PRE WAR 4 INCH 38/44 HEAVY DUTY

1Aspenhill

1Aspenhill

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I THOUGHT FOR MY 2000TH POST THAT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO POST A 4 INCH PRE WAR HD. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE PRE WAR 4 INCH HDS? ON JAN 14 1935 HAROLD WESSON ORDERED THE MANUFACTURE OF 100 4 INCH BARRELS FOR THE 38/44 HEAVY DUTY. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE WERE 37EA 4 INCH HEAVY DUTIES MANUFACTURED/SHIPPED. I WOULD SURMISE THAT ALL 100 BARRELS WERE USED BEFORE THE WAR AND THAT ADDITIONAL BARRELS WERE MADE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF TRANSITION HEAVY DUTIES WITH 4 INCH BARRELS. THE 4 INCH BARREL LENGTH WAS NOT CATALOGED UNTIL THE 1940 CATALOG EVEN THOUGH IT WAS AVAILABLE AS A SPECIAL ORDER ITEM. POST WAR TRANSITION BARRELS ARE MANUFACTURED LIKE THE PRE WAR WITH THE LARGE KNOB CUT OUT IN THE EJECTOR HOUSING. I HAVE ONLY SEEN ONE 4 INCH PRE WAR WITH SERVICE GRIPS AS ALL THE OTHERS I'VE SEEN ARE FROM THE PERIOD OF MAGNA GRIPS LIKE THE ONE IN THE PICTURES BELOW. THE GUN BELOW, SERIAL NUMBER 55407, WAS SHIPPED 20 SEPTEMBER 1938, TO OKLAHOMA CITY HARDWARE CO, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. THERE WERE 2 GUNS IN THE SHIPMENT. ALL NUMBERS MATCH INCLUDING THE GRIPS. I COULD IMAGINE SOMEONE LIKE JELLY BRYCE USING ONE OF THESE EVERY DAY! ENJOY!
BILL
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I THOUGHT FOR MY 2000TH POST THAT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO POST A 4 INCH PRE WAR HD. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE PRE WAR 4 INCH HDS? ON JAN 14 1935 HAROLD WESSON ORDERED THE MANUFACTURE OF 100 4 INCH BARRELS FOR THE 38/44 HEAVY DUTY. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE WERE 37EA 4 INCH HEAVY DUTIES MANUFACTURED/SHIPPED. I WOULD SURMISE THAT ALL 100 BARRELS WERE USED BEFORE THE WAR AND THAT ADDITIONAL BARRELS WERE MADE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF TRANSITION HEAVY DUTIES WITH 4 INCH BARRELS. THE 4 INCH BARREL LENGTH WAS NOT CATALOGED UNTIL THE 1940 CATALOG EVEN THOUGH IT WAS AVAILABLE AS A SPECIAL ORDER ITEM. POST WAR TRANSITION BARRELS ARE MANUFACTURED LIKE THE PRE WAR WITH THE LARGE KNOB CUT OUT IN THE EJECTOR HOUSING. I HAVE ONLY SEEN ONE 4 INCH PRE WAR WITH SERVICE GRIPS AS ALL THE OTHERS I'VE SEEN ARE FROM THE PERIOD OF MAGNA GRIPS LIKE THE ONE IN THE PICTURES BELOW. THE GUN BELOW, SERIAL NUMBER 55407, WAS SHIPPED 20 SEPTEMBER 1938, TO OKLAHOMA CITY HARDWARE CO, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. THERE WERE 2 GUNS IN THE SHIPMENT. ALL NUMBERS MATCH INCLUDING THE GRIPS. I COULD IMAGINE SOMEONE LIKE JELLY BRYCE USING ONE OF THESE EVERY DAY! ENJOY!
BILL
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Bill great gun and great shipping location too.Thanks for taking the time to post it. If you are not doing anthing this weekend drive up to Little Rock, the Arkansas Gun and Cartridge Collectors show is this weekend.
 
Hey Bill, all I see is a box with a red x where the 4" nickel gun is supposed to be. Got any idea why that is?
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Thanks to all. This is the very first HD I ever bought and found it in a pawn shop in Topeka Kansas in 1979. Thanks to Dick's prodding, I must add that they made a least one 4 inch pre war in Nickel! I hope he will send me his nickel 4" 3d model so I can have the barrel and cylinder sleeved to .38!
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If you know of where a 4" nickel pre war HD is, please let me know!
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Thanks again,
Bill
 
My 3rd is a 4" target. It wouldn't please you because even if you sleeved it, you'd just have a 4" Outdoorsman, not the HD you need. Of course nickel Outdoorsman are scarce, to say the least.

If it gives you any comfort, I'm looking for you. I go to a fair number of tiny shows where folks drag in all kind of dresser drawer stuff. I fear thats where one will eventually turn up. Probably mis labeled as a pre M10.
 
Dick,
We can always take the sights off!
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I appreciate you looking. Why don't you take a trip next month to Tulsa and join us-we'd love to have you!
Thanks again,
Bill
 
Bill,
How many of these pre-war 4" HD's have you accounted for so far from the database? Also, curious to know how many of the post war 4" transition HD's you believe were produced.
Larry
 
It is great to see your HD is in such great shape. I too own a 38/44 shipped to the Oklahoma City Hardware Company. Number 52,83X was shipped on May 6, 1937 and is of the four inch variety. Mine was presented to my father, Leo Kuykendall, as the prize for winning the Oklahoma Sheriffs and Peace Officers annual pistol match. He diddid carry his on a daily basis while working for the OKC PD.
By the way, Delf Bryce carried a Smith and Wesson .44 not a 38/44 while with the Oklahoma City police.
 
Larry,
Based on known examples and factory letters, I know of 37 pre war 4 inch examples. There are 38 transition with the pre war style barrel in the database. Most of the pre war style barrels were used by the early S68000 serial number range. From my counts of all post war N frame guns and using simple rough math, I feel that there were approx. 8769 HDs made from 1946 to 1950 (serial number S62496-S75206). You won't find that number in the SCSW but it has to be in the ball park because Roy says that there were just over 20000 HDs made 1946-1966. I think there were around 4000 4" transition HDs made. It may be more because it seems like the 4" was very popular after the war. Until we can make an actual count, we won't know for sure. I hope this helps.
Thanks again,
Bill
 
Thanks Bill. That gives me a little more hope in finding a transition 4" HD sometime at a local gun shop or gun show. See you in Tulsa.
 
Jim,
That's a great looking HD and a very interesting history. How long did your Dad carry it? It seems like the OKPD officers had to purchase their own weapons and ammo. Sure wish as I'm sure you do that it still had the original Magna grips on it. Thanks again for posting it!
Bill
 
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