Iowa's new "shall issue" concealed carry law says people renewing their permit have to re-qualify. I got my first permit almost exactly 26 years ago and used my Dads K-22 to do so.
I thought I might be a little unique this time. I took my 5" .38/44 Heavy Duty, born in 1952. Was using 130 grn. loads, so it shot a bit low, but every one was in the better scoring rings, and yes, I shot double action. The instructor had never seen one of these and thought it was cool. I was allowed 10 shots to get 60%, but after one cylinder full he said "OK, you can shoot".
I'll bet not many people have used a 59 year old Heavy Duty to qualify for quite a few years, but if they have, I'll bet they're on here.
Jim (The proud Dinosaur).

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Great story and a real beauty of a gun. You have to love the purpose built tools. Yep and DA. New does not equal better.

Kind of like a kid getting a drivers license today with a manual transmission.

I there is a new revolver with as nice a double action as an older Smith N frame I would like to see it. My old Brazillian 1917 has a great DA

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Jim
Many K and N Frames

Carry that in an ankle holster?

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David Wilson

I'm thinkin' about it.
I actually have carried it in an IWB holster that I've since misplaced. Gotta get another one, cuz now I really do want to carry it.
Jim

I'd be willing to bet that yours was the only sixgun there! That is one nice Heavy Duty by the way, and when and if Illinois ever get it's CCW I intend to qualify with my model 10! Dale

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"Long live the S&W 3rd. Gen.!"

I had a friend that was on the job in Chicago in the late '80s and he'd carry his on duty from time to time.

Good thing he never had an incident with it, who knows what they'd have done. Not so much for the age but the 5" barrel length and the old style hammer block were definitely frowned on.

/c

Congratulations! I like that old HD and I like that you qualified with it.

Thanks for the story,

Jerry

Back in December I did my LEOSA (Law Enforcement Officer's Safety Act) qualification with a semi auto and this as the revolver:



It is a 74 year old HD with the same 5" barrel as your newer one. I shot what amounted to a +P handload, although it still wasn't up to the level of performance of the original 38/44. Oh, and I shot DA through the whole 50 round course of fire, from 3 yards back to 25 yards.

When I filled out the paperwork and listed the revolver as a "38/44 Heavy Duty" the instructor said no one would know what that was and wrote "Smith & Wesson revolver" under it. (LOL)

Dave

PS: This thread should be in the 1896-1961 Forum rather than in this later one...just sayin'.

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RSVN '69-'71
PCSD (Ret)

Kentucky's qualification is kinda' goofy. I had a lot of trouble following the instructor's direction. I was low on loaded ammo at the time, so I shot it with a 30 year old Mod 63 22LR. Normally I would have shot six rounds DA, at a fairly quick pace, but, after each shot we had to lower the gun to the low-ready position then raise & shoot again. I found that extremely difficult, muscle memory wanted to take over really bad. There were actually quite a few revolvers there, mostly 2" J-frames, & one young guy with a High-Point 45 that would not fire more than twice without jamming.

Dave,
I knew this was the only place I could find somebody who had done the same.
The instructor really liked it and showed me the wheelgun he was carrying, a Charter Arms .38 Spl. He said most everybody was showing up with semi-autos and a lot of them had no idea what they were doing. He started talking about safe gun handling when we first met and I asked him if he wanted me to recite the Four Rules. THAT really impressed him.
Oh, and yeah, I know, I put it in the wrong forum. I realized that right after I posted it.
Jim

Dave T,

Give us some more specific info on that holster and belt...make...model...etc. Thanks.

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WyoStillhunter

My 627PC Bloodwork has as nice an action as any N frame or K frame, short action or long, I've ever owned.

And I've owned quite a few over the years.

Just sayin.

I actually carried a 38/44 on the job in central Nebraska. We didn't have many options or vendors. I think I started with a Ruger Blackhawk .357 in a western rig. The dump was the "range". The chief wanted to demonstrate the "better" DA. We propped up a can (what else) and he drew (drawed?) and fired. Can still there. I did my best "Duke" imitation and fired. Blew (blowed?) the can in the air (those steel cans had some resistence). End of demo but I did trade off my new Ruger for that .38-44 which was traded with cash for a Mod 10 bull barrel, then......well, it's still going on.

Many years later I submitted a M29 for inspection & mechanical approval before the Capt. approved me carrying it. He never knew what a M29 was but M39's were the rage then. Never carried it.

I forgot about this thread, thanks for bringin' it back.

Since I posted it I've bought an IWB holster from LOBO Gunleather. That Heavy Duty rides really nice in it, as does my Highway Patrolman and my M624 and M57. (And a few more I forget about right now). N-Frames are a blast to carry.
Jim

Jim,

In the Des Moines area it's pretty common for people to take CCW courses with revos. They seem to have pulled them out of a closet or drawer. They often have trouble shooting well and/or can't imagine shooting DA. The biggest topic among seasoned shooters is how many permit holders can barely shoot. Some people get a feeling of comfort just having a gun...lord help them if they try to use it.

My 8-shot Night Guard goes everywhere with me.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

In AR if you qualify with a revolver you can only carry a revolver. If you qualify with a semi-auto you can carry either. No idea why being able to use an auto makes you OK with a revolver but not vice-verse.

About 7 years ago I won top revolver at a local combat match with a 4" HD made around 1956.

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No life story has happy end.

That's a good show. When you carry, you need to get the real .38/44 ammo, the 158 grain at 1125 fps stuff. Buffalo Bore still makes it - they call it their Outdoorsman load.

That makes me smile hearing those stories. Gotta love the ol' 38/44 HD Smiths they are one of my dream guns. I want a 5" just like the ones you guys have they balance so well and carry really well too.

MO, you have to go with both. I used the instructor's guns; a H&R DA revolver that loaded like a SAA and a new Smith autoloader that I'd never seen before, both in .22.

You rock! That is too much.

In Utah, your qualification for a three year renewal of your CCW is a payment of $15. That's $5 a year and no limit to the type or number of guns you can carry. My favorite is a old Sig P220 .45 that was carried for a police officers entire career. I bought it used and it shoots better than any semi auto I own. Others include a M&P .40, Glocks, and a Springfield M1911A1. Not to mention a S&W pre 10 2 1/2'er, a M60 S&W, and a few others. Big Larry

In Texas you have to use semi-auto for requalification if you want your permit to allow you to carry either semi or revo's. That lets out my 1917 as I want full priveledges. I have a Colt 1908...maybe??

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Randy
Provenance nerd

We don't have tests of any kind here(WA) for CC, just a check for criminal record.
Now, what I went through to get a CC in N.J. was hell!

Quinn,
just got a Colt 1903 hammerless in partial trade for land surveying some property. That's definitely what I'm using to requalify in CO.

No Qualification Ever for Florida CCW, If you take a CCW Class prior you may or may not shoot depending on the class & where it's held,Not saying Qualification is a bad thing just We don't have to do it.

Iowa just went Shall Issue a few years ago. Before that it was up to each county's Sheriff whether or not to issue permits, totally at their discretion. Some were anti-gun, and nobody except LEOs got them. Others, like the ones in my county, both Democrats and Republicans, had no problem issuing them to anybody who qualified and passed the very easy written and shooting tests.
Under the new law, somebody getting a permit for the first time takes a class, either in-person or on-line, has a background check done on them, pays 50 bucks and gets a permit for 5 years. No shooting required. If you are re-qualifying, however, you DO have to shoot. I really don't understand the reasoning for that, but I enjoyed the (very easy) re-qual.

Oh,and you can shoot anything you want. There's no restrictions.
I just used the Heavy Duty cause I thought it was cool.
Jim

"I just used the Heavy Duty cause I thought it was cool."

Yea, I would CC my HD but the DA is no wear close to my HP 4".
Now the SA is 2.25 lbs on the HD!

Good for you on the HD!

I New Mexico you must qualify with both revolver and semi-auto in order to carry both.

So I qualify with a Brazillian in .45 ACP and an Auto-Ordnance M1911.

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Have guns...will shoot'em.

Ow! My head!!

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Even older, even crankier....

I often carry one of my 4" Highway Patrolmen too. They're pretty darn cool themselves.
So is my 4" M57....and my 4" M624....and my 4" M29-2....and my 3" M29-3.
The Outdoorsman is just too long, and that darn Patridge sight won't work in my holster, or I'd carry it once in a while too.
Jim

You "Old Timers" are all alike, carrying "slicked up, smooth shooting" serious caliber old time revolvers as opposed to the very latest "drastic plastic high caps". I just don't know how you all have survived thru the years with such ancient hardware. Actually , I am proud to belong to the same fraternity, but will say, I have ,on occasion , carried one of those John Browning designed new fangled .45 Caliber Colt Army pistols. Still, a class act way to qualify and one many of us on the forum like. Much like Tom Selleck's line in "Quigley Down Under" , "I never said I didn't know to use one, I just never had much use for one" { I am applying that line to the new "drastic plastic models} All my very best, Joe.

Congratulations ! I picked up a 1931 .38-44 out of a pawn shop about 2 months ago, it no where as nice as yours, its about 85%. This ol' rascal really shoots too, I was trolly amazed at how accurate it is. I took it to a smith friend of mine and had him clean it up inside, re-lube it and check it out, good as new now. When I'm at our range, everyone wants to know what it is, then when I shoot it, they all want their chance at it also. Good luck!

I would not hesitate to qualify with a Heavy Duty. All of the ones that I own and shoot are very accurate. The latest pre war 4" I built is a real shooter and I'm waiting for some of Keith Brown's Ropers to put on it. It should be a good carry gun.
Bill

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38-44heavyduty.com

Colt 1908? I would love to see the instructor's face!

ECS

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

Since someone resurrected this thread I thought I'd report that I'm doing my LEOSA qualification for this year on Monday. This time I'm taking my "modern" Outdoorsman, a 4" L-frame chambered for the 38 Special. And I'm shooting real 38/44s in it, my hand loads consisting of 12g 2400 behind a 158g plated FP bullet at about 1150 fps. I'm looking forward to it! (smile)

Dave

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RSVN '69-'71
PCSD (Ret)