657-41 Magnum-Lew Horton-RSR-Davidson's-Dealer Specials and Regular Production

[ko41]

Info gleaned from this forum, Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson 3rd Edition and Earl Minot at Lew Horton Distributing Co. Inc.

I will continue to update as new and/or more accurate information becomes available.

These six may have come from Lew Horton Distributing Co. Inc.

S&W Hogue rubber grip standard


Altamont rosewood finger groove laminated grip standard



Barrel has been Mag-Na_Port'ed. Update 2-2-16, May have been a S&W factory issue of which Lew Horton's had 26 units in July 1998.

Original Altamont rosewood laminated finger groove grip.
115 units with HRC prefix and 87 with HCH prefix.

Altamont rosewood finger groove laminated grip standard

Altamont rosewood finger groove laminated grip standard

From RSR Wholesale Guns, Inc.

S&W Hogue rubber grip standard

From Davidson's Inc.

Medallions added to stock Altamont laminated rosewood grip

Smith and Wesson Stocking Dealer and Limited Production

Original S&W combat stocks

S&W Hogue rubber grip standard

KO

 

[ko41]

Standard Production 657

Standard production 657s

Product sheets

If anybody has Product Profile sheets for any 657s please post a scan of them or I would love to take them off your hands if you are so inclined to part with them.

KO

 

[scwv67]

Drool. The Hunters are relevant to my interests.

 

[justintyme]

I'm Jealous!!! Awesome 657 collection! I only have 2 657's, a 3" and a 657-4 Mountain gun, along with my 57 no dash. Hope fully I can add a few more like the fine examples in your collection!

 

[holo]

that is one hell of a nice collection

 

[ko41]

Recently a couple of product code 103958 have sold on Gun Broker, Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson 3rd Ed. lists it as "Reported as Classic Hunter, fluted cyl., 6.5", rubber grips, not verified.". The one auction did have a photo of the box label showing the product code 103958, so maybe we can call this one verified now.

If anyone has any other 657 product codes that I haven't pictured please by all means feel free to post them here.

KO

 

[loeman]

Here's My 657-3 "Classic Hunter"

ko41, your 657 collection is amazing and impressive. Thank you for sharing. I have one! It is a 657-3 that I purchased new in June 1997. I have never fired it. It was ordered by me and came to my LGS exactly as you see in the photos with the blue plastic box and red plastic trigger lock. I was under the impression that it is a Lew Horton distributed gun, but I'm not sure. I have never taken off the grips but while looking at the backstrap it appears to begin to curve indicating that it is probably a round butt frame. Here are a few more details.

Barrel: 6.5 inches
Cylinder: Unfluted
Grips: Rosewood
Product Code: 103959
Serial No. Prefix: CCA
Serial No: CCA32XX
Special Order No: 7149
Right Barrel Says: 41 Magnum Classic Hunter

Can you please tell me anything else about this gun? Perhaps verify that it is a Lew Horton distributed gun or whatever else you might know that I don't. Thank you very much.

 

[kennyb]

very nice indeed...love a 41 mag.

 

[ladder13]

That's an awesome collection of 41 mags. I just started buying 41's in the last 3 years, a 58, NIB 57, and a 657 MG. About 3 years ago I saw a 3 inch, one of those 150 LH's in a gunshop on Long Island. The price was about $800, and not knowing the value, passed on it. I called 2 days later and it was gone.

 

[colt_saa]

Love 41 magnums.

Wish I had three or four of them

 

[graydog]

Beautiful guns. Thanks for sharing with us. I have two model 57's a 6 inch and a 8 3/8 inch but still looking for a 657. They are pretty hard to find up here in Canada.

Graydog

 

[DR505]

I've only got two of the ones mentioned above:

 

[CWH44300]

That is an awesome rack of 41's,
I'd go so far has saying that's about the nicest collection of stainless 41's, that I've ever seen.

 

[ko41]

ko41, your 657 collection is amazing and impressive. Thank you for sharing. I have one! It is a 657-3 that I purchased new in June 1997. I have never fired it. It was ordered by me and came to my LGS exactly as you see in the photos with the blue plastic box and red plastic trigger lock. I was under the impression that it is a Lew Horton distributed gun, but I'm not sure. I have never taken off the grips but while looking at the backstrap it appears to begin to curve indicating that it is probably a round butt frame. Here are a few more details.

Barrel: 6.5 inches
Cylinder: Unfluted
Grips: Rosewood
Product Code: 103959
Serial No. Prefix: CCA
Serial No: CCA32XX
Special Order No: 7149
Right Barrel Says: 41 Magnum Classic Hunter

Can you please tell me anything else about this gun? Perhaps verify that it is a Lew Horton distributed gun or whatever else you might know that I don't. Thank you very much.

Hi loeman, your 657-3 was made in May of 1997 the year prior to the Product Code 103948 Classic Hunter.
The only difference that I can find between the two is that yours has the laminated rosewood round butt to square conversion grips and the later 6 1/2" Classic Hunters had the Hogue rubber grips. I do not know if it was distributor exclusive or not. The Lew Horton Classic Hunters (Prod. Code 103820) were made in 1991.
Thanks for posting.

Edit: Product Code 103948 is the Lew Horton Power Port Classic Hunter II so there is a big difference... a confused boo-boo on my part.


KO

 

[ACP230]

Got bit by the .41 Magnum bug back in the mid-1990s.
They have accumulated since then.
Even have two Ruger Redhawks and a Marlin 1894FG.
Got to get out and shoot some of them soon.
A long winter and some traveling has kept me off the range this year.

 

[loeman]

Thanks for the Info

Hi loeman, your 657-3 was made in May of 1997 the year prior to the Product Code 103948 Classic Hunter.
The only difference that I can find between the two is that yours has the laminated rosewood round butt to square conversion grips and the later 6 1/2" Classic Hunters had the Hogue rubber grips. I do not know if it was distributor exclusive or not. The Lew Horton Classic Hunters (Prod. Code 103820) were made in 1991.
Thanks for posting.

KO

ko41,

Thank you very much for the good info on my 657-3. I found my product code in the Supica book which verifies the conversion grips and the round butt. I'm going to contact Lew Horton to see if they can verify if my 657-3 was distributed by them. I don't really care if was or it wasn't but it will be good to know one way or the other. Thanks again for your help.

loeman

 

[charlie sherrill]

I've got the 3" and the 7 1/2" pictured above along with a couple of 57's, a 58 and one Ruger in .41 magnum. I've had several more that I traded off for whatever reasons including a "S" serial # 58 that I carried on duty back in the early 70's. I wish I had never gotten rid of any of them and won't get rid of the ones I have now.

 

[jaymoore]

Recently a couple of product code 103958 have sold on Gun Broker, Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson 3rd Ed. lists it as "Reported as Classic Hunter, fluted cyl., 6.5", rubber grips, not verified.". The one auction did have a photo of the box label showing the product code 103958, so maybe we can call this one verified now.

If anyone has any other 657 product codes that I haven't pictured please by all means feel free to post them here.

KO

I'm not sure if this is that product code, as it came w/o box, but IIRC it's roughly 1997 vintage:

Have the original rear sight, but this one's a hunting gun, not a collector. (Currently it's quite hideous, wearing a partial coat of Krylon dark brown camo paint to reduce the shine. Easily removed, but...)

ETA: Purchased slightly used, w/o box way back around '98-'99. Back then it was just another one of those "sub-standard Smiths that they are putting out now..." They all seem to get better with age for some reason!

 

[SuperMan]

KO...we need to crown you the official KING of the .41s!!!

I have always wanted one of the Defensive Revolvers and should have grabbed the one and only one I have seen for sale that sold for under $1000.00. All the rest have been in the $1100-1500 range.

Thanks for sharing...Bob

 

[ko41]

KO...we need to crown you the official KING of the .41s!!!

.........

Thanks for sharing...Bob

Just trying to keep up with you Bob.

KO

 

[Doug M.]

The 3" RB and Mountain Gun are winners. I really like them.

 

[41collector]

Here's on I was asked to post -

 

[Frank237]

I DO have both a 4" and 6" 657 in the box, and a 4" S prefix M-57 and M-58.
But I have to say my FAVORITE forty one mag is my 6" Light Weight Hunter in .41 magnum. PC 170062. I think they called it the Magnum Hunter, RSR Special. 6" ported barrel,Weaver scope base, ball detent lock up, VERY accurate. The .41 is on top, my 625 is on the bottom.



They also did them in the 629, 625 and possibly even a model in .357 magnum. The .41's were built 1995-1999 IIRC.

 

[Tom_R]

Every time I have ever specifically LOOKED for .41 Magnum Ammunition, I have never seen it.

Do you pretty much HAVE to Hand-Load for it, if you want to shoot it?

 

[Doug M.]

It does exist, but you do have to have a good idea of where to look and take the time to do it. The typical store will not have little if any on the shelf. It will also cost enough to make you squeal like you're in Deliverance. I suspect that most folks will tell you that you don't HAVE to handload, but that you will want to for both cost and flexibility reasons. I have started saving my handgun brass after I shoot now, because I plan to eventually start handloading.

 

[at_liberty]

Every time I have ever specifically LOOKED for .41 Magnum Ammunition, I have never seen it.

Do you pretty much HAVE to Hand-Load for it, if you want to shoot it?

I don't expect to find it locally, except maybe at Cabela's. Generally, think of it as an ammo you will need to buy mail order.

 

[Groo01]

Info gleaned from this forum, Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson 3rd Edition and the fine people at Lew Horton Distributing Co. Inc.

These six came from Lew Horton Distributing Co. Inc.

S&W Hogue rubber grip standard


Altamont rosewood finger groove laminated grip standard


Front sight should be a plain patridge and barrel has been Mag-Na_Port'ed


Original Altamont rosewood laminated finger groove grip


Altamont rosewood finger groove laminated grip standard


Altamont rosewood finger groove laminated grip standard


From RSR Wholesale Guns, Inc.

S&W Hogue rubber grip standard


From Davidson's Inc.

Medallions added to stock Altamont laminated rosewood grip


Smith and Wesson Stocking Dealer and Limited Production

Original S&W combat stocks


S&W Hogue rubber grip standard


KO

Groo here
Been looking for a 657-3 slabside hunter for some time.[he cleans off keyboard]

 

[Doubless]

I am not anal about everything being stainless, but I have a few 41s: RSR 657-3 Light Hunter NIB, 657-4 MG NIB, 57 No dash Nickel 8-3/8" NIB, 57 No dash blued in 4" and 6-1/2", 58 4" Nickel, 657-4 CH... I think that is all of them, excluding the Redhawks, which are both stainless... and I still kick myself for selling the 657-4 CH with fluted cylinder and lazer-marked barrel. Revolver was NIB and was not cataloged, as best I can tell.

Stupid, stupid, stupid...

 

[jaymoore]

and I still kick myself for selling the 657-4 CH with fluted cylinder and lazer-marked barrel. Revolver was NIB and was not cataloged, as best I can tell.

Stupid, stupid, stupid...

I've been abusing one since about 2002. Fixed the links in the old post above showing some "before Krylon" images, but it's never been a safe queen. So be warned...

Somewhat newer photos. Has been a favorite for a long time.

 

[jughed440]

Beautiful .41s!!!!!!

Every time I have ever specifically LOOKED for .41 Magnum Ammunition, I have never seen it.

.41 is no where to be found around here either. My reason for passing by a RSR Hunter (w. case) at a gun show last year...any other caliber and it would be mine.