S&W Model 57

[.38 Special]

...I'll probably concoct some cream-puff rounds to reload at normal/low pressures, kind of the equivalent of what the .44 special is to a .44 magnum. Does anyone have such a recipe?

I am partial to Trail Boss for this sort of application, and I try to keep a big jug of it on hand at all times. A "maximum" load is a charge that just touches the base of the bullet, and a minimum load is 70 percent of that. It is almost impossible to concoct a dangerous load with the stuff, and it turns the screamers into delightful little gallery guns.

 

[Dudemeister]

I think I still have a couple of bottles of Trail Boss.

I found the Starline .41 SPL brass and ordered a bag of 100, and I was looking at Berrys 210gr. flat points. I wonder how Trail Boss works with Berry's plated. I had stopped using Trail Boss when I started to use plated bullets, and I've been using Clay's Universal or Unique.

 

[silvermane_1]

Nice score there Dudemeister.

 

[jdh]

The classic mid-range .41 mag load is a 210 grain LSWC bullet over 8 to 9 grains of Unique. In my 6" model 57, 8.4 grains of Unique produces 1117 fps and 3/4" groups at 13 yards, rested. With mild-to-medium recoil. I don't like full power loads, but this one suits me just fine.

If you can find them, the old 220 grain Speer half-jacketed bullet works really well in my model 57.

8.8 grains gave me 1050 in my Magnaported 4" with Speer 215 grain LSWC. 10s and Xs all day long out to 25 on a B27

 

[Hanshi]

The .41 mag is my favorite handgun deer cartridge, and the S&W M57 is at the top of the heap.

 

[Charlie98]

and I've been using Clay's Universal or Unique.

No need to overthink this... Unique will get you pretty much anywhere you need to go with the .41MAG... or .41SPC if you must. If you just have to have the 'inth degree of velocity, H110/W296 is your answer, but I hardly ever go there anymore. As was mentioned, 9.0grn Unique under any 215grn commercial cast bullet gives me 1000fps out of my 4" Smiths, and 1150fps out of my 6" Dan Wesson.

 

[Dudemeister]

Well, the bad boy is finally here. Picked it up yesterday, along with the SW99, and boy was it dirty.

Most of the crap was the blue powder that the original coating inside the case had turned into. The case will get it's proper cleaning and re-work, but the gun needed some TLC. I used some Flitz and that stuff gets the gun nice and bright, mirror like in fact. But it didn't really get rid of any of the minor rust and oxidation.

So I was looking for sme steel wool, but the only thing I had was 00, and I wanted 0000. I then read an interesting article on rust removal from guns: the copper penny method. Using a 1962-1982 copper penny one which were 95% copper & 5% zinc, and rubbing it on the trouble spots with 3-in-1 oil. The copper is softer than the nickle finish and removes the rust without damage to the nickle. You can feel the grittiness of the rust while you're rubbing. When the grittiness is gone, wipe the oil off, and the rust is gone.

The only issue with nickle plated guns, is that the rust had already eaten through the nickle, so once the rust is gone, the area left is bare metal, which is ripe for a new layer of rust, so I'm trying to figure out how to prevent that. I don't think I can patch the area by "spot" nickle plating. Any ideas?

Anyway, quite happy with my new (to me) M57. Based on the serial number it appears to be a 1980 manufacture. Here are some photos. Taking photos of a shiny gun like this is really a pain.







And here are the areas that had rust, but were cleaned

 

[Dudemeister]

And here is the refinished case interior. I used IPA to remove the leftover powdery blue finish from the molded plastic insert, then wrapped it in red satin. The top cover foam insert got the same treatment.

I like it, I think the red satin makes the gun stand out.

 

[Rodfac]

Nice work...another way to handle a nickle gun that's patchy is to remove the nickle entirely, then lightly re-polish and reblue. IIRC, it's a reverse electrolysis process. Other's may chime in here to fill in my mistakes. Seems like S&W used to do that kind of work, and may still re-nickle it for you. Cost would be significant however.

The .41 model 57 is a heck of a handgun & that bbl. length will make for a good hunting arm. From light target loads with Bullseye and LSWC's to full house magnums, the .41's one of the easiest calibers to load really accurate ammunition. Brian Pearce once said in an a magazine piece, that he found most .41 revolvers were built to tighter specs than other calibers. Been my experience too, with Rugers and Smiths. And, I've yet to find a quality LSWC, home cast or commercial, that didn't give me sub 2" gps at 25 yds with moderate charges of Bullseye, Unique, Herco or Win 231. For full house loads, I really like Hornady's 210 XTP, with Accurate #9 or 296 doing the pushing.

I've done some work with Starline .41 Special brass, earlier this year, and had good results. Nothing better than what I've come to expect from magnum brass however. I've put that type of experimentation on the back burner for the time being; preferring instead to avoid the lead/lube/powder fouling that builds up when using the shorter case.

HTH's and congrats on a good buy. Rod

 

[Charlie98]

preferring instead to avoid the lead/lube/powder fouling that builds up when using the shorter case.

I used to shoot .38SPC level loads in .357 brass to avoid that very thing. Some people say it's not an issue... but I always found it to be.

.41MAG is .410"... no mixing and matching like with the .44MAG or .45 Colt.

 

[Dudemeister]

Finally got to the range today, and tried the .41 Special loads. These are 210gr Berry's plated Flat points, over 6.5 grains of Unique, in the Starline .41 SPL cases. Now that is a pleasant round. Feels almost like a .45LC. I think the velocity is somewhere in the low 900's. Rested I was able to put 6 rounds in a 2.5" group at 15 yards. Off hand, not that great, more like 6". The gun is heavy and my shoulder had been sore for the last week.

Never the less, the gun shoots much better than I can, and the loads I worked up work just fine. I think I'll stick with this recipe.

 

[Drail]

Those cases are rust incubation chambers. I would never use one. Sell it for big bucks on Ebay and buy more bullets. The gun however is very nice. I have a blue 4 in. 57 that is very close to that serial number. I've been shooting it for 35 years and it's still my favorite revolver. I like 7.0 gr. Unique under a 215. Trust me - that gun will shoot under an inch at 15 yards. I have had mine in a Ransom Rest several times and it will place 6 rounds in one hole at 15 yards.

 

[rkittine]

I love my 57. 6" Nickel also in a presentation wood case, but my tray is in very good condition, especially considering the age. There is a guy on www.Smith-WessonForum.com that repairs the trays.

I have matching 27 and 29 N Frames

Bob

 

[Dudemeister]

Those cases are rust incubation chambers. I would never use one. Sell it for big bucks on Ebay and buy more bullets. The gun however is very nice. I have a blue 4 in. 57 that is very close to that serial number. I've been shooting it for 35 years and it's still my favorite revolver. I like 7.0 gr. Unique under a 215. Trust me - that gun will shoot under an inch at 15 yards. I have had mine in a Ransom Rest several times and it will place 6 rounds in one hole at 15 yards.

Did you ever chrono your 7grain rounds? as for accuracy, I'm sure the gun is capable... the shooter, not so much. When I did the "rested" shots, I meant I was sitting down, with my hand propped on a wood block. Not a "true" rest. So I have no doubt the gun can cut a ragged hole at 15 yards and beyond.

 

[Drail]

Sorry, I never invested in a chrono but my boss had a nice one that we used until he shot it........ My loads were probably just under 1000 fps. They were plenty accurate and recoil from a 4 in. N frame was quite tolerable. I shot quite a few pin matches with that gun and load and if I could get the sights on a pin and drop the hammer it would do a double back flip off the back of the table into the weeds (the poor pinsetters hated me - they finally made me bring a weedeater to the range and clear out a landing zone for the pins) I tell guys all the time if you can find an old pinned and recessed .41 Mag - buy it - you'll love it. But you really need to handload to get the full effect. Keep shooting it with different loads and bullet weights. Every gun has that one load that is magic.

 

[Charlie98]

I had my 4" .41 S&W out just this morning, with it's stablemate Dan Wesson, and the Marlin 1894. Love me some .41!

 

[Drail]

Yup. I always wished I would have bought a lever gun in .41 mag back when they were easy to find and affordable. I own Winchesters in .357 and .44 - a .41 would be great. I believe the only option available now is a Marlin design. I would rather have a Winchester if possible. Probably never happen now.

 

[Charlie98]

No, Henry makes a .41 lever. I’m not a big fan of the Henry, but it’s about the only game in town at this point. When I ordered my Marlin, I wish I would have ordered 10...

 

[MikeG]

I believe Marlin made a .41 for a while in the 1990s. I missed out on that, had to sell my Model 57 when our shady mortgage company got greedy. (still hurts) I just bought a Henry Steel carbine in .41 and plan to buy a Ruger Blackhawk in the same caliber.

 

[Charlie98]

The original 1894C’s were made in the ‘80’s, then they came out with the 1894FG in 2003’ish, with a pistol grip... that’s the one I got. I actually converted mine to a straight grip, an original C is almost unobtanium unless the stars line up.

 

[bangswitch]

I just purchased a S&W Model 57 from an Estate sale, along wit a SW99. Is till have to do the paperwork on the guns next week, and then wait for their 10 day prison sentence, but I'm happy with my purchase.

The model 57 is a nickle plated version in 6".
I opened the yoke, and looked at the serial number and information, and it a no dash model, with pinned barrel. The serial number is "78" something, and I don't remember if there was a letter prefix or not. Another thing that is missing are the original grips, which were replaced by wraparound Hogue, which considering the recoil on this beast is understandable.
So what do you guys think f the Model 57 in general, and this purchase in particular.

Your SN# should begin with an "S" or an "N". M57 manufacture began in 1964, and SN#'s started with S until the end of 1968. From 1969 on they began with "N". The -1 series eliminated the pinned barrel and recessed cylinder and started in 1982.
I've got a blued M57 no dash, SN starts with S, which makes it a 1968 or earlier. This is one of my "grail" guns, I'd been looking for a .41 magnum for a long time. I wish I'd gotten the presentation box and factory stocks with mine, but i did get a nice set of Altamont stocks, which fit my hand nicely. Looks like you did very well on your find. I'm not a big fan of nickel guns, but that does look good.

I just looked at the .41 special Starline brass, and it is indeed a shortened version. Just curious why they would shorten the case, if the full length case fits to start with.

To reduce the powder load to make a softer shooter, you run the risk of too little powder in the case, which can create consistent ignition problems, even with a magnum primer. Reducing the length of the case reduces the case volume, so a reduced powder load can still leave little dead space inside, and reliable ignition is maintained. I ran into this issue a while back by under-loading some .357 cases, trying to get something like a .38+P load. I had ignition problems with several rounds, finally had a squib load and lodged a bullet in the B/C gap. I should have just loaded .38SPL cases instead of using .357 cases.
I've heard good stuff about Trail Boss. It's a fluffy, bulky powder, takes up a lot of space for a given weight charge, so it helps fill the case to maintain reliable ignition.
Starline's brass is very nice, it's what I'm using to load for my M57, but I'm staying with lighter magnum loads, 210 grains running about 1250 fps. They still make your hand tingle for a while after a few cylinders-full.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

I also have a model 57 41 Magnum and I am very impressed with it.

 

[Craig28]

You did well on price even with flaws in the nickel plate, and need not worry about rubbing it up while shooting.

When I was shooting IHMSA, it was thought that a Model 29 .44 Magnum would not hold up to a "steady diet" of full charge magnums, but that the Model 57 was below some sort of threshold and was a lot more durable with full loads.

I believe that's because it technically has more steel in the cylinder given you're coming down from a. 44 to a .41.

 

[vmr357]

You should be able to clean up the finish if you are careful. Don't use any copper solvents when cleaning it. You'll strip the nickle off the gun.