EARLY TRANSITION 38/44 HEAVY DUTY

[1Aspenhill]

ar15ed,
Yes, it is the earliest shipped HD I've seen but it appears that the 4 inch HD was the most popular barrel length post war.
bill

 

[vilhelm]

Great find.

I wonder if your impressions as a 38/44 newbie are similar to mine.

I picked up one recently off of a gun auction. It was marked as a Model 10.

Never having held one it was a bit of a shock to pick up that beast!!!

What an amazing trigger!

BTW
yours is prettier than mine

Smith & Wesson Model 10 38 Special SPL 4" Barrel : Revolvers at GunBroker.com

 

[dacoontz]

Great find.

I wonder if your impressions as a 38/44 newbie are similar to mine.

I picked up one recently off of a gun auction. It was marked as a Model 10.

Never having held one it was a bit of a shock to pick up that beast!!!

What an amazing trigger!

BTW
yours is prettier than mine

Smith & Wesson Model 10 38 Special SPL 4" Barrel : Revolvers at GunBroker.com

Wow, what a steal. That guy had no clue what he was selling. You didn't realize this when you posted but AspenHill is the resident expert on 38/44's so he'll be excited to get the info on your pistol in his database. It appears to also be a very early transitional model.

 

[vilhelm]

Daniel,

I told him that he erred but it was a pawn shop. He acquired it a next to nothing and was happy to sell it at a huge profit.

The Catalog says 1946-47.

the serial # is S65704

 

[1Aspenhill]

Vilhelm,
I think yours is very nice! your gun was shipped in Jul 1946 most likely.
Thanks,
Bill

 

[dacoontz]

Daniel,

I told him that he erred but it was a pawn shop. He acquired it a next to nothing and was happy to sell it at a huge profit.

The Catalog says 1946-47.

the serial # is S65704

Well, even better. You are a good man to fill him in on that. The purchase was well deserved.

 

[DCWilson]

Vilhelm, welcome to the Heavy Duty fan club! I agree that with that serial number you are probably looking at another July 1946 gun. But we cannot be completely sure because S&W did not follow a policy of shipping in serial number order. Records show that HDs in the S62xxx through S68xxx range were shipped in July, but other guns in that range were known to have shipped in 1947 and even 1948. Only a letter will answer that question.

N-frame .38s are fascinating revolvers. If you think of them as .38s, they seem laughably huge. When you shoot them, even the hottest .38 special loads seem as tame as .32 Longs in a smaller gun. The fixed sight guns are very accurate. For the ultimate .38 Special range trip, get your hands on a .38/44 Outdoorsman -- same frame, but with target sights and a 6.5 inch barrel.

 

[vilhelm]

Aspenhill,

I looked at your site while waiting for my purchase to arrive. When an expert like you puts forth information it is a gift.

 

[vilhelm]

I am such a K-Frame fan it is a little hard for me to warm up to the N frame.

But the trigger is AMAZING

 

[Mr Pokeyman]

Was there a cartridge specifically made for the those guns or were they just a pre-38 + P, a hot load? Or were they just a N frame 38?

 

[rburg]

The 38-44 was a hot loading at the time. Its got any number of different names, including Super Police. Its considered unsafe to fire it in any off brand revolver and most prewar 38 specials. Someone here did a series of tests over a chronograph and it was the equivalent of todays 357s as I recall. The original ammo is scarce enough to be considered collectable these days. Don't bother shooting it. If you have some, sell it to someone who will cherish it.

 

[vilhelm]

As Dick says, it was kind of an early 357 until someone realized that the 38/44 would fit into a .38 special. They lengthened the case and the .357 was born

 

[SASABERANGER]

I was lucky enough to grab S66,438 this past weekend in Cheyenne.
Wrong grips, and some holster wear, but still a solid piece of iron.
I am picture challanged here or would pop in with a picture or two.
I am waiting for today's info from Roy on the ship dates and trying to find a correct and better fitting set of grips. I realize that i will probably never find the grips that came on it, but stranger things have happened here.
Great old shooting irons, and hopefully shipped somewhere around my birthday in 1946.
Thom Braxton
SWCA #1474

 

[SAFireman]

Bill,

Thanks for sharing. Mine is from July 23rd. It is my first HD and certainly not my last - I am a convert

 

[1Aspenhill]

Vilhelm,
Actually, S&W blew up several M&Ps in development of the 38/44 and realized that they needed something stonger and looked at the 3d model 44 and decided to give it a try except it had .38 chambers with lots of steel around it. The 38/44 could handle everything that was thrown at it. The hot ammo had notices on the boxes that it was to only be used in the Heavy Duty, 38/44 Outdoorsman, Colt New Service and Single Action Army. The 38/44 case is he same as the 38 spl. The .357 Mag case is 1/10th of an inch longer so it will not chamber in a .38 Spl.
The 4" HD just feels great in your hand!
Bill

 

[vilhelm]

Hey Bill,

Sorry for the confusion. You articulated that which I was trying to convey.

Looking at the frame and cylinder of the 38/44 I cannot imagine one damaging it. It is truly a beast