R. Doug Wicker — Author | Stories of Mystery and Adventure

May 20, 2026 · 5:35 am

Smith and Wesson Revolver Week: Magnum Wednesday — S&W Model 57 “No-Dash”

An early S&W Model 57 S-series “No Dash” cambered in .41 Magnum

Today I present to you a bit of a civilian handgun history, as opposed to Monday’s military handguns history on the Smith and Wesson “Victory” Model used during World War II. What makes this gun historical is that the Smith and Wesson Model 57 was the first handgun chambered for the powerful, versatile, and, in my view, vastly underrated .41 Remington Magnum. The S&W Model 57 you see pictured today is an early “No Dash” sporting an S-series serial number, pinned barrel, and recessed chambers. (For a lesson on what all that means, see my article: Smith & Wesson Revolver Lesson/Quiz — What do “Pinned,” “Recessed,” and “No-Dash” mean?) Later no-dash Model 57s transitioned to an N-series serial number in early 1970. That means this one is earlier. Specifically, based upon the serial number range, this gun was born in late 1968 to early 1969. My guess, based upon that range, is very early in 1969.

Whereas Monday featured a mid-size S&W L-frame, and this week’s Fun Firearm Friday will present S&W’s smaller J-frame, today’s Model 57 is a large N-frame. N-frame revolvers originated with the Smith & Wesson .44 Hand Ejector 1st Model ‘New Century,’ a.k.a., the ‘Triple Lock.’ Now for a comparison featuring a misleading large S&W Model 36 J-frame with a longer than normal barrel and larger grip:

Smith and Wesson J-frame vs L-frame vs N-frame

Some of you read that title and said to yourselves, “That’s a typo. Surely he means .44 Magnum.” Well, that’s not a typo, and don’t call me Shirley. So, what’s all this .41 Magnum stuff all about: It all began with a handgun ballistics genius named Elmer Keith. Elmer Keith developed the first Magnum cartridge way back in 1935, and it quickly became a legendary law enforcement round — the .357 Magnum. In the 1950s Keith developed the .44 Magnum, a round he designed for large game, but which also soon gained a much-deserved reputation for protection from grizzly bears and other large predators.

So, if .357 Magnum is a great law enforcement round, and .44 Magnum (which San Francisco PD Inspector Harry Callahan famously dubbed “… the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off….”) is superb for hunting and outdoor protection from predators, what’s the raison d’être for the .41 Magnum? Keith reasoned that the .44 Magnum was just too powerful. He perceived a gap between the .357 and .44 Magnum, and he wanted to give law enforcement an upgrade to the .357 that would also serve both hunters and target shooters. A true multi-purpose handgun round.

A pair of Hogue grips included courtesy of the previous owner

Keith’s intent was to fashion two loadings for the .41 Magnum — a milder “.41 Police” load pushing a 200 grain/13g semiwadcutter bullet at 900 to 1,050 feet/274-320 meters per second, and a more powerful load for hunters and target shooters propelling a 210 grain/14g projectile at a phenomenal 1,400–1,500 fps/427-457ms. For a target shooter, that second load translates to a very flat-shooting bullet. Sounds great. What really makes sense about this concept is that the .357 Magnum can shoot the cheaper, easier to handle, .38 S&W Special; and the .44 Magnum also chambers the cheaper, much more pleasant to shoot .44 S&W Special. As the .41 Magnum had no weaker sibling, Keith wanted to just adjust the load to fit a broad spectrum of uses.

Prepping for long-term storage with my favorite museum grade preservation wax

Unfortunately, law enforcement never bit on the concept. While a lot of highway patrols used the .357 Magnum, many police departments were wedded to the .38 Special. Even though reduced in power, the “.41 Police” was deemed too powerful, epecially for urban environments where overpenetration is always a concern. Another factor weighing against the round is that the N-frame is not a light gun, and the .41 Magnum has considerably more recoil than the .38 Special. Police departments stayed away in droves.

Pinned barrel (pin located on top strap in this image)

But hunters appreciated the 20% reduction in recoil over the .44 Magnum, and target shooters enjoyed the .41 Magnum’s flatter trajectory (although that’s overhyped; at 150 yards the difference is barely noticeable). With this crowd the round became a mild success and developed an almost cult status. But beyond that, the .41 Magnum never really took off.

Now it’s time to discuss the S&W Model 57 and its law enforcement cousin, the Model 58. The Models 57 and 58 came out in 1964 in conjuction with the introduction with the .41 Remington Magnum. The Model 57 featured adjustable sight and a ramped front sight with a red insert. The Model 58, geared toward the law enforcement market, had a fixed notch, channel-set rear sight, no insert on the front sight, cheaper “magna service” grips, and lacked a shroud for the ejector rod.

S&W Model 57 sight picture, focused on the rear

If you recall me previous articles on Smith and Wesson revolvers, you may remember that the serial number is always located on the butt, and almost never anywhere else. Monday’s Victory was an exception, as it had the serial number in three locations. Today’s Model 57 is also an exception. You have to remove the grips to find the serial number in the normal location:

S&W Model 57 serial number stamped on the butt of the frame

But I also found the serial number stamped on the crane, along with the usual location for the model and change numbers. As this is a no-dash, there is no change number following the model number:

Serial and model numbers; if this were a 57-1, you would see that here affixed to the model number

That number opposite the numbers above, on the yoke, is an internal assembly number used to track the hand fitted parts:

This Model 57 also sported an assembly identical assembly number on the left side of the frame butt:

Assembly number; no relation to the serial number

If your early Model 57 has all matching serial and assembly numbers, you might want to ensure that the grips are original. Remove them and on the inside of the grip panels you should see matching inventory numbers preceded by N-LH on one, and N-RH on the other. That stands for N-frame Left Hand and N-frame Right Hand respectively. These were included to ensure the hand-fitted grip panels matched up:

N-RH 4112 (N-frame, Right Hand, inventory fitting number 4112)

Check out the right side of the frame butt for inspection marks. This one has two — a circle containing a “G” and a triangle surrounding an “N”. As for the 58698 engraved in the same location, I have no idea. If you know, please leave me a comment.

Circled G and Triangled N inspection marks

If you’re serious about gun collecting, make sure you carry around something to inspect the inside of the barrel. Look for clean rifling and no pitting or corrosion:

Barrel passed inspection, but there was some residue; it cleaned up nicely

Check the trigger and hammer. They should show typical Smith and Wesson case hardening rather than being blued.

Now for a photo gallery/slide show of Model 57 images, including how the frame appears beneath the grips:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Smith and Wesson Revolver Week: Military Monday — WWII S&W Victory

Smith and Wesson .38 S&W Special “Victory” from World War II

Next week I return to travel, this time to Southeast Asia. But this week it’s all about classic Smith and Wesson revolvers. Today it’s Military Monday, and I present to you a “Victory” revolver manufactured sometime in either May or June of 1944. So, what exactly is a Victory S&W revolver? It’s a six-shot revolver based upon the S&W .38 Hand Ejector Model 1899. That became the S&W Military and Police (M&P) Model, which evolved into the Victory, returned to the M&P post war, finally becoming the S&W Model 10 in 1957. The Model 10 is still in production today, which means this revolver has been in continuous production for 127 years. Throughout that time, it has been a favorite of civilians, militaries, and police departments all around the world.

As for the Victory model, it served during WWII in both the U.S. Army and Navy, the OSS (chambered in .38-200), British Commonwealth militaries (also in .38-200) including ANZAC. Thus, the Victory found itself used in every WWII theater of operations — Europe, North Africa, Pacific, and Southeast Asia. The model you see today is stamped U.S. PROPERTY G.H.D. and that stamp is preceded by the “Flaming Bomb” ordnance mark. What does all that mean? It means that this particular weapon was inspected under Colonel (later Brigadier General) Guy H. Drewry, head of United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield (a.k.a., “Springfield Armory;” not to be confused with the gun manufacturer that today operates as Springfield Armory, Inc). Victory revolvers for both the Army and Navy were inspected at Springfield Armory; but as this one lacks any U.S. Navy stamp, it probably wound up going to the U.S. Army or U.S. Army Air Corps.

“Flaming Bomb” ordnance mark followed by U.S. PROPERTY G.H.D.

Yes, this is a pinned barrel Smith (For a discussion on Smith and Wesson pinned barrels and recessed cylinders, see my article Smith & Wesson Revolver Lesson/Quiz — What do “Pinned,” “Recessed,” and “No-Dash” mean?):

Pinned barrel S&W — note the hole and pin, upper right, on the top strap

A word about how the Victory got its name. It comes from the serial numbers used starting in 1942 and running into 1944. These started with “V.” Starting in late 1944 and continuing through 1945, Victory serial numbers began with “VS” to indicate that a positive hammer block safety system was incorporated into the design. This change was brought about when a Victory discharged after it was dropped, killing a Navy seaman.

The Victory sported the typical S&W barrel stamp

If you’ve read any of my previous articles on S&W revolvers, you know that the serial number is always stamped on the butt of the gun. The Victory is no different. Here you can clearly see the “V” forward of the lanyard ring, followed by the rest of the serial number aft of the lanyard ring:

“V” serial number, which is what gives the Victory its name

But unlike most other S&W revolvers, you’ll find other places also stamped with the serial number. This Victory has all matching numbers, and those serial number stamps can be seen on the rear of the cylinder, minus the “V”:

Rear cylinder serial number stamp, minus the “V”

The underside of the barrel once you swing the cylinder and ejector rod out of the way, this time with the “V”:

Underside barrel serial number stamp, this time with “V”

And inside the right grip panel, again without the “V”:

Grip panel serial number stamp, again without the “V”

You’ll find other numbers stamped on the Victory, just as you will all older S&W revolvers, but these have nothing to do with the revolver’s serial number. These are assembly numbers, and they were used to track the hand-fitted parts. You’ll find these assembly numbers on the yoke and the frame:

Before I turn the rest of today’s Victory photos into a photo gallery/slide show, below is an image comparing a 4-inch/102mm barrel Victory from 1944 with a 4-inch S&W Model 10-5 circa 1967 (see my article on this firearm at: Revolver Week — Military Monday with a S&W Model 10-5). Note the difference between the durable wartime “S&W Midnight Black” phosphate matte finish (similar to the lighter, gray-colored Parkerized phosphate finish) and the more refined, much more expensive, less durable, highly polished blued finish:

1944 Victory (left) and 1967 Model 10-5 — two names for the same design

Now for some more closeups of this piece of WWII military history:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Fun Photo Friday — Lüderitz Favorites

Today I present a Fun Photo Friday of Lüderitz Favorites. The week after next I return to travels, this time an extensive journey covering many destinations in Southeast Asia. But before that, next week is Smith and Wesson revolver week, featuring a World War II-era S&W Victory in .38 Special, an unusual S&W Model 36-1 with a three-inch barrel and square butt, and an S-prefix “No-Dash” S&W Model 57 from late 1968 or early 1969 in the vastly misunderstood, underrated, and relatively unknown .41 Remington Magnum.

Until then, enjoy!