s&w 41 magnum

S&w 41 Magnum - In this week's Wheelgun Wednesday we take another look at a revolver with a familiar look, but unusual chambering. The revolver we're talking about is the Smith & Wesson Model 57 .41 Magnum, and the example we're going to take a closer look at is the 1984. The forgotten .41 Magnum doesn't get much love, but we'll look at why it does. The special and almost ten years ago attracted me to buy one for myself.

Many people are familiar with the .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum because they are still popular in revolver circles today. A forgotten cartridge of the past is the .41 Magnum which was born from a unique collaboration between Remington and Smith & Wesson. In the "Lyman 50th Edition Reloading Handbook" he explains in detail how the .41 Remington Magnum cartridge is made:

S&w 41 Magnum

Remington and Smith & Wesson introduced the .41 Magnum in the Model 57 revolver in 1964. The original cartridge was offered in two calibers. The first is a full power load with a soft bullet 210, and the second is a semi-wadcutter "police" load 210. However, the police market never developed for the cartridge. The civilian market is better, but not as big. Handgun hunting is one area where the 41 Magnum has its fans. Hunters have found it to be as effective as the 44 Magnum with a relatively decent ball.

S&w 57 41 Mag 6 In. Barrel 6 Rds Revolver Blued

So, while the Smith & Wesson Model 57 may not be the most popular or sought after for collectors, it does have the reputation of being the first revolver chambered in .41 Remington Magnum. The particular gun in my collection came to market 20 years after it debuted at a gun shop in Minnesota called "Burger Bros." It looks like a good place to get a milkshake and a cheeseburger, but it's actually a very popular gun shop in MN (but that's a story for another day).

Most of us are familiar with the plastic box that Smith & Wesson revolvers come in these days. In the old days, however, you received it in a blue cardboard box with metal corners for reinforcement. I am a 33 year old revolver, but maybe some of you remember or have the same box (or remember that the reloading bullets are in the same package, but smaller). Inside this cardboard box is still the original owner's manual (not a fully reworked manual; usable at the time). Here are the requirements listed in the original 1984 brochure:

For me, reading these booklets is a lot of fun if you remember the names and terms used at that time. The stocks are the same grips...the number of shots is a long way of telling the capacity of the cylinder...and they really explain the serrations on the barrel and ribs (I don't know why they were the modern revolver).

So the question remains, why? Why does this cartridge exist? Why?… Lyman does a good job of explaining the origins of the potential failure of trying to conquer the police market in the 60's. I even have a collection of old guns. Take it with a grain of salt, but I find it interesting.

Wts: S&w .41 Magnum Pistol $1,000.00

This collector told me that in the early 1960s the .357 Magnum was popular in recreational game because of its speed and ability to shoot even the .38 Special loads. Then, there was the .44 Magnum that worked like a pickup truck and kicked like a donkey. There had to be a middle ground. So, in stepped the .41 Magnum to split the difference. You had the .357 Magnum with the power of a .44 Magnum in your hand. Then, with a twinkle in his eye and a smile, he lowered his voice and said, "The .41 Magnum is a man's boot."

What Remington and Smith & Wesson have in mind is the .41 Magnum; So, the Smith & Wesson Model 57 for life? The world may not know, but if there is someone in the world who loves more than me.

The .41 Magnum round is one of the more unusual cartridges in today's world that you find in gun stores with regularity. The thing is, you can still reload your own ammo or hunt for cheap stuff at a local gun show like I do sometimes, and it's not too bad to get. This round may not be a 9mm that you want to shoot its case in a year, but I see where it is called "cartridge" because it is undoubtedly accurate, powerful and fun to shoot.

I have dropped 200+ leads with me and have been successful in hunting wild boar. One shot hunting, knocking compared to trying the 10mm a few years later, and playing 3 rounds against one to beat a boar. This shotgun walks and talks like a Model 586 should, but hits targets and critters like Dirty Harry.

Smith And Wesson Model 57 For Sale

While clean, used revolvers like this one are becoming rarer by the day, you can recapture that old charm with a new production from Smith & Wesson. They make this revolver in all its old school glory as part of the Smith & Wesson Classics series. MSRP for a new one is currently set at $1,018.

My love for revolvers does not come from what gun manufacturers are doing today. On the contrary, it started with an old dog like this one. Learn its history, its uses and see how things were made in the past. Now I appreciate the new and the old, but oddballs like this Model 57 excite me. What do you guys and girls in the readership think? Is that too far out of left field? Do you have a .41 Magnum? Are you ready to get one? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.

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