SuperMan
Member
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Three 57s...4, 5 and 6....
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gunnut44
Member
very nice. A little more info on the 5 please.
RIKMAN
Member
Beauties!!!!
...well..it's a 1964 like the other two but someone removed the Cokes before it came to me...
Was shooting it today with two friends. The club has an 18" steel gong at 200 yards and a 24" at 300. Holding all the red ramp above the rear blade gave a first round hit at 200...and two more. Holding up 1/2 of the blade that was left dropped one right on the money at 300 and two of the next three shots. Then one more at 200...
Smith missed the boat not having more 5" non-full underlug guns...
Bob
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Doug M.
Member
Is it factory? I do not recall hearing of a 5" factory M57 before.
alaskavett
US Veteran
I have never seen or herd of a 5" either. Barrel markings and crown look right as rain. Nice set you have there. It's too bad some clown harvested the "cokes". Kyle
Those are beautiful, I am drooling on my keyboard, I have a 1973 - 6 inch and a 1980 - 8 3/8 inch version, both are pinned and recessed, your are early versions. Congatulations on a fine trio . Ron.
MDMarauder
Member
Very Nice 57s! I have been looking for a 57 locally, guess I need to branch out in the search...
Chuck Jones
Member
Three 58s
/c
/c
dirtygeary
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NICE NICE and NICE
Sportsterguy
Member
Never heard or seen a 5" model 57, but thats a beaut like the rest. I can remember when my old 6" 57 looked like them in its wooden box.
You found out the .41 mag is one flat shooter and that's some mighty fine long range shooting. Give me one over a .44 mag any day of the week.
Congrats!
You found out the .41 mag is one flat shooter and that's some mighty fine long range shooting. Give me one over a .44 mag any day of the week.
Congrats!
Maximumbob54
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I nearly broke my neck running to what I thought was a nickel plated 58... Turns out it's a Model 10 HB... I think I might still make her mine, but I was sure I was going to finally find a 58 to call my own. 
And I agree on that five incher. That is pure art and mechanics combined into one. When you hear, "They just don't make them the way they used to...", that is the kind of gun they are talking about.
And I agree on that five incher. That is pure art and mechanics combined into one. When you hear, "They just don't make them the way they used to...", that is the kind of gun they are talking about.
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Super- have you lettered the 5" gun. SCSW doesn't mention them so it would be interesting to see if original and if so who ordered.
Well it is time to fess up...
...there were only two 5" 57s made...Doc44 has the nickel one and the other one he says he just saw a picture of in a magazine. This in not the long lost third one.
Several years ago I bought a very badly abused 1964 6". The gun didn't even look like it had been shot but it had been "rode hard and put up wet" as the cowboys used to say...
The pitting on the end of barrel was very bad and deep.
I happen to know a retired gunsmith who still does a little work for friends just to keep his hand in it. He was trained at the factory on how to build S&Ws back in the 1960s....as you can see from the pic he has the proper tools to put the correct S&W crown on the muzzle. So I asked if he would shorten the barrel to 5" but he had to be able to not only duplicate the crown but reinstall the sight base to the barrel with the two original pins...he said "no problem".
One unforeseen problem when shortening a 6" barrel to 5" when the sight base is attached to the barrel is when the barrel is cut off the slot for the sight key is now exposed on the end of the barrel. He carefully fitted and welded in a blank to fill the slot then crowned the barrel. You have to look to see the seams.
One interesting thing. The 60s vintage guns had more radius from the sides of the barrel to the crown. Although the crown is correct that radius doesn't match the 1964s...but it is almost identical to the 1980 57 I have. If you look at picture #1 you will see the light reflection on the middle gun, the 5", goes in a straight line from the frame to the muzzle. On the two outer guns that are original 64s at the end where the muzzle is the light flares...that is the radius I'm taking about...
On picture #2 you can also see the sight pins in the barrel rib. On the two original guns they are polished flat after installation.
You can also tell how much duller the blue is on the 5" vs. the other two. The reflection of the towel under the barrels in pic #3, the 6" almost looks silver vs the 5" that looks dark gray. He doesn't do high polish blue jobs so maybe one day I'll send it off for something special.
One advantage of having a "fake" 5" is that I can shoot it....anyone who shot Doc44's gun would need to be hung...
Bob
...there were only two 5" 57s made...Doc44 has the nickel one and the other one he says he just saw a picture of in a magazine. This in not the long lost third one.
Several years ago I bought a very badly abused 1964 6". The gun didn't even look like it had been shot but it had been "rode hard and put up wet" as the cowboys used to say...
The pitting on the end of barrel was very bad and deep.
I happen to know a retired gunsmith who still does a little work for friends just to keep his hand in it. He was trained at the factory on how to build S&Ws back in the 1960s....as you can see from the pic he has the proper tools to put the correct S&W crown on the muzzle. So I asked if he would shorten the barrel to 5" but he had to be able to not only duplicate the crown but reinstall the sight base to the barrel with the two original pins...he said "no problem".
One unforeseen problem when shortening a 6" barrel to 5" when the sight base is attached to the barrel is when the barrel is cut off the slot for the sight key is now exposed on the end of the barrel. He carefully fitted and welded in a blank to fill the slot then crowned the barrel. You have to look to see the seams.
One interesting thing. The 60s vintage guns had more radius from the sides of the barrel to the crown. Although the crown is correct that radius doesn't match the 1964s...but it is almost identical to the 1980 57 I have. If you look at picture #1 you will see the light reflection on the middle gun, the 5", goes in a straight line from the frame to the muzzle. On the two outer guns that are original 64s at the end where the muzzle is the light flares...that is the radius I'm taking about...
On picture #2 you can also see the sight pins in the barrel rib. On the two original guns they are polished flat after installation.
You can also tell how much duller the blue is on the 5" vs. the other two. The reflection of the towel under the barrels in pic #3, the 6" almost looks silver vs the 5" that looks dark gray. He doesn't do high polish blue jobs so maybe one day I'll send it off for something special.
One advantage of having a "fake" 5" is that I can shoot it....anyone who shot Doc44's gun would need to be hung...
Bob
ljmvaw124
US Veteran
I'm thinking you have the best possible deal going - a 5" Mod 57 that you can shoot. Makes me want to convert my 6" to a 5" .............
Model 57 with 5-inch barrel and nickel finish. Made in S&W's tool room for COL Cunningham and shipped in January 1968. Since the revolver was made in the tool room, it has no model number stamped in the yoke cut.
Bill
Bill
Very nice Bob, and that nickel 57 is pretty sweet too Bill.
I don't have a 5" 57 but do have 3, 4, 6, and 8 3/8" 57s.
Have a 7 1/2" 657 that is at the smith now and the plan is a 5" barrel with a profile similar to the PC 627.
KO
I don't have a 5" 57 but do have 3, 4, 6, and 8 3/8" 57s.
Have a 7 1/2" 657 that is at the smith now and the plan is a 5" barrel with a profile similar to the PC 627.
KO
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