackhawk. He had the BH magnaported which considerably reduced rollup during recoil. Then he got a 4-inch nickle M58.

None of us shoot enough higher-end loads to poke a stick at so recoil is not really an issue, even with my 44 mags and 45 Colt. I occasionally load a few rounds for 1200 fps for deer hunting or metallic silhouette, but 8.5gr Unique under 240-250gr homecast is plenty to roll a beer can around the back yard as far away as we can shoot with my 44s and 45, and the price is right. I'm not sure what charge those guys are loading in their 41s but it ain't a lot. The bud that loads is fond of tinkering and bought swaging tools from Corbon to make lead bullets with a copper base guard. Of course, his stuff is always "the best" and he constantly tries to get me to buy the same gear (Corbon swager and Dillon presses). But I stick to my Lee moulds and press and dies and spend the rest on components.

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a bit long-winded. I'll just apologize in advance right now. Once started talking guns it's hard for me to stop. Too many stories and opinions with which to burden you, I guess. Just scroll on past my post if it offends.

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Focus on the front

To quote Clint Smith, “Carrying a gun is not supposed to be comfortable; it’s supposed to be comforting."

Recoil in the Model 58 with the Police load is no worse than a .44 Special or .45 Auto, which are both rather mild, especially when compared to some of these modern over pressure auto cartridges.

Unfortunately, many did not understand that the .41 Magnum was factory loaded to two distinct power levels. Apparently, quite a few people still do not understand that, if the commentaries about this revolver are to be believed.

The question proposed is what purpose does the model 58 serve? I submit to you that it is the perfect companion for the marlin lever action rifle in 41 mag. Of course that creates the problem of locating said rifle which to date has eluded me. For some unbeknownst reason I've taken to matching up my Smiths to a lever action rifle of the same caliber except for the 29-3 which I recently paired up to a Ruger Carbine in 44mag.

I agree about matching lever guns. A few years back I was able to snag a Marlin 1894FG in 41 Mag to go with my other 41 mags. I think that the Ruger Carbine is a good idea for the 44 mags, that is the combo that my dad has.

....and don't mind Saxon Pig...he is always a wet blanket when we talk about the 58's....he just needs to get out and shoot his more often, maybe then he would mellow out

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On the Oak Savannah

Aloha,

I own 2 Marlins in 41 mag.

One is a Limted Edition Cowboy and the other is a standard 41.

I want one with a 16" barrel like what Winchester has for the 357 and 45.

San Francisco police used the model 58 I have one marked SFPD on the side plate they were issued around 1970-72

howdy , please post a picture ?????
manyt hanks, robbt

Found a new bullet for the .41 Magnum that looks good... Accurate Mould #41-215V. Supposed to be a 215 grain flat point that ended up casting out to 207 grain in my alloy. The meplat is .37!!! Almost a wadcutter... Pushed with the standard 8.0 grains of Unique/950 fps this is probably as good as it gets for those who like a low recoiling hardcast bullet for self-defense.



Shoots dead on at 10 yards from my custom 58....







Bob

Hi. I might be able to help you identify the agency that issued your 58. Back in the mid 70s, the Pennsauken Police issued the Model 58, just after the Camden riots. Pennsauken is right across the river from Philadelphia, in New Jersey. A buddy of mine was on the force when they issued the 58, and I was lucky enough to be able to try his 58 down at the "pit". That session started my interest in the 41 Magnum that wasn't quenched until I got my 57 in early '92.

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Judge control not gun control!

I remembered that time the mafia owned many square blocks of housing there. The rioters were warned not to enter that area.
They listened.(60's) I lived in John Travolta and Jimmy Galfino's home town of Westwood, that's near Paramus.

Actually, there's nothing the .44 can do that the .41 Magnum can't with about 20% less recoil and a flatter trajectory.
I oughta know...I own more than one! But mine are 57s.
I concur there is no good reason for the Model 10 on steroids. A .41 mag with fixed sights and small grips was kind of a nutty idea. But people like them. Ah well!

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This is just a GREAT thread!

Thanks for sharing.

Did you mean "N" frame instead of "S" frame? That is the first time I've seen a model 58 in .44 magnum. Did you do the conversion yourself from .41 mag to .44 mag? I've been looking for an old kinda beat up model 58 (because it has a fixed rear sight) to convert to .44 magnum, and then to put a .44 special pencil barrel on it with the old style half moon front sight and to relieve the bottom of the barrel for a larger ended ejector rod so it would look like a model 1917,....only in .44 magnum. Your's already has the correct heat treated frame for the magnum pressures and the .44 mag cylinder so I'd only have to change out the barrel to a .44 special barrel with half moon front sight and then relieve the barrel bottom to install a larger end ejector rod and it would be a fixed rear sight, .44 mag 1917 clone which doesn't exist. Wanna sell it? Seriously. If you do shoot me a P.M.


.

I thought you guys would be interested in the ammo tests I did many years ago to find the "perfect" mid-range load for my Model 58. I've owned maybe 10 or so over the years not including the custom ones I own now. What I found from my testing was how consistently accurate the 58 was regardless of year of manufacture and how seldom the sights were not regulated fairly accurately to point of aim. I make no recommendation on which of these loads is the best because I was looking for three things to come together: velocity in the 900-1000fps region; acceptable accuracy at 25 yards (less than 2 inches); and point of impact as close as possible to point of aim. In this latter one I was surprised to learn that as the load changed the POI changed in not only elevation but windage as well. All my aim points were 6 o'clock on the black bull.

Bill, nope not for sale. It is an "S" serailed "N" frame. I had a 58-44-20 such as you describe. Was a Model 58 with a Model 29 cylinder and a rebored Model 20 Heavy Duty barrel. But to be honest it didn't shoot as well as I would have liked and I sold it off. I don't mind trading off a few more oz in the barrel for more recoil control and shooting comfort with realistic .44 Magnum loads.

I didn't do this conversion myself, I purchased the gun locally after it was done. I have no idea who did the work, but it's near perfect in my view....

20 yards...



Drew

True story....

Many...many moons ago, I attended the Smith & Wesson Armorer's School for the 4506 series (Smith & Wesson's semi-automatic pistol armorer's course) that had recently been adopted by my department. The week-long class was in Springfield, Illinois.

During one break, while in the bathroom doing my thing at the urinal, I asked the Smith & Wesson instructor/employee who was also doing his business next to me, what was his "favorite" Smith & Wesson?

His reply?

The Model 58.

Of all of the guns in their catalog at the time, he picked that gun.

That says a lot.

Strange place for a brief conversation, true, but that is a true story.

Looking at seven pages of responses here.....reference the Model 58......I guess he was right.......and he wasn't "pissing-in the wind" after all.

It is....a "classic" defensive revolver for the "purist"......., pure and simple

TAKJR

I only have one, but I like it and will not be sold by me:

I purchased this one last April or May. I've wanted one for a while now and finally found one. I started hand loading the .41 Magnum about 25 years ago. It was the first cartridge I hand loaded. I still love it! I've had a .41 Magnum of one model/manufacturer or another in my collection for the past 25 years. This one's Magna-Ported and it shoots just fine.

Your overwhelming enthusiasm is blinding Saxonpig....ok, I'll take it, just so you don't feel so bad. Honestly, the attraction is the same as for the Model 10. This is a straight forward, purpose built gun. One reason for it to exist, and that is self defense at a short range. The problem was that Smith didn't market the ammunition properly. Everyone started using magnum loads instead of the lighter defense load, and LEO's who weren't used to the recoil couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it. Too bad, 'cause they came out with the .40 S&W which did exactly what this one was supposed to, only in a semi.

I bought mine back in the mid 1970's with the intention of probably never even shooting it. I was going to cut it up into something else.

Back then, if you wanted a new double action .44 Special or .45 Colt, you made your own. While N frame .357's were the top choice for the .44 Special, the longer cylinder of the .41 and .44 Magnums was desirable for the longer .45 Colt. My gunsmith, the late Robert Ballard, did a fantastic job on my M-28/.44 Special conversion and when I picked it up, he showed me a .45 Colt he was just finishing, using a Model 58 for the doner gun. I decided I needed one.

I bought a new 1955 Target barrel from J&G Rifle Ranch, then in Turner, Montana. I bought a new rear sight assembly from a display of blister-packed S&W parts at a sporting goods store and then found a brand new Model 58 at another store, priced at retail, about $160.00. I sat them aside and then began saving the gunsmithing fee.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I shot a couple of boxes of both the full charge JSP and law enforcement-oriented lead bullet loads through it.

Word then leaked out that S&W was about to produce a target grade revolver in .45 Colt, which turned out to be the 125th Anniversary Model 25-3. Eventually, I got a couple of them when they were introduced.

I left the .41 Magnum Model 58 alone.

While it may have been the best factory-produced law enforcement revolver and ammunition combination made to that point in time, I still think the gun went wide of the mark of what was really intended. As great a gun as the Model 58 is, I think it would have been better for most of us had it been chambered instead in .45 Colt and .44 Magnum.

Agreed.

I think that had S&W chambered the 58 in an array of cartridges it would have survived another 25 years in the catalog and may still be with us today in some form or another.

My personal preference for a Police Revolver would have been for a .45 ACP version of the Model 58.

In a SHOOTING TIMES magazine article published in the late 1960's or early 1970's, Skeeter Skelton wrote up a discussion of single action versus double action revolvers. There was a photograph included that had the data sheet for a Model 58 with a lineup of cartridges on it. The caption said, "Double-action .41 Mag. S&W M58 is ideal officer's and hunter's handgun. Good calibers for this gun are - left to right - .41 Mag., .45 ACP & AR, .44 Spl., .45 Colt, .38-40 and .44-40."

I always assumed Skeeter took the photo and wrote the caption, as it looks like the other pictures in the article were provided by him, most including him in them holding some of his favorites.

The Model 58 is a very business-looking sixgun, to be sure.

Here's my month of february/2011 purchase. Its a brand new S&W m58 41mag in nickel finish, its my new CCW gun. I hung up the 9mm's when i looked at the ballastics again. I always carried the wheel guns in magnums before. I paid only $699 for it. I also purchased a brand new S&W M57 w/6" barrel in nickel too, in january/2011. I put the pachmayer presentation grips on my m57 and put the m57 orginal wood grips on my new m58. I'm not sure yet which new S&W i want next for the month of march yet. But i may go for the S&W 657 in 41mag in stainless or the S&W M57 4" in 41mag in nickel too. I want both anyway. Since my dealer has all of them in 41mag and with most marked $699 i can't pass these up. At this price i can look past the key hole for sure. I picked up some Cor-Bon hunting ammo in 41mag its 1250fps/850ftlbs i use these as my carry rounds right now. I also picked up some new federal ammo in 41mag also which is a tad lower in ballastics. With the 41mag ammo being hard to find at times i picked up 900rds of brass, the lee carbide dies and a lee pro1000 set up for 41mag too. When my dealer told me its the first time he has the 41mag ammo in two years i figure to stock up on everything to stay ahead. Bill

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Oh , how I want a 3in round butt Model 58!

Did you see the Behlert custom 58 in the Jovino, Behlert thread?

sorry, it just never existed.... maybe you should look @ the Lew Horton 657if you can find one.

Ok I've looked at all these photos and I am jealous.Does anyone have one for sale?I've been looking for one for 20 years .I found one ,bought it , took it home ,cleaned it and was going to load it up and shoot it.Well i put the first round in the chamber and the darn bullet went all the way threw the cylinder.Some idiot bored it out to 45 colt and the rifling was just about gone.So I took it back and got my money back .I tried calling S&W about a new cylinder and barrel .No luck.So gentlemen I'm still looking.Any help would be appreciated.

Ditto what Have Gun said.

..one day left to go for a nice one over on GunBroker...still at $560.00.

Bob

Count me as a member. The first M58 I shot was when I was 16-17 years ago. It was my fathers duty weapon. He like the caliber so much he bought a Ruger Blackhawk in .41 Mag.

The loads he carried were Remington Police Load 210 gr SWC.

Elmer Keith intended the .41 to be 210 SWC at 1,000 ft per second. He wanted it to be call .41 Police, but magnum was the craze at the time.

The .41 is actually .40 caliber as is the 10mm. Common 10mm load is 200gr at around 1050fps. The more things change the more they remain the same!

May the .41 was not such a bad thing after all!

Yep I love my 58!!

OK, I want to be a menber of the "Unofficial Mod 58 Fan Club.
I hope Super Man does not see this post, but I know he will...
[A bit of history, we worked together for several years, and were shooting buddies and good friends, he moved away or we would still be shooting together].

Here is my 41 Mag story.
You see I am, and have always been, since the late 1960's early 1970's a 45 ACP and a 44 Mag kind of guy.
The first handgun I carried out of the Academy was a 4" blue Mod 29.

However, one day durring in service training, while at lunch, I went to the Gun Store near the Academy, and bought a Blue Mod 58, and several boxes of ammo. Some of the 210 Lead Police load, and some of the 210 full power magnum load, and a few speed loaders... All at a good price as the owner knew me well. Also beding an Elmer Keithite, I knew all about the 41 Mag.

A few days later I was at the range. Rhe Mod 58 shot great. Actually I could tell no difference in the recoil between 44 Mag loads and 41 Mags loads.
I carried full power 44 Mag loads [I practiced a lot] on duty, and found the 41 mag to be most excellent.
It waas very accurate, and I had no problem shooting 100% on the Dept Qual course with it.

They're being made again... if anyone would want one bad enough to take current production models

You mean, "is still with us", right?

Product: Model 58 - S&W Classics - 4" .41 Mag Bright Blue

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

A10- Overly powerful ammo was not the only problem with the 58. Go back and read my first post again. The 58 is too big and too heavy. Many cops (including just about all the women officers) find the N frame too large to handle effectively. The trigger reach requires long fingers as does getting a good grip on the gun. The majority of cops packing a gun this size complain about the weight. Yes, the 58 was a single purpose item, but it was not a good design for that intended purpose regardless of caliber. The slow sales and lack of enthusiasm for this model prove this fact.

Given the choice between a Model 10 and a Model 58 for uniform carry I would take a 10 without hesitation. Most would agree with me. The late Tom Ferguson wrote of ditching his issue 58 for the lighter K frame when he had to walk a beat.

Given the choice between a Model 10 and a Model 58 for uniform carry I would take a 10 without hesitation. Most would agree with me. The late Tom Ferguson wrote of ditching his issue 58 for the lighter K frame when he had to walk a beat.[/QUOTE]
Nothing against Tom, but I walked a beat in Amarillo in the 70's with a 58. Model 10 on the downtown beat on saturday night. No thanks.

i liked the idea of a more powerful round at the time this model came out. One thing for sure, it never became popular with law enforcement.

I just knew some stickler was gonna call me out on that....

Courtesy of Mr. Hamilton Bowen and Craig Spegel. As you probably already guessed, I like shrouded barrels.

My God! Could they have put a bigger,uglier screw in a worse place?

I have always been a fan of the .41 Magnum but always wanted one. I watched my BIL carry a nickeled one on duty as a LEO for many years and I enjoyed shooting it in his back yard.
During his funeral it and a 1911 were "stolen" from his house,supposedly by "friends" of his girlfriend.

They were recovered in SC several years later during a search of some suspected robbers house. Local Sheriff here knew of the guns and said he was going to try to get them back for us but the Judge in SC would not release them.
Probably got destroyed or added to someone's collection.
I still have one on my Bucket List!

I AGREE WITH SEBAGO SON. THE .45 ACP HAS BEEN TAKIN' CARE OF 2 LEGGED PROBLEMS FOR OVER 100 YEARS. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN QUITE A WEAPON, WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF READILY AVAILABLE AMMO……..

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

I always liked the upsized model 10 style of the 58. I had seen and handled a few new ones. I liked the way it pointed and handled. But at the time my growing collection already had a model 27 , a model 29 and a Super Blackhawk. I knew that a .41 would be a reloaders proposition and I just did’nt want to add another caliber.

I was already reloading .45 ACP for my 1917. If the 58 had been offered in .45 ACP I would have bought at least one and would still
be shooting them today with either ACP or Auto Rim cases. It also would have found a good following 44 Special.

The 58 is one of those guns that I would buy if one comes my way. I would no longer mind adding another caliber to my reloading line up.

For many years I though the 58 was the prettiest revolver made, until I discovered the fixed sight N frame 38's and 357.
I have 4 58's, 2 blue and 2 nickel.
Only one gets shot, a well worn nickel one that came down from Alaska.
It's load is a 250gr. HC-WFN over a lot of Lil-Gun.
If it ever wears out i'll just grab another.
Living proof that S&W once knew how to make a gun!

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173-358429
13.5-2400

I am not aware of any fixed rear sights N frame .357's made by S&W. To my knowledge, the only fixed rear sight N frame magnum was the model 58. Am I wrong about that? Because if I am, then instead of seeking a model 58 frame to make into a 1917 look-a-like in .44 magnum, I'd be able to expand my search to whatever fixed rear sight N frame .357 magnum you are speaking of. Again, what model S&W .357 N frame magnum with fixed rear sight are you speaking of?

For years now I've been watching gunbroker and other auctions trying to find a fixed rear sight, S&W model 58 frame, or bulged barrel model 58 (as long as frame is good), so that I can put a .44 mag cylinder in it, install a .44 special tapered barrel with old style half moon front sight and mill the bottom of the barrel to accept the large ejector rod knob that is on the front of a 1917 ejector rod. Basically I want a fixed sight .44 magnum that looks like my model 1917 revolvers. Only I'd have to accept a 6 inch .44 special tapered barrel because I don't think any of them were made in 5 & 1/2 inch like my 1917's barrels. But that's okay, the Canadian 1917's in .455 caliber had a 6 inch barrel and they look good too. So I could live with an extra half inch of barrel longer like the Canadian 1917's. I need a model 58 because it's the only N frame available with a fixed rear sight and I don't want any of those ugly looking "classic" drilled out frames for the trigger lock. But I've had no luck locating just the model 58 frame only nor even one with a bulged cylinder or bulged barrel for anywhere near a reasonable price.

If anyone here has a model 58 frame or bulged barrel or bulged cylinder model 58 for a reasonable price, please let me know. All I need is the frame....preferably with all internal parts, and crane for the cylinder, but I don't need the cylinder nor barrel. So one with a bulged cylinder or barrel would be great for the project as long as the frame is undamaged.

I've also been thinking how nice it would be to be able to use full moon clips on .44 auto (like the 1917 uses on .45 acp) which I love using on my 1917's because it is the fastest way to reload a revolver and no speedloader to have to re-pocket since the full moon clips ARE the speedloader and stay in the revolver. I wonder if S&W ever made a .44 auto magnum cylinder that I could use in a model 58 frame? Never heard of one, but would be nice if they did. Anyone know if that exists?

If S&W would drop that ugly hole on the left frame for the trigger lock on their "classics" lineup, and make an old style, tapered barrel, half moon front sight, fixed rear sight, large knob ejector rod, (even their "classics" 1917 doesn't have the original size large knob on the ejector rod) 1917 style looking .44 magnum, that perhaps used .44 auto mag with half or full moon clips, I think it would be a huge seller. Basically a 1917 on steroids firing .44 auto mag in moon clips. But they don't. So for years now I've been trying to locate a model 58 frame so I can make my own.

Thanks in advance fellas.

.

The 58 is on my short list to buy. One day.

I know how it is....I looked around for a long time before I found my first one, but the second was close behind....I have to hold off buying any more 58's or my wife will think that I have some sort of disorder and we all end up on an episode of 'Hoarders'

Keep your eyes open, they are out there!

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On the Oak Savannah

That 58 looks real familiar , cept now it has a Tyler.

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Sure you did

Actually Mike,

Since the nickle brother found some period correct PC magnas, the 'Rough & Tumble Ranch Rider' now sports those Stags that Patrick so kindly whittled up for me....maybe another photo shoot is in order

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On the Oak Savannah