Pre-War 357 Magnum Appreciation Thread

[lowriderfxr]

Very, very cool Michael. Hey , what do you expect from a 60.00 revolver?

 

[DHENRY]

This one belonged to the guy who invented and patented the automotive differential and the bevel-gear drive (!)
# 675, from December of 1935.
Don

 

[Dave T]

I have carefully read through every post and looked at each picture in this very interesting thread. Thank you to each and every contributor. I can honestly say, if I had a pre-War 357 Magnum I would sure appreciate it. (smiley face goes here)

Dave

 

[digi-shots]

Here are some pics of one that I got a few months ago. It's a non-registered model that shipped July 29, 1940.

I still need to get some vintage pre-war Magnas for it.

 

[RKmesa]

RM 675 Question

# 675, from December of 1935.

Don: What a beautiful 8.75" package. Does it letter with both sets of stocks and the grip adaptor?

Thanks for sharing.

 

[JayCeeNC]

Linda, that's a fightin' gun you've got there. I can just see it riding the hip of a Texas Ranger in that Myres rig. Very nice!

 

[DHENRY]

Richard,
Indeed it does.
The owner was a pal of Doug Wesson.
Don

 

[bettis1]

Here is one that went to Cleveland architect Robert Smith on 1/18/38. Roy tracked down not only the original order form (including the specification for the humpback hammer), invoice and store receipt, but also correspondence between Mr. Smith and S&W regarding the fact that the gun, as he received it, had a faulty sear. Smith sent it back and, after a month, S&W returned it to him ... and it still wasn't fixed. (The letters are a revolver version of Carfax!) Finally they made it right and he went on to win this shooting medal from the East Cleveland Revolver Club, the back of which is inscribed, "R.W. Smith – 1938 - .357 Mag." Roy also sent along a chatty letter from D.B. Wesson to Smith talking about how "Sasha did get two tigres [sic] on his last trip with his Magnum…"

Michael,
Remember that Reg. # 10 was sent to Shasha A Siemel, a noted big game hunter from South America. I'd bet a bunch that is the "Sasha" that Wesson was referring to, especially since the comment about killing two "tigres" (the Spanish word for tiger).

Perhaps it was D. B.'s way of sticking the needle in Smith and telling him that "this guy bets his life on these guns and you can't even punch a hole in paper without complaining".

Bob

 

[Michael Stern]

Bob, I suspect you're right. But Wesson does conclude his letter with this respectful line: "Congratulations on your medals. I trust they'll prove to be the start of a large collection."

 

[Jim_O]

Ed McGivern's 357 gift to Walter Groff

For Christmas in 1936, Ed McGivern gave his dear friend Walter Groff a very special present.... A 357, RM#1704, SR #497XX. S&W charged McGivern $39.00 - no charge for the engraving....

He later gave Walter another special gift. A custom leather case made for specially for McGivern and presented to him by "Tio" Sam Myres. Ed McGivern "re-gifted" this box at some point later to Walter. This special .357 now had a fitting case to preserve it.

Peggy Groff passed it on to my father in 1979 - for Christmas....

Hope you enjoy the photos,

Jim

 

[RKmesa]

Jim:

Thanks for sharing. I assume that the certificate is in the tube? Also looks to be a 6.5" to 7.5" with a (surprise) McGivern front sight. I am not familiar with Walter Groff - do you know what his relationship was to McGivern? BTW, the RM looks to be in great condition and well cared for.

 

[Jim_O]

McGivern/Groff 357

Jim:

Thanks for sharing. I assume that the certificate is in the tube? Also looks to be a 6.5" to 7.5" with a (surprise) McGivern front sight. I am not familiar with Walter Groff - do you know what his relationship was to McGivern? BTW, the RM looks to be in great condition and well cared for.

Yes, it has a McGivern gold bead front sight - would it be anything else??? 6 1/2" bbl.

The RM certificate is in the tube. I added a scan of the original order to S&W to the original post. Thought it might be interesting....

Walter and Peggy Groff were some of Ed McGivern's best friends for over 25 years. Walter was Ed's understudy, friend and sometimes benefactor. Walter Groff is prominent in Ed's book in both the text and photos.

Glad you enjoyed the pics....

Jim

 

[wildsailer]

thank you all so much for sharing!

 

[RKmesa]

Some New KB Kearsarge's on a Long Tube RM

New Photos:

I really really love Keith's Work!

 

[bettis1]

Richard,

Beautiful work by Keith (as we have come to expect from that artist!), classic Registered Magnum, and a long box to boot! Hard to improve on that picture.

Bob

 

[RKmesa]

REG-itis/NonRM-itis

This one shipped November 7, 1936 with a four and one-half inch barrel.

Bob:

With your post, I too went back and looked at all of the beautiful 357's the members have posted in this thread and I have to say that your 4.5" makes me hold out hope that my luck will continue until I can find one like that. I know that some people have N-Frame-itis and S&W-itis on this forum, But lately I have developed a severe case of REG-itis/NonRM-itis and the more I acquire, the worse the disease seems to get.

 

[kwill1911]

Jim,

Would it be possible to post a scan or a picture of the Groff certificate?

Thanks,
Kevin Williams

 

[Sgt 127]

I don't know how I neglected to post in this thread...



UHP:

Originally shipped to LA SP and then carried by a Dallas PD Officer who retired as a Deputy Chief:

 

[shawn mccarver]

Thanks RK.

They're the originals. David and I talked quite a bit about this gun over the phone, but as has always been the case with David and Lee, the gun was nicer than I expected.

I really wish people would stop bragging about David Carroll's guns being better than described.

The more that happens, the more people will start buying from David, and the less likely it will be for those of us that know how he is to get any good stuff from him.

All kidding aside, David is absolutely meticulous in his descriptions and representations of any gun he sells. As I have said before, I think he would sooner cut off his own arm that let a gun go out the door that is not as good as or better than represented. I wish all gun dealers were as honest as David!

Merry Christmas, David.

Shawn McCarver
SWCA #765

 

[45Wheelgun]

I
Originally shipped to LA SP and then carried by a Dallas PD Officer who retired as a Deputy Chief:

Looking at the grip uneven grip wear, I am thinking the Deputy was a lefty.