While on an extended trip to the west and northwest, I stopped in Boise, Idaho and visited Cabela's to see the Elmer Keith exhibit. It was very well done, and on display were thirty of EMK's handguns and twenty-six of his rifles and shotguns. One of the guns on display was EMK's 44 Magnum, S147220, shipped to him by S&W on January 27, 1956. It is shown below.

Bill

While on an extended trip to the west and northwest, I stopped in Boise, Idaho and visited Cabela's to see the Elmer Keith exhibit. It was very well done, and on display were thirty of EMK's handguns and twenty-six of his rifles and shotguns. One of the guns on display was EMK's 44 Magnum, S147220, shipped to him by S&W on January 27, 1956. It is shown below.

Bill

Bill, thanks for sharing this interesting photo.
I'm surprised that it isn't in your collection (yet).
John

Bill, that's the grail .44 Magnum as far as I'm concerned. Thanks for going to the trouble of taking the great picture of it. It appears the hammer has been rounded off some.
Chuck

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SWCA1517 SWHF256
Rangers LTW!

Doc, I'll bet that's worth a few bucks.
Who manufactured ammo for a 44 Mag back then and what kind of loads were available?

catdad...Remington made the ammunition...240 grain flat nose bullet. By mid-1956, Peters made the ammunition for a time, 240 grain gas-check lead bullet.

Bill

Bill,
Glad you finally got there- quite a sight isn't it?

I always thought that the first .44 Mag. shipped to him became the 4 1/2" Gun Re-blue gun, per Elmer's column in the October '57 GUNS. Isn't the 147k serial number a little high considering the previous two Mags shipped?

Good shooting,

FS

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Good shooting.

Most of the early guns were in the S130000 range, but Elmer's is unique. I have S147213, an early 44 sent to Pete Kuhlhoff of Argosy for testing and an article. The 44 MAGNUM stamped on the right side of the barrel is in very small letters and numbers (the size used on the 1950 Target 44). EMK's gun, the Kuhlhoff gun, and perhaps the first 44 Magnum made are also stamped this way. I would like to know why, but probably never will.

Bill

Fascinating! There is nothing more to say.

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Dick

My copy of Handloader magazine arrived today and has an article on the Elmer Keith Museum, complete with pictures of many of his guns, including some that aren't currently on display in the museum.

For those of us who can't wait to make the pilgrimage, Handloader Magazine will have an article and photo spread in the November - December issue. Preview available here:

http://www.riflemagazine.com/magazin....cfm?magid=566

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I need ammo, not a ride.

Thanks for sharing with us Doc. It sure is a beauty.

Those tiny rollmarks are interesting. Very nice gun. I would dare to complain about the poorly fitted stocks.

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Centennial Every Day

Sir, have the hammer and trigger been modified on that gun? The hammer spur looks smaller than a regular target hammer, and I can't tell for sure from this angle, but the trigger looks rounder and thinner than a regular target trigger, as if the serrations and square edges were ground/polished away. Or is that just how the first .44 mags came?

Thanks, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

Ron...The hammer has definitely been shortened. I can't say for certain if the trigger has been modified, but Keith did prefer triggers that had been polished to round or smooth the edges. This gun may have been modified in this way also.

Bill

The Elmer display there is great, they have an animated dummy of him in his office. Push a button and it starts a spiel about his life.

m.

Thanks for sharing the pic!

Bill, Thanks for showing us another historical NT-430 .44 Magnum. Good to have you back from vacation!

Sir, thanks for the info. Interesting stuff.

Thanks again, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.