.357 Atomic

[KahrMan]

Picked up several guns in an estate sale.  There was a couple of oddballs in the bunch.  Not really oddballs but guns you do not see very often.

This is an early 50's Great Western Frontier single action in .357 Atomic.  The .357 Atomic is basically a .357 mag +p.  It uses the same case but is loaded a little hotter.  For a brief time it was touted as the most powerful handgun cartridge.  The .44 mag was created before atomic ammo went into production.  In mid 1954 Great Western changed the roll mark to .357 magnum and that was the end of the .357 Atomic.

 

[url=http://s196.photobucket.com/user/kahrman/media/IMG_2523_zpsomiop9q3.jpg.html][/URL]

 

[url=http://s196.photobucket.com/user/kahrman/media/IMG_2524_zpsmch7d1wy.jpg.html][/URL]

Edited May 2, 2016 by KahrMan

[xtriggerman]

Great Westerns have really shot up in value over the past few years. Iv never heard about the Atomic story. No doubt the Atomic is a hot find. If you ever wondered why you see a red blue on some guns, its due to the fact that the item was made from the lost wax casting process. As the molten steel is injected into the glass mold, trace silicon is absorbed into the steel's surface that makes contact with the mold. That frame may well have been a normal blue out of the tanks but turned red within a matter of weeks. These days there is an additive to blueing salts to retard this odd oxidation from happening.
I'v read that John Wayne had invested in Great Western at some early point. Nice find!

[bud]

.

Edited June 18, 2016 by bud

[hipower]

Those grips are awesome!

 

Well...I wouldn't say awesome. lol That steer looks like it's been into the peyote plants a bit too much.

 

However, the pistol is a great find.

[Pete123]

Nice!

[K191145]

.357 Atomic, never heard of that cartridge, is it like the old .357 Maximum?

[Pete123]

I wonder if it will shoot regular .357s and .38s.

 

HiPower may be on to something.  That steer is definitely tripping.

[KahrMan]

I wonder if it will shoot regular .357s and .38s.

 

HiPower may be on to something.  That steer is definitely tripping.

 

Yes.  It will shoot both .38 and .357 mags.

 

[URL=http://s381.photobucket.com/user/FEDE_EL_SOMALI/media/3-44.jpg.html][/URL]

 

[URL=http://s381.photobucket.com/user/FEDE_EL_SOMALI/media/1-191.jpg.html][/URL]

[KahrMan]

.357 Atomic, never heard of that cartridge, is it like the old .357 Maximum?

 

Not sure.  Not familiar with that round.

[MP5_Rizzo]

K191145, on 03 May 2016 - 12:11 AM, said:

.357 Atomic, never heard of that cartridge, is it like the old .357 Maximum?

 

 

The .357 Maximum case was lengthened 0.300 inches.  I think it evolved from the .357 super mag. wildcat.

 

.38, .357 and .357 Max. Below

 

[gunrunner32]

A lgs has a box of the .357 max on their wall of old calibers with about 20 rounds in it, they look crazy. I couldn't imagine finding that ammo anywhere now.

[quedz]

Not common, but it's out there.

 

http://ammoseek.com/ammo/357-remington-maximum

[frankmako]

nice pistol.  hard to beat old school wheel guns.