Smith & Wesson Model 57 - Market Response

Market Response

Due to a number of factors the .41 Magnum unfortunately never became the "next great police loading" that its developers and supporters envisioned. First, the majority of departments and rank and file officers were perfectly content with their traditional .38 Special revolvers, and if more stopping power was needed, cartridges such as the popular .357 Magnum were available. In addition, when senior police officials could be convinced to evaluate the .41 Magnum, many complained that even the lighter .41 magnum "Police load" was unpleasant to fire, while the .357 Magnum offered adequate performance without the bruising recoil and muzzle blast associated with the .41. Also, the marketing decision by S&W and Remington to dub the cartridge a "Magnum" ended up working against them in their desire to address the law enforcement market. Police organizations found the connotation of a hi-powered "Magnum" hunting-type weapon to be unpalatable in an era when they were struggling with political correctness and pursued positive public relations to offset any possible public perception of police brutality. Although the .41 Magnum was adopted as a police departmental standard by a few cities such as Amarillo San Antonio TX, and San Francisco CA most chose to pass. In addition, introduced in the shadow of its limelight-grabbing 'big brother' the .44 Magnum Model 29, the Model 57 struggled from its onset to garner much market share. This gap widened further when Clint Eastwood used a "Most powerful hangun in the world" Model 29 in the popular film Dirty Harry. In the aftermath of the film's release, many contemporaries of the .44 Magnum, including the .41, somewhat fell out of favor with the general public and American firearms market. Finally, a series of hugely popular and successful lighter and smaller-framed revolvers crafted from stainless steel emerged in the mid 1980s. These police-issue oriented firearms, exemplified by models such as the S&W Model 66, accelerated the Model 57's demise. Overall, the Model 57 and its variants failed to generate the interest (or sales) which had been hoped for.