wilsonblogclassic® Originally posted Friday, November 9, 2007

Call it providence, coincidence or just plain good luck, but only days after writing my story (see the 10-24-2007 entry) about my "Holy Grail" gun and after 8 1/2 years of looking I finally got the chance to buy what I had been searching for, a Smith & Wesson prewar .357 Magnum. To be honest I would have been quite happy to find one in any barrel length and finish in my price range, but to find one in my favorite configuration (3 1/2 barrel - blue finish) is just too good to be true. Given that this is a revolver that is highly collectible and also taking into consideration that only a few hundred of this barrel length were ever produced, this is a gun that I could have literally spent a lifetime trying to find. No, this S&W is not mint by any means, definitely a "shooter" grade revolver that is (like many older handguns) also missing the original grips, but the sad truth is that if this gun were in any better shape it wouldn't have even been in my price range to begin with. I have sent off for a factory history letter to find out all that I can about it. You can be sure there will be much more on this gun to follow...