Desirability of a 1976 Virginian Dragoon?

A LGS has a revolver like one I had fun with 30 years ago, a 7 ½" Interarms Virginian Dragoon. I'd appreciate help deciding whether to buy it for old times sake.

Approximately 1981 during my black powder phase I bought it to have an inexpensive stainless cartridge revolver to fire black powder and Pyrodex through. I would have preferred a .45 Colt but the .44 magnums were being closed out in the Shotgun News. My OTD cost through a home FFL was about $225.

The .44 magnum I'm considering is a 98% 1976 stainless Dragoon for $317 OTD. It has a few scratches on the wood but none on the metal. Its trigger is under two pounds and very crisp but the screw slots are perfect so the trigger may have left the factory that light. It's been fired and has no box. I know it's a 1976 revolver because the bottom of its butt is stamped 1776 to 1976 plus a few words that I forget.

I found a link to Lee Martin's article on Virginian Dragoons. Mr. Martin wrote quality control was improved starting about 1980. He wrote 1970s production had rough barrels and some had over size throats. This one's barrel is not smooth but doesn't look bad either. Presumably the Dragoon I have fond memories of benefited from the 1980 quality enhancements so this 1976 .44 might not shoot as well as it did.

The members here have broad experience with SAs so I thought I'd find advise unobtainable locally. I don't even have to ask the few single action shooters in town to know they'll just say skip it and buy a Ruger. That's practical advise but isn't necessarily appropriate since I already have a couple of SBHs. Considering the Virginian Dragoon's lack of prestige is $317 a price I should jump on, should I hold of for one built after 1980, or should I forget about it?

My sole experience with the Virginian Dragoon was one I purchased in 1983. It performed well and seemed well made. Its size simply made it too unwieldy for me personally.
I think for $317 , it would be hard to go wrong. If you've checked it over and are satisfied with its condition, sounds like a pretty good buy.

They are definitely a "big iron on your hip". I suggest that you check the barrel to cylinder alignment before buying it. In lieu of a range rod, you can open the loading gate and shine a bright light sideways into the cylinder rear. Then stare straight down the barrel to eyeball the alignment through all six positions. This works best if the revolver is unloaded as the bullets will block your view. Some of those early models were really good at shaving lead.

John

The one I bought new in '81 could not be zeroed for windage, barrel was so far off I ran out of travel on the rear sight.
Grip panels would not hold still, rotated under recoil.

Looked very nice, but I got rid of it.
Denis

Thank-you for the replies. If the store was closer to home or I was more organized measuring throats and performing SAJohn's alignment inspection would have been ideal but it is too late now because I shuffled it into lay-a-way last night.

I found a whole lot of favorable comments from owners of Virginian Dragoons over at the cast boolits forum. Also my memory of the butt roll mark was wrong. It is stamped "Liberty Forever", not "1776 to 1976". Lee Martin's article does not give a time period when that marking was used so the only thing I have to estimate when it was made is the serial number, S33,xxx. Lee Martin wrote there were about 60,000 Virginian Dragoons total. Lee also wrote that a new production manager increased the production rate along with quality improvements in 1980. Based on faster production during the final 4years of production when compared to the first 4 years and a serial number above the half way mark I'm hopping it's a well made .44. Its lack of end shake and rotational play at lock up are certainly very tight. The store swabbed the bore making it look smoother than I remembered. Anyhow, I have only good memories of the one I owned last time and it's inexpensive as guns go.

This is not the week to be spending my whole budget on myself so I wont' have it in hand until next year.

k22fan said:

...a 98% 1976 stainless Dragoon for $317 OTD.

Click to expand...

I'd do that.

Yep, good buy at $317.

Good guns, hard to go wrong at $300.

I have 2 no problems. Buy this one.

Too darn big the only one i handled and shot was way off. Bob