A year ago I acquired my first Model 57 4" and it turned out to be first year production. It's taken me this long to acquire three more early Model 57's. The two lower ones shipped in April and May 1964. I am waiting for the letter on the upper right blue but it has an even earlier early serial number. The nickel 4" shipped in 1965, but it has a lower serial number than the first guns produced noted in the Standard Catalog at S230,4XX. They were clearly using frames from storage.
The boxes are interesting. The backing is not a plastic liner, but a dense foam mold that is solid. The two lower boxes are factory original with the velvet used at the time. The nickel box is factory original but since it was made at a later date, it has the same foam, but is covered in a nylon type of fabric similar to that previously used in the original black boxes that came with .44 magnums.
I made the interior on the box on the upper right. I'm still looking for a better match fabric to make a better reproduction, since the first year boxes are so hard to find, and I am making a trip to Los Angeles shortly for the search.
Would love to see your 57's too.
The boxes are interesting. The backing is not a plastic liner, but a dense foam mold that is solid. The two lower boxes are factory original with the velvet used at the time. The nickel box is factory original but since it was made at a later date, it has the same foam, but is covered in a nylon type of fabric similar to that previously used in the original black boxes that came with .44 magnums.
I made the interior on the box on the upper right. I'm still looking for a better match fabric to make a better reproduction, since the first year boxes are so hard to find, and I am making a trip to Los Angeles shortly for the search.
Would love to see your 57's too.
