Colt's 357 Magnum Model was built only for a few years between 1953 and 1961, and this example, serial number 1382, left the factory in 1954. It is chambered in .357 Magnum with a 4-inch barrel. The supplier grades it very fine with 90 percent of the original blue remaining. A factory letter accompanies the gun and records shipment to the W. A. Holt Company in Waco, Texas.

The model put the .357 Magnum cartridge into a medium-frame revolver, which was a new idea at the time, and it was meant as the premium step up in Colt's line. Once the Python arrived and took that position, interest faded and the 357 Magnum Model was discontinued. That short run makes it a scarce piece for a Colt collector, and a lettered gun with a known shipping destination is the provenance collectors look for. It is a sound 4-inch .357 that could serve at the range, but its condition and paperwork argue for keeping it as a collection piece.

Key features

• Colt 357 Magnum Model, made 1954
• .357 Magnum, 4-inch barrel
• Very fine, 90 percent original blue
• Factory letter included, shipped to Waco, Texas
• Produced only 1953 to 1961

This revolver ships to the licensed FFL dealer you name at checkout, where the federal Form 4473 and background check are completed.