Question on George Patton's S&W

[rajbcpa]

What Model S&W was this and was this a stainless gun?

 

[410bore]

It was a blued "357 Magnum" aka Registered Magnum.

 

[Jaysq]

The first stainless steel revolver was the S&W model 60, introduced in 1965.

 

[kwill1911]

Do a search on this forum and you can find the SN/RN, order form and more pictures. I don't believe there were any stainless steel guns in 1935.

 

[colt_saa]

Here is the order from Patton to S&W

 

[BAM-BAM]

rajbcpa just an FYI ...... there are a number of threads on the "Registered Magnum" or "RM" for short....... the first .357 revolver or for that matter any revolver shooting a "magnum" cartridge.

J Edger Hoover got the first one in 1935 and Patton's would be on a very short list of "love to have " guns of most collectors.....LOL There are hundreds of pictures and old films showing Patton wearing this S&W along with his Colt Single Action he's had since his trip with Gen. Black Jack Pershing (sp) to Mexico in 1915/16 IIRC,

 

[kwill1911]

There are hundreds of pictures and old films showing Patton wearing this S&W

BAM-BAM,

Not be be argumentative but are you sure about that? I think pictures of Patton wearing the S&W are actually pretty rare, although there are certainly plenty of him wearing the SAA and other guns.

 

[1blindref]

What Model S&W was this and was this a stainless gun?

For me, this is the Holiest of the Holy Grails.

I believe General Patton referred to his .357 Magnum as his "killin gun"

 

[BAM-BAM]

Pretty sure...LOL......"hundreds" may be a bit too much..... but

IIRC

He had a double rig with the Colt on the right and Smith on the left (his Killing gun)....... but seem like his right side was his "photogenic" side..... funny thing....... on the history channel... they seem to use the same 15-30 second clip of him saluting the troops as they role by......... no matter the episode...

 

[opoefc]

The label in the picture is somewhat incorrect. The "engraving" are the initials "GSP" in a logo format, and Patton was dead 10 yrs after he bought the gun. So where did the idea the grips were "engraved" 20 yrs later come from? Ed.

 

[eb07]

The label in the picture is somewhat incorrect. The "engraving" are the initials "GSP" in a logo format, and Patton was dead 10 yrs after he bought the gun. So where did the idea the grips were "engraved" 20 yrs later come from? Ed.

Maybe they mean 20 years between the engravings?

 

[DWalt]

I think it means 20 years after the grips on the SAA. Last I knew, both Patton revolvers were on display at the Armor Museum at Ft. Knox KY. That may well have changed, as it has been many years since I have been to the Ft. Knox museum.

 

[kwill1911]

I'd love for someone to prove me wrong but it is actually dang near impossible to find a picture of him wearing the .357.

 

[kwill1911]

For those wanting to dive deep:

• Patton and His Pistols, Perry, Milton F. and Parke, Barbara W., The Stackpole Company, 1957.
• U.S. Army Treasures, The Patton Pistols, Charles Lemon, 2013.
• “Patton’s Peacemaker,” Ronald A. Ogan, American Rifleman, May, 1986.
• “Patton: Guns Made Him Great,” Whit Collins, Guns & Ammo, August, 1971.
• “Guns of General Patton,” Charles M. Province, Guns Magazine, December, 1986.
• “Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. Olympic Competitor,” John J. Grubar, Man at Arms, Number 3, 1995.
• Weapons of Patton's Armies, Michael and Gladys Green, MBI Publishing, 2000.
• Historic Photos of General George Patton, Russ Rodgers, Turner Publishing, 2007.

 

[Doc44]

Ed...Perhaps the grips on the Colt SAA were inscribed in 1920?

Bill

 

[amazingflapjack]

He wore both revolvers at the same time, as I understand it.

 

[kwill1911]

He wore both revolvers at the same time, as I understand it.

Almost never. Sorry, but Patton and his guns is one of those topics that is rife with rumor and half-truth. I don't claim to know all there is to know on the topic but have recently researched it pretty thoroughly for a book I just finished. He rarely wore the .357 and almost never wore it together with the SAA.

 

[turnerriver]

Please don't tell me he didn't carry them in S.D. Myres holsters...
Regards,
turnerriver

 

[DWalt]

Patton also carried several other handguns on occasions - A Model 1908 Colt and a Remington Model 51 (both in .380). The latter was presented to him by a friend after having a used one sent back to the Remington factory for restoration. I have also understood that he almost never carried both the S&W and the SAA at the same time, mainly just the SAA.

 

[jinx]

I took basic training at Ft. Knox and visited the museum many times. At that time the Colt and the S&W were displayed in the S.D. Myres holster rig on a dummy wearing the famous jodhpur pants. I took a couple of photos.
From the photo above, it looks like now the gun(s) are displayed out of the leather. Good idea