Smith of the Week: Model 57 .41 Magnum Part Deux

Now I'm really confused. To follow up on my Smith of the Week, here's another Nickel Model 57(No Dash) .41 Magnum I just listed on gunbroker, identical to the nickel one in the previous post.

Except for one thing, the grips. It has walnut checkered target grips, vs. the smooth glossy wood grips of the other Nickel Model 57.

And I still have no idea which one is the "special oversize Goncalo Alves grips" referred to by BlueBook.

And who the heck is Goncalo Alves, and are his special oversize grips smooth or checkered? Or is Goncalo Alves a kind of wood instead a guy who makes grips? Is Goncalo Alves to Smith revolvers what Pau Ferro is to Sig Sauer pistols? Lemme ask google.

Yep, sez Wikipedia, apparently it grows in the same South American clime as Pau Ferro.

Goncalo alves is a hardwood (from the Brazilian Portuguese name, gonçalo-alves). It is sometimes referred to as zebrawood or tigerwood — names that underscore the wood’s often dramatic, contrasting color scheme, that some compare to rosewood.

So I'm guessing based on that info that the smooth grips are the Goncalo Alves and the checkered grips are the traditional S&W walnut target grips. So is BlueBook wrong about genuine Model 57s only having Goncalo Alves grips? If I have to type that name again, I'm gonna puke.

This wouldn't be the first time I've found BlueBook's info not to be all inclusive. With so many models and variations of guns made by so many manufacturers, it would have to the Blue Set of Encyclopedias to cover them all. If any of my minuscule circle of readers can help me out here, feel free to chime in. I'm definitely proving that I'm no expert on S&W .41 Magnums.

Smith of the Week: Model 57 .41 Magnum DA N-Frame Revolver

Once again it is time for, drumroll please, the Smith of the Week, in my continuing self-education program on the many and varied flavors of Smith & Wesson handguns.

This week I have a sampling of a Smith I don't own and may never own unless a rich uncle dies, the S&W Model 57 .41 Magnum N-frame double-action/single-action 6-shot revolver.

BlueBook on SMITH & WESSON : NUMBERED MODEL REVOLVERS (MODERN HAND EJECTORS)
MODEL 57
- .41 Mag. cal., N-Target frame, 6 shot, 4 (disc. 1991), 6 or 8 3/8 (disc. 1991) in. barrel, blue or nickel finish, micrometer rear sight, special oversize Goncalo Alves grips, shrouded extractor rod, "S" ser. no. prefix 1964-68, changed to "N" prefix during 1969, 44-52 oz. Mfg. 1964-1993.

The Model 57 is the upscale version of .41 Magnum by S&W with adjustable target sights, versus the Model 58 with fixed sights. And the three 57 samples I am showing, blue and nickel 4" barrel models and a blue 8-3/8" barrel one, are all "No Dash" models meaning they are among the first Model 57s made before any engineering changes.

Note that one has smooth target grips, the other checkered target grips. I have no idea which one is the "special oversize Goncalo Alves grips" referred to by BlueBook, the checkered grips or the smooth grips. I am fairly certain the Pachmayr rubber grips on the 8-3/8" barrel model are not factory grips. But seriously, I have some Pachmayr Decelerator grips I bought for my S&W 29-3 and they sure make shooting .44 Magnums a lot more fun than the factory target checkered walnut grips.

And the last one shown in a S&W 57-5 Mountain Gun, which is different from the other Model 57s by a skinnier barrel, making it lighter and easier to tote on mountain hikes where you might encounter a four-legged or two-legged creature with murderous intent.

The three "No Dash" 57s all share pinned barrels and recessed chambers which are highly prized by Smith collectors.

Exactly why someone would want a handgun which has no engineering changes, which are presumably done by the engineers to make a handgun safer and more effective, I ain't got a clue. Maybe it's the famed Winchester Model 70 syndrome, wherein after 1964 engineering changes were made to lower production costs.

Never mind that level-headed gun writers who have tested and hunted with post-'64 Model 70s all acclaim it as a more accurate shooter than the pre-'64 models.

So on that basis, and the basis of a very skinny wallet, I shall stay away from "No Dash" Smiths and purchase the less-expensive dash models, as funds allow.

Let me sum up with some numbers.

The S&W 57(No Dash) Nickel 4" barrel can be yours for a mere $995.95. The S&W 57(No Dash) Blue 4" barrel can be yours for a mere $950. The S&W 57-5 Mountain Gun 4" barrel can be yours for a mere $800. And the S&W 57(No Dash) 8-3/8" barrel can be yours for a mere $900.

On the other hand, which has five fingers, I purchased my S&W Model 29-3 .44 Magnum for a mere $450. No pinned barrel, no recessed chambers, but she shoots like a dream. Plus I can shoot .44 Specials a lot cheaper than .44 Magnum, not to mention a lot more fun.

If I should find a S&W 57 I can afford, I'd still have the problem of ammo. The cost of .41 Magnum is even higher than .44 Magnum and not as available. And there is no such thing to my knowledge of factory .41 Special ammo. I'd have to become a handloader to do that and quite frankly Scarlett, I have neither the time nor the inclination to venture into that arena, not to mention the scariest words in the English language to me being "Some Assembly Required."

I'm a tool klutz and I know it so I very seriously doubt I'll ever be a handloader. I'm not sure I want to trust somebody else's handloads but I know for sure I wouldn't trust my own life to my own handloads. One absent-minded second and Boom! Whatever happened to that Myers guy?

And even if all that's aside, I already have way too many pistol calibers I'm trying to feed, .22LR, 32 Short and Long, .32 H&R Magnum, .327 Magnum, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .357 Sig., 9mm, 10mm, .44 Special, .44 Magnum and .45 ACP. I need another pistol caliber like I need another hole in my head.