Lipsey .44 Special or 50th .357 converted?

[Ruger Packer]

Trying to decide which I should do.

CDNN has the 50th .357's for $369 +/-. Not sure what the Lipsey .44 Specials are selling for... last I saw $525 +.

Any idea approximately how much it would cost to convert a 50th .357 to .44 Special???

 

[Robb Barnes]

Trust me Ruger Packer, just buy the Lipsey 44 Special and save some money and time. They are the best put together Rugers I've seen from the factory yet.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

I'd go .44, but then I just did... The place I got mine (see the other "Lipsey's" topic) was selling them for $475 + shipping, but only had a couple left as of Friday(?).

Act now! They're going fast. You can always get the .357 next month, or next year. You know you will, anyway...

-- Sam

 

[Ruger Packer]

I'd go .44, but then I just did... The place I got mine (see the other "Lipsey's" topic) was selling them for $475 + shipping, but only had a couple left as of Friday(?).

Act now! They're going fast. You can always get the .357 next month, or next year. You know you will, anyway...

-- Sam

I already have the 50th .357 and .44 mag.

What I was wondering was the cost of converting a 50th .357 to .44 Special. :wink:

 

[REP1954]

I just sent Alan Harton a OM 357 cylinder to get rechambered to 45 ACP and the cost was $165.00. You can find a pulled 44 Mag barrel for under $100.00 dollars and spend $100.00 to $200.00 to get it installed. So for $365.00 to $465.00 you could have it done and this is just minimum work. But your frame is still going to say 357 Magnum on the side of it at this point. You would be needing a remarking and refinnishing job to get rid of the old markings Do you realize that the Lipsey's 44 special ia built on the 357 Magnum Flattop Annivesary frame?

 

[ElrodCod]

Bowen will convert it for about 1K.

 

[Sugar River]

Actually, Bowen's basic caliber conversion is $595, using rebored original barrel and cylinder.

http://www.bowenclassicarms.com/NEW/RugSAcalconv.htm

Dave Clements gets $695, but he's installing a new barrel.
http://www.clementscustomguns.com/rugerrevolvers.html

Pete

 

[Yosemite Sam]

I'd go .44, but then I just did... The place I got mine (see the other "Lipsey's" topic) was selling them for $475 + shipping, but only had a couple left as of Friday(?).

Act now! They're going fast. You can always get the .357 next month, or next year. You know you will, anyway...

-- Sam

I already have the 50th .357 and .44 mag.

What I was wondering was the cost of converting a 50th .357 to .44 Special. :wink:

Ugh, that's what I get for posting after 11pm...

Though it sounds like this is even more reason to get the Lipsey's gun. ~$500 vs. ~$1K (new .357 + work). Of course, for the $1K (or a little more) you'd have the hands of a master working over various bits, too.

-- Sam

 

[Ruger Packer]

I just sent Alan Harton a OM 357 cylinder to get rechambered to 45 ACP and the cost was $165.00. You can find a pulled 44 Mag barrel for under $100.00 dollars and spend $100.00 to $200.00 to get it installed. So for $365.00 to $465.00 you could have it done and this is just minimum work. But your frame is still going to say 357 Magnum on the side of it at this point. You would be needing a remarking and refinnishing job to get rid of the old markings. Do you realize that the Lipsey's 44 special ia built on the 357 Magnum Flattop Annivesary frame?

Yes. I knew it was.

I was trying to get an idea of the cost of the conversion vs. finding a Lipsey's gun. I know that CDNN has the 50th .357 models for $369 (last I heard). Thats why I was wondering about the cost of a conversion.

Agree, easy enough to find a .44 barrel and a spare .357 cylinder to ream out.

 

[Boge]

Trust me Ruger Packer, just buy the Lipsey 44 Special and save some money and time. They are the best put together Rugers I've seen from the factory yet.

Ditto. :wink:

 

[CraigC]

Really depends on what you want and you have to decide that for yourself. As nice as the new .44Spl's are, if what you want is a custom gun, nothing else will suffice. If all you want is a mid-frame .44Spl, then the Lipsey's special is your baby.

Personally, I would never spend a bunch of money to turn down and fit a Ruger take-off barrel or rebore the factory barrel with a warning on it when a brand new premium grade barrel is comparable in price, sometimes even less. Jim Stroh gets all of $205 for a new barrel installation. A rebore is usually at least $150. In this instance you would now have a .44Spl with "50th Anniversary .357" stamped on it. Go with the new barrel, it's money well-spent.

Stroh's conversion will cost you about $700 with a rechamber, premium barrel, his beautiful custom front sight and a standard reblue.

 

[Aggie01]

I had a .357 anniversary all planned out to be a .44 special. I gladly hopped on the Lipsey's bandwagon, and it freed up my donor gun to become a .41 mag.,41 special convertable.

No matter who you go with for a conversion, you will spend at least the asking price of a Lipsey's .44 special.
I have under $600 in this (grips, hammer, blued trigger, W/O sight blade), and it's exactly what I wanted.

 

[wleoff]

I picked up a Lipsey's 44 Special Blackhawk this morning fot $479 + tax. I was at Larry's in Huntsville, AL, killing an hour, when I spied a new S&W 21 in 44 Special. Nice gun, but while looking it over, I mentioned that what I really wanted was a Blackhawk in 44 Special. He went into the back and came out with one. Larry's annual Ruger weekend was several weeks ago and they got ten of the 44 Specials. All ten had been previously spoken for, but someone didn't pick one up. I'm going to shoot it Friday. Now I've got to figure out how to get the S&W 21.

 

[Dale53]

I have to admit that the Ruger Blackhawk is a fine looking revolver. I have been shooting my recent .44 Lipsey Special and 50th Anniversary .44 Magnum Flattop and they are very satisfying revolvers. They are the buy of the century, also.

Dale53

 

[SFRanger7GP]

Last Sunday I fired my Jim Stroh converted 44 special (old model flat top) and my Lipseys 44 special. In my hands they both shoot the same (which is great when I do my part). I love my Jim Stroh conversion for what it is but I probably wouldn't have it if Ruger had produced the Lipseys 44 special years ago.

 

[Dale53]

Last Sunday I fired my Jim Stroh converted 44 special (old model flat top) and my Lipseys 44 special. In my hands they both shoot the same (which is great when I do my part). I love my Jim Stroh conversion for what it is but I probably wouldn't have it if Ruger had produced the Lipseys 44 special years ago.

Now THERE is an honest man...

Dale53

 

[CraigC]

Conversely, I wouldn't trade my Stroh-built Old Model conversion for three box-stock Rugers. Slick action, two pound trigger, custom features like his sculpted front sight and custom basepin, it's exactly what I wanted. Like I said before, if all you want is a mid-frame .44Spl, then by all means get the new Lipsey's version. If you want a custom .44Spl, nothing else will do.

 

[Rodfac]

+1 on Dale53's comments. My Lipsey's shot extremely well out of the box, had a decent finish on it and the trigger cleaned up with the usual "one leg of the trigger return spring off its seat" method plus some 'assisted' dry firing. All in all, it's a great solution to my long perceived need for a single action .44 Special with adjustable sights. Rodfac