This is what $1150 bought

[357smallbore]

I made the deal; my vintage new 1985 S&W 624 is on its way. Gun was an estate buy. Was told it has had less than a box of ammo fired through it. Not bad for 37 years old.
I reload for my other two 44 Specials. And am looking forward to sending lots of lead down range with this classic S&W.

 

[wcwhitey]

Sweet!

 

[nettlle]

Very nice!

 

[horsemen61]

Awesome so gotta ask are you glad you bought it now?

 

[ontarget]

Gorgeous. I'm a little jelly right now.

 

[357smallbore]

Awesome so gotta ask are you glad you bought it now?

Yes. Ready to break it in

 

[horsemen61]

Yes. Ready to break it in

Glad to hear it that’s a gorgeous revolver
Also if I were you I wouldn’t try to hot rod it to much I wouldn’t say they are fragile per se I just don’t think they are as stout as some other revolvers on the market

 

[ECVMatt]

Money well spent! I love mine and can't wait to hear how this one shoots.

 

[Pat Riot]

Congratulations!

That’s a beautiful revolver. I am looking forward to a range report.
Heck, I don’t even shoot or reload .44 and I am so envious right now.

Oh, and if anyone comes along and says they could have gotten it cheaper tell them to prove it.
Me thinks it’ll be the sound of crickets afterwards.

 

[Milt1]

Oh yeah! WoW!

 

[stanley_white]

That is beautiful!

Searching for “estate” on Gunbroker can also be dangerous.

-Stan

 

[sequins]

Thats a very minty looking example. Nice get.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Did you call S&W to ask if it was part of the recall?

 

[357smallbore]

Glad to hear it that’s a gorgeous revolver
Also if I were you I wouldn’t try to hot rod it to much I wouldn’t say they are fragile per se I just don’t think they are as stout as some other revolvers on the market

I never HOT load any of my calibers.

 

[johnjohn]

That was a great buy.

 

[357smallbore]

Howdy

Did you call S&W to ask if it was part of the recall?

No, they would tell me I'd have to ship to them to retest the metal. If it was a recall, I'd never get the gun back.
Ain't doing that.

 

[lightman]

Nice! Very nice! Gotta admit that I'm a little jealous.

 

[ontarget]

No, they would tell me I'd have to ship to them to retest the metal. If it was a recall, I'd never get the gun back.
Ain't doing that.

They would tell you the serial number range that was effected. Weather you send it to them after that is up to you. A quick phone call could provide some peace of mind.

 

[Pat Riot]

Regarding the serial numbers of recalled 624s I found these links. I have no idea if they are accurate.

Scroll down to the third post in this link:
https://www.smithandwessonforums.com/threads/624-recall-question.127722/

See 2nd post here:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...el-624-serial-number-within-recall-range.html

 

[357smallbore]

Thank you

 

[357smallbore]

Regarding the serial numbers of recalled 624s I found these links. I have no idea if they are accurate.

Scroll down to the third post in this link:
https://www.smithandwessonforums.com/threads/624-recall-question.127722/

See 2nd post here:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...el-624-serial-number-within-recall-range.html

Thanks

 

[Col. Harrumph]

Assuming it's in the s/n range, check the rear face of the cylinder. If it was tested, and passed, there'll be a couple of small gouges left by the hardness tester they used at the mill. No marks means either it wasn't tested, or it was, and failed, and was fitted with a new cylinder. This is mine:



Khrap. I gotta clean that ratchet.

 

[ms6852]

What a sweet gun. Congratulations !

 

[Master Blaster]

Congrats on you purchase I think you will enjoy shooting it. 624s have a reputation for accuracy. About 20 years ago a member of our gun club used a 6" 624 to shoot IHMSA he claimed that the .44spl. Was the lowest recoiling round that could knock down the largest targets reliably. He also told me that the gun would go out of time around 30,000 rounds of his silouhette loads, and he sent it back to S&W for rebuild / retiming, he claimed he had done it twice with the 624 he was shooting.

 

[Master Blaster]

From the Smith & Wesson Forum link above:

The 'real' story from Roy Jinks:

In response to a member’s email, asking Roy Jinks about the steel used in the cylinder in February of 2008 and he replied:

"The cylinder problem was the fact that some cylinders had long charge holes and you could chamber the .44 Magnum round in the cylinder. So it is an easy check. If the gun will chamber the .44 Magnum round then it has one of the cylinders that was affected. if it does not chamber the round then you are okay. You will still be okay as long as you shoot only .44 Specials in the revolver.

"Believe what you want to, but it was my project and I certainly do not remember a problem with the stainless steel for the cylinders."

Now think about this:

If S&W were to recall revolvers to have their cylinders checked, wouldn't it be more like factory protocol and make more sense to mark the cylinder rather than stamping a red circled "C" on the box? How many boxes are usually retained with the revolver and how reliable/efficient would a marked box be?

* I suspect magnafluxing was actually to verify if someone had shot 44 Mags in the cylinder and damaged it.
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