My 3.5" Modified 1934 production 38/44 Outdoorsman with stag stocks
The fellow who owned it was a law enforcement officer who desperately wanted the new 3.5" Registered Magnum, but it was too expensive so he modified this one. Luckily he did not ream out the chambers!
This team was my deer hunting go-to for several years, and was responsible for my very first handgun whitetail. This is a 6" M25-9 .45 Colt, paired with a Rigid belt knife.
Interesting thing about this gun. I really wanted to use it with a hard-hitting heavy cast bullet, something in the 300 gr. range, and it had promising accuracy with the first load I worked up. Problem was, at 50 yards with the rear sight buried, it was shooting about 8 inches high. So, I went online to the Cast Boolits forum and posted a request for help. In short order, I got a reply from none other than John Taffin himself, suggesting that I either, 1.) have a gunsmith build up the front sight, or 2.) switch to a lighter bullet. Well, I wasn't too anxious to alter my all-original .45, so I started messing around with lighter bullets. Eventually, I found a load using a 225 gr. JHP that printed exactly at point of aim, at 50 yards with the sight still buried. That combo has accounted for a substantial amount of venison.