Quote Originally Posted by Toolmaker51 View Post
My Colt treasure is a pre-Trooper, named .357 Magnum with a S/N under 200. The .357 Magnum is known as a cartridge of course, but used twice as a model number, in direct yet unimaginative advertising campaigns. The first was S&W in 1935, in N-framed hand assembled 'bespoke' customs. The bare frame was $65.00. One traded last month for $18,000 with provenance tied to a Coast Guard Officer. I just saw 2 pushing $9000.
Before we were banned from shooting such things my father had a WW1 issue Colt New Service in .455, though I preferred the over bored from .455 to .45LC cylinder N frame service revolver (with original officers name engraved the back-strap). Shot a number of .357 magnums, including King Cobra's, S&W N frame and K frames (which all suffered from cylinder/barrel bind until the spacing was redone and the barrel angle relived to create a single point of contact), still shoot .357, but only from a Mod. '94.

There are still legal revolvers in that calibre in the UK, certain Met Police units have them, and those with 'animal destruction' conditions on their firearms certificate, though most of those are modified to 2 shot only. Westlake's muzzle loading .357 is also firearm certificate legal for target shooting, based on fitting an incomplete Czech Alfa frame without cylinder with a custom UK made cylinder, the UK law prohibits modification of complete guns and only Alfa were willing to supply, so no S&W or Colt based guns can be done.