From 1935 to 1939 some 5,400 Registered Magnums were manufactured by S&W and were virtually a custom made handgun. The .357 Magnum was the most powerful handgun cartridge at the time, and this “state of the art” handgun quickly gained popularity with law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, looking for a sidearm to deliver more stopping power and popularized big game handgun hunting. Simply put, these Registered Magnums forged the legacy of the .357 Magnum cartridge. This is one of only 869 Registered Magnums manufactured with a 5 inch barrel, a popular barrel length with law enforcement. The revolver has a pinned blade front sight, an adjustable square notch rear sight, "REG 273" stamped on the inside of the frame, checkered S&W Magna grips with right panel numbered to a different gun (60634), and matching serial numbers on the butt, cylinder, and ejector shroud. Provenance: The Jon M. Maxwell Collection

Extremely fine, retaining 90% plus original blue finish with a spot of cold blue visible on right center barrel rib, a cylinder drag line, some high edge wear, numerous scratches, and some handling marks. 85% original case colors remain on the hammer and trigger. The grips are fine with some scattered handling marks and an indentation in the overall softened checkering. Mechanically excellent.