How many rounds will my new S&W 57 in 41mag last??

[BigBill]

How many rounds is my model 57 in 41mag good for?

On average how long will my model 29 in 44mag last if i purchase one too?

Will my ruger redhawks last longer than the S&W???

I never wore a handgun or rifle out yet nor do i expect too but i do shoot them more than the average shooter. Bill

 

[P&R Fan]

It's going to depend on how hot the loads are. I've heard the S&Ws will require re-tuning or re-building after a lot of hot magnums. I personally don't think I could afford enough ammo to wear out either of my 29s or my 57.
The Ruger is bull strong, so it should take a LONG time.

 

[XTrooper]

How many rounds is my model 57 in 41mag good for?

Bill

Keep count and let us know.

 

[Joni_Lynn]

They'll probably outlast you unless you over load one and send off to gun heaven.

 

[stantheman86]

S&W .41 and .44 Magnums DO shoot loose, I looked at a Model 29 at a gun show that was so loose the cylinder endshake allowed the cylinder to slide back and forth in the window, I doubt it would have set a round off, nor would I have tried. I also have a Highway Patrolman that was shot loose, and I had to add bearings to get it shootable.......even the mighty N-frame .357's can loosen up with lots of .357's.

As far as the Rugers, especially the Redhawk.......good luck trying to wear that thing out......if you can afford to buy or make enough ammo to loosen up a Ruger revolver, you can afford to buy them 3 or 4 at a time Rugers die from people trying to make dinosaur killer handloads and blowing them up or cracking the forcing cones by being crazy with light bullet, super hot magnums.....I own dozens of Ruger GP100's and Speed/ Service Sixes, a .44 Mag Super Redhawk, a .357 Redhawk......I don't think I will ever make enough money to buy the ammo to shoot any one of them loose.......I would have to dedicate a years salary just to .44 Magnum to maybe loosen the Super Redhawk up......

 

[BigBill]

I cut way back on my reloads for my magnums lately. I don't max out the loads anymore. I figured that throttling them back a little will improve my accuracy which is far better than over powering inaccurate loads. I know its less wear and tear on the handguns too. I actually hammered two brand new 1911's with hot loads and found that out very quickly.

With my m57 in 41mag i hope to enjoy it more with the leadcast bullets, but i will shoot some magnum loads time to time too. Someone here in the past said they expect to have to tune it or replace parts after 2,000rds are put thru it. Is this true? If it is what will wearout first? Can i easily remove the side plate and lube in parts inside the S&W revolver? I'm a firm believer if i lube it with moly it will outlast my lifetime. I like to look at my guns and keep them in new looking condition but i like to shoot them too.

Does S&W offer a tune up kit or replacement parts kit for there revolvers? Maybe i can buy it ahead of time to already have it.

Sorry for the dumb questions but this S&W m57 in 41mag is my very first S&W handgun. And i hope to get many more too.
I'm also into learning gunsmithing as i go too. I been learning about the 1911's right now on tuning them and repairing them. I figure revolvers are next. Bill

BTW; I have a ruger police service six from '76 that i lubed with moly from the very beginning when it was brand new and with many rounds thru it today its still tight and in new condition. I also did the samething with my two new redhawks in 44mag when they first were offered i purchased two of them. I haven't noticed any wear on them at all yet too. Now i'm thinking if i open up my S&W 57 and lube it with moly it just may last as long as my rugers too? I use moly on all my guns. On trigger sears it will lessen the trigger pull up to 50% right way and smooth it out too. If were seeing any kind of wear at all our present lube isn't working.
With that said i'm retired now and hope to go back to shooting at least 2 to 3 times a week again soon.

 

[John Ross]

With my m57 in 41mag i hope to enjoy it more with the leadcast bullets, but i will shoot some magnum loads time to time too. Someone here in the past said they expect to have to tune it or replace parts after 2,000rds are put thru it. Is this true? If it is what will wearout first?

Sorry for the dumb questions but this S&W m57 in 41mag is my very first S&W handgun. And i hope to get many more too.

Bill, my experience with the over-.357 carbon steel N-frames is 90% with 29s, but that should apply to your new gun.

A full load cast bullet round will be much easier on your forcing cone than a similar jacketed load.

Expect to get around 10,000 rounds before the gun needs attention. I've never had one go bad in 2,000 rounds.

If yours is an earlier Model 57, like from the 60s-80s, you may have the trigger stud crystallize and break off at the frame in the 10,000+ round range. The hammer stud will do the same at 20,000-30,000 rounds. On current production 57s I believe this issue has been addressed with a radius on the parts, as it has with the 29s. I don't remember exactly when this change was made.

The frames will get a crack at the thin side of the cylinder stop portion of the frame somewhere around 70,000-80,000 rounds. When that happens, the factory cuts the frame in half and builds you a brand new gun on a new frame with the same serial number. (This is how you can get a Model 29-8 with a serial number that indicates it was made in 1958!)

Redhawks won't have these issues, but if you are like me, their balance and trigger issues, combined with their chamber throat/barrel tolerances, will keep you going back to the S&W table despite S&W's less anvil-like design.

Hope this helps.

Edited to add: I just checked your earlier posts and I see this M57 is current production. It should last longer than you will...

Shoot it a lot and have fun!

 

[Joni_Lynn]

I find that with any revolver a bit of lubrication everywhere metal rubs on metal should help it to last longer. The goes double for the end of the yoke where the cylinder bares against it. On a Colt, the ratchet and both stages of the hand. (or whatever Colt calls 'em)

 

[rags]

I find that with any revolver a bit of lubrication everywhere metal rubs on metal should help it to last longer. The goes double for the end of the yoke where the cylinder bares against it. On a Colt, the ratchet and both stages of the hand. (or whatever Colt calls 'em)

All that knowledge and you can Moderate too...You're the complete package! Were the later -3's any better or did the early 90's 57's miss the "quality" boat?

Thanks, rags

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

How many rounds is my model 57 in 41mag good for?

Bill

16,862. If you shoot lead only then 24,968.

 

[youngda9]

2,642 on the button

 

[bigshot500]

imho your wallet will suffer long before the smith gives up the ghost. My 586 had 20k plus before I had to send it back to smith for a new hand and that was my shooting...as i have no idea how many rounds were shot in the prior 20 years before I had purchased the gun. the 629's i have get shot and one is my favorite, a 629 power port 6.5 inch, it has over 8000+ rounds of full max loads down the pipe and it keeps smacking the pins out to 100 yards and cutting cards on edge at 10 yards. Dont worry about the integrity, they were ment to be shot.

 

[m657]

can't say on the N frames....a buddy of mine put something in the mid 25,000 range of HOT 357 mag loads thru his M19 before it was loose enough to worry about either retiring it or sending back to factory for overhaul.

 

[Joni_Lynn]

I have enough of the N frame 44's that I'll probably never shoot any one of them enough to loosen one up. I have put a few thousand through a couple of them with no signs of change yet.

 

[GF1]

The .41 will last alot longer than the .44, assuming that you're using similar loads. I wore out a M29 about 30 years ago after about 20,000 rounds, all full power w/ hard cast bullets (22 gr/2400/245 gr Lyman #429421. I say "wore out" meaning that the gun's marvelous accuracy fell off, developed cylinder play fore/aft; never have a catastrophic failure. It still looked pretty good, BTW.

That's when I bought my first M57. Have one close to that round count, still tight, two others of same vintage that aren't close. All three are wonderfully accurate. I never wanted for another M29, FWIW.

I wouldn't sweat it. Buy what you like, shoot alot, enjoy it. That's what they're for. The collector "unfired" crowd never tempted me.

 

[G.T. Smith]

I believe that is right, except........

16,862. If you shoot lead only then 24,968.

You must first count the number of times you (dry fire) yer gun. 24,968 is the right count for lead only shooting but if you dry fire the gun 6,257 times, then you will break something at about 18,441. This equation is not based on any facts or actual research. Only the fact I hate to hear of anyone dry firing a gun
Peace,
gordon

 

[m657]

"Lynnie, Professional Pest"

......you can get PAID for that????

 

[stantheman86]

What is moly?

I had heard that using the wrong kind of lube can hurt the gun, as it will trap carbon particles and make the lube into an abrasive. I don't use lube on the ratchet or hand of any revolvers, unless I could find something that wouldn't run off.

I have been using Kroil for 10+ years, it doesn't "hold" or attract carbon particles, and a very, very, small drop can lube all the internals of a revolver. Any extra will just run out of the gun anyway, because Kroil is the "oil that Kreeps" I think I have been using the same can of Kroil since 2003 or so. I might get a few more cans so I'll be set for life.

 

[BigBill]

Moly gets burnished into the smaller pores of the metal and it eliminates the metal to metal contact, its moly wearing against moly thus the wear is eliminated. It also reduces friction too. When used on a trigger sear it can lessen the trigger pull by up to 50% right away and more as it works into the pores of the metal. I use moly anywhere there is metal to metal contact. I use it in all my bolt action and semi auto rifles as well as my revolvers and pistols too. In my semi auto rifles i put moly on the recoil springs/guides, bolt carrier/bolt, a little on the gas piston/op rod and on the trigger sear too. I used moly on my russian saiga and it feels like its a different gun because it took out the roughness and smoothed out the trigger too. The gun will cycle faster and smoother too. Plus the finish on the receiver rails won't wear off too. I have an sks that was one of the first batches of the chinese sks's that we shoot a lot and it shows no signs of wear yet to this day because it was lubed with moly.

Moly;
Eliminates wear
Reduces friction
prevents galling
stays wet and were we put it
doesn't attract dirt
Even during a longterm storage the gun is ready to rock n roll at anytime.
It can take the heat and the cold temps.

To clean it all we need to do is to wipe it clean and reapply moly again.

I only use solvent on the bores(barrel).

When we first apply the moly the gun will feel tight at first. I run the bolt carrier or slide about 50 to 100 cycles or till it loosens up. This also burnishes in the moly into the smaller pores of the metal too. If it doesn't free up you have too much moly in it. Remember only a little moly will do the trick to eliminate wear/reduce friction. Once you try it and see what a difference thislube can make you will moly every gun up i'm sure.

www.tsmoly.com I use the ts-70 moly anti-seeze or the paste will work. They have a higher % of moly in them.
Bill

I have nothing to do with the sales or production of moly my fight is against seeing wear on the used guns when it can be prevented with just a lube. I see so many used guns wornout before there time its sad. Why replace the same gun over and over because its wornout. I really don't plan on replacing any of my guns, they should outlast my lifetime and will probably get handed down to my great, great grandchildern too. They should last that much longer with the right lube being used. Moly my guns never leave home without it.

I been using moly and testing it in every application were there is metal to metal contact since the early 70's. Moly has been in my guns since the mid 70's and i never had a problem with it yet. Even the old military war horses like moly in then too. When we built drag race engines we used moly on the tripple valve spring high lift camshafts which were prone to early failure because of the extreme pressure and the cams and lifts lasted much longer. That tube of assembly lube for engines also has moly in it too. You will see and feel the difference bewteen the before and after applying moly even before shooting it. Like i said before the difference is unbelieveable with just a lube.

 

[stantheman86]

Awesome, that's great info! I have heard of moly lube but just thought it was some other kind of lubrication. I'll definitely have to check this out

I have a S&W 10-14 that I "worked", I think I will try the moly on this gun first to experiment, and try to make the gun even slicker.


The mods should make this post a sticky, or make a sticky about applying moly to guns.......