New cylinder for smith and wesson

[brettb75]

I have a model 29 with terribly oversized throats and im considering getting a

new cylinder. I cant decide if it would be better to buy a model 24 cylinder, and fit

it or buy a model 28 cylinder, fit it and have it rechambered to 44 spec. Who could

fit the cylinder to my gun. I would send it to Hamilton Bowen or Clements but I

dont want to wait a year, and i dont think it would take one of them to fit a new

cylinder. I just dont want to buy a new 44 spec cylinder and wind up with the

same problem I have now. I also want to shorten the barrel to 4 inches, and a

new front sight put on. Any help would be appreciated

[deltaenterprizes]

Sell the gun and buy another. All the work you are talking about will cost as much as another gun plus what you already have in the gun.
A 4'' Model 29 should not be hard to find, they kick like a mule. I could only shoot a cylinder full out of mine.
A 3'' 696 with a round butt is a sweet shooting 44 Special.

[358wcf]

#1 on DeltaEnterprises comments above- Used 44mag should not be an expensive revolver, in most cases. It's just too much recoil and noise for many shooters-
Let's be fair- Hamilton Bowen converted my old Model 27 Smith 357 to 44Spec, doing a job that looks and shoots better than any shooter has a right to expect, and got it back to me in just SIX WEEKS- yes, high quality work like this is not cheap, but who wants cheap, especially if it takes forever? Call and speak to the man, get his take on it, and do the job- or, buy another model 29-

358wcf

[brettb75]

six weeks thats awesome, it took almost 4 months to get my 41 special back from gallagher, but its pretty sweet. Anyway he made a barrel and rechambered it. Im wanting a Nframe 44 special. Numrichs has a model 24 cylinder for 150 bucks, and i was gonna get someone to cut the barrel to 4 inches. But you have got me thinking about buying a model 27 or 28 and have it converted. Do you have any pics of your 44 special, id love to see it?

[Three44s]

Are you sure your throats are so oversized that they are "beyond" what can be accomplished through "fittament" with boolits?


And for those that think the .44 mag is just too much .......... I have just one suggestion:

Handload!

I use a load from the Hodgon's #26 manual that's just fantastic ........ RCBS 250K boolit, HS-6 powder @ 11.8 gr. and a magnum Large pistol primer.

I shoot these in my Smith Mountain Gun (it feels like a creme puff in my Redhawk and Super Redhawk).

I had women shoot this load after a brief work up to it and LIKE IT!

I like folks that hang up their large bore revolvers after being bitten on the first trip to the range ............ it makes for a target rich environment for buying them!!

Three 44s

[brettb75]

Ive never been bitten by a large caliber. I love 44 magnum. I just dont need it. I want to shoot 44 special, not magnum. The throats are way over barrel groove diameter, and it shoots terribly with any size bullet ive tried in it. I dont care if this is efficient or how much it costs. I want a 44 special N frame gun.

[sharpshooter3040]

I also think selling the gun and buying the configuration you want is more practical. Is this m-29 of the vintage P&R or a late model and what does the chamber mouth mic out to. If it is 429, 430, 431 this about right and managable. Most cast bullets drop out of the mould at about 431. What you are proposing is taking an original gun and turn it into "just a shooter" the cost of conversion plus the devaluation of the piece in my opinion is prohibitive. After the conversion the piece would be greatly devalued.

Doug

[brettb75]

Your probably right, i was just giving it some thought. The chamber throats are way oversize pin guages say they are about .4335 . Dan Lynch over at mountain molds is having the same problems out of his m-29, he has wrote several articles about it on his website. The oversize throats were the reason i was thinking of switching cylinders.

[StrawHat]

I don't think the M28 cylinder is long enough for the 44 Magnum cartridge. You would need to get a cylinder from a M57. Or just have the M29 reworked to 45 long Colt. Most of the hole is already there!

[Dan Cash]

Have a mould cut to fit the throats. Worked for me.

[45r]

I gave my 8 inch 44 with the .433 throats to my son.It shoots 240 rem HP's into little groups with 24 grains H110.It just didn't like boolits with the oversize throats.He doesn't shoot it much so the J-word loads work for him.I won't buy a revolver with oversize throats anymore.I read that Elmer used 16 to 1 lead-tin boolits and they bumped up giving good accuracy.