Did the Model 57 .41 Magnum ever have a model name like for example, the Combat Magnum, Highway Patrolman and others or was it always simply known as just the Model 57 ?

I believe the original booklet just called it ".41 Magnum Revolver Model No. 57". Nothing too sexy!

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Psalm 27:2

Since it came into being after the switch to model numbers, I believe Model 57 is the only moniker it ever had......Ben

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It probably started out as the ".41 Magnum", but then "Target" had to be added to distinguish it from the ".41 Magnum Military & Police" or model 58.

Nothing unusual about the short name. Recall the .357 and .44 Magnums.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Ben

No, model numbers did not replace names, they were added to names. And yes, the Model 57 wasn't made before there were model numbers, but it got a name anyway. It was the .41 Magnum Target, while the Model 58 was the .41 Magnum Military & Police.

Added: Alan snuck in ahead of me.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

I learn something every time I clock in here......Ben

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I saw that .41 Magnum Target moniker but it seemd a bit odd to me, I understand that the Model 57 was conceived as a police duty and hunting weapon. But then again, did any Model 57's ever ship that weren't the full "3T's" Target optioned ?

With S&W, never say never but, no.
3Ts+ (TT/TH/TS/RR/WO) was "standard" for the .41 Magnum Target.

I thought the Model 58 was called .41 Military and Police Revolver, and the Model 57 was called the .41 Magnum Revolver.

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	S&W Model 58 Instruction Sheet.jpg (52.6 KB, 67 views)
	S&W Model 57 Instruction Sheet.jpg (25.1 KB, 79 views)

Well, shut my mouth wide open!......Ben

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The instructions that came with my Model 57 are identical to the one that Shawn McCarver shows above. It is simply the .41 Magnum Revolver. I wonder when & how the "Target" appellation got added to the name ?

I am reminded of how often the K-38 Masterpiece is referred to as the K-38 Target Masterpiece but the official name and the way the boxes were labeled was just the K-38 Masterpiece. It may be because when the later K-38 Combat Masterpiece was introduced, people felt the need to add the Target description to differentiate them by barrel length.

Dr. Jinks refers to it as simply the Model 57 .41 Magnum in his History of Smith & Wesson book, does anyone have a factory letter on a Model 57 that calls it a .41 Magnum Target ?

I think the "Target" appellation is applied to all (K and N frames, at least) revolvers that have adjustable sights, but not as part of their official name.
Here's the letters from SWHF for my M57 and M58, no mention of "Target" in the M57's name although it tells of having the 3T's. No mention of "Magnum" in the M58's name, I suppose maybe because there is no .41 Special to distinguish from.

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	Letter M57 redacted.jpg (84.6 KB, 29 views)
	Letter M58 SWHF redacted.jpg (87.3 KB, 24 views)

I am surprised they didn’t call it the super duper distinguished combat magnum, or some such. 41 magnum seems a little mundane by Smith’s standards.

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They were saving Distinguished Combat Magnum for the L frame guns.

Don't forget the ultimate Combat Magnum, the Model 69.

Bill

Although S&W released these two revolver models as the ".41 Magnum Revolver Model No. 57" and ".41 Military & Police Revolver Model No. 58", the SCSW 4th Ed. refers to them as the "Model 57: .41 Magnum Target" and "Model 58: .41 Magnum Military and Police". This is to differentiate between the Model 57's square butt N target frame and the Model 58's square butt N service frame. I guess that technically we should refer to them as S&W did when they released them in February and July 1964, resp., but just plain old Model 57 and Model 58 works for me!

The name of the Model 57 has always been 41 Magnum; the Model 58 is the .41 Military & Police. Magnum is a registered trademark of S&W.

The internal factory designation for the Model 57 is NT-410 (N-frame, Target, .410 caliber) and for the Model 58 is N-410 (N-frame, .410 caliber).

I strongly believe names and specifications for S&W handguns and other products should be based on S&W literature (i.e. catalogs, All Model Circulars, etc.). When collectors start making up names based on descriptions, confusion usually results (this includes publications such as the SCS&W).

Bill

Fred...mine was named Fred.....

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Bill
I completely agree. A good example is the 4" K target revolvers. The 6" K-38 is a K-38 Masterpiece; the 4" version is the .38 Combat Masterpiece, not a K-38 Combat Masterpiece. Same with the .22.

My mistake earlier in this thread was looking at the SCSW for the Model 58, etc. And I should have looked at the box for my Model 57.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

I'm going to list it as a Smith & Wesson Model 57 .41 Magnum in my collection inventory records. I agree with Mr. Cross that we should use the descriptions from the All Model Circulars, catalogs and instruction sheets. It may seem a bit pedantic but I like to be correct.

Or we could all just call them the "Really Cool" model?

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No baby we aint

The Model 57 .41 Magnum was mainly known just by its model number. Unlike some other Smith & Wesson revolvers, it didn't have a specific name like the Combat Magnum or Highway Patrolman. It seems like it was just referred to as the Model 57 across the board. Simple and straightforward, I guess.

My brother says it should be called the Model 57, .41 Magnum, Heavy. It seems he is of the belief that it requires two gun bearers and one small bearer in training to pack one on safari. My brother is older and meaner than me, so I go by his choice of name.

One of the first articles, if not the first, in print, on the model 57 appeared in the June 1964 issue of Gun World.
The term “model 57” only appears near the end of the article. Elsewhere, they just call it the “.41 Magnum”.

It is, by the way, a really great article! It was a joint staff article that included Duke Roberts and Dan Cotterman, and a few others.
(Ahh, the good old days of the classic gun mags).
The gun arrived before ammo was readily available. They had six rounds to work with! So they had some reloading dies custom made, as well as a set of bullet swaging dies.
Of course, there was no load data available either. So, they just worked up loads with 2400 and clocked them with their Avtron T-333 chronograph, an expensive piece of gear back in the day!
They did the usual penetration tests, recoil comparisons, and all that good stuff. Ha!

When I first read that article as a kid, I really envied the opportunity they had to forge new territory, as well as their resourcefulness!

I’ve attached a few excerpts just for fun!

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carelesslove, here !

With the exception of the number of replies in this thread - I would have called the .41 Magnum - "The Forgotten Magnum" !

I have a couple - including a 1980-ish M57, in 8 3/8" - that I obtained at a pawn shop many years ago. After trying to make it shoot consistently for a while, I gave up on it and pushed it to the back of the safe. Hence: Forgotten.

I pulled it out and gave it a try a couple of years ago and still had trouble getting it to group consistently. Then, I finally figured out that one cylinder hole was always a little "off".

As it turns out, there was a crack in the cylinder wall - well away from the bolt notches. It was very hard to see / detect, and I am sure I would never have seen it, if it hadn't started stretching / cracking cases in higher pressure loads.

Immediately ceasing all shooting activities and returning it to the "Mother Ship", I realized there was little, or no chance of finding a vintage cylinder.

So, still liking the old revolver (and its' 4" "sister"), I decided to invest in this one, by paying for a new, non-recessed cylinder, a total re-finish and maybe a "run" through the Performance Center.

A small fortune later, I have "mini" FrankenSmith, (with little, or no collector value) that looks good and really shoots fast (velocity-wise) and accurately !

The tight (dead-on 0.410") & consistent cylinder throats and whatever extra time spent on fitting, yielded a more modern, great shooting revolver that I will keep & shoot - just for spite ! Her "upfit" was totally acceptable.

So, maybe not a "Forgotten Magnum" anymore, it fits well into its' corner of the safe that I call "the Isle of Misfit Toys".

Tom "carelesslove" Love

If we follow Smith & Wesson’s formula for naming the guns prior to Model numbers (S&W .357 Magnum, .S&W .44 Magnum) it would have simply been the “S&W .41 Magnum”.

I have a few model 57's from the first year 1964 to the last year around 1980. Later on they referred to them as 57 no dash. After that they were referred to as dash whatever. That's all I have heard them called. They are all 41 magnum.