Tale of a Jim Stroh .44 Special Blackhawk Conversion

[wiresguy]

This is intended as a tribute to Jim Stroh, owner of Alpha Precision, and to show the gun he made up for me. I sold this gun in 2007 at a gun show in Dallas, Texas but still have the photos and the memories.

Like many on this site, I followed Skeeter Skelton’s writings on his 357 to 44 Special conversions back in the early 1970’s. In 1977 I had a S&W 357 in 8 3/8” converted to 44 Special. A very simple rechamber and rebore by Nu-Line Guns in Harvester, Missouri, a job well done. It eventually got traded off, like too many others.

Fast forward to about 1997 and I sent an OM 357 Blackhawk to a gunsmith for conversion to 44 Special. Simple job - rechamber the cylinder, fit a good used Super Blackhawk barrel shortened to 4 5/8” and screw on the front sight. The results were a nightmare, which will be expanded upon later.

Later another 357 Old Model Blackhawk came my way and I thought I would do the conversion myself. I’m not a gunsmith, but not a stranger to precision metalworking. I purchased a Douglas barrel threaded to fit the Blackhawk and a Storey steel ejector rod housing. After fussing around for awhile, I figured it might as well be done right, and contacted Mr. Stroh about the project.

We discussed the details of the conversion, which were:

Rechamber to .44 Special, .429 throats
Fit new Douglas Barrel (.4285)
Taylor throating on barrel
Lap barrel crown
Install Storey steel ejector rod housing
Custom base pin & bushing, minimum BC gap, end play, and headspace
Front sight, custom base with removable Partidge blade
Rear sight, Bowen adjustable
Trigger/action job, internal trigger stop, sear & notch hardened
Weld, fill frame chambering markings (remove .357 cal markings)
Deluxe blue entire handgun
Fit XR3 grip frame, and bead blast

Mr. Stroh allowed that this would be considered a minor project and I should have the gun back in 3 to 4 months. In early 2000 I sent the gun, along with barrel, ejector rod housing, and XR3 grip frame, off for conversion.

After 6 months, not having heard anything from Mr. Stroh, I gave him a call to inquire about the progress on the conversion. He was not happy that I was impatient and he was a bit gruff on the phone. I resolved to simply wait until he was finished, after all, I had waited this long, and I knew the end results would be worth the wait.

About 6 months later, I received a call from Mr. Stroh. His first comment was “Your gun is finished.” His second comment was “I owe you an apology.”

He went on to explain that he had 2 safes in his shop, one for small projects like mine, and a second for larger, major projects. When my gun arrived he was about to depart on a trip and had placed my gun into the wrong safe, thus delaying my project.

He apologized for the year-long wait and told me that if I would consider having him do any more work, that he would move my project to the head of the line. I understood that this was something he didn’t have to admit, but as a true gentleman, he felt the need to do so. He also mentioned that as the barrel slugged to .4285” went ahead and made the throats .4295”.

FEDEX delivered the gun and I was more than happy with the results.

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[wiresguy]

A couple more:

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[Encore64]

Great story and I'd quickly have forgotten that 12 Months for such a usable beauty.

Congratulations on such a fine revolver added to your battery...

[kings6]

Mr. Stroh was always a gentleman when I had the chances to talk to him about a project. He reminded me of visiting with Roy Fishpaw when Roy was still alive. I do not think any front sight set up is as classy as Jim's was. I needed one more of his front sights and I found one in Michigan but to get the man to let it go, I had to buy all the Stroh front sight blades he had as well so I ended up with one front sight base and about 20+ blades! I bet with the variety I have I could get just about ANY load dialed in!

[seminolewind]

Beautiful gun and I am sure it's a tack driver too. I would treasure it.

I live only an hour or so from Mr. Stroh's shop and I was lucky enough that he let me visit with him several times while he was working on my guns. He was always a kind gentleman and you must have really caught him at a bad time if he was gruff with you.

On one visit he was working on someone's octagon barreled gun and he asked my opinion on the front sight he was considering to install. That made me feel ten feet tall that an artist like Mr Stroh would ask for my opinion on his work. He even nodded kindly at my comment.

[reflex264]

When I started reading this and hit the part about him being gruff on the phone I immediately thought you must have had someone else on the phone. Then I got down to the rest of the story and and all made sense. Easily one of the nicest gentleman I have ever spoke to. He was so honest with me that he actually talked himself out of some work because he had a better and simpler idea. What he suggested was 100% correct. Absolute prince of a man. Looks like he built you a fantastic gun.

[CraigC]

Our guns were probably in his shop at the same time! I visited Jim a couple times in his shop. He lived not far from my best friend. Always a gentleman and his shop was immaculate. You have a true treasure!

[gunsbam45]

Love both of those. I've always liked that yellow Westinghouse and similar micarta. I normally don't like the two tone look on revolvers, but I love it on the old model blue guns with the original black hard rubber grips. We did the same thing to a friend's gift to his son. Blue 4 5/8 single six we stripped the aluminum grip frame down and I fit a Bisley hammer to it. I think your old one is the best looking one I've seen so far.

[x101airborne]

I have no problem with a person who admits any felt (real or perceived) guilt and offers an apology. We all have our bad days and most of the time the person on the receiving end is not the one that caused it. I admire a person who sees things the way they are and offers an apology if they feel it is needed. I can let a lot of stuff go when a person says "My fault, I apologize." rather than makes lame excuses. The way he handled it shows true class and a man that stands on his own two feet and his word. MUCH respect.

Those completed projects are things of beauty. I bet they shoot as well as they look.

[CraigC]

Dec 10, 2022 9:43:26 GMT -5 x101airborne said:

I have no problem with a person who admits any felt (real or perceived) guilt and offers an apology. We all have our bad days and most of the time the person on the receiving end is not the one that caused it. I admire a person who sees things the way they are and offers an apology if they feel it is needed. I can let a lot of stuff go when a person says "My fault, I apologize." rather than makes lame excuses. The way he handled it shows true class and a man that stands on his own two feet and his word. MUCH respect.

Those completed projects are things of beauty. I bet they shoot as well as they look.

I know mine was very easy to develop loads for. It shoots everything exceedingly well, with boring regularity. Really sold me on premium barrels.

[alamogunr]

This may belong in the Double Action section but since this is a Jim Stroh thread I'm going to post my little Stroh story. Back in 2002 I had somehow acquired 2 S&W Highway Patrolman's. I had read of several that had theirs converted to .44 Special so I decided to do the same. Not being all that experienced about customs, I contacted Mr. Stroh about sending my gun to him. We talked a little about what would be involved. I admitted my ignorance and we went from there. The biggest thing I wanted was an action job because the gun was not as tight as my other Patrolman. We talked about barrel reboring and he advised me to also go for a 5" barrel.

After about 6 months, most of which was waiting for the barrel to be rebored, I had my gun back. To say I'm pleased with it is an understatement. To own a Stroh conversion, now that he is retired(I guess he still is), is pretty special.

I had had the gun about 2 years when I noticec that the bluing on the barrel had developed the plum tint. At first, I was somewhat disappointed but now I have kind of come to look at it as character.

I almost wish that I had been more particular in what I wanted(didn't know enough to do this) so we could have had more interaction over the gun. I did get the feeling that he was a gentleman of the old school.

[wiresguy]

Thank y’all for your comments.

CraigC: I have seen the photo of your Ruger before and think it is quite attractive, especially with the Micarta grips.

My gun (I sold it) was easy to work up loads for as well. It really liked the Lyman 429215 and the H&G #503.

I get a little OCD sometimes and it was in one of those “fits” that I sold the gun. I had some rural property in north Texas and spent a lot of time on the tractor, ATV, or hiking in the brush. I just couldn’t bring myself to pack this fine gun around and take a chance on marking it up. I also had at the time - and still have - a S&W Model 24-3 4” that saw a lot of use before I got it and I could pack and use it without worrying about the finish.

And maybe a bit of heresy on this board, I find the S&W easier to shoot accurately than any Single Action I have owned. And I am real fond of Single Actions!

Something else about Mr. Stroh: when we were on the phone discussing the work, he asked me if I wanted him to put his logo on the top strap of the gun. I had never thought of that, but I readily agreed, and it was a nice touch.

Of course, the front sight blade was a Patridge, not a “Partidge” as I geezer-fingered while typing.

[bradshaw]

"And maybe a bit of heresy on this board, I find the S&W easier to shoot accurately than any Single Action I have owned. And I am real fond of Single Actions!
----wiseguy

*****

Nothing heretical about shooting double actions better than single actions. A very fine silhouette shooter, Edna Huff, told me she shot her M-29 much better than her husband’s Super Blackhawk. There was no arguing with her performance. Shorter lock time on the DA revolver. Mainly, some shooters need the grip shoulder of the DA revolver.

Some shooters handle single and double action revolvers interchangeably. Approaching heaviest recoil, a continuous curve backstop puts the single action in its own league for protecting the hand.
David Bradshaw

[bandm]

Mr Stroh was a fine gentleman. I have a very handy 350 Rem Mag rifle that he built and I can’t see myself ever parting with it. It’s probably been 30 years since he built it so my memory of the particulars is not 100%. It has a Brown Precision stock, Douglas barrel (either 16 or 18 inches, I would have to measure to be sure), Bomar sights and was made to allow seating the bullets a little further out than factory rifles allowed. He told me he didn’t plan to build another one since it was labor intensive. I’m not sure if he built any prior to that rifle but if he did I hope they enjoy theirs as much as I’ve enjoyed mine.