Help Identifying old .357 magnum revolver
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You hit the lottery!!!!!
Your Grandfather had great taste in firearms.......... and $62.50
Oh ya...welcome.....trying to eat and type!!!!
Great/priceless family heirloom............ a early S&W "Registered Magnum"....... the first .357; introduced in 1935..... all were made to order........
Grips are not original ......... Plastic??
"Reg 106?" # on yoke............. about 5000- 5500 were made from 1935- 1940/41/WWII.
Nice shape but not perfect....... a lot like my Father's Colt New Service .357 "duty gun" dating from 1938/39.........Others better experts will be along; as market value is continually going up........... I'd "guesstimate"(based on 3 I saw over the weekend)............. "north of $5,000"
Your Grandfather had great taste in firearms.......... and $62.50
Oh ya...welcome.....trying to eat and type!!!!
Great/priceless family heirloom............ a early S&W "Registered Magnum"....... the first .357; introduced in 1935..... all were made to order........
Grips are not original ......... Plastic??
"Reg 106?" # on yoke............. about 5000- 5500 were made from 1935- 1940/41/WWII.
Nice shape but not perfect....... a lot like my Father's Colt New Service .357 "duty gun" dating from 1938/39.........Others better experts will be along; as market value is continually going up........... I'd "guesstimate"(based on 3 I saw over the weekend)............. "north of $5,000"
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Welcome to the forum. You have a Registered Magnum. These were before Model numbers came into effect.
Besides being a priceless family heirloom, it a very highly valued gun in the thousands of dollars.
There will be experts coming along with more information.
Don't Let Go Of That Gun!!!
Besides being a priceless family heirloom, it a very highly valued gun in the thousands of dollars.
There will be experts coming along with more information.
Don't Let Go Of That Gun!!!
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Experts will be along....... do a search here for "Registered Magnum" should keep you busy util others come along ......... to talk about your specific gun,options,condition and estimated market value........ vs. Heirloom value.
ParadiseRoad
Member
...hang on...I think you're going to get plenty of comments and information...your post comes under the heading of...WOW...around here...
texmex
Member
It looks like what collectors call a Registered Magnum. This was the original 357 Magnum revolver. When they first came out in 1935, each one was what now days would be a Performance Center or Custom Shop gun. The customer could pick any barrel length from 8 3/4" down to 3 1/2 inch. There were many options available in choosing the sights. Each one was sighted in at the factory with the range and hold chosen by the customer. They were shipped with paper work listing all the above with papers to be filled out by the customer and returned to the factory to "register" the gun to the owner in the factory records. Yours appears to be a 4 inch barrel which is not as common as the 3 1/2 inch or the 5 inch. It has considerable value. To get a good estimate of the value, it would be best to have a knowledgeable dealer or collector examine it in person. Most likely, it is in original condition except for the grips. With it's age and use, there is a possibility that it was refinished which could affect the value. The provenance of it being used by your grandfather can only add to the value. There are members of this forum that can give you a ball park figure, but I'm sure they would all encourage you to have someone physically examine it to get a more accurate number. Maybe they will chime in after they wipe the drool off of their keyboards so they can respond. In the meantime, guard it with your life.
The Reg. is a home gun but those grips are out of the park. Just oil with a cotton rag, and no steel wool. Keep it close to the hearth. Great heirloom. Best.
29aholic
Member
Go to the Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation page and download a letter application. Chances are they have a lot of documents on your gun they can send you for a small fee.
What???????? What is a home gun? Keep it close to the hearth??
Do you have medical marijuana down south? Just kidding.
29aholic
Member
If anyone wants a PDF copy of the Registered Magnum Journal the SWCA put out several years ago, PM me your address.
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Welcome! Here is one search of the Forum for information about your gun:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/search...e=UTF-8&q=Registered+Magnum+information&sa=Go
Someone here will add onto the information in the 1,510 posts there. Enjoy!
http://smith-wessonforum.com/search...e=UTF-8&q=Registered+Magnum+information&sa=Go
Someone here will add onto the information in the 1,510 posts there. Enjoy!
Kyle, outstanding 2nd post and very nice .357 with family history, a lot of us here would wish for something like that in our collection! And welcome to the Forum from South of Houston! Always nice to welcome a fellow Texan!
Holy smoke this is why I check this forum every night when I get in gives us less seasoned collectors hope that there are still great guns coming to light. A simply beautiful family heirloom and with that barrel length I am not sure it would get any better than that at least in my book. Oh and welcome to the best group of folks on the internet hope you hang around and get that one lettered for sure.
Congratulations on your fine firearm! It is truly a holy grail for many of us Smith&Wesson enthusiasts. By the registration number yours appears to be a very early one. FYI, J. Edgar Hoover got RegMag number 1, and General Patton carried one which was made after yours. It was one of his famous ivory handled revolvers.
Also, your query actually belongs in the next forum up stream, the 1896 to 1961 forum. Maybe one of the mods will move it.
Also, your query actually belongs in the next forum up stream, the 1896 to 1961 forum. Maybe one of the mods will move it.
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Thanks for the info
Thanks guys, this has been a real eye opener for me. This pistol was in a sock drawer for nearly 40 years. I filled out the factory letter request form and will mail it in the morning.
My grandfather only carried the .357 when there was a prison break or gangsters on the loose. His carry was a snub nose 38, some pictures attached.
Kyle
Thanks guys, this has been a real eye opener for me. This pistol was in a sock drawer for nearly 40 years. I filled out the factory letter request form and will mail it in the morning.
My grandfather only carried the .357 when there was a prison break or gangsters on the loose. His carry was a snub nose 38, some pictures attached.
Kyle
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DWalt
Member
My guess is that your grips are made of a phenolic plastic called Catalin. It was very popular back in the 1930s and 1940s, and was one of the very few plastics made commercially at that time. It was used for jewelry, appliances, radio cases, kitchenware handles, electrical components, etc., and of course gun grips. It was available in many colors. Anything made of Catalin from that time period is highly collectible. You might want to search on Catalin to find out more about it. It has a distinctive smell.
Do you still have that M&P snubby? If it is pre-WWII, it is quite rare and fairly valuable also. Can you provide its serial number?
Do you still have that M&P snubby? If it is pre-WWII, it is quite rare and fairly valuable also. Can you provide its serial number?
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DWalt
Member
672903 (assuming there is no letter prefix) does make it a pre-war snubby (ca. 1939). You scored two highly collectable and valuable pieces. What kind of grips are on the snubby? Looks like plastic, in any event, they are not original. You need to letter the snubby also.
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