I was thinking the other day about "Is there any firearm I particularly want?" Not just 'that would be nice to have', but "I want it!" And this came to mind
It's built on the large 'N' frame, and chambered for the .41 Magnum. I've wanted one of these since the day I first fired a Model 58; same gun with a 4" barrel and fixed sights. At about ten yards or so the five shots made one big, ragged hole and the recoil didn't bother me at all. Pretty much the same experience every time I've fired one.
So I've lusted after one of these for years. First, I couldn't afford one. Then I couldn't afford or find one. Now, I might be able to afford one, but I can't find one. You see, S&W stopped making this model some time ago. They still make a couple of .41 Mag revolvers, but one's the Scandium frame and the other's stainless, and I want a blued-steel Model 57.
Ammo for these tends to be expensive, but dies are available for handloading, so that's not a big problem. It's a powerful, accurate pistol with that old Smith quality. Maybe one of these days...
3 comments:
I don't think you can go wrong with any of the N frame S&W's... the Model 58 eliminated the ejector shroud as well for weight reduction on the big four incher in carry/duty mode. I believe the San Francisco Police Dept. issued them for a short while, but ammo manufacturers never produced the right load for this purpose and it's overkill and weight sort of ended it's career. The proper round would've been hard to dislodge from service(a heavy bullet at about 950 fps). However there has been a renewed interest in the cartridge due to the re-release of the 58 and 57 Classic by Smith and Wesson (one of the few things they've done right with their revolver line in recent history...don't get me started)
I remember reading something a couple of years ago about Dallas PD trying them out, and all the factory ammo had the same problem: overpenetration. Yeah, a modern hollowpoint at the right velocity would take care of that nicely.
I'm currently looking at one the same as the one you have pictured, grips and all at a local pawn shop. I let a four inch model 24 go years ago and have never recovered ...lol. Nothing like the big Smiths!
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