S&W .41 Magnum

[blkbrd666]

Hello everyone! New here and a new purchase last night has gotten me on the Internet looking for info. I generally shoot semiauto pistols and my only revolvers are .22 plinkers until last night. I have always wanted a .357 magnum in stainless. Last night I thought I was "settling" when I purchased a .41 Magnum...now I think I'm happier with it than I would be with a .357! Anyway, it's a S&W Model 57 in deep blue with serial # range of N617,xxx. From what I have read it's a 1979 model??? Has an awful pristine blue job for a '79 model gun. It has been modified...action worked, cocobolo 1-piece wood grip, and a Larry Smith Custom target barrel. I can't find ANY information on the barrel and that's buggin' me bad. I test fired it and put every shot through the same 3/4" hole...that made up my mind to purchase it. I don't have any other pistol that accurate...never dreamed I could do that with a pistol. I called my shooting buddy who was once big into competition shooting and S&W revolvers and asked him about the $465.00 price tag...he thought it was dirt cheap, so I feel pretty good about it. I know the mods take away from the collectability but if they are contributing to the way it shoots, I'm happy! It "looks" awesome with the big 1" diameter barrel but I won't be shooting it much one-handed. Anyway, my big question: Can anyone tell me about the barrel???

Thanks!

 

[graybeard321]

I purchased the same gun about 2 years ago, other then having issues finding the ammo and the price of the ammo I love it.

 

[Hokkmike]

other then having issues finding the ammo

I worry about that too!

 

[campbell]

That sounds like a steal. .41 mag is a fantastic caliber. Does .44 mag ballistics with the 200-265 bullet weights but with less recoil, and as you noticed, they're often spectacularly accurate.

Georgia Arms carries decent ammo if you don't reload.

http://www.georgia-arms.com/

 

[blkbrd666]

I was skeptical at first too. I checked ammo prices before I bought and was a bit worried because everything they had on the shelf was $22-$30 for a box of 20. I wasn't liking the idea of shooting dollars down the range with every trigger pull, but they sell reloads(Atlanta Arms & Ammo) for $22.99 for a box of 50...much better! Then the same buddy I talked to about the price convinced me to start reloading...which will likely be another hobby I will enjoy as much as shooting them. He gave me a comparison of .45ACP that he used to shoot...$.40 a round retail compared to about $.05 if he reloaded. I may even talk him out of his equipment since he doesn't shoot much anymore...mentioned something about 2 kids being expensive.

 

[Hawk]

Larry Smith = Circle S Ranch Gunworks.
http://circlesranchgunworks.com/

Dang '57s are addictive. I seem to have three of them - they just turn up on their own.

Here's another name you might get familiar with: Starline.
http://www.starlinebrass.com/

I predict reloading in your future. Given the cost of .41 Mag I skipped the part where I accumulated factory brass and just went straight to the 1K Starline. .41 Magnum is one of the best reasons to reload I've yet discovered.

 

[blkbrd666]

Thanks! I wondered about Circle S...that was the only gun related response I got searching for the name, but I wasn't sure. I guess that likely means this gun had done some traveling, but then I do live in a military town with a lot of young folks inbound for bootcamp. I dug around on that site a bit trying to find a price on the barrel, but didn't see anything. I wonder how much has been invested in this gun in the past to get it to its current configuration?

 

[Rick O'Shea]

So you bought that one, huh blkbrd666?

I played with that one at our favorite gunshop/range on Sunday.
I couldn't believe the price for an obvious custom job.

The trigger has a beautiful polish, and the DA pull was incredibly light and smooth - probably the best I've ever felt.

I actually didn't care too much for the bull barrel, but it was very nicely done, and appropriate on a dedicated target gun.

Good to hear that it shoots as well as it seems it should.
If I'd had the money I'd have thought about it hard. Glad you're happy.

(P.S.: They let you take it up to the range and fire it before buying it? I'll have to ask about that sometime...)

 

[Steve C]

If you want to shoot the .41 mag much you need to hand load or be rich. With hand loads they're no more expensive to shoot than any other heavy center fire caliber.

 

[blkbrd666]

Yep, I bought it. They will let you test fire the used guns if you're thinking about buying it...just not the new ones. I had been looking at that gun for a month and decided Saturday I was going to buy it...figured it would be gone Monday by the time I got off work...would have been my luck. I just came from there looking at the 657 stainless in same caliber to compare the changes made over the years...wouldn''t even THINK of trading this one for the $659.00 one.

 

[Gator]

Sounds like an awesome find.

Where are the pics?!!!

 

[SaxonPig]

You've got a nice one. The 41 is essentially the 44 less 15%. But the 41 Magnum is a caliber you really must reload as factory ammo is horribly expensive and limited.

 

[blkbrd666]

Don't have a decent camera with me at the moment, but here's one with the cell phone camera.

 

[Drail]

Oh. man that is a beautiful setup and you did REAL GOOD on the price. Now you must become a ammo remanufacturer. Find the right load and you'll be amazed.

 

[shuvelrider]

Reload, reload,reload, you will be amazed how much more you will shoot for enjoyment when not worrying about the cost. That was an amazing find, wish I could be so lucky. I shoot a Ruger Blackhawk in the .41 caliber--like it alot.

 

[JShirley]

You made out like a bandit.

I really want a 4" 657 one day. Nothing else feels quite like a 4" bull-barrel N-frame.

Welcome to THR!

John

 

[22-rimfire]

Congratulations. Model 57's are addictive as is the 41 magnum.

Ammo cost? Well, honestly speaking, just how much you believe you will shoot it in a given 6 month period when you have other guns to shoot too?? I buy from GA Arms; still have a supply of older PMC 41 mag ammo; and have some of just about all of the others available. Keep an eye on Outdoor Marksman for their Mirwall ammo which they sometimes have in bulk. http://east.outdoormarksman.com/index.php?cPath=65_1_18

I shoot other stuff as well as handguns in 41 magnum. I obviously would prefer factory ammo to be cheaper, but I don't have a big problem with the prices. I probably have about a year's worth of shooting stocked up at the moment. Then again, since I have not shot any 41mag in a couple of months, maybe I have a couple of year's supply. I've been shooting much more 22LR of late. Really enjoy punching paper with the rifles.

I shoot my 4" Model 57 Mountain Gun the most, but have a couple other Model 57's, a Redhawk, and Blackhawk in 41 mag. You could say that I like them.

 

[Gator]

Wow! That was a great buy!

 

[blkbrd666]

Wow, all the great responses have me liking it even better! Couldn't stand it, had to go throw some cash down the range after work. I'm amazed with this thing...stuck 3" Shoot-N-See targets on a board and experimented the entire length of the range. Can hardly see them at the far end of the range and I was still putting at least 3 out of 6 shots in the circle...I can't wait to try this thing with a sandbag rest or something stationary! Anyway, that was a good excuse to spend some time cleaning it...now I'm enjoying just looking at it and it's costing me $0.00 to do that. Pointing it at the TV is cheap too.

 

[Majic]

I honestly can't see why someone would rebarrel any .41 magnum. Most are extremely accurate out the box. I have 9 of them and they all are good shooters with just about any ammo.

 

[Blacksmoke]

.41 mag was the duty sidearm of the San Francisco Police Department's Patrol Bureau from the late 1960s into the 1980s. Great cartridge. I often thought about acquiring one. Now that S&W is reintroducing the Model 27 I might just do that.

 

[Sato Ord]

One of my local gun shops had a Ruger Super Blackhawk in .41mag with a five and half inch barrel used. Originally they wanted $365 for it. When I went back to put a down payment on it they had jacked the price up to $485. The higher price and the problems with getting a steady supply of ammo now have me looking to buy another Redhawk in .44 mag (or possibly an S&W).

.41 mag is a nice caliber, but it just isn't really popular here in the east, though I did know quite a few people who hunted with them out west. Here int he east, the ammo is just not readily available.

 

[GunTech]

You did well. 57s are addictive. And getting harder to find. Congrats!

 

[Drail]

Majic, that barrel adds some weight, makes it feel like a big .38 spl. If you shot one , you would understand. Blkbrd 666, you have a great revolver, it doesn't get much better than that.

 

[20nickels]

Reload for this gun. It deserves it. One thing not often mentioned with reloading .41 mag is that it is inherently accurate with a huge range of bullet weights. In a nutshell, it is accurate with any bullet you feed it and absolutely deadly accurate with some. I cannot speak for that custom barrel, but most shine around 250 grains. Nickels.