Reg Mag reference

[Fessor]

I'm looking for a good reference (book?) for general information on the Registered Magnum. This site has a lot of very useful info regarding this revolver, however I'd like to find a published source if one exists so that can become more knowledgeable about the RM before I invest in one.

 

[murphydog]

Look for a copy of the book “Magmum: The S & W .357 Magnum Phenomenon”.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Fessor, PM me your email address and I'll send you an article you might find useful.


WRT acquiring a RM, just find one you can afford and go for it. The highly collectible ones are financially out of reach for most of us.

 

[DARE]

Not a book on the Registered Magnum, but I have four pieces of information about the guns.
1. Article by Roy Jinks titled "The Revolver that Changed the Direction of Handgunning". Not sure where it was published. I got my copy from Forum member Ralph Tremaine (rct269).
2. Article by Roy Jinks titled "Registered .357 Magnums". Says presented at the 2009 S&WCA Annual Meeting. Ralph also sent me my copy of this.
3. The History of Smith & Wesson by Roy Jinks has a couple of pages on the .357 Magnum.
4. Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson 4th Edition has an article titled "The .357 Magnum" by Ray Cheely and Dave Ballantyne. It runs a couple of pages. There are also two or three pages about the .357 Registered Magnum under the .357 Magnum Caliber section.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Sounds like David has more info than I do. I was referring to the Jinks article, #1. It was published in the Winter 1989 copy of the SWCA Journal. I forget who sent it to me...probably Ralph, as well.

 

[DARE]

Fessor, if you join SWCA you will have access to lots of info on the Registered Magnum. Most of the Journal articles are available online. The one Guy referenced, Winter 1989 is not there, but all of them from 2005 to present are. Found the Roy Jinks article "Registered .357 Magnums" in the Summer 2010 Edition.
You will find many articles on certain Registered Magnums that have been featured over the years.
Also will have access to the databases. There is one named Pre-war .357 Magnums that lists all known Registered Magnums. Condition, how equipped, who it was shipped to, etc.
There are many other useful benefits to membership.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

D.B. Wesson's Scrap Book, published by the S&W Historical Foundation.

Offers the history, with lots of photos of the .357 Magnum.

It doesn't seem to be available through any of the usual sources. I had a copy and realized I was never going to own a Registered Magnum so I gave it away as a forum karma some years ago.

 

[rct269]

As somewhat of an aside, and while the first 357 Magnum revolvers were exquisite examples of the gun makers' art, they were made by the same folks using the same equipment as was the case with any other N frame revolver of the era. It's noteworthy they were made to order---as opposed to "custom made", or "hand made". (I was once told, in all sincerity, by what I'll call a true believer, that the checkering found on the barrel rib and top strap was done by hand. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.)

It is my opinion, well documented by combining bits and pieces of published history, the entirety of the Registered Magnum program was a well thought out and expertly executed marketing plan designed to save S&W's butt from the disasters experienced by many other firms during the time----and it worked like a charm! Whatever else might be said about it, it most certainly was a, if not THE high point in the history of S&W.

Ralph Tremaine

I just thought of a little tid-bit which goes to support my theory. S&W's cost to manufacture what we now call a Registered Magnum was $17. By comparison, the cost to manufacture a K-22 2nd Model was $14.

 

[pasound]

Boohoo. That means that the price I paid for my wonderful pre-17 K-22 was maybe 50 times it's original wholesale cost. Nah - I won't cry. It's possibly the best shooting 22 I own.

Still looking for a Registered Magnum lost in some local store, with the proprietors not knowing what it is.

 

[lestert357]

And Fessor, since all threads on Registered Magnums need pictures, below is a picture of a nearly complete package that any RM collector would love to own…..

Photo credit - RKmesa

Besides the RM it includes:
- Blue picture box (top picturing a Magnum not visible)
- RM brochure
- Helpful Hints pamphlet
- Caution sheet
- Green material & workmanship slip
- Envelope containing extra rear sight blade
- Sight Adjustment Tool (between the envelope and ammo)
- Bore brush and swab
- .357 Magnum ammo was not normally part of the RM package shipped from the factory, but some customers requested and received ammo with their guns
- Registration Certificates (as pictured above) were not sent with the RM shipment, but were sent to the customer in a mailing tube pictured here…..

after the customer returned the card pictured here that was included with the shipment of the gun…..

Everything pictured above is a very desirable item to RM collectors - especially the box, certificate, and mailing tube. Good luck with your RM education and collecting!

 

[rct269]

Boohoo. That means that the price I paid for my wonderful pre-17 K-22 was maybe 50 times it's original wholesale cost. Nah - I won't cry. It's possibly the best shooting 22 I own.

Still looking for a Registered Magnum lost in some local store, with the proprietors not knowing what it is.

Keep on keeping on!!

Based on a very recent thread, it appears that a very nice lady bought what she thought was a Highway Patrolman as a gift for her husband (presumably based upon what she was told by her local store). It turned out to be a 357 Magnum (with a 3 1/2" barrel yet---not too many of those Highway Patrolman models around).

Ralph Tremaine

 

[austintexas]

I bought 2 over the years, 1 $1500 from a retired secret service gentleman, 3 1/2 inch bbl, When I lettered it it was originally a 6 1/2", Sent back to the mother ship in '72 for rebuild, refinish and barrel replacement. Second I picked up at a local pawn shop. It was labeled as a Highway patrolman $450. I negotiated it down to $350. 3 1/2'" bbl, shipped to the San Antonio branch of the Houston bank. Two were ordered by the bank president. That means there is an identical twin to mine still floating around Central Texas.
SWCA 892

 

[rct269]

D.B. Wesson's Scrap Book, published by the S&W Historical Foundation.

Offers the history, with lots of photos of the .357 Magnum.

It doesn't seem to be available through any of the usual sources. I had a copy and realized I was never going to own a Registered Magnum so I gave it away as a forum karma some years ago.

As much as I hate to admit it, this (D.B. Wesson's Scrapbook) never even entered my mind!

That said, it is quite possibly a MUST HAVE for any aficionado of Registered Magnums---not so much for information about the gun (although there's more than a little bit about that) as for the people involved, and their contributions. It's a look into their minds---and their minds might well boggle yours!!

It's said to be available from the S&W Historical Foundation---and it most certainly was----once upon a time. I'd be more than a bit surprised if it still is-----but it doesn't hurt to ask.

I don't remember the cost--simply because I didn't care. What I cared about was its resurrection from obscurity. That was due primarily to the efforts of one man who saw the value----and, if memory serves, spent $200,000 of his own money to make it happen. I don't know if he recouped his investment or not--nor if he even cared. He cared that it got done---and it did!

Ralph Tremaine

 

[two-bit cowboy]

It's said to be available from the S&W Historical Foundation---and it most certainly was----once upon a time. I'd be more than a bit surprised if it still is-----but it doesn't hurt to ask.

I don't remember the cost.

Mike Helms just posted a note on the S&W CA side of the forum saying he's just received a bunch of copies. $40.