S&W model 57 41 mag

A

ammo.crafter

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I have a 6" Smith model 57 shooting 41 Specials that groups very well at indoor ranges.

Load info: cast lead bullet 215gr at 800 f/p.

Hits are approx 2" high at 15yds.

Does anyone know the number of clicks to adjust the rear sight to strike center?

Thanks
 
Seems like you would just move one click at a time until your centered. There isn't a magic number of clicks, but there are variables like your sight picture, your "hold" on the gun, trigger squeeze that will affect shot placement. I usually use some sandbags to brace against when sighting any of my handguns, I do own a nickeled 4" M-57 that shoots very spot on, if I do my part.
 
One click is about 3/8" at 50 yards.
You may not have enough adjustment to move 2" at 15 yards.
Shoot the gun, turn the screw, shoot the gun, etc.
 
Load info: cast lead bullet 215gr at 800 f/p.

Hits are approx 2" high at 15yds.
Click to expand...
Fairly mild load for a .41 mag.

Higher velocity loads will impact lower - so -you need to also take that into account.
 
Your high groups may be due to your sight picture, if you're holding the front sight covering the center of the aiming point, (& assuming you've centered in the rear sight leaf & level with the ears). This is known as a "combat" sight picture; useful for quick shots, but does not allow for real precision.

I hold with an aiming point & desired impact point at the very tip top of the front sight @ 25 yds. In other words, the bullet will impact where ever the top of the front sight is on the target. At closer ranges, the impact point will be slightly lower (less than the height of the front sight blade). This allows a dead center hold out to 75 yds or so. It also gives me greater latitude of adjustment for elevation.

S&W used to include a description of sight adjustment with each revolver. Depending on barrel length, it was ~1/4" at 25 yds. For your gun, @ 15 yds, that would mean a click adj. of ~13 clicks down. If you run out of elevation, a new sight blade, or some careful work with a fine cut mill file are your options.

HTH's Rod
 
41 spcl

Thanks Rod for good accurate useful info.

This is a .41 Spcl,. not a .41 Mag.

Obviously one could shoot, click adjust and repeat many times. I was merely curious if Smith provided general sight adjustment info.
 
This is a .41 Spcl,. not a .41 Mag.
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If I'm not mistaken - the M57 is a magnum. You might be shooting specials, but, since the gun itself would be regulated for magnum loads.
Much the same as a .357 mag using specials or .44 mag using specials.
 
Smith put out an M57 is .41 Special in 1964 and again in the 1980's too. Factory ammo was apparently loaded in .41 Mag cases.
https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_ready_for_the_41_special_040711/99136
Anyway, I think more info is needed. The actual load and where you're holding as the POA.
Starline says, 6 grains of Unique gives a "consistent" 839.75 FPS. (Dunno how they measured the .75).
There's a bunch of data here too.
http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt41spec.htm
Go here for a manual. There will be differences due to barrel length and bullet velocity, but adjusting a sight is adjusting a sight.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/customer-service/owners-manuals
 
Smith put out an M57 is .41 Special in 1964 and again in the 1980's too. Factory ammo was apparently loaded in .41 Mag cases.
Click to expand...

No, they did not. S&W has NEVER produced a gun factory chambered for the ".41 Special".

The .41 Special is a wildcat. It was talked about and some experiments along those lines were done decades before the invention of the .41 Magnum, but nothing in the way of a production gun or ammo ever came about. Various notable gun writers advocated such a class of cartridge, believing it would be superior for police work.

Don't confuse a ".41Spl" LEVEL load .41 Magnum with an actual .41 Special cartridge. Unlike the .357 Magnum and later .44 Magnum, there was NO .41Special case to develop the .41 Magnum from.

When Remington introduced the .41 Magnum the plan was to produce two distinct levels of loadings. The Magnum with a 210gr JSP/JHP bullet at 1400+fps and a "police load" with a 210gr LSWC at 950-1050fps (depending on which source you use for velocity).

Remington's screw up (in 20/20 hindsight) was to focus first on the magnum load, producing the police load only in very small amounts in the early years.

This lead to a situation where nearly all police agencies testing the S&W guns used magnum ammo (it was all they could get) and the combination of an N frame gun (which the police weren't really happy with) and only magnum ammo resulted in a combination deemed unsuitable for police use.

By the time quantities of the police load were available the police (as a group) had given the .41 Mag the thumbs down.

Note that what the old time writers wanted (their ".41 Special") is the same load class as today's .40S&W. Remington could have given them that (in the .41 mag case) but chose instead to give them the magnum level first, and that was just too much for police use.

They COULD make an actual .41 Special today, just adopt what the wildcatter's did/are doing but there is no market demand, or niche to fill, anymore.

You CAN get a .41 Special revolver today, but it is a custom thing. And so is the ammo.
 
All model 57's and model 58's were factory chambered in 41 Magnum .

Any light hand loaded 41 magnum , 215 gr. @ 800 fps is going to strike the target high .

There were two factory loadings , one with jacketed bullets at true magnum velocities 1400-1500 fps (way too hot for police use) and a lead bulleted "police load" at 900-1000 fps which was better but still a bit much for the average police officer .

No factory ammo is or has been manufactured in 41 Special . Starline makes brass marked 41 special but not loaded ammo , ammo is a DIY hanloading proposition only ... a wildcat !
Gary
41 magnum fan for a long time
 
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I though I missed something and was just about to get out S&W book. The only 41sp S&W I have come across was a custom built job on a m28. I bought a 58 when first out, Peters 41 mg ammo was all that was availed at the time. That combo was the most accurate I’ve ever had from a fixed sight gun.
 
I recall an article in a gun magazine years ago about a Colt 41 Special in the Official Police- a "41 frame". Never went into production. There was a 401 Eimer developed in 1924 by a gunsmith named Pop Eimer from Joplin, MO. using cutdown 401 Winchester Sel loading cases. Herters had a proprietary 401 Power Mag. There was also the 41 Long Colt.
Recall an article by a gun guru, he said he used feeler gauges to adjust his sights, found the distance between the different sight settings and used the gauge that corresponded to them.
 
Drm50 said:
I though I missed something and was just about to get out S&W book. The only 41sp S&W I have come across was a custom built job on a m28. I bought a 58 when first out, Peters 41 mg ammo was all that was availed at the time. That combo was the most accurate I’ve ever had from a fixed sight gun.
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I also bought a model 58 in 1967 when they started becoming available, and the accuracy also amazed me .
Fixed sights and all , it always seemed to group most loads close enough to POA for me .
All the dimensions are tight , bore, throats and chambers are perfect .
That first box of factory Remington and the small checkered service grips left my hands scraped raw. New larger grips , reloading dies and a bullet mould quickly followed and I've kept that accurate little thing all these years .... I think that first box of Remington's have been the only factory rounds fired in it ... those loads were not pleasant .
Gary
 
I’ve had a couple Colt 41 DAs, both in nice shape. Have never shot one although I have a partial box of ammo. I think the 401 Herter brass can be used to load 41 Colt but 41mg can’t.
 
Ammo crafter: In my M57 Smith as well as a Ruger OM BH with 4-5/8" bbl., I've had good luck with Lyman's 410459 bullet sized 0.411" (ACWW alloy) backed by 6.0 grains of Unique in .41 Special brass from Starline. This prescription gave me a chrono'd 922 fps with an ES of 58 from the Ruger.

IIRC, I found the load in a Taffin article on the .41 Special and bought the brass to try it out. Good load...but not any better grouping than a slightly heftier load of Unique in Magnum brass...plus you've got to scrub out the powder/lube/lead gunk that builds up in the longer Magnum length chambers.

As always: This is my load, found to be safe in my guns, research it yourself then work up if interested...

That said, I agree with the above posters: I'm not aware of a commercial .41 Special aside from custom work by a few high-end gunsmiths. 44 AMP's post says it all....

YMMv Rod
 
This is a .41 Spcl,. not a .41 Mag.

Obviously one could shoot, click adjust and repeat many times. I was merely curious if Smith provided general sight adjustment info.
Click to expand...

The best bet for you to adjust your rear sight is to turn it 4 clicks at a time till you are close to where you want it. Then just fine tune from there.

tipoc
 
Never mind - my hangover got in the way of my reading...sorry folks...I'll go sit in the corner and suffer in silence for a while..
 
It ain't rocket science.

Adjust the sights until it puts the hole where you want it.

I'd use three shot groups before each adjustment.
 
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