Skip to main content

S&W Model 58

S&W Model 58

Our friend and resident dinosaur Payton Miller over at Guns & Ammo is a revolver nut, and he bestowed on Smith & Wesson's Model 58 a great honor--calling it one of the coolest revolvers ever. Sure, the Model 29 gets all the press, thanks to the "Dirty Harry" movies, but the Model 58 holds a special place among cultish types.

For one thing, it was introduced to fire a new cartridge, the .41 Magnum, which nowadays has also been relegated to cult status. But in its day, the combination of the cartridge--brainchild of the legendary Elmer Keith--and the revolver held the promise of becoming the new gold standard for policemen.

Introduced in 1964, the Model 58 is a square-butt K frame with a heavy four-inch barrel, and for the purist, an unadorned ejector shroud. It was discontinued in 1977, but over its lifetime it was adopted by large police departments such as San Antonio and San Francisco.

Although its eventual demise would've occurred with the advent of double-action semiautos anyway, the Model 58 might also have been hurt, according to Miller, by the introduction of two .41 Magnum loads.

A service load firing a 210-grain wadcutter at 1,000 fps was tailored for the Model 58, but a load designed for the Model 57 (a sporting version of the 58 introduced the same year) spit out a 210-grain jacketed hollowpoint at a smoking 1,300 fps. At 41 ounces, the Model 58 is no shrinking violet, but a few rounds of the more powerful load out of its skimpily stocked, checkered walnut grips surely convinced more than a few people that the gun wasn't for them.

By 1993 the Model 57 had also been discontinued. The .41 Magnum lived on in the Model 657 in various guises until just a couple of years ago, and now there's a reintroduced Model 57 in S&W's Classic line. But to many revolver aficionados, none have had or will have the panache of the Model 58.




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

New CZ P-09 Nocturne

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

Smith & Wesson M&P in 5.7 and .22 Mag. Calibers

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Gear

Streamlight Updates Its Wedge Flashlight with Tail Cap Switch

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Gear

Hodgdon Adds Match and HD to Its Winchester StaBALL Powder Line

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Gear

Crossbreed Rogue Holster and System with Mag Carrier

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

Smith & Wesson Model 350 Hunting Revolver In .350 Legend

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

First Look: Taurus GX4 XL

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

A Perfect 10? The S&W M&P 10mm

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

S&W M&P Shield Plus

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

A Perfect 10? The S&W M&P 10mm

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

Beretta A1 Carry

Federal's new.30 Super Carry pistol cartridge offers the equivalent of 9mm Luger performance with recoil and muzzle blas...
Handguns

First Look: Federal .30 Super Carry Pistol Cartridge

Handguns Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Handguns App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Handguns stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Handguns subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Handguns stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use