The 44 Associates

I have actually read Taffin's 44 book cover to cover (couldn't put it down as a matter of fact) but was wondering things more along the lines of were there any other notable members besides Elmer Keith, an approximate timeframe, where can I find a photocopy of one of their flyers, did they get together like the shootists do (I really need to join them), basically eveything, maybe we can get lucky and Taffin might chime in on this one as he seems to know a bit about them

Thank you John Taffin

I don't know, that's the kind of stuff I'm trying to find out

yes LaChuk was involved in The .44 Associates. and refered to his copy of the compilation of their 1001 loads for the Special that was printed up by member Lawrence L. newton as treasured! lachuk actually made his own solid head cases right after WWII and went so far as to rebuild three SAA's into a lengthened .44 wildcat that seems like he called the "Lancer". if i recall lachuk's own personal account of this he rebuilt 3 Colts with tightened lockwork and used three brand new .38 special cylinders from Christies that he rechambered with a reamer that he had made up by a machinist. it basically duplicated the Remington magnmum that came some years later. he claimed to have used as much as 22-1/2grains of 2400 in these longer cases under the Thompson design semi-wadcutter. that would have been extremely more pressure than anyone would want to subject the old Colts too! know that his personnal story of those events was published in handguns magazine sometime in the 90's. i should have it saved somewhere if can locate it. somewhere between the war and the eventual factory magnums even Dick Casull built a .44 "magnum" on a SAA but other than reading that it had a specially heattreated frame and cylinder plus brutal recoil i dont know much about it.

I stand corrected, JT. Lachuk was definitely one of the important parties in the development of the "high pressure" .44 cartridge, just not one of the "Associates".

Carl

By 1948 The Factory was working feverishly on this new model and in September 1950 They released The Model of 1950 Forth series Hand eject Target revolver in .44 Special. It was a slow Mover at first for sales But their dare Devil crowd did not fail them and these elite Men formed a special group that shot the caliber and expanded on it to levels seen later only met with the Fierce .44 magnum Cartridge. This group was called "The Associates" and was combined of High score shooter's the Likes of Elmer Keith, Phil Sharpe, Townsend Whelen, John Lachuk, Earl Naramore, P.O. Ackley, F.W. Mann, and Julian Hatcher. Theses Guys were all Avid top Notch re-loaders & Very Serious Target shooters in the day, and to them the model of 1950 was a welcome note for serious target shooting.