44 DA Frontier comes home (w/pics)

[NFrames]

Greetings all,

Firstly, sincere thanks to all who posted information, comments and advice in response to earlier thread (44 DA Frontier). I learned a lot from the postings there.

I decided to purchase the revolver and it came today.

It is, as I knew from the seller, refinished. Nicely, but not perfectly, reblued (e.g., the thin grooves under the barrel rib could have been polished better).

Overall, I'm pleased with it. It's my first S&W antique, in a collection of (mostly) post-war N-frames.

Serial number 1302 on frame, cylinder, and latch. Grips appear original, but I'm not an expert.

Anyone want to take a stab at the DOB?

Tonight, I'll conduct the obligatory "tell me your secrets" session on the kitchen table with magnifying glass, strong light and correct screwdrivers (the hinge and sideplate screws have been slightly buggered).

Anyone have a link to disassembly/reassembly procedure? I don't know very much about top-breaks and am not going to get adventurous until I understand these revolvers better.

Here's a couple of pics (seller-provided, I don't have a camera)

Regards,

Glenn

 

[cgt4570]

If the buggered screw heads bother you too much, Dave Chicoine can probably fix or replace them. He's the Model 3 expert. He's got two of my .44s right now doing mechanical tune-ups. He literally wrote the book on these. I'd recommend you buy it. There's a link to purchase at his website. www.oldwestgunsmith.com

That's a great looking gun. Since you aren't responsible for the refinish, it's forgiveable. They are great shooters. Dave recommends ONLY shooting black powder loads, though. He said that even the lightest smokeless will stretch the frame and caues looseness over time.

As to disassmebly, there isn't anything that isn't self explanitory. The cylinder just unscrews. Make sure you hold up on the thumb release, then pull up on the cylinder and turn counter-clockwise. It will come off in your hand. To remove the barrel, you take the screw out, then push or tap the hinge pin out. When you put the barrel hinge pin back in, make sure that the pin mates to the hinge hole correctly. It has a little tab on its edge that fits into a slot to keep it from turning.
You probably won't take out the internals, but you can pull the sideplate and spray the inside with action cleaner, then lightly oil it. If you do take out the guts, it is somewhat similar to a modern action. If you've had them apart, you can figure it out.

When you take the barrel off be careful not to loose the little sliding piece inside the cam catch. Sometimes it just falls out. Other times it's tight or gummed up enough that everything stays in place.

I doubt you'll have any assembly issues, but if you do, you know where to go for help!

 

[NFrames]

Chris- thanks for the info. I was able to find some partial disassembly directions online and have taken the cylinder off, as you say its quite simple. The rest does seem self explanatory, but there are frequently tricks to the most simple operations. Thought I'd tap the collective wisdom before getting in trouble.

Thanks again.

Glenn

 

[twaits]

I don't think the serial number on these tells you much about the DOB.
All of the frames were made before 1899 but they were catalogued until around 1913 I believe. Te be sure you would have to send $50 to S&W and get an archive letter from Roy Jinks.
I got one for mine several years ago. Mine is 6512 and was shipped in 1896.

 

[My Eye!]

I haven't yet obtained, or even handled one of the 44 DAs, but have always wondered; What is the purpose of the grooves and notches around the circumference of the cylinder? I'm talking about the ones directly behind the flutes which none of the other DAs have.

Jim

 

[cgt4570]

I haven't yet obtained, or even handled one of the 44 DAs, but have always wondered; What is the purpose of the grooves and notches around the circumference of the cylinder? I'm talking about the ones directly behind the flutes which none of the other DAs have.

Jim

It allows you to load all 6 chambers safely, unlike the Colt SAA concern. When the trigger is at rest, you can close the gun with the cylinder between chambers. It will roll back and forth in the wide groove, but won't line the hammer up with a primer. There's a secondary cylinder stop on the front of the trigger. When you cock it, the cylinder lines up as normal. After the first shot, it remains locked (in the narrow groove).

 

[My Eye!]

It allows you to load all 6 chambers safely, unlike the Colt SAA concern. When the trigger is at rest, you can close the gun with the cylinder between chambers. It will roll back and forth in the wide groove, but won't line the hammer up with a primer. There's a secondary cylinder stop on the front of the trigger. When you cock it, the cylinder lines up as normal. After the first shot, it remains locked (in the narrow groove).

Ahhhh. Soooo--- I like it, but I wonder why they didn't think this was an important consideration on the other DA revolvers.

I used to carry my 38 DA with the hammer resting in the full dropped position between two cartridges until I noticed that it still might be possible to accidentally index the cylinder, leaving the firing pin resting directly on a live primer. Now I use the first safety notch, and worry about whether to load with four or five rounds.

Jim