Mod 53-1 converted to .357 question

[phatmax]

I was in a gun store yesterday and looked at a 53-1 that had been converted to .357 4". It had a low front sight and gutter rear sight. The shop owner had it on consignment and claimed that it was a 1 of ~2000 conversion done in the factory for a CA law enforcement agency. I can find NOTHING on the net or in the S&W book on such a thing.

The gun was functionally fine, tight lock up and no push off. The conversion did look factory.

There was corrosion on the hammer spur and on the top back of the frame. It looked like it had sat in a chemical for a time and was not cleaned.

Anyone have any information on this?

 

[Bill Bates]

Not one I've heard of so maybe someone will come along that has heard of a .367 CA LEO conversion. I would wonder why they would need to convert any when the Model 19 was readily available. It would be easier to just make a fixed sight 19.

 

[HKSmith]

This is a bizarre and unlikely story since there was never a Model 53-1 in production! The Model 53 was introduced in 1961 and the next model was the 53-2 in 1962. This is clearly stated in the 3rd Catalog of S&W, which I just checked. If a LE agency wanted a 4 inch .357 in that era they could have just ordered the Model 19 and not undertaken an expensive and difficult conversion of a low production model.

Was the frame actually stamped 53-1 on the gun you saw?

 

[phatmax]

It was definitely stamped 53- and I thought it was a 1 but it did have a poor last digit, so it could have been a bad 2. The barrel was .357 ad the cylinder was also.

 

[steelslaver]

By gutter rear sight to you mean it was converted to a fixed sight? To me it is all just a waste of a interesting gun when many other options were available. About the only thing you would have over the other 357s of the day was an internal firing pin.

Be hard to go back to original as the cylinders are very rare and longer than regular 22lr or 22 mag cylinders.

 

[Doc44]

I doubt if the factory would convert a Model 53 to .357 Magnum caliber because of liability issues. Particularly, when the Model 19 was already in production. Sounds like a good story for a "seller".

Bill

 

[BUFF]

A Model 53 these days is worth 2 or 3 times what a Model 19 or 13 is worth. I can't see any reasonable person doing that.

The usual manner of decreasing the worth of a S&W is to blow it up, grind off the trigger guard or inscribe a rude saying on the sideplate. All of those would be cheaper and easier than doing what you saw.

It may have been a Model 13 that was mis-stamped, but even that wouldn't be very likely.

 

[Art Doc]

This is one of those many "I have no idea what's going on here without seeing the gun in person because theory sounds too ridiculous to have any credibility." It doesn't help when terms like "gutter sight" are used because it means the person describing the gun really lacks knowledge on the subject. The dealer doesn't appear to know anything either.

The only fixed sight 357 I know of is the Model 520 (could you have misread 520 as 53-1?) made in 1980 for the New York State Police. There were 3,000 of them but they were not any sort of conversion.

 

[Doc44]

There is a fixed sight version of the Model 19, it is the Model 19-P.

Bill

 

[phatmax]

This is one of those many "I have no idea what's going on here without seeing the gun in person because theory sounds too ridiculous to have any credibility." It doesn't help when terms like "gutter sight" are used because it means the person describing the gun really lacks knowledge on the subject. The dealer doesn't appear to know anything either.

The only fixed sight 357 I know of is the Model 520 (could you have misread 520 as 53-1?) made in 1980 for the New York State Police. There were 3,000 of them but they were not any sort of conversion.

Jesus, go ahead and be condescending. I will go take pictures of it next week. I own well over 20 S&W revolvers, most P&R; I own a copy of the 3rd edition S&W catalog and have bought several of my revolvers on here. I have been shooting S&W revolvers for the last 33 years.
Yes, it was a fixed sight, I am SOOOOOOO SORRY that the use of the word gutter so impugns my credibility in your eyes. I regret that my father used that term and it is what I am used to calling it. it was DEFINITELY a 53 with a very low ramp front sight that had the appropriate milling, it was not filed down. It was certainly not a recent conversion, and the gun had seen better days.

 

[phatmax]

There is a fixed sight version of the Model 19, it is the Model 19-P.

Bill

close, however the barrel I saw on there was a full lug, I mistook it from a distance as a 586.

 

[Jim Watson]

Sounds pretty hokey to me.
Did it have the switchable CF-RF firing pin of the M53 Jet?

I think a mismarked .357 is more likely than a conversion or special order.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Full lug?
Maybe it's a 581.

 

[jringo8769]

Hey sounds like it will be something very interesting to see pics of



Sent from my LGL41C using Tapatalk

 

[phatmax]

Mpt

Full lug?
Maybe it's a 581.

This is a good possibility that I had not though of. It would be a mis-mark or bad stamp 581. The 1 was very heavy and "smudged" looking and the 5 pretty light. The left half of the 8 could have missed the steel and made a 3.
The switchable hammer was NOT there, it was a standard firing pin hammer.

I think you have solved the case. The seller wants $399, but the rust on the back is bad enough I wouldn't get it for more than 300, because I would want to refinish and have to put a "new" hammer on.

 

[jebstuart]

It doesn't help when terms like "gutter sight" are used because it means the person describing the gun really lacks knowledge on the subject. The dealer doesn't appear to know anything either.

The only fixed sight 357 I know of is the Model 520

There have been several fixed sighed S&W revolvers chambered in .357 Magnum. And, the Mod. 520 was the only fixed sighted "N-Frame" in .357 by S&W. And, I'll bet if you could read minds, just being called "Pig" might not sound so insulting to you. Being polite doesn't cost a thing and we should practice it every chance we get, IMHO.
Jebstuart

 

[BUFF]

I think The Pilgrim likely nailed it. While by no means rare, I don't see used 581's in gunshops or at gunshows around here. It wouldn't be the first time a gunshop operator or employee who knew little about S&W made something up to try to sell a gun, or was told the story by the person he bought the gun from, or intentionally lied.

 

[Somerled]

Interesting story from the dealer ... I'd probably contact the S&W Historical Foundation. That would be close enough to gospel for me. It might be possible that the factory used some left-over 53-1 frames to make some .357s. But I wouldn't take a dealer's word for it. If the dealer's asking a premium price, maybe he would pay the cost of a factory letter.

Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation - Home Page - Insuring that the rich history of Smith & Wesson will continue for generations to come

 

[sodacan]

Sounds like a bogus story to me, and if true a ridiculous waste of money. It would have ruined a fairly rare gun.

 

[Art Doc]

Where was I impolite? I stated the absolute truth of the situation. I didn't call anyone names. I was merely being concise. Any offense taken wasn't intended.

BTW- I need to change my username. Apparently too many people can't understand it or handle it.