Need advice - new S&W 21 4" classic - .44 Spcl

[Oro]

My local [strike]crack dealer[/strike] FFL agent has a NIB 4" S&W "new classic" 21, in .44 special, Nickel. Price is $585, or $640 w/tax. He has had it a while and I keep seeing it on his table at gun shows when I meet him for transfers. When these things were new to the market they were "street" priced $800 or a touch more; I guess they've been very slow sellers as there are still some NIB around at low prices.

I figure I could tap that lock hole and insert a blued screw, though it might chip the finish, unfortunately, since it's nickel. Anyone tried this method of sealing the infernal lock hole?

Does anyone own one of these? The round butt and skinny "classic" style medallion grips are about useless, and I don't know if I can actually find a decent looking pair of round butt grips for it? Of course, any sane person knows that a "classic" round butt N-frame is as much of an oxymoron as "productive liberal." So that irritates me. And I have never seen round-to-square conversions I can tolerate the looks of. My rule is that I like square butt frame/grips on 3.5" and larger N frames, round butts on smaller ones. This one is outside that general rule. This was the rule S&W also followed for about 86 years until they cheapened their production methods in the mid-'90s.

Pros: I love nickel, it's .44 special, 4" n frame, lifetime warranty
Cons: Lock, useless grips, round butt, not at all historically "accurate", "hockey stick" cnc cylinder stop instead of the classic pinned one.

I think I've made up my mind to skip it, but I am going to run it by others at that price and see what people say. Maybe someone has some grip ideas that would make it better, and lock filling techniques I have not seen?

What say you all, jury of my peers? This is the subject, fyi (picture liberally stolen from Gunbroker):

 

[.38 Special]

I have one. It's okay. I payed about what you're looking at. Knowing what I do now, I would certainly not have paid more.

Cons: round butt. I have tried several different conversion grips and have not found any to be perfectly satisfactory. The Coke bottle grips from Eagle look good, but I have had mixed results from that company. I have considered spending the considerable money for BluMagnum customs, but "good money after bad" comes to mind.

Lock: I don't like it, but it doesn't upset me the way it does some folks. As long as it doesn't lock itself I'm okay with it. S&W Forum has detailed instructions about blanking off the hole. I don't think it involves tapping. Polished stainless might be the ticket for the plug.

Quality: the gun came with nickel built up at the chamber mouths. Fired cases extracted only with great difficulty. This was easily corrected with a jeweler's file, but whether this this has weakened the finish is yet to be determined. It should not have occurred on a gun that retails for $1000. Worse, the throats were badly undersized. .427" with .431" grooves. Leading was awful. I opened up the throats which largely cured the leading, but again, not something you expect with an expensive gun. And combined with the EDMd (?) bore, leading is almost impossible to remove with conventional methods.

Pros: It looks great. The plating is really well done, the rollmarks are crisp, and the fitting is essentially perfect.

I had the trigger done and regardless of what people say about the MIM parts, it's one of the best DA triggers I've used, and it's perfectly reliable.

The gun locks up perfectly with no endshake and minimal sideplay. It is accurate.

It should also be stronger than any of the similar but older S&W .44 Specials. It will last forever with traditional RNL loads, as well as the "Skeeter" load with 7.5 grains of Unique. And if you want to beat yourself up with the Keith load of 2400, it should last as well as the typical Model 29 with Magnum loads.

Overall, I'd probably buy it again, at the price. It isn't, though, nearly as good as it should have been.

HTH!

 

[ROBBY.1911]

the price will never fix all those things you hate. bide your time, and take a look at proguns.com or rrarms.com. there is more than one way to skin "un gato."

 

[ultramag44]

The gun, the group, the dealer. Any questions then?








http://www.robertsontradingpost.com/

 

[calaverasslim]

I have one just like you describe and hate the "Classic Grip" I put a Pachmyer on it and then a set of Ahrends. I shortly replaced them with a set of Smith Round to square butt conversions from Midway. $62 delivered to me but the best $62 I have spent.

I paid a little less than you are talking and I would not sell mine for the world. I would like to get a blued gun but this nickel is pretty. I do like the 44 special cartridge and use this one or a M22 for carry most of the time.

 

[farscott]

I like the classic guns and the grips that come with them, and I have been playing with the idea of selling my shooter-grade NYSP M520 and using the proceeds to pick up one of the .44 Special classic guns just so I can shoot the heavy slow rounds. I like the older style guns without the barrel rib.

I say grab it.

 

[Stainz]

I hate nickel-plated finishes. The TR 21 was closed out via CDNN at $599 with display case, etc. A friend got one - and a 22 - when they were first released. I was not impressed. I sold my 6.5" 24-3 and traded my similar Heritage 24 years ago - just not a blued gun sort, either. SS was a great change for S&W.

My favorite 4" .44 Special? A current production 4" 629, SKU 163603. Fully capable of Keith level .44 Special loads - or wimpy .44 Russian 'poof' loads. Clean those cahmbers, and it's a .44 Magnum again. I keep wood grips on it and it's earlier sibling, the 6" 629, SKU 163606, I replaced that Heritage 24 with, for Specials & Russians - some .460/.500 Magnum Hogues for recoil. If nickle plate - or blue is your thing, and you like the pedestrian finish the 21 has, remember... it's a holster gun, go for it. if my .44s don't hit coincident POA/POI, I can adjust the sight. And... a real hammer & trigger, not to mention an orange ramp front and adjustable white outline rear sight. Yeah, a few more ounces, too. The SS is more forgiving, too - and easier to clean. I'm convinced. Honest.

Seriously, that Heritage 24 had a blue job - beautiful gun. Too pretty to shoot. I shoot the snot out of my 6" 629. It was clean when I got to the range today - to let my wife's friend shoot a few guns. For bragging rights, I had to let her shoot one, albeit moderate at best, .44 Magnum - then a few Russians for 'fun' - she was a deadeye. Did better than the .38s! It'll go to another range Monday/Tuesday - with a few boxes of Specials and Russians. Fun plinker. And... I can clean it, scope it, put those recoil-eatter Hogues on it, feed it some real Magnums - and hunt with it. A .44 Magnum - the ultimate capability .44 Special. Gotta have blued? Get a 29.



Stainz

 

[.38 Special]

Meh. The finish on mine is as good as any nickeled Smith I have ever owned. And mine is just fine with Elmer's load of 17.5 grains of 2400 behind a 250 grain cast SWC, supposedly good for 1200 FPS. No deer ever made will stand up to it. And the gun is a half pound lighter than the 29, and better looking too.