I bought a 624 no dash 6.5" .44 Special. I did some research on the 624 and found some recalls were made because of issues with the cylinder. Some said that there were heat treatment issues and one post quoted Roy Jinks as saying that there were no heat treatment issues but that some would chamber a .44 Mag, and that there were no problems as long as you shoot .44 Special.

This one has a Serial number AHBxxxx which indicates that it was made in 1985. The inside of the grips is stamped May 1985.

I am interesting in any comments forum members have on the issue.



Photo Canon T1i mounted on a tripod 18mm f/16 ISO 100 5 sec exposure no flash room is lighted by 6500K CFL's

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Corripe Cervisiam

I wouldn't shoot 44Mag through it but I wouldn't worry about swapping cylinders or anything like that.

So will yours' chamber .44 mags? If you have the original box and it has a red circled "C" on it then it has been checked. Calling S&W with the serial number seems to be hit or miss rather or not the person knows of the recall. They will send a pick up tag for your gun if it falls into the range but the downside is that there are no .44 special cylinders, and if your gun doesn't meet specs they won't return it, just offer you a replacement. There was more info in the sticky FAQs' (notable threads) at the top of the page on this.

There was no mention in the FAQ about the 624 allowing it to chamber a .44 Mag.

I have no intention of returning the 624 to S&W. I plan to shoot my own .44 Special reloads in it. They range from 850 to 1000 fps with most being in the 850 range.

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Corripe Cervisiam

Somewhere on the Forum (or Internet) there is a copy of the factory recall notice, which specified the problem with the steel and the range of SNs potentially affected. Sorry I can't find it at this moment.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

That is a beautiful revolver you have there and I would not worry about shooting your specified loads in it. I do not know the real specifics about the recall but I know there was one supposedly for the cylinder heat-treating. I would not worry too much. I guess I would make a call to S&W to see if it was in the recall but, I, personally would not send it back as they definitely would keep the revolver rather than sending it back to you if it was found to have a bad cylinder.

By the way, I have one of these too and they were only made a couple of years and are hard to find.

These pistols are highly accurate & a pure joy to shoot. I only shoot wadcutters in mine & it will stack them on top of each other.

It chambers Federal .44 Mags. I have also put some .44 Mag reloads in the chamber and they will chamber with less than 1/16" left. I can then press them in with little effort.

I will check the cartridge length before I load them again. I shoot the reloads in a variety of revolvers including a 10 1/2" Super Blackhawk and a 6 1/2" 629-5.

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Corripe Cervisiam

A suprising number of S&W 44 special revolvers may be able to chamber 44 mags, especially loads that used min length brass and short light jacketed bullets.

I am not sure which way the wind is blowing in this thread but I would NOT shoot 44 mags in this gun. Whether they fit or not. It was designed for 44 Special. Period

I think someone is misquoting Mr. Jinks. I've posted the recall as it ran in 1985 in Shooting Times magazine. It involved model 624 "AND" model 629 revolvers, this seems to be passed over quite a bit when the recall is discussed. What I was told over the years on the phone and in emails when inquiring about 624s that I own is that the box on checked revolvers are marked with a Red stamp, the guns are not marked in any way that they have passed the recall. Any letters, numbers or symbols on these guns were put there during manufacturing, not the recall. It seems silly that the factory would take the time to check the guns and not mark them but that is exactly what they have done.
Also included is a recall notice from the magazine that I pulled off the forum for reference, I have since found the original of this recall for my records, Bruce was who had posted it on the forum.




My favorite 624


Keith

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kbgrips.com

Your AHB number is in the recall range.

2006 post from the Smith Forum


624/629 Cylinder Recall

The Skeeter Skelton article in the October 1985 issue of Shooting Times magazine stated: "A steel supplier has just advised Smith & Wesson that they shipped a very small quantity of incorrect stainless steel material (11 bars) to us that was not in accordance with their certifications. The incorrect material was used in the cylinders for some large-frame stainless-steel revolvers, Model Numbers 624 (.44 Special) and 629 (.44 Magnum). The approximately 500 units containing this material were shipped from Smith & Wesson between January 1, 1985 and June 8, 1985. They would be included in the following ranges of serial numbers: ADXXXXX, AEXXXXX, AFXXXXX, AGXXXXX, AHXXXXX, ALVXXXX, N910000 thru N953000."

Skeeter goes on to say that the bad cylinder steel caused the recall of about 21,000 guns to find 500 with improper steel.

Today, Kate Fredette of Smith & Wesson basically confirmed this same info. The serial number range includes:

ADXXXX
AEXXXX
AFXXXX
AGXXXX
AHXXXX
ALVXXX (the “V” is not a typo)
N910000 thru N953000

Recalled guns were shipped between Jan 1, 1985 and June 8, 1985 only. The cylinder has to be checked on these handguns and the only way to know is by checking the full serial number against their records. The problem involves 500 guns shipped during that period.

If a handgun in the recalled range has already been returned to the factory for testing, a red letter “C” that is circled will be stamped on the box label, indicating that the gun passed re-inspection. No marks are made on the cylinder of checked guns, only the red “C” in the circle stamped on the box label.

If your gun is within this range and you do not have a box or know for certain that it has been tested, you should contact Smith & Wesson. S&W’s records prior to 1986 are not computerized, so it takes them a l ittle longer to look up the particulars.

You can E-mail your gun’s serial number to: [email protected]. S&W will contact you regarding the status of your particular gun. If your gun is included in the recall, you'll be sent a prepaid FedEx label and shipping instructions. While E-mail is best, you may also call S&W Customer Support at 1-800-331-0852.

Recalled cylinders are tested by magnafluxing. If your recalled gun does fail, there are no replacement cylinders. S&W will keep your gun and you will be offered the choice of another handgun of equal value or a refund.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I emailed [email protected]. I will post the response.

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Corripe Cervisiam

I have all 3 624's and a 629-1 from that era. All were marked
with the red circle C. I have never tried to put a magnum shell
in a special. An unsafe practice.
Oddly enough the 6.5" 624 does not shoot as well as the 4"
which is a dream. It has timing issues as well. I have always
thought about sending it to one of the major revolver guys to
have it made into a 5". Even the 3" shoots better.
Hope yours was not made on Monday



My favorite 624:



The 6.5":



---
Nemo

Whatever the problems, those are beautiful revolvers!

I feel a new quest coming on! LOL!

I took some photos with the grips off. Can anyone tell me what these markings are?

__________________
Corripe Cervisiam

NEMO288 what is the height of the fiber optic front sight?

I have seen them in either .250 or .300

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Corripe Cervisiam

The 5 digit number on the left side is a factory assembly match # that is also on the inside of the sideplate and on the yoke opposite the serial #. It's used to get the parts of the gun back together again when they are separated during production. These have been used from the very earliest at the factory.

The other stampings are inspectors' approval marks as it goes thru various stages of production/inspection. Yet other stamps are code numbers that identify the frame for various things, i.e., to be assembled as a 44 Spl, an N frame, etc. I believe the 'S' means stainless since the stainless guns and carbon steel guns are indistinguishable before bluing and a SS gun would need all SS parts fitted to it.

Thru the years these marks changed quite a bit but current revolvers seem to have more marks than ever before which probably add to production efficiency and accuracy.

Maybe an expert who may know more will comment in more detail.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

It's a .300 but .250 might actually work better as I have the
rear sight jacked up about all the way. The original sight
was .300 but moving the aiming point back most of an inch
seems to have raised the rear sight even more. I would get a
.250 if I had to do it all over again.
The gap between the frame and the bottom of the rear sight
is .080. A .250 would reduce that to .030.

...Nemo...

The markings on my 6.5" 624 are thus:



...Nemo...

I went through this process 2 years ago with a 3" 624. To reiterate what Keith Brown and Hondo44 have reported there are no markings on the gun to indicate whether or not it was inspected. I sent my 3" 624 back to S&W and received it back with a letter that gave it a clean bill of health.

I also bought a 4" 624 that had the red letter "C" on the end label. Inside the box was a letter sent to original purchasers advising them of the recall.

Here is a link to the thread that discusses the issue and has a copy of the original recall letter.

624/629 Recall Notice

I was 17 and had just been shooting the dickens (all Summer) out of my 629-1 (serial AHF####) which had recently been bought for my HS graduation present, when my gun/shooting/reloading mentor told me about the recall in 1985. I was the saddest 17-yr-old possible when we had to ship my newest most-treasured possession back to the factory. I was going through serious withdrawals! Funny thing is that back then I had more exuberrance than sense and had shot a thousand or two very hot loads with 2400 and the Thompson GC SWC through it, so I already knew it would pass the magnaflux....

Every time I see that 624 my knees get weak

Thanks for the info. I will get the .250

__________________
Corripe Cervisiam

Mine too!

...Nemo...

removed PC

I checked the cylinder length of me 624 and it is correct. I was wondering if I had a 629 that was marked wrong. The .44 Mag ammo that I tried was Federal, not reloads.

As I said in a previous post, I will only put my own reloads in it.

__________________
Corripe Cervisiam

Just checked both of my 624's. One each 4 inch & 6 inch.

Both are in the recall range. Both chamber factory .44 magnum ammo.

I'm not returning them. I don't want them replaced with anything S&W currently offers.

A bit disgusted with them for refusing to make proper replacement cylinders for these guns. Dittos regarding the grossly oversize throated 25-2 & 25-5 guns of which I also have several.

I have always and will always shoot .44 special rounds in them. However, I am planning on loading some hot .44 special level in .44 magnum brass just for these two guns. Will label them my .44 special magnums! See if the full length brass improves accuracy.

I did some checking on my 624 that I just started loading for.

I didn't have any .44 Special brass so I cut down .44 Magnum in my lathe. My 624 also *almost* chambers a roll crimped .44 Magnum round, except for about .050", about what the OP found on his 624 with his handloads.

I trimmed some brass to 1.160" (max SAAMI spec) and loaded a few. I fired one, and that piece of brass still had some of its roll crimp and would not anywhere near accept a bullet. Upon further review, 1.160" is slightly too long for this gun. It chambers fine *if* the cartridge is roll crimped, but the end of the case resides in the tapered part of the chamber, and when the gun is fired there isn't room for the cartridge walls to expand at the mouth. This will likely raise pressures and also size a cast bullet down.

I did some careful measuring, and this gun needs 1.130" case length to give me .010" clearance between the end of the case and the start of the tapered portion of the chamber.

I should have checked my trimmed cases by dropping a few into the cylinder before roll crimping them. A 1.160" case, if gently lowered into the cylinder, will not drop all the way in. It lacks about .020" from seating fully. The 1.130" cases all drop in under their own weight.

So it'll be 1.130" for this gun.

I just measured some of the newer Starline 44 special cases
and as fired they come out to 1.145". They seem to go right
to the end of the cylindrical portion of the chamber and not enter
the tapered part. I don't see any crimp left at all.
This is in a 6.5" 624 (1985).
And, yeah, a Magnum round just about goes all the way in but
not quite. The cylinder won't close all the way.

I am finding I like the Starline cases. They are a little thicker
than some at the base and taper to the cylindrical part where
the bullet resides. This seems to be the case in all their 44 flavors
from Special to Supermag.
A lot of other brands are true cylinders and potentially not as
strong. You can get Starline in both brass and nickel.

...Nemo...

They might be using the same extrusion for all three calibers?

One thing I noticed on my cut down .44 Magnum brass was that my RCBS .44 case mouth expander was putting a bulge in the case about a 1/4" below where the base of the bullet stops. I had to set up the .44 expander to stop just short of bulging the case, then using my .41 mag case mouth expander to open the mouths up. I'm going to put a taper on my .44 expander so it doesn't do that anymore. It goes too deep anyway.

Are you getting a bulge in your Starline brass when you expand the case mouths?

I bought an AHB serial 6 1/2" last summer and only fired it once. I was not impressed with the accuracy with my cowboy reloaded .44 specials. I tried a .44 mag case and it entered into the chamber almost up the cut next to the rim. Comparing it to the .44 special case, it entered about 2/3 the distance between the lengths of the two cases farther than it should. I could see where a heavy crimped reloaded .44 mag case might be pushed into the chambers.

__________________
Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

I think they make then all separately as I don't get any bulging
and the cylindrical portion to accept the bullet is more or less the
same on all 3 types of case. Not sure if the Specials are cut to accept the big 300+ grain bullets as I have never tried.
The 445 is definitely ready for the longer bullets. They are also harder to find.
I think they make them like once a year.

I bought an inside neck reamer when I was making 445 brass
from 303 and 30/40 brass. It was WAY too thick after cutting down.
I notice some of then are still a tad bulged at the bottom of the bullet.
I didn't ream far enough down.
Sounds like you need one. It's a die setup you mount in your press
like other dies. You ram the brass all the way up into the die and
then rotate the cutter handle down into the top of the holder die.
Mine is made by RCBS.

...Nemo...

Interesting on the recalled prefix numbers. I have a 629-1, AJL prefix and had sent S&W a email asking for the DOM and if any recalls. A quick response from S&W was the 629-1,prefix AJL was made in 1985, but no other info was given in the the return email.
After looking at the recall numbers posted on this thread, it seems that the prefix AJL was skipped inbetween the AH and AL sequence. Maybe another reason for that, but the 44 mag standard loads and reloads work fine and accurate.

or maybe the AJ was included between the listed prefix numbers?

I have a 6" 629-1 in the AFP series that WAS recalled and has
the red circle C on the box (as do all my 624s AHB and ALV).

...Nemo...

I spoke with the Smith & Wesson historian today and he confirmed the .44 mag fitting in some of the 624 cylinders issue. He said there was no other problem he knew of and that no 624s have blown up as a result. He also said you can't believe everything your read on the internet.

One can't discount everything on the internet either. For example I didn't know some 624s would chamber 44 Mag until I heard it here. And I know for a fact one can't believe everything heard from S&W with the exception of the Historian.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819