The tale of a Smith & Wesson .41 Magnum that eventually came back as it went. Pristine

[Pierre]

Back in 1987 a Doctor friend of the family contacted me about supplying him with a revolver. He wanted something to take with him on his daily bicycle trips in the woods around his property in Whitefish. I had recently purchased a Lew Horton Limited Edition of 500 Astra .41 Magnum. I've been a fan of this caliber for some time.

Not wanting to give up my Astra, I ordered him a S&W .41 Magnum in a beautiful flat black. When it arrived, to say I was impressed would be an understatement! It was gorgeous and a solid handful of revolver. I called him and arranged for a pickup in town. I supplied him with a box of 210gr cartridges. I advised him to shoot a few rounds when he got home just to familiarize himself with the feel and the recoil. He had bought a shoulder holster for it and left with his prize. I promptly forgot about it. The years rolled by.

As he was a long time friend, we spoke to him about once a month about nothing in particular, then early in 2016 he called me about a compact folding stock 12 gauge for home defense. I happened to have a Mossberg Canadian Police Department shotgun with a 16" barrel and a top folding stock in stainless steel I had obtained in a trade some years back. For those years it had hung on the wall behind the front door. As I had other shotguns, that seemed like a good one for him.

I really don't like selling firearms, but I will trade for something I want. In this case, I didn't much care what the trade was as he was such a good friend to the Family. He asked me if I remembered the .41 Magnum he had purchased in the 80's. I asked why he'd want to trade that one and he told me that when he got home he had fired one round, found it too much for him and had stored it away back in 1987! He brought it in and I was astounded! It was absolutely mint.... Unblemished and in completely new condition!

I told him it wasn't a good trade for him as it was now worth substantially more than that shotgun. He didn't care. He wanted that shotgun and I came to realize that he was the same sort of trader that I am. If it's something I want....... then I do it and damn the difference, so we made the trade and I gave him a load of shotshells to take with him. This is a large, heavy handgun, but man!........ It's a beauty.

Read More

 

[DirectDrive]

I would check and see if he still has the original grips squirreled away somewhere.

 

[Pierre]

Back in those days I was a Smith & Wesson dealer for NW Montana. Began sometime in the mid-70s, and that revolver came direct from Smith & Wesson just as you see it. I'm not sure what the original grips would have would have been, but those are factory grips sold as new with revolver. I do remember discussing the finish on the revolver with my representative, and it was very unusual at that time. I love the flat black bluing

 

[DirectDrive]

Back in those days I was a Smith & Wesson dealer for NW Montana. Began sometime in the mid-70s, and that revolver came direct from Smith & Wesson just as you see it. I'm not sure what the original grips would have would have been, but those are factory grips sold as new with revolver. I do remember discussing the finish on the revolver with my representative, and it was very unusual at that time. I love the flat black bluing

The grips in the pics look like Pachmayr Presentation grips.
I would tend to think that the Model 57 would have been commonly issued with target grips.

 

[Spitpatch]

Good story! I have frequently noticed (and been "comforted by") the popularity of the .41 Magnum in Montana, as it is my favorite "big gun". They bring greater attention (and prices) at the shows there than the .44's.

My theory is that the customer base (for lack of a better term) there is made up of people who actually and frequently use their handguns in the outdoors.

 

[Spitpatch]

The grips in the pics look like Pachmayr Presentation grips.
I would tend to think that the Model 57 would have been commonly issued with target grips.
View attachment 1124878

Colt did supply Pachmayr Presentations on some of their guns, complete with the Rampant Colt medallion (Trooper MKIII's). I wonder if SW did the same.

 

[Pierre]

The grips in the pics look like Pachmayr Presentation grips.
I would tend to think that the Model 57 would have been commonly issued with target grips.
View attachment 1124878

Dunno, DD. I dropped the dealership sometime in the mid-90s I think. Because I handled so many other lines, the Smith & Wesson was the least of my sales and I never did learn the intricacies of models and types.

 

[DirectDrive]

There's just somethin' about a Smith & Wesson revolver.

 

[DirectDrive]

Colt did supply Pachmayr Presentations on some of their guns, complete with the Rampant Colt medallion (Trooper MKIII's). I wonder if SW did the same.

I blew up the pic a bit and that's the Pachmayr logo on those grips.
That revolver has a target trigger and target hammer.
I would bet that if the box is still around, the "3 T's" would all be checked off on the label.

 

[Spitpatch]

I blew up the pic a bit and that's the Pachmayr logo on those grips.
That revolver has a target trigger and target hammer.
I would bet that if the box is still around, the "3 T's" would all be checked off on the label.

My bet would be with you on that.

 

[echo1]

Nice setup.
I too am a .41 guy but because my hands are small. and when I was a youngster, the recoil was more managable. Plus, I fell into the gun, 1970ish 6.5" Blackhawk. I have a 2 screw now and a Henry. PAX

 

[Spitpatch]

My 57 .41 8" Nickel came with the sharp, digging wood target grips (yes, I saved them), but I couldn't rip 'em off there fast enough and replace them with Pachmayrs for the work intended. Better for the shot and much better for the carry.

2x Leupold didn't hurt a bit either. This guy was at 125 yards.