Postwar Heavy Duty / Pre-20 Incoming

[hkcavalier]

I won a postwar H-D via auction late last month and am just playing the WA waiting game.

It's wearing diamond relieved targets --- I looked at the SCSW 4th and it makes no mention of any coming from S&W with targets. I know the right answer is to get a letter, but has anyone ever seen one come with targets? If they're not original, they'd look better on my '65 27-2...

Could use a good source for stout .38/44 type ammo. Buffalo Bore has some good loadings but show out of stock. I do reload, but with primers being so hard to find, I like to have a commercial loaded ammo source.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

This is probably not stout enough for you, but GA Arms makes a 110 gr. +P.

 

[hkcavalier]

This is probably not stout enough for you, but GA Arms makes a 110 gr. +P.

Thanks. Not really thinking the Treasury load, but a 158gr SWC at about 1100 from the 5" barrel. Yeah, low .357 territory. First rounds through it will be full wadcutters which is kind of like taking your vintage racer down to the Wal-Mart parking lot to do loops around the lightpoles vs. an actual racetrack.

 

[Xfuzz]

Got around to shooting mine just a couple days ago.
Had a small handful of the Buffalo ammo you spoke of.
Saw the same.....out of stock.
Saw recently were Federal had some sort of warm 38special
can't locate the ad now.

Found it....
Please Wait... | Cloudflare

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

One of the "Correct" ammos you're looking for is the WW "Metal Piercing". Somebody cleaning out their dad's closet gave me a box of 357's and a half box of 38's. Outdoorsman and Heavy Duty a specified on the 38's box!

Ivan

 

[StrawHat]

Another option, if you handload, is Skeeter's load using the Lyman 358156 seated long in a 38 Special case and a healthy dose of 2400. It is a respectable load in this revolver.

Kevin

 

[hkcavalier]

Finally got the gun. The bluing wasn't as strong as it looked in the pics, and I need to make some small repairs to the diamond football targets it came with (defects that were conveniently not visible in the auction pics). So I slapped on the magnas and T-Grip from my 27-2.

I'll try some of those loadings in the coming months. Though we all know that lead and copper bullets don't start fires, backyard shooting in my neighborhood is a social no-no right now.

Gun was a filthy mess that required a full teardown, but easy enough on an N frame and didn't need to use the white gloves on this one.

 

[StrawHat]

Glad it arrived. Sorry to hear of the deception. At least not severe enough to cause you to return it. Looking forward to the range report.

Kevin

 

[hkcavalier]

Maybe I can find out what the "BURNS 18" scrawled on the sideplate means as well. But probably not...

 

[StrawHat]

If it has any Law Enforcement background that could be a last name and badge number.

Kevin

 

[Wiregrassguy]

There was a Burns Security Agency, but you'd think a company mark would be more professionally applied.

 

[hkcavalier]

If it has any Law Enforcement background that could be a last name and badge number.

Kevin

Occam's Razor seems to slice this direction. But as it came from a huge auction of a late accumulator, the trail is very cold. The 6.5" H-D was the Washington State Patrol's choice around this time, so it's not a stretch that other agencies adopted it before the Highway Patrolman came around and sent the H-D to the dustbin.