My new-to-me 657

[shinbone]

It is a 657 "no dash." Picked it up from the FFL yesterday. I love the way this thing balances in my hand. It just feels perfect. It is my first .41 Magnum, and I can't wait to put it through its paces. Unfortunately, due to a busy schedule, it will be a few weeks before I can get it to the range, but I couldn't wait to share some photos.

 

[Bill In Texas]

Nice looking gun!

 

[Mehutch]

Love the 41 Mag.

 

[BigMuddy]

If it shoots like my -3 you'll be happy. I'm betting it will.....it's a 41 Mag

 

[Inspector-Callahan]

That's a nice one. I shot one once and was very impressed with the gun and caliber. Now I own several 41's!!!

 

[shinbone]

I haven't even shot it, yet, and I am already wanting another one.

 

[lrrifleman]

Congratulations. You WILL enjoy it!

 

[shinbone]

I applied some make-up to my new 657

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...11232-painting-front-sight.html#post139483171

 

[shinbone]

Shot my new 657 today. I'm in love. She is a handful, that is for sure. But, the big N frame does a nice job of soaking up recoil. And, the heft makes a stable shooting platform.

Started off with Jamison .41 Specials. This is a very pleasant shooting load. Accurate, too. Plus, they cost much less than full blown magnum loads.

I experimented with various magnum loads, and got the best results with the Federal/Barns 180 gn loading.

The Hogue grips don't fit me all that well, and 50 shots raised a welt on the knuckle of my middle finger. I'll have to do some experimenting to find something that fits my hand better. Regardless, this gun is crazy fun to shoot. I can't wait to get into the field and do some long range milk jug sniping.

 

[max]

I have been shooting the .41 for around 30 years or so. My favorite load is 7 or 8 grains of Unique and a cast 210-220 grain bullet. It is pleasant to shoot and very accurate.

 

[straightcut]

Thank you for posting your 657 and range report!

Attached is my recently aquired 657 no dash that I have yet to shoot. When mine arrived, it had the same Hogue rubber grips as yours. I replaced them with these - yet to be refinished Target grips.

Mine hasn't been to the range with me, but I'm looking forward to it!

 

[glenwolde]

I love mine, though it's a -3. I thought about de-MIMing it but it shoots so well I'm reluctant to mess with it. When I traded for the gun it came with six boxes of Georgia Arms lead bullet .41 Magnum ammo ( http://www.georgia-arms.com/41-rem-mag-1/ ). A very soft-shooting load. The pic with 5 targets was shot with 125 rounds of the Georgia Arms ammo offhand at 15 yards. Yes, on the last cylinder of the last target I threw one round high. There's one in every crowd, no? I'll confess that's better than I usually shoot.

The pic with the 657 is the first five rounds testing a reload at 15 yards off-hand. It uses a 215 gr coated lead SWC form SNS Casting over 6.0 gr of Trail Boss. A very soft-shooting load also, and just as accurate as the Georgia Arms stuff. The Georgia Arms ammo is all new manufacture and put up in Starline cases. Considering the cost of brass the $25 they charge for that ammo is more than reasonable. The .41 really is a reloader's cartridge though.

 

[straightcut]

Thank you for the reloading sources, glenwolde! I'm a rookie reloader (with a couple of friends who can keep me off of the rocks!) - I'm now waiting for delivery of a set of dies, 1,000 pieces of Starline brass and 500 Hi Tek coated bullets from SNS Casting.

A friend who is an avid reloader is also a big fan of the .41 Magnum is also encouraging me to tool up for this new-to-me caliber. I'm looking forward to it. I'll probably need to apply for a handgun javalina hunt next fall (fall application for "Spring 2018" hunt).