OP
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38/44 HD 45 Colt conversion
- Thread starter SouthNarc
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You may never know for sure who did the conversion. It should be a fun shooter and it oozes character! It appears to have the prewar long action, is it a prewar (WWII) or a postwar Heavy Duty?
OP
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I was assuming pre war too from the action?
:::Edited to add:::looks like the date of manufacture is late 1947-early 1948
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I just looked at your original post, 4 line address is early post war, should have S prefix on serial number.
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OP
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Yes sir just edited my previous post.
Jim Watson
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Right, gunsmiths are not good about marking their work and when they do it is often something cryptic that you almost have to be a prior customer to recognize.
The guy who had started on my .357 to .44 conversion had done three .357 to .45 Colt conversions. He had found two NOS M26 barrels and one M25. He fitted them up to M27 and M28 actions but sent the cylinders out to be rechambered. OAL was a bit limited but he had the mold for it and they shot well. The ones with tapered barrels looked great but the M25 heavy barrel's rib did not match up with the .357's topstrap. It held down the recoil of his good stout loads, though.
If you run across one at a gun show, you won't know who did the work, he didn't mark them, either.
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Nice revolver. That pitting is one of the many reasons I just don't like Pach's
AJ
US Veteran
Wood grips can cause pitting also. I have a Model 60 Ladysmith that had wood stocks and under them and around the edges was pitting. Cleaned it all up and have hid what I could with a Hogue Grip. The biggest trick to all of this is to take the grips off when cleaning and clean under them too!
Here's a 1917 converted to a short barrel with underlug along with a 455 Mk II converted to a 45 Colt with underlug. Alan Harton didn't add any markings so the receipts will need to stay close at hand once I'm no longer the owner.
The model 1950 45 barrels work well if you want a lighter barrel/ But they are not all that plentiful. The 1917 barrels will work to make fixed sight guns but finding a good loose barrel now days is kind of hard.
I have 8 S&W in 45 long colts and I hold onto the grips when I shoot them, then swing the cylinders out on its crane to reload them.
That is a proof load for a purists head
I have 8 S&W in 45 long colts and I hold onto the grips when I shoot them, then swing the cylinders out on its crane to reload them.
That is a proof load for a purists head
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edwardyoung
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Wambli Ska
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Those types of conversions are not very difficult to do. The parts are available on eBay all the time and any gunsmith that is a decent S&W gunsmith should be able to do a good job. I was lucky enough to find a never installed brand new .44 spl 624 4" barrel on eBay and a 6.5" pristine Model 24. The first went to making my one of a kind 629-1 Mountaing gun using a 6" factory gun. We removed the original barrel and fitted the light profile 624 barrel to it and the GS had .44 Mag laser engraved on the new barrel after he removed the original factory markings. The second gun started life as a Model 27 and I had a blue Model 29 cylinder and the 24 barrel fitted. So it's now a 6.5" light barrel contour .44 Mag. I left the .44 Special markings on the original barrel but it shoots both spl and mag. The guns were done by two separate very talented gunsmiths, and neither of them marked their work.
Dan W. Cady
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Thanks George!
Does the "N" on the left side of the grip frame indicate a gun that originally was nickel plated?
Model19man
Member
This was a popular conversion 30 - 50 years ago. Virtually any gunsmith would do it, individuals would do it. I think you are wasting time trying to find who did it. Everyone would have.
OP
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I try not to waste my time. Two year old threads would be a good example.
StrawHat
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Reviving old threads is a good way to bring back old information and stimulate new discussion.
I have posted this many times but this is my custom Model 28-2, now a round butted 45 ACP.
It is shown with a 45 Hand Ejector Model 1950. I built the Model 28-2 because I wanted a 4" ACP revolver and very few were assembled. So, the Model 28-2 got a new cylinder, the barrel bored and rifled, a new frame lug, the grip frame rounded, action work, etc. It turned into a great shooter. Decades later the Mountain Gun was introduced but by then, I had given up wearing a badge.
Kevin
I have posted this many times but this is my custom Model 28-2, now a round butted 45 ACP.
It is shown with a 45 Hand Ejector Model 1950. I built the Model 28-2 because I wanted a 4" ACP revolver and very few were assembled. So, the Model 28-2 got a new cylinder, the barrel bored and rifled, a new frame lug, the grip frame rounded, action work, etc. It turned into a great shooter. Decades later the Mountain Gun was introduced but by then, I had given up wearing a badge.
Kevin
Dan W. Cady
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I had a Rem UMC marked 45 colt that was shorter and probably designed for use in the S&W. It would also work in the Colt. Colt never really loaded a commercially loaded short colt so it's still called 45 Colt!I don't remember where I found this but it should be easy to locate the source, if you are interested.
Elmer Keith also wrote of a similar cartridge.
Kevin
Colt didn't load any ammo.
