s&w .44 mag

Old 454 · July 18, 2015, 07:13 PM

I just bought a smith and wesson .44 mag no model number serial number s 169xxx came with original wooden grips. Grips are a bit dinged up. Any one tell me manufator date ? Paid 450.00 for it. Will try to up load a pic from my phone if i can

Thanks in advance.

highpower3006 · July 18, 2015, 08:09 PM

S169XXX was likely made in 195X.

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Maybe sometime around '57

kilimanjaro · July 19, 2015, 12:31 AM

You stole that dude.

A pair of replacement grips will cost about $100 if they know what they're selling.

You can run 44 Special through that and save a lot of wear and tear, if you don't load your own.

highpower3006 · July 19, 2015, 07:17 AM

Quote:

A pair of replacement grips will cost about $100 if they know what they're selling.

A set of original coke bottle stocks will be much, much more than a C note. More like $400+

They look like this:

As opposed to a set of standard diamond targets:

And even at that, N Frame diamond target stocks will probably cost somewhere around $200+

It's still worth it to try to find the right stocks though. Kilimanjaro was right, you stole that gun.

Old 454 · July 19, 2015, 07:40 AM

Highpower thats the kind of grips that are on th .44 mag in the first picture..... i will have to try and hook my phone to the computer to post a pic.
Like i said the grips have a few dings in them but not bad.

Blueing on the gun is nice with just a tad of holster wear on the tip of the barrel. Rifling is exceptional. I think the gun was carried but not shot alot.

I know i will enjoy shooting it.
And yes i reload my own, i have a boat load of 2400 and h110 for reloading.

kilimanjaro · July 19, 2015, 01:30 PM

Ouch, $400 for grips is getting insane!

I did pay $100 for some K-22 grips a couple of years ago, to replace a set of home made target grips someone had made up.

Remind to haunt a few more garage and estate sales, for pistol grips.

Old 454 · July 20, 2015, 11:19 PM

Thanks for all the info.
My next question is will this gun handle full magnum loads or should use reduced loads ?

Also i would like to really give the gun a good cleaning any recommendations as to what to use ? I have all the standred cleaning liquids ie hoppes, blue wonder butches bore shine etc. Any thing i can use to polish the gun with i know no abrasive stuff.

Thanks again

James K · July 22, 2015, 10:16 PM

I resisted the temptation to say it is black powder only. Actually, it will handle any factory or factory spec .44 Magnum ammunition. If you want to try to blow up a gun with extra heavy loads, get a Ruger (they blow up, too, but Ruger fans won't admit it).

Jim

kilimanjaro · July 25, 2015, 09:06 PM

It should handle magnum loads with no problem, it was designed and built for that purpose. I would not feed it handloads beyond a commercial maximum, myself, and would load a bit under that, but I don't like to beat my revolvers up, especially 60-year old models that will cost double my purchase price to replace.

Hoppe's No. 9 and a good silicone gun rag are just fine for cleaning.

Old 454 · July 26, 2015, 11:26 AM

Yes i am headed to the range today to try some 240gr. Fmj flat points with 15.gr of blue dot to see how these shoot. This should give a volocity around 1300 fps.

I finally just cleaned the outside of the gun with johnsons paste wax and have rubed the grips with boiled lin seed oil. And it cleaned up oh so nice

July 18, 2015, 07:13 PM	#1
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	s&w .44 mag I just bought a smith and wesson .44 mag no model number serial number s 169xxx came with original wooden grips. Grips are a bit dinged up. Any one tell me manufator date ? Paid 450.00 for it. Will try to up load a pic from my phone if i can Thanks in advance.

July 18, 2015, 08:09 PM	#2
highpower3006 Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2011 Location: Savannah TN Posts: 1,220	S169XXX was likely made in 195X. Sorry, I just couldn't resist. Maybe sometime around '57

July 19, 2015, 12:31 AM	#3
kilimanjaro Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Posts: 3,963	You stole that dude. A pair of replacement grips will cost about $100 if they know what they're selling. You can run 44 Special through that and save a lot of wear and tear, if you don't load your own.

July 19, 2015, 07:40 AM	#5
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	Highpower thats the kind of grips that are on th .44 mag in the first picture..... i will have to try and hook my phone to the computer to post a pic. Like i said the grips have a few dings in them but not bad. Blueing on the gun is nice with just a tad of holster wear on the tip of the barrel. Rifling is exceptional. I think the gun was carried but not shot alot. I know i will enjoy shooting it. And yes i reload my own, i have a boat load of 2400 and h110 for reloading.

July 19, 2015, 01:30 PM	#6
kilimanjaro Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Posts: 3,963	Ouch, $400 for grips is getting insane! I did pay $100 for some K-22 grips a couple of years ago, to replace a set of home made target grips someone had made up. Remind to haunt a few more garage and estate sales, for pistol grips.

July 20, 2015, 11:19 PM	#7
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	Thanks for all the info. My next question is will this gun handle full magnum loads or should use reduced loads ? Also i would like to really give the gun a good cleaning any recommendations as to what to use ? I have all the standred cleaning liquids ie hoppes, blue wonder butches bore shine etc. Any thing i can use to polish the gun with i know no abrasive stuff. Thanks again

July 22, 2015, 10:16 PM	#8
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	I resisted the temptation to say it is black powder only. Actually, it will handle any factory or factory spec .44 Magnum ammunition. If you want to try to blow up a gun with extra heavy loads, get a Ruger (they blow up, too, but Ruger fans won't admit it). Jim

July 25, 2015, 09:06 PM	#9
kilimanjaro Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Posts: 3,963	It should handle magnum loads with no problem, it was designed and built for that purpose. I would not feed it handloads beyond a commercial maximum, myself, and would load a bit under that, but I don't like to beat my revolvers up, especially 60-year old models that will cost double my purchase price to replace. Hoppe's No. 9 and a good silicone gun rag are just fine for cleaning.

July 26, 2015, 11:26 AM	#10
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	Yes i am headed to the range today to try some 240gr. Fmj flat points with 15.gr of blue dot to see how these shoot. This should give a volocity around 1300 fps. I finally just cleaned the outside of the gun with johnsons paste wax and have rubed the grips with boiled lin seed oil. And it cleaned up oh so nice