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Re: New shoes for my 4\" .357
N Frame; The 4" "357" IS the gun that should HAVE been THE "Carry .357" for LEOs in the mid 1950's-NOT the S&W M-19 "Combat Magnum". But with Bill Jordan "touting" it on the old TV show,"You Asked For It",upon its introduction, "racier lines" and a much better marketing job by S&W,the M-19(after 1957 called that) became the hot seller.
Very rarely do I "flame" S&Ws here(and vice versa on the S&W Forum),but the "357" was/IS clearly a better gun!! Weight is within an ounce,and it took 10-20 years,but the M-19 and other K frame "magnums" began shooting themselves "loose". Hence,the L Frame!-and it just wasn't the introduction of 125 jhps,Super Vels etc.
Anyway,sorry for the rant! I have a 4" like yours,3 digit serial,a former P.I.s gun. He had a King Cockeyed hammer installed,and the gun has seen a lotta use/carry-BUT still as tight as the day it left Hartford in 1954!
As far as the stocks,I don't recall Colt making these a factory option,and they probably were via the "Custom Shop",later on,
IF they are Colt MADE,the escutcheon and screw should be blued and a very small diameter screw. I say this,because,it is not that hard for someone with patience to hand sand the checkering off factory Colt stocks,then restain them. Ironically,a prewar pair that had this done to them came with that 4" #357",as well as the factory full checkered target stocks(that were numbered to the gun!),but the P.I had "carved" a relief for his speed loader in these-so I sold them to a guy,along with instructions on how to adapt them to a Colt New Service.
The wood DOES NOT look like Colt with that nice "pattern",and there are plenty of aftermarkets out there-but IF it has the Colt screw/escutcheons,then it could be "factory made" later on-or checkering removed(some guys with "tender palms"-can't deal with the "rasping effect" of checkering under stout recoil!)
Nice gun,as was the .357 old model Trooper. Too bad they never sold in the amounts they deserved to,but I also give Colt a share of the blame for naturally pushing the more expensive Python!
Even though I own just as many S&Ws,and love them equally as Colts-I will never buy a K frame .357. Just wasn't strong enough for sustained .357 Magnum firing. Sort of like D frames,including the steel frames,using an exclusive diet of +Ps.
Bud /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
N Frame; The 4" "357" IS the gun that should HAVE been THE "Carry .357" for LEOs in the mid 1950's-NOT the S&W M-19 "Combat Magnum". But with Bill Jordan "touting" it on the old TV show,"You Asked For It",upon its introduction, "racier lines" and a much better marketing job by S&W,the M-19(after 1957 called that) became the hot seller.
Very rarely do I "flame" S&Ws here(and vice versa on the S&W Forum),but the "357" was/IS clearly a better gun!! Weight is within an ounce,and it took 10-20 years,but the M-19 and other K frame "magnums" began shooting themselves "loose". Hence,the L Frame!-and it just wasn't the introduction of 125 jhps,Super Vels etc.
Anyway,sorry for the rant! I have a 4" like yours,3 digit serial,a former P.I.s gun. He had a King Cockeyed hammer installed,and the gun has seen a lotta use/carry-BUT still as tight as the day it left Hartford in 1954!
As far as the stocks,I don't recall Colt making these a factory option,and they probably were via the "Custom Shop",later on,
IF they are Colt MADE,the escutcheon and screw should be blued and a very small diameter screw. I say this,because,it is not that hard for someone with patience to hand sand the checkering off factory Colt stocks,then restain them. Ironically,a prewar pair that had this done to them came with that 4" #357",as well as the factory full checkered target stocks(that were numbered to the gun!),but the P.I had "carved" a relief for his speed loader in these-so I sold them to a guy,along with instructions on how to adapt them to a Colt New Service.
The wood DOES NOT look like Colt with that nice "pattern",and there are plenty of aftermarkets out there-but IF it has the Colt screw/escutcheons,then it could be "factory made" later on-or checkering removed(some guys with "tender palms"-can't deal with the "rasping effect" of checkering under stout recoil!)
Nice gun,as was the .357 old model Trooper. Too bad they never sold in the amounts they deserved to,but I also give Colt a share of the blame for naturally pushing the more expensive Python!
Even though I own just as many S&Ws,and love them equally as Colts-I will never buy a K frame .357. Just wasn't strong enough for sustained .357 Magnum firing. Sort of like D frames,including the steel frames,using an exclusive diet of +Ps.
Bud /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
