I have a 357 and never bothered to "slick it up" and still like it. Levers tend to slick up anyway just unloading and shooting them. About the only thing I could complain about with mine is that it does have a short stock. In the 357 its no big deal but it might be an issue in 44 mag. There are also some very blunt nosed ammo types that it does not care for but it feeds well with most. I like mine and shoot it a lot.
DEP