beemerrider
Member
I currently have the following three model 57's and would like your thoughts on whether I should sell or trade two of them, or just keep things as they are, and keep all three. I will post pictures tomorrow; it's just too late to mess with photos tonight. Well, here we go:
My 1st Model 57 is a no-dash, 4" Pinned & recessed, with TT, TH, TG with red ramp front sight. Date of Mar 20, 1986 is stamped in ink near the bottom on the inside of the right-side grip. Per the Standard Catalog of S&W, it was made in 1980 per SN N7870XX. It is a 3 Screw revolver. This is my "shooter", as it is in 99% condition, has a great action and is plenty accurate. It came to me with no box, tools or instructions, and I've not searched these out. It is immaculate with the faintest of turn lines. I like shooting it very much.
My 2nd Model 57, is also a no-dash, 4" barreled pinned & recessed revolver, with TT, TH, TG and red ramp front sight. Per the Standard Catalog, it was made 1979-80, per SN N6177XX. It is also a 3 screw revolver. It is a 100% "new revolver", comes in a perfect condition mahogany display box with excellent condition blue lining inside. It came with all original tools, instructions & other original paperwork. I have never fired it, or turned the cylinder, and there is a whisper of a turn line from factory testing only.
My 3rd Model 57, is also a no-dash, and this one has a 6" barrel, is pinned & recessed, and also has TT, TH & TG, with red ramp front sight. Once again, it is a 3 screw, and per the Standard Catalog, is was made in 1980, per SN N7283XX. This is also a 100% specimen, and comes with the "as new", in excellent condition, matching serial numbered to the gun, dark blue, two-piece Bangor Punta box. All tools are in their plastic bags, and perfect condition instructions and other paperwork and brown interior wrapping parer are included. This revolver is an unfired, unturned, perfect condition Model 57, .41 Magnum with a 6" barrel, original box and all accessories..
Whew; that's an eye full. So, on to my dilemma, and this is where I would really appreciate your thoughts and experience.
OK, no decision required on #1, my "shooter", as it does everything I could ask, and then some. At the end of the day, I want to have both a 4" & 6" Model 57. I could keep all three, but I really want a 90% or so condition "shooter", 3 1/2" blued Model 27. I've been considering one of these for a while, but the real credit, or blame; depending upon your point of view, goes to you guys who put together the current thread, where a lot of you are sharing great pictures of a boat-load of these really nice Model 27's with 3 1/2 barrels. So, credit or blame, depending upon whether you are talking to me, or my bride of 35 years, lays right at the feet of these generous forum members.
As I see it, I have at least several options. My first choice, and my wife's last, is to just wait out a nice Mod 27, and buy it out of "household" funds, thus keeping all three model 57's, while adding the Model 27; sounds good to me.
Next, I could sell or trade some other stuff, i.e. another one or more guns to fund the 27, but I still wake up at night, regretting some of my previous sales, i.e. a nice 2 1/2" blued Python went down the road, and now they're really spendy.
I could sell the 4" 57 in the mahogany case, buy the 3 1/2" Model 27, and have some $$$ left over for something else, based upon the rarity of one as nice as mine, or I could sell my "new" 6" model 57 and buy another, not quite as nice 6" 57, and probably without the box & tools, etc.
Another idea is to sell my "new" 4 incher in the mahogany case to fund the Mod 27 shooter and something else, and just keep the pristine 6 incher, shoot it, and give it the TLC I give all my guns. Then I'd have my original 4" 99 Percenter, a very nice 6" Mod 57 with all the stuff, a nice model 27 and cash or another gun to boot.
I am reluctant to shoot these NIB Model 57's, because there are a limited quantity of guns this nice, and they might be key pieces a member is looking for to complete a collection. Once they've been fired, they loose their "never been fired" allure, and you just can't recapture that for the guy or gal who wants a pristine sample of these models.
I'm sure many of you have faced the same or similar situations, and I will very much appreciate hearing the decisions you made and how things worked out for you, as well as your suggestions on how you would proceed, given the same set of circumstances I'm facing. Thank you for your time in reading this, thinking about it and sharing with me and other readers your experience and ideas.
Beemerrider
My 1st Model 57 is a no-dash, 4" Pinned & recessed, with TT, TH, TG with red ramp front sight. Date of Mar 20, 1986 is stamped in ink near the bottom on the inside of the right-side grip. Per the Standard Catalog of S&W, it was made in 1980 per SN N7870XX. It is a 3 Screw revolver. This is my "shooter", as it is in 99% condition, has a great action and is plenty accurate. It came to me with no box, tools or instructions, and I've not searched these out. It is immaculate with the faintest of turn lines. I like shooting it very much.
My 2nd Model 57, is also a no-dash, 4" barreled pinned & recessed revolver, with TT, TH, TG and red ramp front sight. Per the Standard Catalog, it was made 1979-80, per SN N6177XX. It is also a 3 screw revolver. It is a 100% "new revolver", comes in a perfect condition mahogany display box with excellent condition blue lining inside. It came with all original tools, instructions & other original paperwork. I have never fired it, or turned the cylinder, and there is a whisper of a turn line from factory testing only.
My 3rd Model 57, is also a no-dash, and this one has a 6" barrel, is pinned & recessed, and also has TT, TH & TG, with red ramp front sight. Once again, it is a 3 screw, and per the Standard Catalog, is was made in 1980, per SN N7283XX. This is also a 100% specimen, and comes with the "as new", in excellent condition, matching serial numbered to the gun, dark blue, two-piece Bangor Punta box. All tools are in their plastic bags, and perfect condition instructions and other paperwork and brown interior wrapping parer are included. This revolver is an unfired, unturned, perfect condition Model 57, .41 Magnum with a 6" barrel, original box and all accessories..
Whew; that's an eye full. So, on to my dilemma, and this is where I would really appreciate your thoughts and experience.
OK, no decision required on #1, my "shooter", as it does everything I could ask, and then some. At the end of the day, I want to have both a 4" & 6" Model 57. I could keep all three, but I really want a 90% or so condition "shooter", 3 1/2" blued Model 27. I've been considering one of these for a while, but the real credit, or blame; depending upon your point of view, goes to you guys who put together the current thread, where a lot of you are sharing great pictures of a boat-load of these really nice Model 27's with 3 1/2 barrels. So, credit or blame, depending upon whether you are talking to me, or my bride of 35 years, lays right at the feet of these generous forum members.
As I see it, I have at least several options. My first choice, and my wife's last, is to just wait out a nice Mod 27, and buy it out of "household" funds, thus keeping all three model 57's, while adding the Model 27; sounds good to me.
Next, I could sell or trade some other stuff, i.e. another one or more guns to fund the 27, but I still wake up at night, regretting some of my previous sales, i.e. a nice 2 1/2" blued Python went down the road, and now they're really spendy.
I could sell the 4" 57 in the mahogany case, buy the 3 1/2" Model 27, and have some $$$ left over for something else, based upon the rarity of one as nice as mine, or I could sell my "new" 6" model 57 and buy another, not quite as nice 6" 57, and probably without the box & tools, etc.
Another idea is to sell my "new" 4 incher in the mahogany case to fund the Mod 27 shooter and something else, and just keep the pristine 6 incher, shoot it, and give it the TLC I give all my guns. Then I'd have my original 4" 99 Percenter, a very nice 6" Mod 57 with all the stuff, a nice model 27 and cash or another gun to boot.
I am reluctant to shoot these NIB Model 57's, because there are a limited quantity of guns this nice, and they might be key pieces a member is looking for to complete a collection. Once they've been fired, they loose their "never been fired" allure, and you just can't recapture that for the guy or gal who wants a pristine sample of these models.
I'm sure many of you have faced the same or similar situations, and I will very much appreciate hearing the decisions you made and how things worked out for you, as well as your suggestions on how you would proceed, given the same set of circumstances I'm facing. Thank you for your time in reading this, thinking about it and sharing with me and other readers your experience and ideas.
Beemerrider
