Originally Posted by
Dale53
Rodfac;
It is good to "see" you. again! I have to smile when your post above shows how much we still are on the same page! MY Flattop .44 Special in 5 1/2" blue and 4 5/8" SS are both TREASURED performers. I only had a trigger job done on both of mine, otherwise, no other changes mechanically needed to be done. They both meet my personal standards of under an inch at 25 yards off a rest. Plus, the .44 Special performs well in the field up to and including large whitetail deer. They are just flat practical in the field AND on the range.
The people that scoff at the .44 Special being "Special" just don't understand the historical reasons for that opinion. Back in Keith's day, and many years thereafter, the .45 Colt revolvers were the problem, not the caliber. Bad barrel and cylinder dimensions from manufacturer's, plus in the handguns of the day, the .44's had a useful amount of extra strength in the revolvers. Heavy handloads at decent levels had a much larger margin of safety due to cylinder dimensions, etc. So, as the limits were explored (and sometimes exceeded) what Keith and others were able to show us with the .44 Special was a REALLY useful amount of power that could be safely used with ACCURACY (due to much better dimensions in the revolvers of the times). When better revolvers became available and allowed other calibers, such as the .45 Colt to perform well, that did NOT obsolete the .44 Special (as so many claim) but merely added another cartridge with great possibilities. I have explored the limits with a couple of Ruger .45 Colts and Convertibles, but, still, everyone of them required reaming the cylinder throats as well as a trigger job. After that, they DO become very useful and can NOW challenge the .44 Special but that does NOT negate the .44 Special and the fellows like Keith and Skeeter that helped educate us in the early days! So THERE!
FWIW
Dale53