38/44 HD needs some leather and speedloaders

[Smurfwarrior]

Howdy,
I've got a 5" 38/44 Heavy Duty and am on the prowl for a nice holster for concealed carry. Can't really find anything out there made for this model, will the model 27 holster fit? Which speedloaders work with it? Any help would be awesome. My granddad bought this gun brand new in the 50's and I just inherited it.

 

[P&R Fan]

Welcome to the Forum.
That is one of the greatest revolvers S&W ever made. I have a 5" one that dates to about 1952. I actually used it when I had to re-qualify for my carry permit last year.
I use HKS speedloaders for mine. They are the #27.
For a GOOD holster check out Lobo Gunleather. Ray, the owner is a Forum member. I got an IWB N-Frame holster from him a few months ago. I specified it was for a 4" revolver, but that I planned to carry my 5" Heavy Duty in it. It sticks out the bottom, but the rounded sight doesn't catch, so it works fine. I have carried the Heavy Duty, a 4" M57, a 4" Highway Patrolman and a 4" M624 in it, and it works great for all of them. Check Lobo out. You'll find their quality is excellent, and it is very reasonably priced.
Jim

 

[DCWilson]

Yes, welcome! The .38/44 HD is an N-frame revolver, so any holster sized for a five-inch N-frame (.44s and the largest .357s) will suit your needs. The Lobo Gunleather suggestion is a good one.

 

[Smurfwarrior]

Thanks for the info guys, here's a pic.

 

[Smurfwarrior]

Ok, here's a question for ya... since I have no plans to ever sell this one, would reaming it to accept .357 be that big a deal? Has anyone ever experienced problems in doing so? To me, it just makes sense to take advantage of the size of the gun and shoot the more powerful round out of it. Thoughts?

 

[Art Doc]

Although it has often been done, nobody would condone boring a 38 to 357 (even in the stout HD) and any smith who would do it is a fool considering the liability issues.

A 5" holster can be tough to find unless you go custom order.

A 5" N frame is hardly the idea concealment pistol. A lot of weight and bulk.

 

[Smurfwarrior]

Yup, looking for custom makers who have made holsters for this revolver in the past and have done well in doing so. As for the concealability of this gun, yeah I know.. I've toted concealed for about 25 years but there are times (cold weather clothing) when its possible. I'm just kinda nostalgic like that sometimes.

 

[Smurfwarrior]

BTW, my customized G23 with a NAA Pug backup is my normal CCW setup...

 

[Green Frog]

I personally like the way a Safariland CompII holds (and releases) the ammo for a S&W. They make a suitable one for N-frame .38s and .357s, last I checked. I've owned and used HKS loaders, but they require more dexterity on the user's part than I can maintain without extensive practice. JMHO, YMMV!

Froggie

 

[Smurfwarrior]

Cool, I'll check into that. Thanks... Kramerleather.com is saying they can make one, and have emailed me a pic of a 38/44 HD that he has to go off of.. I'll report back with pics when I get it.

 

[1Aspenhill]

Bianchi made a 5" Mod 111 cross draw-you might want to try and find one of those. Nice HD!
Bill

 

[DCWilson]

I think I would resist the temptation to lengthen the charge holes to accept .357 Magnum rounds. You can load .38 Special to almost .357 levels if you want more power, and some pretty powerful .38 Special loads are available off the shelf.

It seems to me that one of the pleasures of the HD is the ability to shoot .38 Special in a gun so heavy that (depending on how you hold it) the muzzle barely rises. That's the aspect of the gun that I would emphasize, rather than trying to tweak it to make it perform at the top end of its potential power range. I'm not anti-.357 by a long shot, but would just rather run those rounds through a gun designed for them in the first place.

I agree with Bill: That's a good looking HD.

 

[P&R Fan]

I also would encourage you not to lengthen the chambers to accept .357s. You may never plan to sell it, and I hope that is the case, but after you're gone some S&W collector may end up with it. If I was that person and I found out it had been lengthened I would be really upset. Makes a VERY collectible revolver quite a bit less desirable.
That's a really nice Heavy Duty. Enjoy it as is and get a M27, M28 or M520 if you want an N-Frame .357.
Just my opinion, and worth every penny you paid for it.
Jim

 

[Iggy]

Do a little searchin' on this forum for Elmer Keith loads in 38/44's.

You can make that HD stand up a bark right along side most any of today's modern factory .357 ammo.

 

[Smurfwarrior]

Ok guys, I've given it some thought and I'll take your advise and leave it unmolested. Thanks for all the info, nice forum you got here.

 

[Iggy]

Thar ya go!! Good decision..

 

[keith44spl]

I been totin my 5" N frames in this'n for concealed carry.

This 5" HD fits as well as the 1950 .44 Target

Su Amigo,
Dave

 

[David LaPell]

I have had a HD and an Outdoorsman and I would never consider reaming it out to .357. You can handload it to the old .38-44 levels up around 1,200 fps and use much cheaper .38 Special (albeit +P) brass. I can tell you that with the right bullet and the right powder you can get quite a bit of torgue out of the old gun. As far as a holster, I had SimplyRugged make a 5-inch pancake holster for a Model 27 before. A nice holster, I also had a nice El Paso saddlery holster done for the same gun (Tom Threepersons style). You will be very surprised with the right loads how accurate that gun can be.

 

[haggis]

I personally like the way a Safariland CompII holds (and releases) the ammo for a S&W. They make a suitable one for N-frame .38s and .357s, last I checked.
Froggie

The only Safariland speedloader for the M20, M23, M27, and M28 revolvers (and their pre-model-number equivalents) was the Model J-N1, and it was only available in a Comp-I configuration. That model was discontinued by Safariland a few years ago. You can still find them at large gun shows and on Ebay, but it may take a bit of looking.

Do Not lengthen the chambers on your HD. While not rare, they are still less frequently encountered than M27's and M28's, and should be left unaltered. Besides, you can safely drive a 158 grain bullet at 1200 fps as it is. That 500 ft-lb is higher than some current .357 loadings. Additionally, if you alter it, we have ways of finding you.

Welcome to the forum.

Buck