Is the S&W Model 57 Classic a good shooter?

[ACES&8s]

I have been looking into a model 57 shooter, instead of one to
be put in the collectable group.
I haven't seen a 57 Classic but I did try another Classic which
doesn't have near the accuracy or trigger of the original. So I was
burned once.
Since I have a complete community of S&W fans here, I figure
some of you have inside info or have even bought one. Would
appreciate any info on the S&W 57 Classic, 41 magnum.

 

[jrod]

I just picked one up a couple of months ago. I was actually surprised to see it on the shelf. Wheelguns have been scarce lately. It's a great shooter.
I just wish S&W would make a 4-inch again.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[scout II]

I have a 4" model 57 Classic. It shoots great actually, at least as accurate or better than my no dash 57 and 57-1. The trigger just keeps getting better the more I shoot it. I put some older target grips on it because they feel better than the new thin grips it came with. I also have a model 58 Classic that shoots just as nice. I put on rubber grips when I shoot the 58.

 

[The Norseman]

Timeless Revolvers

Welcome to the Best S&W Forum. Accept no
substitute.

I have not seen the S&W Classic Mdl 57
41Rem Mag yet. I'm set up to reload
41Rem mag, but don't have one yet, I
have come close, but nothing yet.

Every Classic that I have seen has been nice
and have none of the quirky S&W problems.

Any S&W Mdl 57/657 41Mag is on my "to
get" list. The covenant Mountain Gun is
what I really want.

The Best to you and your Endeavors.

 

[ACES&8s]

I just picked one up a couple of months ago. I was actually surprised to see it on the shelf. Wheelguns have been scarce lately. It's a great shooter.
I just wish S&W would make a 4-inch again.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

My son is bringing me an older model 57 this weekend that
has never been fired so I let the purity remain in the older
revolvers unless they have been fired a lot. So it is safe, yet
I have every caliber around it but have never owned a 41
magnum. The dies and bullets are easy enough to find
but cases, not so much. Besides if I get a NEW 57 Classic, it will
only fire factory ammo at first just to make sure it isn't a return
item.
Bet the ammo isn't easy to find either.

 

[Hair Trigger]

My son is bringing me an older model 57 this weekend that
has never been fired so I let the purity remain in the older
revolvers unless they have been fired a lot. So it is safe yet
I have every caliber around it and have never owned a 41
magnum, so the dies and bullets are easy enough to find
but cases, not so much. Besides if I get a NEW 57 Classic, it will
only fire factory ammo at first just to make sure it isn't a return
item.
Bet the ammo isn't easy to find either.

Everglades Ammo sells new Starline .41M brass, but a look at the site says they're out of stock right now. Generally they don't stay out of stock very long on most items. Great service, they ship quick when they have it.

 

[Llance]

If you order Starline Brass even it's out of stock they will fill your order first before they ship to a store. Don't let it being out of stock put blinders on you.

Used or new Smith and Wessons were built to be shot. Unless the gun your son is bringing to you is new in the box with the paper and tools shoot it.

 

[Model 15-4ever]

I purchased a 6" Model 57 Classic when they first came out about 9 years ago. My best handloads will put 5 rounds into a group under 3" @ 50 yards. However, the stock grips are made for looking and not shooting, as they are too thin and felt recoil with full magnum load is painful. I replaced them with a set of ebay repro original-style coke bottle grips.

 

[stansdds]

If you order Starline Brass even it's out of stock they will fill your order first before they ship to a store. Don't let it being out of stock put blinders on you.

Used or new Smith and Wessons were built to be shot. Unless the gun your son is bringing to you is new in the box with the paper and tools shoot it.

Starline 357, 41, and 44 brass is out of stock and they are not currently accepting backorders on out of stock items. There is a big banner at the top of their opening page indicating they are hiring 2nd and 3rd shift machine operators. Demand is still high and they don't have enough people to run at full capacity.


As for the accuracy of a new S&W compared to a vintage S&W, every firearm is a rule unto itself. I'm sure most of the new ones are just as accurate as the old ones, but S&W has also been turning out revolvers with poor quality machining. My advice is that if you buy a new one, give it a very close inspection before accepting it.

 

[Hawg Rider]

There have been a few other posts in the Forum recently about the .41 Magnum, as to whether or not there is a resurgence in its limited popularity or is the death knell sounding! Will the .41 Magnum soon be forgotten like so many other calibers? I actually like the .41 Magnum, and have been shooting it since the late 1970s. I recently acquired a minty nickel 4" Model 57, and I see that quite a few Forum members continue to buy vintage 57s, 657s, and 58s. Not to mention those that also collect Rugers, etc. in the same caliber. The new Classic Model 57 is probably a very accurate shooter as are the other Classic N-frames, but I have never actually handled or fired one. One of the issues these days is that .41 Magnum ammo is way down on the priority list for manufacturers, and difficult to find. A few weeks ago I noticed that the online prices were dropping a little, so I purchased a box...$1 per round! I used to reload for my magnums, but for various reasons I stopped years ago. Maybe I should start again. I'm sure that my wife will be thrilled with me investing in another hobby!

 

[3rdgeargrndrr]

No kidding, one of the most accurate revolvers SW makes, arguably the most accurate and most useful all around handgun cartridge ever.
I think it falls just below my 22's and 38SW's in terms of pure accuracy but much more than makes up for it with energy.
If you shoot matches, it feels like cheating

Edit: Clint Smith from Thunder Ranch has said, "if you are in a gunfight with me and I only have my 41mag, then I will have two guns. Mine and yours."

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Yes.

As a "tween" caliber I thought I didn't want or need, until I got one, this M57-6 is a great shooter like my other 41s.

No reason you can't break it in with your handloads. Factory ammo prices are ridiculous & you'll gain nothing, IMO.

S&W never asked me what I'd been shooting in any revolver that had to go back for repair.

In fact my 657-5 had hard extraction issues on almost anything I shot in it, bulging the cases in the middle, & it never had a factory round thru it.

I sent it back & they replaced the defective cylinder (incorrectly reamed chambers) no questions asked.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it if you get one.

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[stansdds]

The 41 Magnum will not beat the N-frame like the 44 Magnum, so that's one positive for the 41 Magnum. 41 Magnum is also adequate for most handgun uses in North America.


If only Clint Eastwood had said "I know what you're thinking, did he fire six shots or only five? Well to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I kind of lost track myself. But being that this is a .41 Magnum, the most practical handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya, punk?"

 

[ACES&8s]

I purchased a 6" Model 57 Classic when they first came out about 9 years ago. My best handloads will put 5 rounds into a group under 3" @ 50 yards. However, the stock grips are made for looking and not shooting, as they are too thin and felt recoil with full magnum load is painful. I replaced them with a set of ebay repro original-style coke bottle grips.

Yea the grips I have seen in pics look like my new Python grips.
Narrow grips on a magnum are like they did all the planning to build the revolver then let a friend of a friend come up with
the grips.
But I am the guy who puts N frame grips on my model 19
carry gun.

 

[SuperMan]

Have had three of the IL .41 Magnums...a 57 4", 58 and a 57 Mountain Gun... All three shot great. Sold the 57 4" to a young man who I have been teaching to shoot, the 57 MG went to a friend's son in California and the last was sold on GB some time ago...

All three had very smooth actions and were just as accurate as any of the other S&W .41s I've owned.

And why S&W doesn't drop the 6" for a few years and put out a 4" which more people want I have no clue...

Just saw a 4" 57 Classic sell on GB for the BuyNow price of $1195...they almost always bring more than the same gun with a 6" barrel. Couple of weeks ago I purchased a blue worn/hardly shot 6" 1965 57 in the PC with a set of mint Cokes for the same price... Asked the store owner about the gun as the wear on the gun didn't match the wear on the grips.. He checked and found out the gun was originally purchased by a Maine bear guide decades ago. He didn't like the wood grips, stored them in the case and used "rubber grips" all the years he guided.

Will make a fine shooter...Bob

 

[Llance]

Standds; Thank you for that info, I have not been on their site for several months, and what I was looking for was in stock and on the next outbound truck the next day. Again thank you for the information.

 

[ACES&8s]

I still haven't made up my mind about the Classic model.
Either that or an AR 15 Daniel Defense, but the Daniel Defense had
a serious setback in my consideration!
My local gun shop has had -2- of them STOLEN while in transit thru
FedEx or UpS! Either they are in such high demand that it is worth a prison
sentence or it is so easy to get away with that there is little or no
threat!
Things have been out of hand a long time now.

 

[BigMuddy]

I've only fired one "Classic" M57. Like every other 41 Magnum I have owned it was a fantastic shooter.

I agree with Bob. S&W is missing the boat by not producing a 4" Classic 57.

Dan

 

[ACES&8s]

The deal with the older model #57 fell thru because it wasn't a
virgin revolver, it had not only been shot and attempted to clean it
up as new old stock, the side plate screws showed signs of reentry by
a person without GS knowledge. These didn't show up in the photos
my son received of the revolver.
It took him on a 3-hour sidetrack on the way home and he knows what
to look for, he sent me pics and politely bowed out of the purchase.
Rather than type it over I will say, the gun store owner was misinformed
about the history of the revolver and agreed with my son that it was
used, more than he first thought. And I agree these things happen.
Looks more like I am going to have to get my buddy to order me one.
I have been VERY lucky thru Gunbroker and never been disappointed
yet but with the way this one went; I can get a new one with the option
of return, if it isn't proper.