An "Economy" .44 Special

[Burnston]

I carry a Harton Colt .44spl daily as a general use ranch companion. As this pistol holds significant personal value to me, I've started exploring alternatives, not as a complete replacement, but a simple supplement so as not to overuse the Colt long-term. 
I've got a few ideas in mind, and I know exactly who I would like to do the work, but never having had a custom built handgun before, I am slightly out of my depth. The pistol I have in mind will in no way compare to the custom jobs most of you have built and owned, thus the "Economy" title. The pistol I have in mind will be a ranch companion, capable of  of chambering medium size game loads, with a secondary use as an "under the coat" town gun for going in to the feed store or what have you. It is general purpose, tough, and resilient to daily use, featuring a front and rear sight that promotes prompt target acquisition and a butter smooth trigger pull.   
I have a few options as far as getting started. First, I have an OM Ruger Blackhawk .357 that I could use as a conversion project, but this may negate some of the economic intentions I had in mind. Second, I have considered selling the .357 and using the proceeds to purchase a NM Flattop Blackhawk .44spl with a 4 5/8in barrel, thus eliminating the need for conversion costs. Third, still seeking a NM Flattop .44, but in Bisley configuration; I've never even handled one of these but they seem to have very credible reputations according to many of you forum contributors.

I am seeking advice, suggestions, and education. I realize that with every contributor comes a different opinion; that is the idea as far as I am concerned. I am new to the custom field, and therefore am not 100% familiar with my personal preferences as far as custom guns go, which is why this is an "economy" endeavour; a cost-effective dabble in the world of custom sixguns. I do know that the pistol will be single action, and .44 Special. For all other details, I am all ears. 

[Ken O'Neill]

A N.M. Flat-Top is the way to go. Whether 4-5/8" (which I prefer) or 5-1/2", and whether blue or stainless (which I prefer) are all matters of personal choice. A New Model trigger and action are easy to turn into perfection.

[bradshaw]

thalastgoodfight..... you may be in luck. Ruger shows a distributor special available from Lipsey’s, blued Bisley Blackhawk .44 Special, 4-5/8” or 5-1/2” barrel. Flattop frame, slightly smaller than Blackhawk/SBH frame, with slightly shorter cylinder. The standard ejector is fine with the special case. Examples I’ve shot impressed me. Accuracy alone does not an impression make, but without ACCURACY there is no impression.

Alternative, from Talo: stainless New Vaquero .44 Mag, with 3-3/4” barrel and birdhead grip. If you have the brass, just DEEP SEAT your .44 Special load in the mag case and roll crimp above the front band (cast SWC), or on the ogive of a jacketed bullet. I happen to respect the little birdhead Vaquero in .45 ACP----it’s a sweetie. Might feel the same way toward the birdead Vaquero chambered for .44 Mag----confined to .44 Special loads in the mag case.
David Bradshaw

[Burnston]

Jan 2, 2018 14:04:33 GMT -5 bradshaw said:

thalastgoodfight..... you may be in luck. Ruger shows a distributor special available from Lipsey’s, blued Bisley Blackhawk .44 Special, 4-5/8” or 5-1/2” barrel. Flattop frame, slightly smaller than Blackhawk/SBH frame, with slightly shorter cylinder. The standard ejector is fine with the special case. Examples I’ve shot impressed me. Accuracy alone does not an impression make, but without ACCURACY there is no impression.

Alternative, from Talo: stainless New Vaquero .44 Mag, with 3-3/4” barrel and birdhead grip. If you have the brass, just DEEP SEAT your .44 Special load in the mag case and roll crimp above the front band (cast SWC), or on the ogive of a jacketed bullet. I happen to respect the little birdhead Vaquero in .45 ACP----it’s a sweetie. Might feel the same way toward the birdead Vaquero chambered for .44 Mag----confined to .44 Special loads in the mag case.
David Bradshaw

Thanks for the input, Mr. Bradshaw. Am I to understand then that you endorese the Bisley configuration?

I am also wondering; what benefit do I get from a .44mag Vaquero over a .44spl BH?

[bullseye]

+1 on the Ruger NMFT. I have the blued plow handle 4-5/8" & the Bisley 5-1/2" and I love them both. And even though I'm a Bisley lover, I actually prefer the shorter plow handled gun for packing around because it's a much more compact & lighter to carry.

[bushog]

I agree with the above comments on the NM flat top.

Send it to David Clements for a tune up.

From David's site....

Deluxe tune-up package for all Ruger SA centerfire revolvers: Action job with 3-3 1/4# trigger pull, oversize #5 base pin with lock screw, polish or recut forcing cone and barrel crown, open cyl. throats for cast bullets, alignment check, correct timing as needed, install Bowen Target or Rough Country rear sight and pinned blade conversion on front sight with ramped or patridge style blade. Stainless guns will utilize factory front sight base with new custom blade installed -$550


You'd have a super fine semi custom revolver at a reasonable price that would be nearly indestructible.

It wasn't that long ago getting a Blackhawk .44 sp on a medium sized frame was a house payment type endeavor.....

[bushog]

Jan 2, 2018 14:35:14 GMT -5 bullseye said:

+1 on the Ruger NMFT. I have the blued plow handle 4-5/8" & the Bisley 5-1/2" and I love them both. And even though I'm a Bisley lover, I actually prefer the shorter plow handled gun for packing around because it's a much more compact & lighter to carry.

1++ and the plow handled guns are less expensive right now.

With the tune up above you could be ready to go right at 1K...which isn't cheap but you get a LOT of gun.

[bradshaw]

Thanks for the input, Mr. Bradshaw. Am I to understand then that you endorese the Bisley configuration?
----thelastgoodfight

I love the old Blackhawk grip----up to a point. That point is reached with recoil. I consider the original Blackhawk .44 Mag a vicious knuckle-buster. Give me the Super Blackhawk any day for full house .44 Mag. The birdhead Vaquero is a sweetie with .45 ACP----not .45 Colt or uploaded .44 Special; certainly not with .44 Mag. The Blackhawk grip is more versatile than a birdhead. I spent youthful education on the Blackhawk. It is lightning fast, right down to the Peacemaker hammer.

I am also wondering; what benefit do I get from a .44mag Vaquero over a .44spl BH?

Except as a pocket gun, nothing. The Blackhawk wins on sight picture and adjustable sights.
David Bradshaw

[coldtriggerfinger]

With "single action" and everyday outdoor use specified .
I would look hard at the 3 3/4" Super Blackhawk Bisley . 44 mag,in stainless steel. It's a 6 shot so you can keep 1 or 2 shotshells in the cylinder and 5 or 4 bullet or boolit loads.
If you reload your ammo , which I think you do. You can Taylor your ammo to your gun. Or , just shoot the same 44 Special loads that you do in your current 44 Special.

[Burnston]

Jan 2, 2018 13:57:01 GMT -5 Ken O'Neill said:

A N.M. Flat-Top is the way to go. Whether 4-5/8" (which I prefer) or 5-1/2", and whether blue or stainless (which I prefer) are all matters of personal choice. A New Model trigger and action are easy to turn into perfection.

Thanks, Mr. O'Neill. On a side-note, what makes the NM so much easier to smooth out than the OMs in terms of action and trigger?

[Ken O'Neill]

Both can be done equally well.

[ezekiel38]

I only own one single action revolver. It is a Ruger New Vaquero sized Bisley gripped Blackhawk, in 44 Spl and a 4 5/8" barrel. I am a Smith man since 1965.

I love this Bisley, it's grip especially, the trigger configuration, and it's sweet accuracy with any thing you put in it. I like the way it holds steady as you press the trigger and lack of recoil even with 250 grain Keiths at 1100fps.

If I could only have one 44 it would be my 4" 624 Smith. But the Bisley is barking at Mr. Smiths heels.

[princeout]

As has been said, for an "economy" version, starting with the NM 44 Special is the way to go. Grip frame choice is personal so you need to try and shoot any type you are considering. If you post your location, you might find someone on here close by to try out some of the choices. If you actually intend to concealed carry it, I would try that out as well. A short barrelled Birdshead grip would probably be easiest to "hide", depending on the size of the person carrying it. I carry a 3-3/4", large frame 45 Birdshead gripped Vaquero in my back pocket for around the farm use. The mid-framed NM 44 Special, similarly gripped and barrelled, would be a bit lighter and more compact.

Tim

[jt]

If it was me and I had an Old model 357 to build on, I'd do that 100%
Economy-wise (that-would be much costlier than a NM 44spl) but there's no replacing that old-design 4-click action once it's what you know... the old model Rugers still possessed that & they closest resemble a Colt because of it.. '+' Ruger's reliability of coarse

Just like you, I too carry/carried a Colt everyday serving farm & ranch duties on & off my pastures, I use it as backup on pack-trip/hunting-trips with the horses and even carry it seasonally on a trapline thinning coyotes & such so they don't cause trouble before calving winds-up in spring.. the Colt's been with me a long time, I got used to it and I absolutely love it. I do admit that two years ago (again, just like you) I got the idea in my head to replace the Colt and leave it set aside for sentimental reasons etc etc, and switch to a Ruger, but I came full-circle since-then and am right back to my old Colt!!! ...even-with a new Ruger in the cabinet

In the beginning when I got my gears turning on the idea, I ordered a Lipseys flat-top (Bisley grip) 44spl dreaming about how everyone bragged them up so good but barely two months after getting it I sold it. The Bisley grip is very-very different than the style you're used to in your Colt, so if you-can, then absolutely TRY one before you totally decide on any Bisley. Besides the radically different feel to the grip, the other thing I noticed about it was the heft vs my Colt... I shoot a 44 special Colt with a 5.5" barrel so ordered the Bisley Ruger the same assuming it most closely resemble the 5.5 I already had. I was wrong there again. The 5.5 Ruger is like night & day for size & heft vs. a 5.5 Colt... so consider that too if you're going to use it all-day year round.

Anyway. To keep this from getting much longer, in the end (what I did) was order was a plain-jane plow-handle Ruger and instead went with a 4,5/8's barrel to cut some heft & bulk off; been very happy with that. Custom-wise I-did also install a lower bisley-style hammer for quicker easier cocking and had that hammer ordered as a half-cock hammer to mimmick the Colt a bit more, I put a lighter main-spring & trigger-kit in and then a belt mtn Bowen #5 base pin... the way that-Ruger sits (now) I'm pretty content with it. I still find myself grabbing my Colt 9 times outta 10, it's extremely hard not-to once 'that' is the kind you've used so long, BUT if for whatever reason all I had was my Ruger set-up the way I have it now, I'd be okay with that.. I could live with it pretty good

Beyond all that, the best advice to take anyplace is to try somebody's out if somebody has some-style you think you might like instead of what you're used to; but definitely & absolutey take my word about changing much in your new-one from what that Colt is... you're very-likely going to find yourself still wanting something more "Colt-ish" if you change radically away from it. I sure did.


Goodluck

[2 Dogs]

Well let's see. First, we need to get Ben to pull the stocks off that OM and find out if it has a XR3 grip frame of a XR3-RED because that will tell us if the grip frame will need to be swapped out to match his Colt.

Next, it shouldn't really be too hard to find a take off 44 special cylinder and barrel. Several guys are taking NM flattops and converting them to 5 shot 44s, 45s, and 480s via JRH. These are handsome conversions and here these guys would have a ready customer for their "take off" parts.

So, If Ben has the right frame, scores a take off cylinder and barrel, the next issue becomes the sights. If he decides to stay true to his Colt, his BH would need the top strap to be welded and recut like a Colt and I would suggest a dovetail front. If not, I would suggest he bite the bullet and get the Bowen rear. Last is all the small details like remarking the caliber and such.

Should be doable. So who has some spare 44 special parts?