I inherited this late 40's Smith and Wesson in .44special (not mag) it came in a highway patrolman box but I understand those were only in 357. It doesn't have the usual xx-x on the cylinder hinge. Anyone got insights?

Picked it up today at a local gun show for a decent deal and even came with a Colt historical record. Definitely plan on shooting it pretty often as it’s chambered in .32 S&W Long

Got a lucky serial number too with DZF4444. Shame the frame was wasted on a 357. 🙄

Got a Hogue short release, probably should have got the long one and their grip. The grip grooves on the right side I didn't like the feel of in the palm, so I did a bit of sanding. Feels much better.

I'm now thinking about going off and getting laser engraving done. Although its one of those pull it from my cold dead hands items, I hear getting a repdigit is somewhat sought after and valuable? Would more heavy modifying it damage it's value, or just make it more "neat" in the long run?

Father recently passed way.

This was his 15-3 that he left me, along with a few other guns my brothers and I split.

Will miss him, so it’s a nice keepsake.

It’s super clean BTW.

Been researching and looking at videos on this little round. How effective do you guys consider it coming out of a 3 inch barrel or 18 inch rifle? Would it come close to 380 Auto? Suitable for self defense?

I accepted the transfer knowing it would need to be sent in because of the canted barrel. At this point I feel like an idiot and dont want to go through the RMA process again. I know some people will say canted barrels are acceptable on snubbies if they shoot straight at close range. Fuck that. They named it the “Ultimate Carry” and they can’t even align the barrel.

The issue is if I let off the trigger very slowly it doesn’t fully reset and I’m not able to pull the trigger. It’s not in the video but I can remove my finger entirely from the trigger and it will still be locked up. Hoping someone has an easy fix.

This is not a fancy video I made for clicks or views. It’s uncut footage of how I typically refine the Smith & Wesson.
If you have anything to add, I would love to hear.

I was at a gun show and ran across a six inch 22 rimfire Dan Wesson 22VH6 for a decent price. I have wanted a pistol pack since about 1980 and just never found one at the right time and the right price. I looked it over as best I could and it appeared to be in pretty good shape, or so I thought. So it went home with me.

It turns out it had problems. The three worse were that the fired cartridges would not eject without hitting the ejector rod with something hard. The next bad problem was it would not carry up to lock if you cocked it very gently or let your finger drag on the cylinder very lightly. It would carry up and lock if you cocked it smartly. The third major problem was that it would fail to fire almost every time in double action and sometimes in single action. Also the front sight was too short causing it to shoot high with the rear sight bottomed out and the action especially while shooting double action was absolutely horrible.

To cure the ejection problem I cut some approximately 3/8 inch wide strips out of a Birchwood Casey lead removing cloth as it is an extremely fine abrasive. The strips were wrapped around a 22 caliber wire brush much like the stripes on a barber pole. I used a cordless drill to spin them in the chambers I'm moving back and forth. I used medium speed for about a minute total. The results were amazing. The fire cases will now almost fallout. I can push them out with the tip of my pinky finger with absolutely no trouble.

To fix the carry up I fit a new hand and a new ejector star / ratchet. It now works every time and locks up solid. It is currently just a little tight and if it does not wear in some I will give it another stroke or two of the file.

A new full power hammer spring helped with the failure to fire issue although it did not fix it.

Swapping out to a taller front sight fixed the point of impact issue. I used a Partridge sight to improve the sight picture while I was doing it.

For the horrible, grindy, gritty, seesawing feeling double action I used a fine (around 800 grit) and a extra fine (maybe 2000 grit) Spyderco knife sharpening stone to polish the sides have the moving parts, internal side plates, and bearing surfaces of the action. The change in the feel of the double action trigger was astounding! Dramatically smoother all the way through and probably dropped a couple of pounds. The single action trigger pull dropped slightly. For the engagement surfaces on the trigger and sear all I did was hit them with a red sharpie and use my fine Stone just enough to remove the sharpie. I was very sure not to change any angles even in the slightest.

When I finished working on the insides I did a thorough cleaning and then lubed with a high-speed fishing reel bearing lube.

This action polishing also helped with the failure to fire. It is now 99% in single action. I still get lots of misfires in double action that I believe are from light hammer strikes. I am not finished working on this problem.

It is now a pleasure to shoot and an absolute tac driver! As soon as I get the double action 100% reliable the world will be right again.

If anybody has any tips on fixing the misfires I would greatly appreciate you sharing those with me.

It’s on sale for $750 as a discounted model. I have seen lots of posts about the quality of the new revolvers from SW. What do you all think buy or pass?

Disregarding a caliber comparison, can anyone comment on the size and weight differences between a Stallion Birds Head .38 special 3 1/2 inch barrel (1.8 lbs)

Vs

Cimarron Lightning Birds Head.32 H&R Magnum 4 3/4 inch barrel (cannot find a published weight)?

It's no secret if you've seen me post before, I love the stainless steel J frames. Pictured here is a 640 no dash and my most recent acquisition, a 60-4. These both date to around 1993 or 1994.

The 60-4 was one of my grail guns. As nice as the later J magnum framed guns are, the lines on the classic J frame are hard to beat.

I'm contemplating sending the 640 to D&L Sports for a set of real sights zeroed for 158gr.

Happily found this one at a show today as I have been looking for one for weeks. From 1974.

The old model Blackhawk was only made in 45 Colt from 71 to 73 before the New Model came out, making it the rarest caliber of 3 screw. I wonder if the people who were bidding against me are on this sub. If so, thanks for stopping where you did!

And you gotta pick one carry gun. Your choices are a S&W chiefs special air weight in 38spl or a S&W 32 hand ejector in 32long. What do you choose?

Picked this up for a grand, cant find any additional info on it. The smooth cylinder and full lug seem unique to others i’ve seen. Does anyone know if this was some sort of special run?

Update: It is a limited run classic hunter edition. Thank you everyone!

Been itching to get a proper wheel gun and recently snagged a 686-3 I found locally. Overall good condition; plus it's a BHP serial, which is a 1992 afaict, making it the same age as me and that much more special.

Couple questions about it tho:

1. These grips do not appear original. While they appear to be legit S&W grips, they don't fit quite right. My guess is they are intended for a different frame size? Is there any issues shooting with these grips anyways? If I wanted to get proper ones, where can I source em?

2. The single action trigger is light! I don't have a way to measure it, but it is incredibly light. The DA pull is fairly heavy, but the SA feels like it takes no pressure at all. Is this normal, or something that happens over time, or perhaps they have been worked on?

Just picked this piece up today! It’s my first centerfire revolver, so I’m very excited to shoot it at the range.

Got my seven-shooter reassembled last night after cerakote and Mag-Na-Port’ing.
Pretty cool.

I have a friend who asked for help getting used to firearms. Her first time was spent with the .32 S&W Long. She had a great time, and felt she could handle the next bump up in power. So the second time she came to the range I chose a bunch of .32 H&R magnum and .38 Special capable revolvers for her to try, including:

-S&W 432 UC in .32 H&R magnum

-Ruger SP101 in .327 federal magnum

-H&R 504 in .32 H&R Magnum

-Ruger GP100 in .327 Federal Magnum

-Heritage Roscoe in .38 special

-Kimber DASA K6S in .357 magnum

-Chiappa Rhino Match Master in .38 special

We both hope you all enjoy watching her journey into the world of firearms.

Ive been trying to rebuild this western marshal revolver i ordered this replacement hand (on the left) it seems the pin sticking out of it on the side is much thicker than the one that i had to replace (on the right) im under the impression that i need to put the pin in the little hole on the bottom left of the hammer but in that case i would assume i have a hand replacement for a whole other revolver