i don,t know, i bought them at a gun show for 15.00. i replaced the factory grips as i prefer smooth grips.
i don,t know, i bought them at a gun show for 15.00. i replaced the factory grips as i prefer smooth grips.
The first thing I did with my 4” was have it round-butted and an action job.
Unfortunately, after multiple trips to the gunsmith over the years for endshake and finally Power shims, it’s got a .011 B-C gap.
All this has occurred with a round-count of about 3,000, none of them Elmer bombs.
About the only thing left to do is have the barrel set back. I love the gun, but given its track record, I’m not inclined to spend the money only to end up with an expensive paperweight after another 3K rounds.
eastbank
Animals up to deer sized in that ton of animals taken with the 44 SPL?
Amendments
The Second there to protect the First!
This is pretty good advice. My 629 has had less that 50 full snort 44 magnum loads through it. My everyday carry/target/plink/fun whatever load is 16.6 grs of 2400 and a 429421 for 1000fps in the 4" barrel. You can use 44 mag brass just don't mash the gas as hard. On the other hand, I completely understand the lust for a 44 spl as I have 3 and love them. That thin barrel and short case just calls to us 44 guys.....especially since you can shoot it accurately without all the bluster of a magnum. Model 28's are not a freebie anymore so you could probably sell yours, if you have one and buy a 44 spl cheaper than a conversion. IF----you decided to do a conversion, remember it will probably never be worth what a real S&W 44 spl brings.
IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!
A well done M-28 .44 or .45 will bring a good price but one documented to being done by a top smith will bring a pretty penny. I have a large pile of parts put away for builds I meant to have done that will probably never be used by me. Maybe my grand boys will use them someday........
K frames will only work for .44 with an oversized custom 5 shot cylinder and an L frame with a 696 cylinder works better. The L frame can be made into a .41spl 6 shot a lot easier. That is one in my avatar. When it was built there were a lot of police trade ins and the market was a lot better for a cheap donor gun.......
Converting S&W DA revolvers and Ruger SA revolvers to 44 Special was done back in the day, because used 44 Special revolvers were not common items on the used market and new ones were limited special runs if made at all. The 44 Magnum pretty much killed off the 44 Special. Today 44 Special revolvers are plentiful and common and it makes no sense to convert another revolver to a now common caliber. It is a waste of money and some kind of gun sin to desecrate a fine old Smith 28. They don't make those anymore.
Disclaimer: The above is not holy writ. It is just my opinion based on my experience and knowledge. Your mileage may vary.
Last edited by ddixie884; 09-17-2021 at 11:01 PM.
I can well understand your wanting to have a 44 special. On the S&W forum the 44 special has an almost cult following. have a 24-3 with the 3" bbl,24-3 with the 4" bbl and a 624 with the 6.5" bbl. Even with Winchester's 200 grain Silvertip hollow point loading in the 624 it's like shooting a 38 special. While S&W only made so many 24-3's with the 3" bbl, 4" bbl and 6.5" bbl and the same for the 624's in the same barrel lengths, they do not seem to come up for sale all that often. And when they do,they seem to command a good price when they do. I guess you'd have to check around with some of the custom pistolsmiths to see what they would charge for such a conversion. I don't imagine they would have S&W barrels and cylinders sitting on the shelf. I guess you could put a want to buy ad on the S&W forum regarding a complete 44 special cylinder and barrel and see where that takes you. Best of luck whatever you decide which way to go. Conversion or luck out and find either 24-3 or 624 series. Frank
I looked into reboring my 5 inch M27 to .44 Special but decided against it. Instead I rebored an Original larger frame Ruger Vaquero to .44 Special with a .44 Magnum barrel swap. A much cheaper option. With a Keith bullet and 7.5 gn of Unique it does feel like a .38 Special.
Last edited by fn1889m; 09-19-2021 at 10:22 AM.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |