Let's Discuss The S&W Registered Magnum

[jwp475]

The Registered magnum was a custom order that was sighted in at the factory at 25 yards with either a center hold or a 6 o'clock hold.
Winchester produced a 158 at 1550 FPS. S&W wanted a 1450 FPS load, Winchester said they didn't think that would be possible. Winchester took a year to perfect a load that exceeded expectations by 100 FPS
James From Jersey has or had the original article about the Registered Magnum and the Winchester load.
Hope that James chimes in

[45MAN]

WAS LEADING A PROBLEM WITH THOSE FAST LEAD BULLETS?

[jwp475]

Jul 14, 2023 17:33:10 GMT -5 45MAN said:

WAS LEADING A PROBLEM WITH THOSE FAST LEAD BULLETS?

I'm not sure, that's why I hope James From Jersey still has access to the original article.

[rufus]

Jul 14, 2023 17:30:31 GMT -5 jwp475 said:

The Registered magnum was a custom order that was sighted in at the factory at 25 yards with either a center hold or a 6 o'clock hold.
Winchester produced a 158 at 1550 FPS. S&W wanted a 1450 FPS load, Winchester said they didn't think that would be possible. Winchester took a year to perfect a load that exceeded expectations by 100 FPS
James From Jersey has or had the original article about the Registered Magnum and the Winchester load.
Hope that James chimes in

So Winchester produced a 1650fps load?

[jwp475]

My post says a 1550 FPS load. I've just learned that the velocity was 1510 FPS, not 1550 FPS

[jwp475]

[jwp475]

The pictures are courtesy of James From Jersey. James has ton of historical data not found elsewhere today.

[squawberryman]

James if you own one, please show it to us. My buying days are over with the exception (if it happened) would be widow's guns, like an old, registered magnum.

[James]

Jul 15, 2023 18:37:26 GMT -5 squawberryman said:

James if you own one, please show it to us. My buying days are over with the exception (if it happened) would be widow's guns, like an old, registered magnum.

An 8 3/4" was always out of reach... My Registered Magnum`s are only on paper..

[jwp475]

Smith & Wesson produced 5224 of the Registered Magnums. Within that number, at least one revolver was produced with a barrel length having each length between 3½ and 8¾ inches, in ¼-inch increments. However, only one each is known to have been produced in 5¾-, 6¼-, 7¼-, and 7¾-inch lengths.

[blackmamba]

At one time I owned a 5" that was made in 1939. While away at work my house was burglarized and the revolver was lost. The detailing was impeccable-- I still think about that one to this day, 35 years later.

[AxeHandle]

Looks like two Post War Magnums will be the extent of my old S&W 357s. Zane is sending me some elk stag for them. Pictures soon!

[taffin]

Jul 14, 2023 17:33:10 GMT -5 45MAN said:

WAS LEADING A PROBLEM WITH THOSE FAST LEAD BULLETS?

A major problem for sure. It was sold with the introduction of the Lyman/Thompson gas checked #358156 bullet which is still a great bullet.

[taffin]

postimg.cc/N5G38YJ5

[taffin]

FROM "DOUBLE ACTION SIXGUNS"

April 3, 1936

Dear Roy:
Well I was wrong! When working with the .38/44 I said I didn’t see how anyone could want more power in a sixgun. At the time I believe I wrote to you about Phil Sharpe working with Winchester and Smith & Wesson to come up with a newer more powerful cartridge. As you know it is now here along with a grand new sixgun with both being called the .357 Magnum. Magnum means big as a Magnum bottle of champagne and this new cartridge certainly is big on power. I won’t be wrong again! This time we really have reached the apex of sixgun power.
Phil Sharpe is the main person responsible for the .357 Magnum. I have had considerable correspondence, he certainly writes a nice informative letter, with him over the past couple years so I pretty much know what went on to get from the .38/44 Heavy Duty to this new Magnum, which by the way gets the .357 part of its name from the groove diameter of a .38 Special. So it really uses the same bullets as a .38 Special, only the loads and the cases are different. To come up with the .357 Magnum case, they simply lengthened the standard .38 Special from 1.155” to 1.290” to preclude the more powerful round from being dropped in a .38 Special revolver which could result in a disaster for the shooter or any one standing close by. The longer .357 Magnum case will not fit a .38 Special cylinder, however the shorter .38 can be shot in .357 cylinders.
I will share some of the information concerning the development of the .357 Magnum Phil Sharpe has shared with me: “The .357 Magnum cartridge was born in my mind several years ago. On a hunting trip with Col. D. B. Wesson, Vice-President of Smith & Wesson, a pair of heavy frame Outdoorsman model revolvers were used with a large assortment of handloads developed and previously tested by myself. In the field they proved entirely practical, but Col. Wesson was not content to attempt the development of a Magnum .38 Special cartridge for ordinary revolvers, and set to work on a new gun planned in the field.
It might well be mentioned that the Smith & Wesson .357 cartridge is loaded by Winchester now at a working pressure of 35,000 to 38,000 pounds per square inch, the greatest pressure of any handgun cartridge and approximately twice as heavy as any other revolver cartridge. For more than a year before the release of this gun, Col. Wesson manufactured a few pilot models, building and rebuilding each one, redesigning this and that until he found a suitable combination. I am not connected with any arms or ammunition maker and desire this fact clearly understood. I did not design the gun or the cartridge, however a number of my ideas were incorporated in the design of this gun, tested through an understanding of handloading problems, and a number of weak points in ordinary revolvers were quickly corrected.”
So it is easy to see a lot of preliminary work led up to the .357 Magnum sixgun and cartridge. In fact Sharpe shared with me the fact he had worked with Winchester, Remington, Dupont, and the Hercules Experiment Station in testing more than 100 different Magnum handloads with assorted bullets including the 146-grain Sharpe Hollow-Point and 156 grain Sharpe solid bullets which were designed for the new cartridge. Sharpe continues: “More than 10 different powders were tested and rejected before Winchester undertook on its own initiative the development of this Magnum cartridge. Among the things which these makers definitely proved was that their long-accepted custom of manufacturing hollow or semi-hollow-base bullets was not practical for velocities such as were sought and which for the most part had been experimentally achieved with handloads. The Sharpe bullet was based on the Keith, designed by Elmer Keith of North Fork, Idaho. It is somewhat lighter, and different in every dimension from the Keith form, having been definitely engineered to fit the Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum. It has approximately 5/6 the bearing surface of the Keith.
Winchester, in experimenting with this cartridge, rejected both the Keith and the Sharpe, adapting to a certain extent a number of the Sharpe engineering ideas, thus explaining why this bullet is called the ‘Sharpe type’ of contour. The Keith bullet cannot be given the velocity possible to other bullets of the same weight, because of its excessive bearing surface, although it is ballistically one of the best shaped bullets on the market.” Elmer would certainly take exception to Sharpe’s remarks about his bullet not being able to be driven to higher velocities! There apparently is little love between them as Elmer calls him “Little Phil Sharpe”, which is strange as he is taller than Elmer.
Roy, you have certainly seen the advertising for the .357 Magnum Smith & Wesson proclaiming “The Worlds Most Powerful Revolver”; it certainly is this for several reasons. First, and foremost, is the extreme muzzle velocity which is well over 1,500 fps from one of the 8-3/4” Registered Magnums. Combine this with the flat-nosed Keith or Sharpe type bullet and maximum shocking power is achieved. Notice I said “Registered Magnums”; every .357 Magnum which comes from the Smith & Wesson factory is actually a custom hand built revolver and not only bears a serial number but a registration number as well certifying to its superior care in manufacturing. It is basically a hand built .38/44 Outdoorsman with special heat treating, checkering of the top strap and barrel rib, a cylinder recessed for case heads, and special tuning and timing all topped off with a beautiful deep blue finish. Roy, our readers need to understand they cannot take this to mean a .38/44 can be converted to this new .357 Magnum; the cylinder of the former is not heat-treated as is the cylinder of the latter. Don’t even consider it.
The first two .357 Magnums built in April of last year had 7” barrels, however the first production .357 Magnum bearing Registration #1 had an 8-3/4” barrel and was presented to J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI. Sending that first.357 Magnum was a smart move as many of the FBI agents under Hoover are now carrying 3-1/2” .357 Magnums. Phil Sharpe received #2, also with an 8-3/4” barrel, along with a letter from Col. Wesson giving full credit to him for demonstrating the increased shocking power produced by the square-shouldered Sharpe bullet at such extreme velocity.
Col. Wesson must have the world’s greatest job. Not only did he spend much time working with Sharpe in developing the .357 Magnum he also was the first to actually test it in the field. His first hunting trip found him after Pronghorn Antelope just outside of Cody Wyoming. He took an antelope at over 200 yards with a bullet going completely through, breaking both hip joints, and leaving a one-half inch exit hole. It was then over to the Jackson Hole area where he took an elk at just over 150 yards. Moving up the line in size moose was next. Col. Wesson shared in a letter to me: “I was again sitting in my favorite position with my back against one of the alder bushes, which was all of six-foot tall and of no earthly use for climbing in case something went wrong. I held on the bull’s chest and began squeezing and saying to myself if you jerk you will miss. So I just squeezed and squeezed until I swear I could feel the trigger bending. Finally the gun went off, I think, I didn’t hear it but I did hear the bullet hit and the moose then turned, took a few steps and went down. The autopsy showed the bullet had gone in on the right side of the chest cutting two ribs, passed through the lungs, cut three ribs on the other side and lodged under the skin.”
Now there was no stopping the Colonel and he headed for British Columbia after grizzly bear: “After waiting two days over the bait which was 130 yards away, old Mr. Griz showed up. He stood with his paws on the moose carcass and looked directly toward us. I was holding on him and waiting for him to turn his head for a neck shot, as I knew a head shot would be a sheer waste of time and probably cause me a considerable amount of annoyance and even discomfort. When the bear swung his head to one side it gave me about an eight-inch bull to shoot at. Here, again, I did not remember hearing the gun when I shot but I did hear the bullet hit the bear. He went backwards a good four feet and lay down without a quiver.”
Col. Wesson was now four for four and continues: “The following year I got very large ideas and went up to Alaska with Father Hubbard the Glacier Priest for an exploration hunting trip with brown bear in mind. For this trip I carried two revolvers for added power. We never did get to see a brownie, for which, in my more intelligent mode I feel sincerely thankful.” A smart man indeed!
Remember my mention of Ed McGivern in my report on the .38/44? He got Registration #8 with a 6-1/2” barrel and I will tell what he shared with me shortly. When I was serving under Black Jack Pershing and chasing Pancho Villa all over Mexico I served under a young lieutenant by the name of Georgie Patton for a short time. General Pershing had placed Patton in charge of 14 men traveling in three 1916 Dodge touring cars to forage for food. We found more than food! You should have seen Patton in action! I watched him stand out in the open shooting his .45 Colt Single Action as three of Villa’s men charged at him on horseback. When we left San Miguelito, three bodies were draped over the touring cars.
Georgie and I became good friends and have corresponded together over the past 20 years. He is now Lt. Col. Patton stationed in Hawaii and told me he just purchased a companion sixgun to his beloved .45 Colt. Roy, do you want to guess what it is? Yes, it is a 3-1/2” .357 Magnum which he calls his “Killing Gun”. For anyone watching Europe it is obvious war clouds are gathering; I wouldn’t be surprised but what we hear a lot from Georgie Patton if war actually breaks out.
Remember Charlie Askins? I told you he could shoot! He won the Texas State Championship in ’33. He is still in the U.S. Border Patrol stationed in El Paso and serving as Chief Firearms Instructor for the entire Border Patrol. Wanna bet he is a bear on new recruits? He tells me they average a gunfight every 10 days or so and he also has taken up the .357 Magnum. He selected the 4” length and had it fully engraved, and now carries it in a Berns-Martin holster. His Witnesses say he is almighty fast and deadly; he apparently is at least emotionally related to Wild Bill Hickok in that he never hesitates and has no fear.
Elmer Keith wrote up the newest sixgun from Smith & Wesson in the American Rifleman last November in which he shared the same thing with the readers he had told me; in fact I had gone over to eastern Idaho to visit him with perfect timing as he had just received an 8-3/4” .357 Magnum. Meeting him back in 1925 was one of the best things I have ever done as I have learned so much about sixguns and sixgun loads from him. During my visit I accompanied him and another friend of his to the Pahsimeroi Valley in eastern Idaho where I watched Elmer and the other fellow kill over 100 jack rabbits the first day. Over a three-day period Elmer took over 125 jacks himself at distances as far away as 180 yards. His .38 bullet, Ideal’s #358429, is too long to crimp in a .357 Magnum case and still fit in the Smith & Wesson cylinder, so Elmer actually prefers his heavy .38 Special load using this bullet over 13.5 grains of #2400 in the .357 Magnum.
After three days of shooting that long barreled revolver, Elmer also decided it was more barrel than he needed and plans to have it cut to 6-1/2” which he feels will be a lot more manageable. In spite of the extreme velocity of the .357 Magnum, he believes his Keith load in the .44 Special is actually a better killer on game and plans to spend as much time and ink as possible promoting a factory loading to his specifications which is a 250 grain bullet at 1,200 fps. Since the ammunition companies are afraid of the older revolvers, he has suggested doing the same thing to the .44 Special as they did to the .38 Special, that is lengthen it approximately 1/8 of an inch so it would only fit in properly chambered new revolvers, and call it the .44 Special Magnum. It will be interesting to watch how this develops. Right now for most shooters I’m sure the interest will be in the .357 Magnum.
You will remember I had visited Ed McGivern to witness his shooting of the .38/44 Heavy Duty when it came out. Now it was time to make another trip to do some work with the .357 Magnum. Believe me traveling from my place here in Idaho up to Lewiston Montana may be only a state to next state trip on the map but it takes five days; hopefully some day we will have some good paved roads in Idaho and Montana. Even 10 days on the road is a small price to pay to visit this grand old man. Ed is mostly known for speed shooting with both double action and single action sixguns preferring .38 Specials for this type of work. However, his emphasis on the .357 Magnum is not speed but power and long-range accuracy. He told me, after much shooting at long-range and also experimenting with many kinds of sights: “The results of our tests, as demonstrated by a few the targets you have seen, would indicate that no man—outlaw, sheriff, hero or otherwise—in possession of anywhere near his right senses, would or could be ‘damphool’ enough to stay out in the open at any distance up to and including 600 yards. Any experienced modern-day revolver shooter could deliver three shots in his direction with deliberate effort to score a hit.”
McGivern credits Elmer Keith with developing one of the best sights for long-range shooting which is a front post with gold cross-bars spaced at various intervals across the back of the sight. For very precise shooting at long-range McGivern attached a rifle-style buttstock to an 8-3/4” Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum and then using the rib on the barrel attached a Lyman 438 rifle scope. This outfit has proven to be exceptionally effective out to 600 yards.
Finally, I share my own results with both a 5” and 8-3/4” .357 Magnum. The original factory loading is 15.4 grains of #2400 under a 158 grain bullet. I have found these bullets to be softer then they should be causing excessive leading much too quickly. For my use I have cast the Sharpe bullets of one part tin to 16 parts lead and cut down on the powder charge to 15.0 grains. These loads clocked out at 1,395 fps through the 5” sixgun and 1,485 fps through the longer barrel .357 Magnum. Muzzle blast is deafening and I hope someone soon comes up with a good way of protecting our ears. I was wrong when I thought we had reached the maximum height of sixgun power with the Keith loads in both the .38/44 and .44 Special. I surely cannot be wrong this time and we are at the peak of sixgun power. Roy, with that, until next time, I will once again say
Good Shootin’ and God Bless
John

Smith & Wesson simply chambered the .44 Special Model of 1926 in a .38 Special which was loaded heavier than standard to come up with the .38/44 Heavy Duty of 1930. By using the N-Frame as the platform the .38 Special went from a muzzle velocity of around 850 fps to 300 fps more. It wasn't long before experimenters such as Elmer Keith and Phil Sharpe came up with even heavier loads for the .38/44. The S&W .38/44 Outdoorsman made the .357 Magnum possible and Phil Sharpe was the real driving force behind it. He felt the .38/44 Outdorsman could handle pressures of at least 35,000 psi and even went so far as to have cartridges made 1/10” longer for his use calling them the “.38 S&W Magnum.”
In 1935 this experimental work resulted in new cartridge. The .38 Special case was lengthened and a new name was selected. Instead of .38 S&W Magnum Col. Doug Wesson of Smith & Wesson used the diameter of the bullet, .357” and the French word for a large bottle of champagne, Magnum, and the .357 Magnum arrived. The original load was 15.4 grains of #2400 under a 158 grain bullet ignited by a large, not small, primer. To come up with the new sixgun Smith & Wesson specially heat-treated the .38/44 Outdoorsman, re-chambered the cylinder for the new longer cartridge, and the first Magnum sixgun, known appropriately as the .357 Magnum was born. These were more than simply production guns and each of the new .357s were specially fitted and finished and in addition to a serial number given a registration number. In 1935 in the midst of the Great Depression the new sixgun and cartridge sold for $60. These were not mass-produced production revolvers but rather custom sixguns built to each customer’s specifications as to barrel length, sights, and even sighted in for a specific load and distance. These early hand-fitted revolvers are now known to collectors as Registered Magnums. Even with the economic problems of the Great Depression Smith & Wesson could not keep up with the demand; they were so popular the special registration numbering system was dropped in 1939.
1935 was certainly not an era of mass communication. Television, the Internet, and even gun magazines were well into the future. Articles about the new .357, the first Magnum, appeared in the American Rifleman as well as Outdoor Life. Colonel Doug Wesson promoted the new gun and cartridge using both a 6-1/2” and 8-3/4” .357 Magnum taking elk, antelope, and grizzly bear. In later years both of these early .357 Magnum revolvers were owned by Col. Rex Applegate and it was my privilege to be able to handle them.
Keith’s .38/44 load used his 173 grain #358429 hard cast bullet which proved to be too long for use in the 357 Magnum cartridge due to the length of the Smith & Wesson cylinder. Phil Sharpe designed a 158 grain bullet with a shorter nose and less bearing surface for use in the new cartridge and also published extensive reloading data while at the same time warning reloaders not to take this cartridge for granted. In the early 1950s it remained for Ray Thompson to come up with the ideal bullet for the .357 Magnum with his gas-checked #358156. Leading was always a problem with both factory and reloads for the .357 Magnum until Thompson solved that problem. I have never been able to get really good accuracy using plain based bullets in full house .357 Magnum loads, however the Thompson gas checked bullet works perfectly and I consider it the number one bullet for standard weight loads in the .357 Magnum.
Smith & Wesson advertised the .357 Magnum as the most powerful revolver ever made way above any .44 or .45 available. It was not only promoted by Colonel Wesson but Smith & Wesson was also wise enough to present one of the first production 8-3/4” .357 Magnums, actually Registration #1, to the then head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover. That barrel length was of course too long for law enforcement use however 4” and 3-1/2” .357 Magnums soon became very popular with FBI agents. Registration #2 went to Phil Sharpe and one of my boyhood heroes, South American jaguar hunter and author of “Tigrero”, Sasha Siemel received Registered Magnum #10 in April 1935. Soon to be General George Patton purchased a blued 3-1/2” .357 Magnum Registration #506 in Hawaii in 1935 and carried it along with his Colt Single Action .45 during World War II; he called the Smith & Wesson .357 his killing gun.
Those early .357 Magnums were simply works of sixgun art so much so they may very well be the finest revolvers to ever come from the Smith & Wesson factory. From 1935 to 1939 approximately 5,200 "Registered Magnums" with the registration number on the yoke cut were manufactured; the cylinder must be opened to access the number. Barrel lengths in order of preference were 6-1/2”, 5”, 6”, 8-3/4”, 3-1/2”, and 4”. In 1939 Smith & Wesson dropped the registration procedure and barrel lengths were standardized at 3-1/2”, 5”, 6”, 6-1/2”, and 8-3/8”, not necessarily in order of preference. These sixguns are known simply as .357 Magnums as the Smith & numbering system did not arrive until 1957. All of these guns had a beautiful high bright blue finish, nickel was an extra option, with a fine line checkering on the barrel rib, top strap, and rear sight assembly. Both the backstrap and front strap were serrated and the .357 Magnum was the first Smith & Wesson to be fitted with Magna stocks which filled in on both sides of the grip frame to the top of the backstrap.
Of course, production of the .357 Magnum and all other firearms stopped at the beginning of World War II as machinery was geared up for wartime production. After the war it would be December of 1946 before another .357 Magnum would be produced and only 142 were manufactured through 1949. One of these went to President Truman. Obviously, .357 Magnums were hard to find. In 1950 the long action of the .357 Magnum was changed to the current short action which allowed a shorter distance for the hammer to travel. Skeeter Skelton often remarked how hard it was to find a .357 Magnum in the 1950s and when I started really getting interested in gunshops in 1956 I don't recall ever seeing any; in fact, I saw the .44 Magnum first. In 1957 this magnificent revolver which had been known only as the .357 Magnum since its inception now became a number instead of a name, the Model 27. All .357 Magnums produced before this sad day are now known as pre-27s.
Although I had Model 27 Smith & Wesson .357 Magnums with barrel lengths of 3-1/2”, 5”, and 8-3/8” I felt I needed a 6-1/2” version to complete my working sixgun collection. For at least 10 years I searched for one and although it seemed easy to find 6” Model 27s I never connected to own a 6-1/2” specimen. And then the almost unbelievable happened. I not only found a 6-1/2” .357 Magnum Smith & Wesson it was a pre-27 and priced exceptionally reasonable. It was found on the Internet and I suffered through a few nervous days until it actually showed up and proved to be everything as described by the seller. Finally I not only had a 6-1/2” Smith it was actually an early 1950s pre-27. They, whoever they are, say good things come in threes and this certainly proved to be the case. Shortly after finding the first one another surfaced also at a reasonable price and this time with an 8-3/8” barrel. By now I'm expecting number three!
A few months ago I walked into my FFL dealer, Buckhorn Gun & Pawn, and spied a 6-1/2” .357 Magnum in the case. The price was very reasonable and in opening the cylinder to look for the model number I found this one was also a pre-27. And then shortly thereafter I lucked into a 5” pre-27; after years of being unable to find any pre-27s , let's rephrase that to any affordable pre-27s, sadly I have a quartet. Now I'm wondering if there can actually be a 3-1/2” out there somewhere looking for me? Are the pre-27s better sixguns than the Model 27s? Probably not; however, a sixgun with a name like ".357 Magnum” resonates with my sixgunning soul much more than “Model 27”.
The .357 Magnum, as well as the later Model 27 were beautifully finished revolvers. FBI agents in particular preferred the 3-1/2” pre-27, however these were protected carried in a holster under a suitcoat. For the average uniformed LEO the .357 Magnum was not only pricey but so beautiful in fact, some were reluctant to carry it as a duty gun. In 1954 specifically for the patrol officer Smith & Wesson brought out a special version of the .357 Magnum known as the Highway Patrolman. This was a basic no-frills .357. No high polish here as the finish was a matte blue and also gone was the fine checkering on the top strap. Barrel length was 4” and 6” and Magna stocks were standard. LEOs were not the only ones to go for this less fancy .357 Magnum as it became a favorite with outdoorsman.
The first new Smith & Wesson I ever purchased was a 4” Highway Patrolman in late 1956/early 1957. In the past few years I have been fortunate enough to come up with two pre-28s, both a 6” and a 4”; they may not be as pretty but they shoot every bit as well or better than their more expensive, more flashy older brother. Just as the .357 Magnum became the Model 27 in 1957 the Highway Patrolman also lost its soul stirring name to become the more mundane Model 28.
My first experience with the .357 Magnum was the above-mentioned Highway Patrolman purchased in the mid-50s along with one of the early Ruger .357 Blackhawks. At the time .357 Magnum brass was almost impossible to find, jacketed bullets even more so, so most of my loading of the .357 Magnum was accomplished with cast bullets in .38 Special cases. The passing of more than a half a century has not changed it all that much and thousands of .38s are shot through my .357 Magnums. If I have a favorite .357 load for these old Magnums it is the Lyman/Thompson #358156 gas checked cast bullet loaded over 14.0 grains of #2400. With the pre-model number .357 Magnums mentioned the average across-the-board group accuracy for five shots at 20 yards is 1.1”; the old guns still shoot!
I never saw a single S&W .357 Magnum for sale during the 1950s. Skeeter Skelton related how tough it was for him to come up with one after he joined the border patrol, however when he was successful he related the 5” version was his favorite. I also like the 5” and it makes an excellent compromise between the 3-1/2”.357 Magnum, which remains to this day as the deadliest looking sixgun ever produced, and the hard to carry but easy to shoot 8-3/8” version. Over the past half century or so I've shot all barrel lengths extensively, however when I pick favorites I’m going to do it with my heart and go with the pre-Model 27s I have acquired over the years. These unnumbered models of the .357 Magnum are hands-down favorite simply because they take us back to the highlight of the Classic Era of Sixguns. Two of these have been further enhanced by period style stocks from Keith Brown with the 8-3/8” version wearing Magna-style, or as Keith called them, plainclothes grips, while the shorter 6-1/2” sixgun wears carved Roper grips. Walter Roper designed the original Smith & Wesson stocks in the 1930s and these were later modified to what is now known as the Skeeter Skelton Style.
I do have an early Model 27 with a 5” barrel which I like every much; it is also a favorite .357 Smith; this one wears a very early pair of BearHug Skeeter Skelton stocks. It is part of a "Pair and a Spare” backed up by a 5” 27-2 and a nickel plated version with the same barrel length; these are also are equipped with Skeeter Skelton stocks. Back in the 1980s before Smith & Wesson began making such drastic changes of their sixgun line they did a final run of 5” traditionally-styled .357 Magnums. The pinned barrel and recessed cylinder features are gone, however they are still fine shooting .357 Magnums.
Then there is the 3-1/2” Model 27 with Roy Fishpaw grips. Originally the .357 Magnum of 1935 was issued with an 8-3/4” barrel for hunters and outdoorsman and a 3-1/2” length for law-enforcement use. To my eyes this short-barreled .357 Magnum is the most serious looking sixgun ever issued. It simply looks to be all business. Perhaps someday I may even find a pre-27 in the short barrel length at the always elusive affordable price.
Longtime Smith & Wesson historian Roy Jinks calls the .357 Magnum the greatest development by Smith & Wesson in the 20th century. I'm not going to argue with him.