W
henthe.357Magnum
wasintroducedin
1935,itwasoffered
asthecustom“S&W
RegisteredMagnum,”andafewyears
laterColtNewService,ShootingMaster
andSingleActionArmyrevolverswere
alsochamberedinthiscaliber.Thosewereallbig,heavyrevolvers,yet
articlesaboutthe.357Magnumatthe
timewarnedofitsmassiverecoiland
muzzleblast.Tothoseshooters,itwould
havebeenunimaginablethattoday
snub.357Magnumrevolversweighing
aslittleas11.4ounces(S&W360PD)
areavailable.Smith&Wessondidoffera“compact”
RegisteredMagnumwitha3.5-inch
barrel.Thiswastheshortestbarrel
lengthofferedandwaspopularwith
lawmenasitconcealedwellunder
ajacket.WhentheN-frameS&W
.357MagnumRevolvercontinuedin
productionafterWorldWarIIastheModel27,the3.5-inchbarrelwasstill
theshortestavailable.FIRST“COMPACT”
MAGNUMS
Thefirst“compact”S&W.357revolver
thatcouldbereadilycarriedinan
ankleholsteroralargepocketwasthe
K-frameModel 19 withroundbuttand
2.5-inchbarrel.Thisversion,introduced
in1966,waspopularwithmanyfederal
agents.ItwasstandardissuefortheU.S.
SecretServiceformanyyears.Intheearly1970s,Ihadanickel2.5-
inchModel 19 thatwasanoutstanding
revolver.Itcarriedwellandwasex-
tremelyaccurateat 25 yards.Itsdouble
actionwassmoothenoughthatIcould
walkcansatdistancesbetween 25 and
50 yardsfiringdoubleaction.Isoldit
becauseIwantedsomethingelseand
haveregrettediteversince.WhenthestainlessversionoftheMod-
el19,theModel66,wasintroduced,I acquired a 4-inch one early, but had
to wait a few years to get my 2.5-
inch one. Those of you who’ve been
shooting since the 1960s and 1970s
remember when it was hard to get the
most desirable S&W revolvers without
paying a premium. When I finally got
one, I did not trade or sell it. In fact, I
still have it.COLT PYTHON SNUB
The 2.5-inch Colt Python was actually
introduced in 1964, before the S&W
Model 19 with the same barrel length
was available. I loved the 4-inch Python
and considered it an excellent choice as
a belt gun. The size and shape of the
snub Python dictated that it would be
a belt gun as well so I didn’t consider
acquiring one.However, years later when the Python
was introduced in Ultimate Stainless, I
was going to test the 4-inch version for
an article and on a whim asked for a
2.5-inch one to try as well. I took them
both to shoot at a friend’s place that was
located on the Cuivre River west of St.
Louis. Across the river on some trees
he had affixed hanging plates at ranges
of around 50 to 75 yards.Colt offered the
Python with a
2.5-inch barrel in- Though still a
good-sized revolver,
the short barrel did
allow it to conceal
better under a
jacket and clear the
holster faster. Rock
Island Auction photo
36 CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUNS • FALL 2019
“THE .357 MAGNUM...WHEN
PAIRED WITH A 3-INCH...
REVOLVER...CARRIES WELL
IN THE CITY OR WILDERNESS,
BUT WITH THE RIGHT
AMMUNITION GIVES A LOT OF
STOPPING POWER.”