This thread has bothered me at some conscious level the whole time it's been going, and this morning, I understand why!

I have, currently, four Model 624's, a three incher, a four incher and two six and one-half inchers, one of which is soon headed to (probably) Hamilton Bowen to be cut to five inches.

I have had these guns for years, 1988, 1986, 1988 and 2003 respectively, plus several others that have passed through my hands and safe, AND I HAVE NEVER TRIED TO CHAMBER A .44 MAGNUM CARTRIDGE IN ANY OF THEM EVEN ONCE!!!

That means, any one of these guns may have defective, irreplaceable cylinders, which may or may not render them unsafe to shoot. My standard .44 Special handload is the Skeeter Skelton classic, a cast 250 grain Lyman 429421 semiwadcutter over 7.5 grains of Unique with a large pistol primer, which has averaged in the past, through other revolvers from three inches to seven and one-half, 850 to 950 feet per second, while the standard, traditional 246 grain round nose lead cartridges from Winchester and Remington don't always break 700 feet per second from the same revolvers.

Well, I guess it's truth or consequences time. I will check back later.