The .38/44 Heavy Duty revolver was introduced on April 1, 1930. The N-framed gun and the increased-power .38 special made especially for it were in response to police demand for a revolver with more power than the standard .38 special. The .38/44 (.38 special hi-speed) cartridge would be regarded as "+P" today, and it was feared that it would pound the K-frame revolvers unnecessarily. The HD is regarded as the direct linear predecessor to the .357 magnum, and had a shrouded ejector rod similar to the first N-frames (the "triple locks") and the later .357 magnums. In the 1930s, it became the most popular N-frame sold.
These were produced until World War II. In 1941, at the cessation of production, 11,111 revolvers had been sold. After the war, they were resurrected in 1946, using Magna stocks and the more modern rebound slide hammer block. With this change, the serial numbers were prefixed with "S." In 1948, the new short action appeared. In 1957, when model numbers were introduced, the gun became the Model 20. However, only as few as 100 were actually model-marked from 1958 to 1963; the earliest being in 1960. Demand fell off with the popularity of the .357 magnum revolvers, and production ceased in 1966. Post-war production was 20,604 revolvers.
The gun illustrated (a five-screw 4-inch model, serial number S1549xx) was shipped in November 1957, is not model marked, and is in excellent condition. The original stocks, numbered to the gun, are still present.
If you have one or more of these historic Smiths, let's see some pictures!
John
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