I just picked up a new toy at a reasonable price. I like it and just wondered what the general opinion was. 5 screw 44 special with a 4" barrel. It has been magnaported and coated with what I believe to be NP3. It has a red front sight insert very professionally done and a white outline blade in the rear. Target trigger and hammer. Very nice set of custom wood grips, probably HogueSerial # 163xxx. I paid $525 plus the various California extortions, it was a estate consignment. What think you? (No, I have not been able to figure out how to post a picture yet or I would.)

Um. I think we're getting bad information. Go back and look at the gun again. The serial can't be right. Either too many digits, or you've left off the letter prefix.

As far as "custom" guns go, the person who commissioned the work usually had something in mind. Its rare the subsequent buyers shared that same vision of perfection. If you do, then its great. More often, you like some features and can live with others. The good news is both on customized and reworked guns, along with engraved guns, the original buyer pays the big bucks. Those on down the line usually pay nearly nothing for the mods.

We all have different tastes. I personally don't like the three Ts all that much. I certainly wouldn't pay extra to get them (but you're not, either.) The plating is an open issue. Its costly to have put on, and if done professionally, it usually imparts both a striking look and almost ends wear and tear. Things like the sights are again options that everyone thought we had to have back in the day. We've since learned otherwise, but they're not bad, either.

Really, the question you need to answer is "why'd you want it and what are you going to do with it?" No, I can't answer that on all my guns. Even the ones I've picked up this year!
But if the modifications fit your image or your needs, its not bad at all. What you paid is probably what you'd pay for a similar or identical one with some wear. These guns aren't going to get cheaper.

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Dick Burg

My bad, that is S168xxx. I got it mostly to shoot it, plus I don't have a .44 special, and I wanted one. (Best reason as far as I am concerned.)

Sounds like a nice shooter, and a late 5 screw to boot!

Wouldn't last long "For Sale" at that price.

Good shooting.

If the mods are mods you like then you got a bargain. If you think the finish is NP# call Robar in Phoenix and give them the serial number they should be able to tell you yes or no. They are the only people who do that plating. I have an NP3 plated .45 auto that I have carried almost daily for over 15 years and have never oiled, just wiped down and reloaded and it performs like the day I got it.

Or it might be MagNaLife plating, all work done at MagNaPort.

Here are the directions for posting a photo on this forum. It's pretty easy.

https://smith-wessonforum.com/administrative-storage-area/78728-posting-photos-forum.html

Or, if you would like, e-mail them to me and I will post them for you.

Bill

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US Marine, 16 years+

Thanks Bill. I will try it tonight. If it does not work, I will email to you.

I've always believed in customizing my guns to make myself happy. Why would I deny myself that pleasure for a few more dollars in my estate? There will be a few guns sold after I'm gone that will have folks scratching their heads too.

Barrel been cut to 4"?

I would not care for the porting (on a 44 Special?) or the aftermarket finish. You don't mention the model so I assume a 4th Model Target 44? I love these but I would pass on that gun unless I got it for free so I could justify the expense of restoration.

Just my opinion. I have walked away from numerous guns modified like this.

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No life story has happy end.

I think it will make a good .44 shooter. It is not in such good condition that one would want to just tuck it away. While I am not fond of magna porting, I would like to have a .44 Special. I do not like cleaning up after shooting .44 Specials in a .44 mag chamber.

Thus, it would be handy to have around!

I confess I thought the magnaporting on the .44 special to be a bit odd, and I would certainly not pay to have it done on a gun I already owned. The lettering on the barrel is properly centered so I doubt the barrel has been shortened. I sent a photo to Bill and he said he would post it for me.

Here's the picture of Robert's gun.



Bill

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US Marine, 16 years+

Thanks for taking care of the photo. I appreciate it.

If it's an original 4" 4M, as it appears it may well be, somebody took a $3,000 gun and turned it into...

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No life story has happy end.

When the work was done, it may well have not been a $3,000 gun.

To each his own.


Cat

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Think for yourself.

It would only be a $3,000 gun if it was in original condition today.

If it was a new condition gun that was magna ported and armaloyed about 1970 or so it only would have been about a $125.00 gun with $100 worth of work done on it.

Mike Fletcher

What a great woods gun. Looks like something that I would enjoy shooting - not a "collectible" but I would not throw it out of my safe...

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Folk have all kinds of work done on their firearms.

Sometimes and at the time it is the most desirable changes to a stock product.
If everyone could see 30 or forty years down the road, we all…well you get the point.
I have a 1950 4th Target, letters as a five inch .44 Special that one of the previous owner

thought enough of to have it engraved and finished in French Grey.
If it was original finish and the same condition...well who really knows.

It suits my tastes and is a real shooter, so she’ll stay in the remuda as long as I’m still kickin’

or till one of the children /grandchildren takes a fancy to it.

Custom firearms are kinda like a suit of clothes it really just needs to fit the wearer.

Robert Walsh,
I like your custom 4” .44 Special, a good all weather sidearm. A using revolver for sure and isn’t that what they made for.

Su Amigo,
Dave

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

It is a nice looking revolver and I would think worth every bit of the money Robert paid for it. Well done Robert, enjoy it whenever you can.

D R

Thanks guys. I appreciate the thoughts.

That's a good looking gun. May not be a classic anymore, but who cares - you didn't spend that much on it. It's a working gun that should serve you well as one.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

I think you did OK on that purchase. You were looking for a good shooter 44 and that's probably what you found. When your done with it you should not have any trouble getting at least what you paid back out of it. What more can you ask?

For what it is worth, I think you did good. If it had been in my area for the same money, and I had the money, I would have bought it. As someone mentioned earlier, most people do not realize what things will be worth later down the line. I, like everyone else, have seen beautiful commercial 1911 1911A1s that someone put sites on and opened up the rear site notch. Bob in Texas

It will be interesting to see if the barrel was an original 4" when you post pics. The lettering on the side of the barrel will tell us if you can be sure it shows up well. Sounds like a nice package at a nice price. Magnaporting a 44 Special seems like overkill to me however, because I wouldn't shoot anything that hot in it.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

That is a beautiful gun for the money!!! To me "butchered' is when someone cuts off the barrel with a hacksaw and glues the sight back on...a professionally done "custom" gun is a whole other matter.

I have about the same in a Model 58. Ever since my first 58 in 1973 I've always wanted one that had a bobbed hammer, smooth trigger and super action job, Mag-Na-Port...just the whole works... But never would spend the money.

A few year ago my "dream" gun appeared on AuctionArms and I was the only bidder at $600.00. At the time a mint 58 blue with no box was bringing $850+-....the work would have cost $500+... This had been a mint didn't even look fired gun that someone had done all of the above to.... After getting the gun I called the shop from where it came and asked if the knew who had done the work... Turns out they had five years before. The customer had the work done...had it for five years...never shot it and traded it back in for cash for Christmas...

Bob

Thank goodness we will be able to see a range report, since it doesn't have to be hidden away in a "safe" to never see the beauty of sunshine and feel fresh air. :-)

I like your revolver and hope you really enjoy it, live at the range or out in the pasture.

rayb

I will be taking it out almost certainly this week. I will let you know how it shoots.

encounter some dark and lonely night in a parking lot, but if you did need to, you will have a dern fine tool to protect your life with.

Got a nice little stock 4" S&W mod 29 in .44mag, a lil S&W 36 Chiefs in .38spec & a Colt 1911A1 C series in .45 ACP that we keep handy when the need to carry arises.

Enjoy it, but if you ever find another correct barrel for it, buy it and throw it back in the safe in case you would ever want to restore it.If you like it, and the Magnaporting helps tame recoil for you, GREAT.

My late brother took a Model 1917 Enfield in .30-06 & turned it into a neat little carbine years ago for farm use, who ever knew that the dern things would skyrocket in value 20 years later, same goes for your lil S&W.


Be safe, enjoy life

da gimp

OFC, Mo. Chapter

NRA life/endowment

A very nice shooter! I would have snapped that one up in a heartbeat!

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Stay safe people!

I took it out today and put about 200 rounds of assorted commercial and hand loads through it. At an indoor range I do notice the magnaport flash in the lower light. It wasn't distracting, but I did notice it. The loads I was shooting were modest and generic with Unique so they were a bit dirty, but it didn't spit or do anything that would make me thing I got a clunker. As with most decent weapons, it shot much better than I can hold. I am a happy camper.

Thanks for the input and kind thoughts people.

That's a nice gun. Its not original, mint, in the box, with a hand written note from Daniel Wesson and Santa Claus- so what?! Still a neat classic that someone updated to 1980s carry specs. It looks like a Mag-na-Port gun, as they did a lot of conversions like that back then, but its harrd to tell. If they did it, its probably hard chrome, not NP3. They did good work. I've looked at several of their guns and they were well done. Of course it could be some unknown quality gunsmith performed all the work and sent it to Mag-na-Port. I'd check with them. Cool gat anyway!
Modern factory loads generally have flash retardants. Use those if the flash bothers you. You can still see the flames out the side at night but if you're concentrating on your front sight, you won't hardly notice. Mag-na-Porting works as advertised for cutting felt recoil, but like most types of porting, it works better with high pressure rounds.
Shoot and enjoy it!!!