38/44 question

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sqhead

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i was at my lgs yesterday,they had a 38/44 in the case.I asked to look at it,was pretty clean,alittle surface rust on the cyl.,frame was in good shape,wrong sile like grips,price was 289,00,i was gonna grab it but noticed the barrel rollmark was off center,i guess the barrel had been cut to 4.5 in. from 6.i passed on it.should i have bought it at that price,no box or extras..
 
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Yep, you shoulda. Its priced as a distressed shooter, and it'll make a good one. It has no collector value, but you already know that. They're very nice guns and I think you need to got there in the morning. Early. Because our other posters will be trying to sniff it out.
 
I agree with rburg. For the money I'd have bought it. Did you check to make sure it hadn't been reamed out to .357?
 
I'd have bought it "as is" so fast I probably would have hurt my arthritic shoulder getting the wallet out of my back pocket! (LOL)

Dave
 
In my mind you cannot buy a modern made, quality .38 Special at that price. And in this case it is a .38 Special that can be handloaded to "close-to" .357 Magnum velocities.

As well it is from a family of collectible handguns.

If the bore is good, action tight, and finish as you described, it is well worth theprice.
 
semperfi71 said:
In my mind you cannot buy a modern made, quality .38 Special at that price. And in this case it is a .38 Special that can be handloaded to "close-to" .357 Magnum velocities.

As well it is from a family of collectible handguns.

If the bore is good, action tight, and finish as you described, it is well worth theprice.
Click to expand...

I cant think of an equivalent new gun for twice that that price.
 
"Don't test chambers with live ammo."

Why not?

If the barrel cutting wasn't a total hack job I would have offered $250 and taken it at $289 if they wouldn't budge.
 
sqhead said:
i was at my lgs yesterday,they had a 38/44 in the case.I asked to look at it,was pretty clean,alittle surface rust on the cyl.,frame was in good shape,wrong sile like grips,price was 289,00,i was gonna grab it but noticed the barrel rollmark was off center,i guess the barrel had been cut to 4.5 in. from 6.i passed on it.should i have bought it at that price,no box or extras..
Click to expand...

I saw it on Friday and have been thinking about it all weekend.

Since you saw it first, I will wait until Tuesday to go and get it.

Note: It was that piece that brought me to this forum tonight.

ML
 
James is correct. That was spoken like a true gentleman.

But somehow it reminds me of the old saying: "The early bird gets the worm...but the second rat gets the cheese!;)"

With the unknowns, it could go either way. We eagerly await the pictures and details.:)

Bob
 
Is it really a bad thing if it's reamed for 357? I would think it would handle it, but what do I know?
 
firestrat,

Reaming to .357 isn't a "bad thing". It's just a "thing". Either cutting the barrel or reaming probably remove the revolver from the collector realm and put it in the shooter category for most folks. Cutting the barrel won't compromise the safety and reaming the .38/44 to .357 probably won't either if common sense prevails. The problem might lie in someone trying to hot-rod it just because they could fit a hotter load in the cylinder.

If an owner attempted to pass the modified gun off as original, that would also constitute a "bad thing".

Bob
 
I would have grabbed that one so fast ..... ! :)

Is it an Outdoorsman or Heavy Duty?

Here is a long-action Outdoorsman that someone cut and reamed to .357. It was also a nice price but not $289 !!! A GREAT shooter for warm .38 Specials!

Jerry

orig.jpg
 
NIFFTY gun,Jerry.
Must put you 20+ by now ! Don't show them,please,I'll regret they ever left the S.E. Dan
 
GLL, I said in an earlier post that I would have hurt my shoulder getting out my wallet for the OP's gun. That cut down Outdoorsman would have left me passed out on the floor. That would be so tempting, were I to run across it, I would probably do something foolish just to get it. Very nice Sir. Very, very nice!

Dave
 
I'm with you,Dave

I'm sure the OP doesn't see many IF ANY old S&W down there. Less than $300 is a super deal....dan
 
South West has $99 specials from here to there....just checked-DANG can't get there till 10 !
 
Dog gone it, Dan. If the Pres. hadn't taken my private jet away I could have sent it up there to pick you up and would have had you at the store by the time they opened.

Bob
 
Fart,BOB.....or I could take Amtrackz but they always are a runnin' LATE.

============
I flew a buddies King Air 450 miles and fuel was $400....I wouldn't have enough pocket change for the .38/44.
============
 
Last edited:
Let's get back on track- did someone buy it?

Well... did one of you buy that 38/44HD, ca. 1952-53? I saw it too, and thought a lot about buying it last week. You rarely find an N-frame for under $300. The action seemed tight and the bore was good. However- since the barrel was cut, polished and re-blued (barrel markings were light and smoothed), it wore aftermarket stocks, and had some serious freckling on the cylinder, I decided to save my $300 and put it towards something a little nicer. I'm not a snobby collector and I have my share of well-worn six shooters, but I passed on this one. I hope that someone gives that old girl a good home.
 
I Bought This One.....

from Handejector a couple o' weeks ago for a good chunk o' change, and it's been reamed to .357 mag. Saved me some time. That was a pretty common thing back then. Not a bit scared to run magnums in it.

IMG_6824.jpg



Ned
 
Colter said:
I saw it on Friday and have been thinking about it all weekend.

Since you saw it first, I will wait until Tuesday to go and get it.

Note: It was that piece that brought me to this forum tonight.

ML
Click to expand...

Reported to B&H Gun Rack at 1300 hours with cash in my pocket and the 38/44 was gone. They said it was bought that morning. I hope the OP was the one.

Trip was not a total loss, as I left with a police trade-in Beretta 1201 Shotgun with a Surefire forend for under $500.

ML
 
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