Finally! Resolution complete!

[steelslaver]

If it had a 41 barrel and a 44 mag cylinder it would be simple to make it into the 41 mag he wants to. Just fit a 41 mag cylinder. If it has a 44 barrel and cylinder he would need a cut down 41 barrel and a cylinder to make it a 41. Cutting down a barrel and reinstalling the front sight is way more work than switching cylinders.

It is an interesting thought though that it might have a 41 barrel and a 44 cylinder. Some people would freak out, but I would bet it would actually function fine that way. Little hard on the forcing cone squeezing the .429 pill to .410. The pressure should have spiked before the body of the bullet started squeezing down. Nothing compared to PO Ackley firing .358 bullets down .308 bores. in rifles with 358 throats. I am not saying I would recommend it.

I doubt this is the case though. If it is a .429 barrel a .410 slug could be pushed through the barrel with no effort. Same thing with the cylinder throats. If they are .429 throats you would need a slight push to run a .429 slug through the throat, but I hear alot of 44s have .430 throats.

But, I do agree that he needs to do some checking before he proceeds.

But, if the gun is all 44 and I really wanted a snub 41, I would sell the 44 and buy a model 58 and use funds from sale and parts money from orginal seller to have its snout bobbed.

 

[Lewel]

snub

I wanted one like your so I had one made. it is a model 58 that has been rechambered to 44 mag & a barrel chopped to the right length. It shoots great & wears new grips. Back then, 2002, model 58s were a lot cheaper than they are now.

My model 69 with the 2 3/4 barrel is easier to carry but I like having something that is different.

 

[Chubbo]

"Mistakes"

SAFireman:
The electric trade gave me a biased opinion of making mistakes. In our profession we couldn't make many mistakes, and survive, nor were mistakes accepted, if they endangered others. Today, mistakes seem to be more liberally accepted. The .41 Mag. cartridge, is one of my favorite cartridges, and if I purchased a weapon sold as a .41 Mag., I certainly would expect, and want it to be one. I can understand your disappointment, I couldn't accept a "mistake", such as this, and I would expect the perpetrator of this "mistake", to completely remedy it. You shouldn't have to find a solution to their problem.

Chubbo

 

[SAFireman]

Just coming back after you discovery of caliber mixup. What are the barrel markings? If that revolver was mis-assembled with a 41 Mag barrel and a 44 Mag cylinder, you have a definite problem. If it’s just a mismarked 44 Mag, that’s another story entirely. If it were me, I would carefully slug the barrel and all 6 chambers then proceed based on a full set of info. If it’s a mismatch and the seller won’t stand behind it, you’ll face a fairly extensive and expensive project to make it right. Good luck!

Froggie

Froggie, There are no barrel markings - NADA. It is all 44 mag, there are no mixed parts. The seller and I have come to an agreement that we are both happy with and I will continue moving forward.

If it had a 41 barrel and a 44 mag cylinder it would be simple to make it into the 41 mag he wants to. Just fit a 41 mag cylinder. If it has a 44 barrel and cylinder he would need a cut down 41 barrel and a cylinder to make it a 41. Cutting down a barrel and reinstalling the front sight is way more work than switching cylinders.

It is an interesting thought though that it might have a 41 barrel and a 44 cylinder. Some people would freak out, but I would bet it would actually function fine that way. Little hard on the forcing cone squeezing the .429 pill to .410. The pressure should have spiked before the body of the bullet started squeezing down. Nothing compared to PO Ackley firing .358 bullets down .308 bores. in rifles with 358 throats. I am not saying I would recommend it.

I doubt this is the case though. If it is a .429 barrel a .410 slug could be pushed through the barrel with no effort. Same thing with the cylinder throats. If they are .429 throats you would need a slight push to run a .429 slug through the throat, but I hear alot of 44s have .430 throats.

But, I do agree that he needs to do some checking before he proceeds.

But, if the gun is all 44 and I really wanted a snub 41, I would sell the 44 and buy a model 58 and use funds from sale and parts money from orginal seller to have its snout bobbed.

Slaver, I checked it over last night when I got home from work. The .410 lead slugs fell through the cylinder and barrel, the .430 dropped to the bottom of the cylinder but did not poke out. The .430 entered the forcing cone about half the length of the bullet before stopping. I compared a model 29 barrel that I had laying about and the barrel ends are identical dimensions.

I did bid on, and buy, a 41 mag, and yes, it is a disappointment to find out that it is a 44 Mag, but I will endeavor to persevere After all, it is a really neat conversion.

I wanted one like your so I had one made. it is a model 58 that has been rechambered to 44 mag & a barrel chopped to the right length. It shoots great & wears new grips. Back then, 2002, model 58s were a lot cheaper than they are now.

My model 69 with the 2 3/4 barrel is easier to carry but I like having something that is different.

That is too cool Plus your conversion gives you 6 rounds instead of 5 from the model 69

SAFireman:
The electric trade gave me a biased opinion of making mistakes. In our profession we couldn't make many mistakes, and survive, nor were mistakes accepted, if they endangered others. Today, mistakes seem to be more liberally accepted. The .41 Mag. cartridge, is one of my favorite cartridges, and if I purchased a weapon sold as a .41 Mag., I certainly would expect, and want it to be one. I can understand your disappointment, I couldn't accept a "mistake", such as this, and I would expect the perpetrator of this "mistake", to completely remedy it. You shouldn't have to find a solution to their problem.

Chubbo

Chubbo, I don't think that they even thought that it wasn't what the model said that it was. Most of the gun dealers/sellers that I know look up their info in the blue book and they really do not know much other than what is written. The folks around here have a vast knowledge of the minutiae of this brand and others (we are outliers in our field). I learn something here every day and I think that I may have educated at least one person this year If not, hey the pictures are nice too

And the one thing that I ask is: Is this really a problem? I was angry at first, but have come to realize that it is what it is (that is an awful tautology isn't it?) I will make the 44 Mag or Special work for me as I refuse to fight against an inanimate object.

As for my trade - We all make mistakes, but sometime the outcomes are horrific, so we try our best every day, but the harsh reality is that we can't make it all better every time. So we make the best of what we can.

 

[SAFireman]

Updated range report

We had a beautiful afternoon, after a rare night of snow (2 measurable inches, last measurable snow was 32 years ago). It was clear, sunny, and 55 deg F with just a slight breeze. I had the day off from work, so I decided that once my rat killing was done I was going to run some of my 44 Special reloads and some manufactured SD/HD loads through the 58-29.

1st - My home brew 44 Special, 240gr LSWCHP with 7.4gr of sr4756 and a CCI 300 primer. These were on the dot! POA=POI exactly at 10yds. They were pleasant to shoot, but you could tell that they were not watered down.

2nd - Some commercially loaded 200gr HP XTP loads. These were comfortable to shoot, but hit 6" low at 10yds. I don't know all of the specs on these, I had a partial box to burn up to generate more brass for my reloading efforts.

3rd - Black Talon Hollow points. Dear lord! these made me realize why I like the 41 Mag so much. They were POA=POI. But they were almost too painful to shoot in this gun with these stocks. I only fired 6 rounds before I decided that this was not going to be a round that I carry in this gun.

Overall - the gun likes the 44 special loads and so do I. The 44 Mag was just too much with the Eagle Secret Service Stocks. I will be looking at several different loads to see what makes the most sense with this snubbie.

Anyone here have any recommended 49 Special loads that would be appropriate for rural and suburban orbits?

 

[SLT223]

Bill,

I don't know if I told you, but an old friend who has since passed really got my addiction to the 41 rolling about 20 years ago. Art Collins was a motorcycle officer in his younger days. He rode around with a pistol grip 12 gauge in a holster on the forks of his bike and a model 58 on his hip. I don't imagine that anyone gave him much trouble (or if they did, they only did it once ). In his retirement, Art started Collins Cartridge Co in Conroe, TX. He reloaded all my used brass and took good care of a budding 41 Mag addict. I still miss seeing him at gun shows, he had some really great stories.

Art and others have helped solidify my love affair with the round. The model 58 was an unseen ally until about 10 years ago when I discovered them. If I could get a 41 mag in a J frame size, I would carry that too

Just out of curiosity, what did Art do with the shotgun when he parked the bike to get a cup of coffee? Or didn't he?

 

[SAFireman]

Just out of curiosity, what did Art do with the shotgun when he parked the bike to get a cup of coffee? Or didn't he?

You know....I never asked that question. My assumption would be that he parked within view of the counter or he took it in with him If he was 10-200 maybe he hung it on a hook on the men's room door?

 

[bronco45]

The old 210 Silvertips at 1100 seemed to work well. I've got some 44Special from Hornady 165 JHP FTX at 1069 out of a 5 inch 29. But probably shoots low. Great heater with "instant street creds". Every street person understands "big bore snubby"!

 

[WC145]

Glad to hear it's working out with the proper ammo. Still a helluva nice conversion, regardless of caliber.

 

[kthom]

SAFireman,

While I understand and sympathize with your angst, I also admire and appreciate your handling of this whole situation. It sure seems to me that you made the best of a less than pleasant and expected situation. Being able to do this is not a trait that many of us these days seem to be willing to display. Even though it was not the caliber you intended to buy, you got a good caliber (even if you only shoot .44 Specials through it.) It's a nice looking piece, and it still has value in more ways than one. Besides, you were looking when you found this one, and you still have the pleasure of continuing to look and hope to find exactly what you want. Looking and dreaming about something is far more stimulating and exciting, IMO. Getting it brings satisfaction, but the expectation has ended when you get it and the satisfaction of having it is different than that provided by the search. I betcha one of these days, you'll get what you were looking for this time. I also expect, now that you know it's a good shooter, that you'll appreciate the one you've got in hand more as time goes along. If not, it'll sell, and the new buyer will know exactly what he is getting! Your resolution post made me smile!! Good on you!

 

[SAFireman]

Resolved!

Well, the seller was a man of his word and did what he promised.

Now, there is only one thing left to decide:

Does it stay a 44 Magnum? or do I make it back into a 41 Mag?

To affect the re-conversion, I need to find a 41 Mag cylinder and get it fitted. Then I must find someone who will sleeve the barrel back to the 41 Mag dimensions. Finally, a finish must be chosen. Personally, I really like WC145's deep gloss blue on the Clark's Custom Meltdown 45 ACP. This one currently has a matte finish that is very practical.

If it stays a 44, I will likely only ever carry and fire 44 Specials. The 44 Mag was too much with these little Eagle Secret Service stocks.

What say the gurus?

 

[ShivasIrons]

Looks good. Works well. Leave it as a 44.