This .357 Registered Magnum (reg. no. 2968) has an extremely rare factory documented 4 1/4 inch barrel. Common barrel lengths for this model were 3 1/2, 4, 5, 6 1/2, and 8 3/4 inches. Short barrel lengths were popular with law enforcement, as clearly proven on this example as it was ordered by Newberry County, South Carolina Sheriff Tom N. Fellers. The accompanying factory letter shows the revolver was ordered by Sheriff Tom M. Fellers of Newberry County, South Carolina, and shipped on September 29, 1937 to Lominack's Hardware Co., of Newberry South Carolina with a 4 1/4 inch barrel, Call gold bead front sight, square notch rear sight, blue finish, grip adapter, and checkered walnut grips. The accompanying Monroe Hardware Co., Inc. purchase order and S&W invoice confirm the 4 1/4 inch barrel and indicate that this revolver is one of two .357 Magnums procured by the Newberry County Sheriff's department on this order. The second revolver (reg. no. 2969) had a 3 1/2 inch barrel and was for a deputy sheriff. Tom Fellers was a World War I veteran and sheriff of Newberry County from 1936-1944 and from 1948-1968. He died in 1980 at the age of 85. The S&W order form for both revolvers are included, and again the 4 1/4 inch barrel is confirmed. The butt has a S&W factory rework star, and the grip frame has the S&W factory September 1945 ("9.45") return date. The grip frame is also stamped "DTC 9.07" and confirms refinish and restoration by the noted S&W restorer David T. Chicoine of Gastonia, North Carolina, in September 2007. The right grip panel is numbered to a different gun. The matching serial number is on the butt, cylinder, and ejector shroud. Provenance: The Dave Ballantyne Collection

Very fine, retaining 99% plus of the professionally reapplied blue finish with very limited light handling marks. The grips are also very fine with a tiny surface chip near the top (right panel), some minor handling marks, and overall crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent.