Model 547

[cutthroattroutco]

I'm new to the Forum, and I'm developing an interest in the Model 547. Interesting mechanical design. Any comments from members about this pistol, in either the 3' or 4" barrel? Any cautions I should know about? Thanks

 

[Hapworth]

Welcome to the forum, cutthroattroutco.

Here are a few 547 threads you might like:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...096-contemplating-model-547-9mm-revolver.html

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...-model-547-3-inch-4-inch-more-desireable.html

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...339460-s-w-model-547-9mm-military-police.html

 

[murphydog]

Good links above. The only caution is they are highly sought after, so bring lots of money and buy quickly if you see one at a fair price.

 

[sodacan]

For a revolver that had a production run of over 10,000 pieces, they seem to command absurd prices. There were more made with the 3" barrel than the 4", but the shorter barrel usually goes for a lot more. If I were to see one with a 4" pinned barrel, it would be of interest to me. Not so much for the other ones. 3" models are round butt, 4" square. The ejector mechanism is unique and delicate, and was very expensive to produce. If it breaks, you're pretty much screwed. The gun is essentially a heavy barrel model 10 in 9mm.

 

[cutthroattroutco]

Thanks everyone for providing me some useful info. I have already noted they are not giving those guns away. I shoot semi-autos and this will be my first experience with a revolver. I am partial to the 9mm, hence my interest in the 547.

 

[9mmsubgun-m11]

I watched one sell last evening on GB north of $2K.

 

[lowriderfxr]

A friend inquired about selling one recently and after throwing out a thread or two on the forum about a ball park value, I immediately agreed to buy it. I remember working at a gunshop in 81-82 when these came out. Being right there on the line I'm not sure there were ever any made with pinned barrels. I do remember that we couldn't hardly give them away. Come to think of it , the S&Ws that were the slowest movers , 547s, 53s, 58s, short barrel 34s, 4" N frames are the ones that are the most sought after today.

 

[akviper]

Like lowriderfxr, I remember the 547s stacked at my local police supply shop. It came out at the height of the revolver to auto conversion tide and the 45 was considered the only caliber acceptable. The shop owner urged me to buy a few to put away and I did not listen. He was discounting them to the $200 range NIB. They sat in his shop for years before he was able to get rid of them.

I did buy a three inch 547 as new a few years back for $550. It's fun to shoot but usually lives in the safe.

I perused a sale item table at Sportsman Warehouse a few years ago and found eight HKS speed loaders. They are more rare than the gun.

 

[BUFF]

The ejection mechanism is more rugged than it appears. I used to see a fellow at the range with 4 incher who shot it a lot. One day, he had some Austrian-made submachinegun ammo (Hirtenberg, if I remember) I had read as being hotter than should be fired in handguns. He fired 6 and it wouldn't eject them. He pounded the ejector on one of the wooden roof support 4x4's, harder and harder, until the little ejector fingers tore through the bases of the brass cases without the cases moving! He took it home, removed the cylinder and pounded the cases out from the front of each chamber, 1 at a time, with a steel rod. Next time I saw him, he was still shooting the 547, with normal pressure ammo, and the thing was fine. I believe the fingers are a copper-beryllium alloy selected for it's toughness.

I bought mine, a non-pinned 3 incher, in 1983 when they were selling at a discount after sitting for a while. While I haven't shot it a lot, it has worked just fine.

 

[bigjohn4]

Just saw a 4" brand new in the box and it was $2K. It was beautiful, just out of my price range!

 

[RWJ]

If you think the HKS ones are hard to find, try locating the Safariland Comp II ones for this gun.......

 

[bamabiker]

Being right there on the line I'm not sure there were ever any made with pinned barrels.

My 4" is pinned, not the 3".
$2000, hmm?

 

[tekarra]

The 547 is my favourite revolver. At one time I had seven of them, some new and some Israeli surplus, and never had a problem with any of them. They were all great shooters and very accurate. IMO, they are the best revolver made.

 

[NYlakesider]

I have a 3'' and like it. It was the first one I ever saw for sale in my area and the price was decent, so I dropped the plastic card and purchased it.

Retired and I hit a lot of gun shops and as stated that was the only one I ever knew of for sale in this area in the 5 years I looked for that gun.

 

[younggun22]

The 547 is a great gun.

I have a late production 4 inch round butt.

I talked to Roy and he said it is possible that it is a factory original, but it would need to be lettered.

 

[tekarra]

The 547 is a great gun.

I have a late production 4 inch round butt.

I talked to Roy and he said it is possible that it is a factory original, but it would need to be lettered.

By all accounts the 4" models were all square butt. However if Roy Jinks says it is possibly a factory original, then having it lettered would be well worth the effort. If you get it lettered, please let us know the result.

 

[Sevens]

I know that we all have stories just like this one, but I want to say it was about four years ago when I picked one up at a gun show. Was the more common 4" SB. I knew and had heard that S&W made them some time back, I knew they used some oddball extraction method and I also knew they weren't all too popular and that they didn't last that long.

The dealer was a genuinely nice guy that didn't know a lot about them either and we chatted about it for a bit. I couldn't see me parting with the $400 asking price so I left it there.

I have to agree that the prices don't "seem" to be fair considering somewhere around 10,000 were reportedly made. However, we don't often see a lot of "fair" in our game! However, the value/market for these have turned the 547 in to a revolver I am not likely to EVER own, and even if I were able to find one with a price I could justify... buying it for future sale seems to be the only logical answer my pea brain can process.

That kind of means, sadly, I'll really never get to enjoy one.

 

[Stefano]

M&P 547

It was quite a while before if found it as expected in an unexpected corner of a shop displayed as a S&W .38 Special Revolver to my delight.
We agreed on the price and i told the story of the 547 much to the surprise of the crew while also boring them eventualy.
Once papers done and a few weeks later on my desk, it was completely disassembled, cleaned and reassembled, photos taken and a little review written just for fun and to freeze that in time
my pleasure to share it.
Stef

 

[ridgewalker]

OP, I just wanted to mention that while I agree the 547 is cool, it is not the only 9mm S&W revolver. Current production 929 and 986. Also 940 is available used at much more reasonable prices than 547. Moonclips are required in these revolvers. I'm sure others might chime in with other models.

Also Korth is coming out with a 9mm replacement cylinder for the 686. There was a recent thread discussing it. What is cool about this is it uses a similar extraction system as the 547.

Others have had custom 9mm cylinders made for their revolvers.

I don't have a lot of Ruger knowledge but I know there are some Rugers that shoot 9mm.

 

[5Wire]

The 4-inch used to bring less than the 3-inch in used sales. Here's a chart to illustrate the change. It's a bit busy but you'll get the idea from the trend lines. There were more 3-inchers manufactured than 4-inchers. That's reflected in the price and count trends:

Production was about 10,270 units, with approximately 6486 in round butt configuration. Produced c. 1980 - 1985.
Supica, Jim; Nahas, Richard (2006-12-20). Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson 3rd (Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson) (p. 233). F+W Media, Inc.. Kindle Edition.