A fairly common conversion championed by Skeeter Skelton in the sixties and carried soon by John Taffin later on. There were virtually no 44 specials available for quite a while and three screw 357 Blackhawks and 28 Smiths were prime fodder for the conversions. 44 mag guns were too big, in their opinions, for easy carry, and the tapered barrel Smith and smaller Blackhawk were just right.
I got lucky toward the end of that period when I asked a dealer if he could or get me one of the new Taurus 44 specials and he said he had a 4" 624 I could have for a few bucks more. Since then I have added a flattop Ruger and an original Bulldog. Had a Rossi out of brothers estate but gave it to a buddy who was 44-less. Great caliber, well behaved and pretty effective without all the roaring and commotion.