Smith & Wesson .357 Combat Magnum Pre-Model 19, 4-Inch K-Frame, High-Polish Blue (1956)
This 1956 Smith & Wesson .357 Combat Magnum is a desirable pre-Model 19 K-frame with a 4-inch heavy barrel, high-polish blue finish, and aftermarket target-style stocks. It features a pinned barrel, adjustable sights, and color case-hardened controls. Built during the first years of the Combat Magnum and associated with Bill Jordan, this example represents the configuration that later became the Model 19 in 1957.
Condition
Overall Condition: Very good condition, showing only light, superficial signs of prior handling or use.
Bore Overall Condition: Excellent - Clean, mirror finish, no signs of wear.
Bore Rifling: Excellent Rifling - Sharp lands and grooves.
Specific Condition Notes: Minor, superficial scratches and small blemishes are present.
What’s Included
- Smith & Wesson .357 Combat Magnum pre-Model 19 revolver
Produced in 1956, this pre-Model 19 Combat Magnum is an early K-frame .357 linked to the Bill Jordan-inspired concept that S&W later cataloged as the Model 19. The K-prefix serial identifies the K-frame lineage that defined the Combat Magnum series.
The 4-inch heavy, pinned barrel combines a serrated top rib with a short shrouded ejector rod for a purposeful profile. Sight regulation is handled by an adjustable rear sight and a Baughman-style ramp front sight.
Construction is carbon steel with a high-polish blued finish. The hammer is color case-hardened with a checkered spur, and the smooth-faced trigger is also case-hardened. The revolver uses a traditional DA/SA action with a six-shot fluted cylinder.
Stocks are aftermarket checkered hardwood, target-style, with a pronounced palm swell and a brass screw escutcheon; they do not have S&W medallions, complementing the K-frame balance and controllability that made the Combat Magnum a standout service and sporting revolver of its era.