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

May 25, 2026 · 5:35 am

Cambodia – Siem Reap and the Golden Temple Residence

Golden Temple Residence, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Time to begin another long series on yet another lengthy trip. Over the coming months I’ll be showing you our forty-day Southeast Asia adventure, which began in Siem Reap, Cambodia via Singapore on 1 November 2025. From there we ventured on to Bangkok, Thailand, then returned to Singapore for a two-night stay before embarking on a 14-night cruise. That cruise took us to Penang and Phuket, Thailand; Hambantota and Colombo, Sri Lanka; Cochin and Goa, India; finishing up in Mumbai, India. After disembarking in Mumbai, we began an extensive 17-day exploration of India. That tour took us to Jaipur, Ranthambore, Agra, Chennai, and finally to Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) before heading back to Singapore for two nights. So, as you can see, we have quite a lot to cover here on the blog over the next several months.

But before I get to the fascinating antiquities in and around Siem Reap, Cambodia (such as Angkor Wat), I’m going to do something I seldom even consider. I’m going to show our incredible accommodations here and, on Wednesday, I’ll show you the traditional Khmer dances we enjoyed at this resort’s restaurant during their weekly dinner show. Yes, we were that impressed with this five-star resort — the Golden Temple Residence on Angkor Night Market Street near Sok San Road and almost directly across from the Golden Temple Boutique, which is another five-star resort falling under the same ownership. Not only were the accommodations superb and the restaurant wonderful, but the location was also perfect. We found ourselves less that ten minutes’ walk from Siem Reap’s Art Center Night Market and other major shopping areas.

When you arrive to the Golden Temple Residence and pass through the nondescript outer wall, you’ll stroll past the pool (above) and into the entrance leading to the main lobby:

Before we take a look at our room, let’s focus once more on that pool:

We’ll head to the restaurant in a moment, but for now it’s time to show you our fantastic room:

After visiting the room, Ursula and I headed back toward the lobby and stepped into the adjoining restaurant:

Golden Temple Residence restaurant (reception area visible through the opening on the left)

Here you’ll find a restaurant that caters to local cuisine, which you can see at this menu link. If that’s not to your liking, however, restaurants featuring more western-style foods are nearby. But when in Cambodia….

Wednesday’s article returns us to the same restaurant, but this time for a dinner show featuring traditional Khmer dances.

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Fun Firearms Friday: Smith and Wesson Revolver Week — Uncommon S&W Model 36-1

Smith and Wesson Model 36-1 in an uncommon configuration

You may have noticed over the past few years that I’ve developed a bug for older Smith and Wesson revolvers, and this week only serves to put an exclamation point on that observation. Military Monday featured a World War II S&W Victory, which was derived from the existing L-Frame S&W M&P (Military and Police). Magnum Wednesday highlighted a “no-dash” example of the S&W Model 57, an N-Frame chambered for the fascinating, versatile, and, in my opinion, underrated .41 Remington Magnum. Today’s Fun Firearm Friday belongs to an uncommonly configured S&W Model 36-1. Taking a look at the photograph above, can you see what makes this an unusual configuration? We’ll get to that in a moment, but first a bit of Model 36 History:

S&W Model 36-1; firing pin integrated into the hammer

The S&W Model 36 began life in 1950 as the “.38 Chiefs Special,” a smallish, concealable revolver with a five-chamber cylinder built on Smith’s new J-Frame. In the late 1950s, Smith and Wesson transitioned from model names to model numbers. For instance, the 1935 “Registered Magnum,” which was renamed the “.357 Magnum” in 1939, became the “Model 27” in 1957. That same year Smith and Wesson dropped the “M&P” name in favor of “Model 10,” and the “Chiefs Special” became the “Model 36.”

Model 36 was Smith’s answer to the Colt Detective Special, a compact, six-round revolver normally configured with a 2-inch/51mm barrel and a rounded butt. And there’s your clue as to what makes this particular Model 36 somewhat unique — it sports a 3-inch/76mm barrel and a square butt rather than the 36’s usual 1.875-inch/48mm barrel and round butt configuration. The stainless-steel version of the Model 37 is designated Model 60, and I acquired a “Ladysmith” version of that pistol five years ago (for my article on that revolver, see: Revolver Week — Ladies’ Day with a S&W Model 60-7 “Lady Smith”). Here’s a comparison of these Model 36/Model 60 configurations: the long-barrel/square butt variant (left) and the more common short-barrel/round butt:

J-Frames — S&W Model 36-1 (lower left) and Model 60-7 “Ladysmith”

And if the J-Frame looks familiar with a round butt and 1.875-inch barrel, you may be getting old, as in, old enough to remember the original Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980). The Model 36 was Steve McGarrett’s sidearm of choice for the first seven seasons of that series. It’s also the gun you saw being loaded during the original Five-O opening credit sequence.

S&W Model 36-1 with 3-inch barrel and square butt

The serial number on this particular Model 36-1 puts it in the 1976-1977 range, with the high number indicating to me that it was made in mid to late 1977. As with all Smith and Wesson revolvers, you’ll find the serial number stamped on the butt, and this one also has the serial number, minus the letter prefix, pressed inside the right-side wood grip panel:

Serial number also located inside the right grip panel

I’ve covered this particular Smith and Wesson anomaly before, but I’ll repeat it here for those who are new to this blog. On Smith revolvers you’ll also other stamped numbers. One, of course, is model number, including the engineering change number, on the frame beneath the cylinder crane. Looking at the photo below reveals this to be a Model 36, engineering change 1 (hence: 36-1). “No-dash” Model 36/Chief Specials were made from 1950 until 1966. Change 1 ran from 1967 through 1982, when the S&W phased out the pinned barrel. For a primer on “no dash,” “pinned,” and “recessed,” see: Smith & Wesson Revolver Lesson/Quiz — What do “Pinned,” “Recessed,” and “No-Dash” mean?

S&W model and engineering change numbers — “36-1”

But there’s another number you’ll find stamped on older S&W revolvers, and this stamp is frequently confused by novices for the serial number. It’s not. It’s the assembly number, and that was used internally by Smith to ensure matched parts stayed together during the hand fitting and assembly stages of production. About the only thing these numbers were good for once the gun left the plant is to tell you if you’re looking at an all-matching example, which is worth far more to a collector. On this Model 36 you’ll find the assembly number on the frame beneath the left-side grip panel and on the cylinder crane (also called the “yoke”) directly across from the model/change number stamp:

… with the matching assembly number on the cylinder crane

I mentioned above that Smith began transitioning away from their pinned barrels in 1982. Since this Model 36 dates to 1977, the barrel should be pinned, and it is:

S&W “pin” on the upper frame to the right of the cylinder

So, what did that pin do? And what makes a pinned S&W more valuable to collectors? On most revolvers the front sight is an integral part of the barrel, and the barrel is screwed into the frame. See the potential problem here? If the barrel is screwed in too much or too little, the front sight blade will be canted either left or right of center, which is impossible to compensate for if the revolver has a fixed rear sight. Smith solved this potential dilemma by machining a notch into the top rear of the barrel forward of the threads and drilled a hole through the upper frame. The barrel was threaded into the frame until the barrel notch aligned with the hole, at which point a pin was pressed through the hole and across the notch. Modern manufacturing processes and tolerances made this expensive added touch redundant, and it was eliminated along with Smith’s recessed cylinder chambers. But the mystique of “pinned and recessed” Smith and Wesson revolvers remains strong among collectors to this day.

Pin as seen on the left side (upper right)

If you read my article on pinned and recessed Smiths, then you know not all S&W revolvers had recessed cylinders. That costly feature was reserved for Magnum chamberings (see Monday’s article on the S&W Model 57) and rimfire models (such as this prewar S&W K22 “Outdoorsman” made on 1 September 1938: Fun Firearm Friday — Collectible 1938 Smith & Wesson K-22 ‘Outdoorsman’. Since the Model 36 only came in .38 Special, which is a non-Magnum round, this gun shouldn’t have recessed chambers, and it doesn’t:

Next week brings a new travel series. As for today, I’ll conclude this Fun Firearm Friday with this little Model 36-1 photo gallery/slide show.

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Tagged as .38 S&W Special, .38 Special, .38 SPL, Chief’s Special, collectible firearms, firearm, firearms collecting, Fun Firearms Friday, handgun, historic firearms, Model 36, Model 36-1, pinned and recessed revolvers, R. Doug Wicker, Smith & Wesson, Smith & Wesson revolvers, Smith and Wesson, Smith and Wesson revolvers

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: