Got me a 3-screw, sort of ...

[mikewriter]

The very first .44 magnum I ever owned - or shot - was an old Herter's with a 4" barrel that kicked like the proverbial mule, and threatened to shoot itself to pieces every time I fired a few rounds. Still, I enjoyed shooting the old thing, only finally got rid of it after the base pin jumped out one too many times.

Last week I saw a Herter's listed for sale, and worked out a trade for it - out of nostalgia mostly. This one has a 6 inch barrel. It needed some TLC - grips and general cleanup, mostly. I fashioned some grips out of white oak that was part of a stringer/engine bed system in a friend's old wooden 39 foot Post sport fishing boat. Haven't decided what I'll do with the finish - this is considered a "project gun" of the first order, so for now I took the old blueing off the cylinder and ejector rod housing as a first step.

Of course, it has the 4 click cocking action, with the cylinder only turning freely in half-cock position. I really kind like that, and can see why folks cling to their Old Model Rugers.

It is also a 3-screw, although the slotted screw heads - on this one, at least - are on the left side of the gun, rather than on the right as with a Ruger.

The tall front sight would have made Elmer Keith smile, and the adjustable rear is a semi-buckhorn (I believe), with a gold blade.

I had forgotten that the Herter's revolvers were made in West Germany by J. P. Sauer & Sons. This one seems "tight", functions well, and ought to be a good "front door gun" for the house, if nothing else.

 

[WIL TERRY]

The Herter POWERMAG sixguns were built on the COLT system, NOT Ruger.
A Colt gripframe will bolt right in place as slick as sour owl shiq.
George Leonard Herter had the temerity to originally call his SA sixguns, SINGLE SIXES, and BR'sr just about threw a fit and put a stop to that with alacrity.
AND so it goes...

 

[mikewriter]

Thanks for jogging my memory.

Other than the grip frame, though, there are similarities.

 

[pete44ru]

.


FWIW, a moving base pin fix is E-Z-Peazy - just D/T the head of the pin transversely for a long (1/2" or so) setscrew, then drill a small dimple in the barrel bottom for the upper/inner tip of the setscrew to lock into.

It takes less than 30mins to alter one.

.

 

[mikewriter]

I use Belt Mountain "locking" base pins on my Rugers, and I'm pretty sure one of those will fir this gun - which I shot for the first time today and had no problem with the base pin. The one I had problems with has been "gone" for several decades now.

Shot this one this morning, and it did well. Surprisingly accurate at 15 yards offhand when I was mostly just shooting to check function. Got home and looked it over, found it had recesses for the case heads. To me, that was a surprise!

Mike

 

[mikewriter]

Case head recesses on OLD Herter's .44 magnum.

 

[mikewriter]

Little update: Checked the trigger pull on the old Herter's - my "budget" gauge shows 3.5 pounds.

Mike

 

[Joe S.]

Neat ol sixguns. They are appropriately named from what i understand. They Herters when you shoot one.

 

[mikewriter]

My first one with the 4" barrel sure did! I'm keeping the loads a lot lighter in this one, as mentioned, but have had problems with the ejector rod housing " shooting" out. Appears a previous owner buggered up the threads on the hole in the barrel. No big deal, and I'm enjoying "playing" with this one. I'll snag the next Herters I see, also, just for grins.

 

[pruger45]

Getting more collectible every day!

 

[mikewriter]

If so, I've probably "ruined" mine by adding new grips and rust browning the cylinder frame? Oh, well, my grandson will just be stuck with it (and some others one day).

 

[chet15]

The earliest Herter's SA's like this (in various calibers even) say "SINGLE SIX" on the barrel. Does yours?
Needless to say, Ruger had several issues with Herter's in the early '60's.
Chet15

 

[mikewriter]

No, mine doesn't say "Single Six", and I understand a lot of those were marked over with "XXX"s".

Easy to see how problems could have arisen between the two companies!

 

[chet15]

No, mine doesn't say "Single Six", and I understand a lot of those were marked over with "XXX"s".

Easy to see how problems could have arisen between the two companies!

Hmmm...that's interesting! I did a google search of herter's Single-Six not too long ago and found an auction were serial number 1 of I believe a .44 Mag. and .357 Mag. from one of the original Herter's execs was sold. Interesting stuff.
Chet15

 

[mikewriter]

I did a search last night, also, and found several Herters .401 Powermags and a few .44 mags for sale - but all were sold already! Next one I see in time I'll be buying. When I got this one and realized it was made in W. Germany by Sauer, and saw the recesses for the case heads I began to rethink my original attitude towards these guns. Then I read a very favorable article about them by Lee Martin, and that "sold" me!

Mike

 

[chet15]

Yeah...they look strange, but heard they were well made.
Chet15

 

[mikewriter]

Heavy guns, not as well put together as a Ruger, but certainly serviceable, and had a lot of "features" normally expected now on custom guns. As I do with a lot of my stuff, I've probably killed any "collectable" value of mine by messing with the finish, but I like it, my grandson will like it.

 

[SAJohn]

Somewhere around here I still have an old Herter's catalog. It was easy to loose a whole evening looking through it. I bought quite a bit of stuff out of that catalog. Maybe some of it wasn't too fancy but it was all well made. I still use one of Herter's powder scales.

 

[mikewriter]

"Those were the days", huh?

Mike