Warming up to 44 Spl - we need more choices

[Slimjim9]

There's a new mid-frame 5-shot .44 Special version of an existing DA revolver in development.
Might be 2-3 months before announced, possibly sooner.

I hate a da** tease.

If that's a GP100, that would be a very cool development.

I think the problem with 44spl is you pretty much have to reload. The factory offerings are few and expensive compared to, say, 38spl.

 

[Mike Irwin]

My Model 24-3, made in 1983-84 or thereabouts.

The previous owner set it up as a bullseye gun -- unbelievably sweet single & double action trigger pulls.

 

[DPris]

Don't mean to be a tease, but the thread was here, so...
Denis

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

You could always start looking for used guns.

This very worn 44 Hand Ejector 3rd Model was the first 44 Special revolver I bought. It shipped in 1929 and was carried by an officer during WWII. May be worn, but it still shoots fine. I have since removed the very worn grips and replaced them with plastic replicas of the originals.

This 44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model shipped in 1921.

I looked for a Model 24 for a long time, but they are scarce as hen's teeth. I stopped looking for a Model 24 when I found this 44 Hand Ejector 4th Model (pre-Model 24) which shipped in 1955.

Then there is always the 44 Hand Ejector 1st Model (the Triple Lock), but they are kind of rare. This one shipped in 1915.

Ooops. Forgot this one. A 4" Model 624. A very new gun for me, it shipped in 1985. This is the way it looked when I got it, with oversized target grips.

This is the way it looked when I replaced the original grips with Magna grips. I like it much better this way.

Used revolvers may not be your cup of tea, but there are plenty of them out there. I particularly like shooting that 624.

 

[SaxonPig]

The 44 Special is a great round but was eclipsed by the 44 Magnum. It requires a large frame platform to have a 6 shot capacity and really doesn't offer a whole lot over other calibers. Shooting the 44 Special is a little romantic.

Having said that I confess to having a warm spot in my heart for the 44 Special. All Smiths.

A 3rd Model 44 shipped in 1928 in nickel with ivory stocks...

Pair of 5" 4th Model 44 Targets shipped a few months apart in 1955...

One of the 4th Models with period Target stocks shoots OK for me.

 

[jackmoser65]

Shooting the 44 Special is a little romantic.

Well put!

The .44 Special is a wonderfully balanced cartridge that does 99% of what needs doing. Unfortunately, shooters have always been impressed with velocity and so the Magnum has overshadowed it.

 

[BigBill]

I purchased the last brand new s&w M24 44spec 6 1/2" barrel in nickel my dealer had. I have no clue why I purchased it. The nickel made me do it.

 

[jumpingeezer]

I bought a Rossi 44Spec 5 shot 3" for my wife a little more than a decade ago. The little gun shot well and was reasonably accurate too. It was made in stainless steel and balanced perfectly with the 3"barrel. It was easy to conceal and was my wife's almost constant companion. Unfortunately it was "appropriated" by a family member who I declined to prosecute.

I think that a similar product by a major manufacturer might be a good seller if ammo were to be readily available.

Ammo availability was never an issue with me as I have been a reloader for over forty years.

 

[DPris]

This'n has been requested for years & it's a far piece better'n anything Taurus'sss doing.

I'm scaring up components for it right now.
I suspect it'll sell quite well.
Denis

 

[Nick_C_S]

There's a new mid-frame 5-shot .44 Special version of an existing DA revolver in development.
Might be 2-3 months before announced, possibly sooner.

Sounds great.

Too bad it won't be legal in California

 

[JERRYS.]

a few 44s, some special some magnum.

 

[pbcaster45]

My three .44 Specials; a USFA Single Action (pictured with it's 44-40 cylinder), Colt New Frontier, and a Ruger Bisley Flattop.

 

[tallball]

Jump - It sounds like a Model 720. Here is mine. It is a great shooter. I got it for $330 a couple of years ago from Gunbroker.

 

[jumpingeezer]

tallball,

Yep, that's the one. My wife's gun had the fluted cylinder and was probably just a little bit lighter than yours. She could shoot it better than her current 3" model 37 S&W 38 Special carry piece and it packed just a wee bit more punch.

We miss it, but we'll probably never see it again.

 

[jackmoser65]

pbcaster45, you are a man of impeccable taste!

 

[pbcaster45]

@jackmoser65

Thanks!

 

[UncleEd]

If through the years since the 1960s a great clamor existed for more .44 Specials, I think the manufacturers would have responded.

This is just another blip exhibited by very few gun owners and not worth
the while of manufacturers to rush into production very many more .44 Specials than are currently produced.

 

[Old Bill Dibble]

I have seen several makers of those Mare's Leg in .44mag/ special in recent years. Can't imagine they would be easy to shoot. After the S&W .500 craze died down I haven't seen much by way of big bore revolvers come out.

 

[tallball]

Jump - A 720 will show up on Gunbroker every few months or so. They made a variation with a concealed hammer and fixed sights, too. There is also a 357 version that is much more rare. It was made in 2.5". 4", and 6". It took me many months to run across one, but here is the 6" 357 version that I was finally able to get. I think it is called a Model 712.

 

[Brutus]

Don't own a .44 special but my 6" model 629 never see's many .44mags.
I reload for it with .44mag. brass to .44 special velocities. One of my most accurate revolvers and very pleasant to shoot.