Do you own one of these S&W's?

B

BillCA

New member
Do you own any of the following S&W Revolvers?

S&W Model 042 - (not model 42 or 442) - .38 Special Centennial, blued 2".
S&W Model 032 - 32 Magnum Centennial Airweight (aka Model 632).
S&W Model 16 - K-32 Reintroduction (last model) in .32 H&R Magnum.
S&W Model 631 - .32 Magnum Target
S&W Model 632 - .32 Magnum Centennial
S&W Model 58 - M&P version of the .41 Magnum
S&W Model 696 - .44 Special 5-Shot L-Frame

If so, the questions are:
A) Which model(s) do you own.
B) How much have you fired your gun(s) and how do you like it (them)?
C) Are you interested in selling/trading?

As you might guess, I like both the .32 Magnum and the .41 Magnum wheelguns. These are guns I'd like to find for my growing collection.

Thanks for your time.
 
Yes, an 042.

Yes, a 58.

I've fired probably 1,000 rounds through the 042. It's a great little gun, but is an airweight so the recoil can be kind of vicious with hotter defensive loads. It's my regular carry gun most of the year, stoked with either 125-gr. +P Fed. Nyclads or 125-gr. +P Gold Dots.


I've fired probably a similar number of rounds through the 58, maybe 200 Remington factory 210-gr. JSPs, the rest my handloads, primarily 215-gr. LSWCs. Another great gun that does wonders on steel plates or bowling pins.

I paid roughly $300 for each one.

Neither is up for sale or trade, nor will they ever be. Sorry.
 
I have a 58 I bought about 20 years ago. Typical N frame Smith it works fine. You might try AuctionArms.com or GunBroker.com for guns being auctioned or GunsAmerica.com to find guns for sale.
 
Mike,

Thanks for the feedback. I had a Model 58 (and 57) stolen last September so I know what great gun/caliber these guns are. I had a handload of a 220gr LSWC pushed out to (an advertised) 925fps that was accurate and mild of recoil. Just recently picked up a NIB M-57 and am casting about for anyone who might want to "unload" their M58 that's taking up room in safe.

I just today bought an S&W 042 - like new, probably unfired. No box or papers and I suspect it was a widow selling off a husband's gun. Nice light companion to go with my 649. My local dealer had a 1/2 price sale on the Federal 110gr Hydra-Shoks (standard pressure) that I'll use to test out the gun. My preference is for 125gr JHPs or the Winchester 130gr SXTs at the moment. The 042 will be a good carry gun but see little use once I find the right load for it.

Thanks for letting me know of yet another .41 Mag fan. :D
 
Yes, I have a 696.

I "fell into" one for $200. I've got about 400 rounds through it to date. The more I shoot it, the more I like it. Now I have a goodly amount of brass, bullets, and .44 Special reloading dies.

No, I'm not interested in selling or trading it. ;)

696altamontleft1.jpg
 
A M16-3, but the .32SW Long not the .32mag model. Great shooter. Accurate, low recoiling. Are somewhat hard to find (only 3600 or so were made in almost 30 years compared to the almost 9000 of the .32mag models made in 3 years). Not for sale.

No 58, but several 57 and 657. I prefer adjustable sights.

A M696 (no dash). Amazingly accurate and strong (+P rated so warm handloads are feasable) medium frame .44. Quite comfortable shooting standard pressure loads. Not for sale.
 
I have the Model 16 .32 H&R Magnum. I have had it for several years and shoot it regularly. Probably 2000 rounds a year. It's pretty cheap shooting too at 2gr W 231 driving a 98gr BNWC. The trigger is perfect. I did modify it from a Target trigger to a Combat trigger so I could shoot it in the FBI Combat match. 6in barrel and Davis grips. I don't have any gun I like shooting more. Only gripes are:- can't get jetloaders for it and you need to be careful loading the ammo (on my Square Deal anyhow) cases don't have a very big lip and can tilt.
I might sell it one day - but since I'm in Australia there are problems selling into America.
I hope you find one they are like hens teeth here.
 
Blue Heeler,

Glad to hear you have a Model 16 and are enjoying it. I've found that the .32 is a joy to shoot because of the low recoil and accuracy the round provides. The Magnum will work for self defense as well as a small game round. I'm still kicking myself for not buying one years ago when they first showed up!
 
.41 Mag Fans

Anyone with a .41 Mag have a favorite load for self defense?

For self defense I'm using 175gr Silvertips but in the past I used to load 215gr SWCs at around 950fps or 220gr SWCs at 925fps. It gave the impression that it would be like shooting someone with a fence post.
 
Bill,
I carry my Model 58 quite a bit. I carry the Speer Gold Dot Hollow Points in 210 grain in it. Recoil and Flash aren't bad, lots better than a .44 mag.

Jungle Work
 
I've got a ported 696. I picked up this gunshop dust collector for $325 about ten years ago. It eats up soda cans at 75yds off a rest. Smoothest DA trigger pull I've ever felt. I've got maybe 1000rds through it. I'ts definitely not for sale!

Ty
 
Gewehr98,

When I look at that 696 all I can do is drool! ;) Nice gun. I'm looking for one of these in the PRK (kalifornia) so I may have to wait a while.

Jungle Work: The M58 is a tad big CCW isn't it? I haven't tried the new 210gr Gold Dots, how are they accuracy wise? Speer has never impressed me with their accuracy while Winchester Super-X or Federal Premium usually get my business for accurate loads.

I'm surprised by the number of .41 Mag fans around on this board. It seems to be that .41 Mag fans quite often also have a .32 Caliber gun in addition to the "common" calibers. Perhaps it has something to do with being unique?
 
Bill, I've got a 696 no dash with Ahrends grips on it. It is one of my favorite revolvers. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to shoot, and to shoot well. I'm not sure that it does anything a 3 inch 686, 66, or 629 does'nt do but I do find myself grabbing it more often that most others for "just because" reasons. Sorry, not for sale.
 
696 no dash

Great revolver. Find I like it better than my LH 624 3" even though 1 round less. Factory ammo's not cheap and I've no time to reload are the only downsides. All that said...it's a keeper. Just feels right and shoots great.
Not for sale or trade. ;)
 
Bill,
I have found the Speer GDHP 210gr rounds to be more accurate than I am.
I'm just an average shot with a pistol and at 15-25 yards I can keep the the Speer rounds in a two to three inch group if I'm shooting from a rest. Not a bad round for self defense. I do like big flat rounds also. I like WW 148grn WC for my J Frames with 1 7/8 inch barrels. Most will not expand from those short barrels and the flat nosed slug will do more than a RN or HP that doesn't expand.
Speer has some +Ps that might be decent, but I haven't tried them yet. In the three and four inch .38 sepcials I like the FBI load. In .357mags I like the 135 to 158 grn loads in +P Velocities. My first ten years in LE I carried a Smith Model 29 with a four inch barrel. I carried the Remington 240grn Mid Velocity Lead in the gun and two speed loaders of 240 JSP and another speed loader of 240grn Lead. I can vouch for the effectiveness of the 240grn lead on folks.

I carry N Frames some in the winter, when I'm wearning a coat or jacket. Kinda hard to conceal in the summer in a T-Shirt. Or I carry it in a jock holster when I wear my Speedos and I want to impress the girls.

Jungle Work
 
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I bought a Model 58 a couple years ago. It is about the 600th one produced. I was _planning_ to make it a serious working gun until it came and I really looked at it. It has the original numbered grips. It doesn't look like it has spent any time in a holster. It has a cylinder line but not much else. So I've actually only fired it on two different occasions, about 12 rounds each time. I hate it when I buy a gun that is worth too much to shoot! The darn things just keep going up in price on the various aution sites. I've _thought_ about putting it on gunbroker or something but I wanted one for a couple years before I finally found a nice one. They are just such neat guns. More compact than you would think. And that really cool flat/non-glare treatment all along the top surfaces.

Here it is next to my four inch M57.

Gregg

57_58_2.jpg
 
tulsamal,

Nice pair of .41s -- and nice wood on the M57 too!

I had this similar set up - a pair of 4" .41's and loved the Model 58. Trigger was slick as butter. Bought mine in about 1977 for $125 which included a Tex Shoemaker holster and a box of ammo!

For a carry gun, I've thought about taking a newer 657 and having the barrel bobbed to 3.5", the rear sights replaced with a low profile type and return the front sight to a simple ramp style, then have a fine beadblast job done to it. But that'd be just as expensive as finding a M-58 and carrying it!
 
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