I THOUGHT FOR MY 2000TH POST THAT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO POST A 4 INCH PRE WAR HD. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE PRE WAR 4 INCH HDS? ON JAN 14 1935 HAROLD WESSON ORDERED THE MANUFACTURE OF 100 4 INCH BARRELS FOR THE 38/44 HEAVY DUTY. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE WERE 37EA 4 INCH HEAVY DUTIES MANUFACTURED/SHIPPED. I WOULD SURMISE THAT ALL 100 BARRELS WERE USED BEFORE THE WAR AND THAT ADDITIONAL BARRELS WERE MADE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF TRANSITION HEAVY DUTIES WITH 4 INCH BARRELS. THE 4 INCH BARREL LENGTH WAS NOT CATALOGED UNTIL THE 1940 CATALOG EVEN THOUGH IT WAS AVAILABLE AS A SPECIAL ORDER ITEM. POST WAR TRANSITION BARRELS ARE MANUFACTURED LIKE THE PRE WAR WITH THE LARGE KNOB CUT OUT IN THE EJECTOR HOUSING. I HAVE ONLY SEEN ONE 4 INCH PRE WAR WITH SERVICE GRIPS AS ALL THE OTHERS I'VE SEEN ARE FROM THE PERIOD OF MAGNA GRIPS LIKE THE ONE IN THE PICTURES BELOW. THE GUN BELOW, SERIAL NUMBER 55407, WAS SHIPPED 20 SEPTEMBER 1938, TO OKLAHOMA CITY HARDWARE CO, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. THERE WERE 2 GUNS IN THE SHIPMENT. ALL NUMBERS MATCH INCLUDING THE GRIPS. I COULD IMAGINE SOMEONE LIKE JELLY BRYCE USING ONE OF THESE EVERY DAY! ENJOY!
BILL

Bill, What a georgeous revolver! Congrats and thanks for sharing the pic. Regards, Jery

Great gun, Bill, love the history lesson.
Thanks for sharing.

Beautiful piece!

Thanks for sharing.

MOONDAWG

Bill great gun and great shipping location too.Thanks for taking the time to post it. If you are not doing anthing this weekend drive up to Little Rock, the Arkansas Gun and Cartridge Collectors show is this weekend.

Hey Bill, all I see is a box with a red x where the 4" nickel gun is supposed to be. Got any idea why that is?

Bill...very nice HD.

Bill

Bill that's some gun. Great choice for your 2000th post.

Looking good Bill.

Want to trade it for a 5" ??!! hahahah

SUPER NICE GUN!

Bill,
A neat piece and a fine history lesson, as well!
Don

Thanks to all. This is the very first HD I ever bought and found it in a pawn shop in Topeka Kansas in 1979. Thanks to Dick's prodding, I must add that they made a least one 4 inch pre war in Nickel! I hope he will send me his nickel 4" 3d model so I can have the barrel and cylinder sleeved to .38!
If you know of where a 4" nickel pre war HD is, please let me know!
Thanks again,
Bill

My 3rd is a 4" target. It wouldn't please you because even if you sleeved it, you'd just have a 4" Outdoorsman, not the HD you need. Of course nickel Outdoorsman are scarce, to say the least.

If it gives you any comfort, I'm looking for you. I go to a fair number of tiny shows where folks drag in all kind of dresser drawer stuff. I fear thats where one will eventually turn up. Probably mis labeled as a pre M10.

Dick,
We can always take the sights off! I appreciate you looking. Why don't you take a trip next month to Tulsa and join us-we'd love to have you!
Thanks again,
Bill

Bill,
How many of these pre-war 4" HD's have you accounted for so far from the database? Also, curious to know how many of the post war 4" transition HD's you believe were produced.
Larry