Downsizing, Upgrading...

Wow!

Nice find!

Very Nice @J-Bar
That was a good trade.

Always take the upgrade if possible.
Well done and congrats

J-Bar said:

Feeling grateful and celebratory tonight!

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You bet! Getting what you're after is worthy of celebrating. Congrats on acquiring a real beauty.

Just about perfection. I am badly jealous!

<edit> I probably speak for most of us when I say that I will be annoyed with you if you don't prepare some appropriate loads and then report back with pictures and results!

Well done

Awesome score and awesome condition too!
Ive only ever seen a handful of 38/44s in the flesh, they were pretty rough and STILL $$$$.

Funny story. About 10 or 12 years ago I was at a gun show and saw 1 of the only 3 .38/44’s that I have ever seen. The price tag appeared to say $185. My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t believe my luck. The tag said “38/44”. I asked the man at the table if the price was legit. He looked at the tag then laughed, opened the case and slid the tag out from under another piece paper that obscured part of the tag. The price was $1850.00. I smiled and moved on…

Pat Riot said:

Funny story. About 10 or 12 years ago I was at a gun show and saw 1 of the only 3 .38/44’s that I have ever seen. The price tag appeared to say $185. My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t believe my luck. The tag said “38/44”. I asked the man at the table if the price was legit. He looked at the tag then laughed, opened the case and slid the tag out from under another piece paper that obscured part of the tag. The price was $1850.00. I smiled and moved on…

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The best of the bunch Ive handled was a late '30s gun, technically a 38/44 HD with fixed sights, probably 70% original finish, pitted bore, and grips worn smooth- they were asking $1100.

J-Bar said:

Yeah, I’m fondling it now while watching “Forged In Fire.” I risked a turn line, cocking it and testing the trigger: typical S&W glass rod snapping. Probably not going to be a safe queen very long.

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From now on, whenever I hear "living his best life" I am going to think of this post.

Excellent pick up, that Outdoorsman is a real beauty!!

As was posted above, we all want to see/read how it shoots for you when you get a chance to exercise it .

Oh, inquiring minds want to know what you traded away for it?

Stay safe.

Howdy

Very nice.

The short throw hammer and the rib on top of the barrel tell me what you have there is a 38/44 Outdoorsman Model of 1950. Earlier 38/44 revolvers had the older style long throw hammer.

This 38/44 Outdoorsman shipped in 1933. Notice the different style hammer, the lack of a barrel rib, and the older style rear sight, which required a tiny screw driver to adjust the sight for windage.

Very nice, and it is definitely something you don't see very often at all. I got hooked on S&W revolvers about 10 years ago and have scoured gun shops and gun shows and online ads in the area looking for them. I have never seen an Outdoorsman, let alone one as incredibly nice as that one.
Back in February I traded an average S&W model of 1905, 38 M&P with incorrect grips, an LCP and some silver I bought a few years back, on a like new, with box, nickel plated model 36. Had $125 into the M&P and bought the LCPnew, right before the LCP2 came out, so it was only $205. Got my money out of the Ruger, tripled my money on the M&P, plus profited about $6.00 an ounce on the silver so it was the perfect time to trade them in. I took the possibly unfired revolver out to the range the first chance I got

Driftwood Johnson said:

Howdy

Very nice.

The short throw hammer and the rib on top of the barrel tell me what you have there is a 38/44 Outdoorsman Model of 1950. Earlier 38/44 revolvers had the older style long throw hammer.

This 38/44 Outdoorsman shipped in 1933. Notice the different style hammer, the lack of a barrel rib, and the older style rear sight, which required a tiny screw driver to adjust the sight for windage.

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Wow! You should post a warning before posting pictures like that so I have time to move the keyboard out of the drool path. That's outstanding!

J-Bar

Well done sir! Jolly well done!

J-Bar said:

Yep, life is short.

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Ironically, I saw a .38/44 at the show today. It wasn't for sale, one of the vendors had just bought it, actually. It was in great condition, except-someone had cut, shortened, and WELDED the barrel back together!
The fella who bought it was feverishly searching the internet for a replacement barrel, but not having much luck.

They are fine revolvers. You did well. Very well. Prices on them have gone crazy. I inherited this heavy duty from my father and it was unfired. I have since put about 150 easy rds through it. Actually feel a little guilty now.

Jeff olson said:

They are fine revolvers. You did well. Very well. Prices on them have gone crazy. I inherited this heavy duty from my father and it was unfired. I have since put about 150 easy rds through it. Actually feel a little guilty now.View attachment 1096364

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Stunning!

J-Bar said:

Today at the gunshow I swapped two revolvers that I rarely shot and a pittance of cash to boot for a grail gun: a S&W 5-screw .38/44 Outdoorsman made in 1950. I had done some judicious trading on the other two revolvers, so my cash investment in this old timer is still less than its current value. Nice when that happens. (I could just as easily tell stories about how I lost in other trades, as I suspect most enthusiasts can). It has not been shot much, if at all. I am a shooter, but this one may be a safe queen for a while.

So I gained space in gun storage and upgraded the inventory at the same time. Feeling grateful and celebratory tonight!


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Sweet! Love when that happens.

J-Bar said:

Today at the gunshow I swapped two revolvers that I rarely shot and a pittance of cash to boot for a grail gun: a S&W 5-screw .38/44 Outdoorsman made in 1950. I had done some judicious trading on the other two revolvers, so my cash investment in this old timer is still less than its current value. Nice when that happens. (I could just as easily tell stories about how I lost in other trades, as I suspect most enthusiasts can). It has not been shot much, if at all. I am a shooter, but this one may be a safe queen for a while.

So I gained space in gun storage and upgraded the inventory at the same time. Feeling grateful and celebratory tonight!


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Now that’s a good day.

What a beauty. Not many left that look that nice, to say the least.