List of smiths who convert...

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mannyCA

Bearcat
Joined
Jul 5, 2011
Messages
27
Location
Central California
.357 to .44sp. Can anyone help me with a list of people who do this professionally?
I can think of a few, Clements and Bowen (i think) but know I'm missing a whole lot more.
Thanks 8)
 
Also Reeder.
In addition to the above, any good smith can do the mechnical conversion - simply a rebore of the .357 cylinder and "just"(*) a replacement .44 barrel (but not necessarily growing on trees*) or a custom barrel - and related fitting and adjustments. The challenge is finding a smith--or knows someone local to do--the finishing work - restamping/roll mark caliber, etc, and that's largely the extra you get from the aforementioned custom smiths - stem-to-stern work. Not all smiths (by a long shot) do reblues other than superficial touch up work, if you need anything more extensive. Caliber marking on Colts and clones is easier because the donor barrel will already have the new caliber on it--voila! no frame work, nothing to do--rather than the Ruger frame stamping that, presumbly (if you're going to all the other trouble...), would need to be changed.

* About the barrel, before Ruger finally came out with the .44 Specials, I had plans for a conversion on my New Vaquero .357. (Gunblast's article on Ben Forkin's NV .44 really got me going. To that point most conversions discussed had been on OM .357s). Between my smith (a top Coltsmith I'm blessed to have here) and me, we couldn't find/buy a fixed sight .44 barrel if our life depended on it. Very high demand, and very limited supply - none to be found in 2 years of looking. (Generally due to no reason for anyone to get rid of their .44's barrel). This challenge, again, was due to the limiting factor of me trying to do it on the (relative) "cheap." Limited budget, I wasn't wanting to ship my gun off (including being minus the gun for a year+) have a new/custom barrel, major sight work, etc, and it seemed simple to do it locally---NOT! By comparison, I had the same smith do four .44 conversions on Colts (including two 2nd Gens, using 3rd Gen .44 barrels rethreaded) for a friend. (We only had to wait a little while on the availbility of one of the surplus/NOS 3rd Gen, .44 barrels)
Solution for Rugers, especially for fixed sights (the pool of adjustable sight SBH barrels is larger than the Vaqueros'), if you want the conversion badly or quickly enough, you may have to suck it up on the $ and get a new custom barrel, including final finish, etc.

Finally, if contemplating a conversion - if you see a. .44, barrel, grab it and then go from there. Change of plans? You can always re-sell the barrel for at least what you paid for it. This is also true of Bisley and SBH hammers.
 
You might want to take the route that I took for converting. I wanted a pair of "blue" OMV in 38/40. I started shooting B/P in SASS. I shot smokeless in 44-40. But everyone knows that if you shoot B/P in guns after shooting smokeless you'll mess them up!! Sooo,, ya have to buy new guns. " THAT'S MY STORY ,,AND I'M STICKING TO IT" :D :D :D Ruger doesn't/didn't make that animal. So I got a pair of the 38-40/.40SW in SS. They're fine,,,, but this is "me", I don't like "shiny" guns,, nickel, chrome or stainless or any bright gun. I thought of different ways to do the SS OMV's for a couple of years. Nothing came to mind. Then BINGO !.Got a pair of .357 OMV's, blue, cch. pulled barrels off, sent them off to be re-rifled for 38-40,, cylinders the other way for rechambering. Now I've got a pair of blue, cch,5 1/2" bbl 38-40 OMV's. I had the bbls engraved 38WCF, a little Jim Downing here and there annnd all is well in Rugerville. The reason I sent the bbls and cylinders different ways is because, best price for doing the barrels, but he didn't do cylinders. Person that did the cylinders wanted to much to do the bbls.
I'm happy
Isom Dart
 
I had Alan Harton in Houston TX do three .357 to .44 Special conversions. One M28 S&W and two Ruger Old Model Blackhawks. One of the BHs was converted with a 4 5/8" Super BH barrel and the other was done with a 5 1/2" Colt New Frontier barrel.

Outstanding workmanship on all three revolvers.

PM me if you need a Ruger .44 barrel. I have a couple.
 
Until I started converting New Vaqeuros, 44 mag barrels cut to length always sufficed. For New Vaqeuros I just use Colt barrels; same 24 TPI and diameter and the fixed blade front sight was already installed. The Colt address got polished off and the round crown squared up like a Ruger barrel. I only like blue guns but if I wanted a Colt barrel for a stainless gun, I'd just polish it 'in the white'.

Colt & USFA cylinders, already chambered in your new caliber (unless you want something out of the ordinary), will also work in Ruger mid frames, old and new and you get a separate cyl pin bushing that can be fitted for length.

If you have stainless parts or guns that you want blue, stainless steel can be blued; several refinishers know how to do it. And it's no more expensive than carbon steel bluing.
 
Isom 3840 said:
You might want to take the route that I took for converting. I wanted a pair of "blue" OMV in 38/40. I started shooting B/P in SASS. I shot smokeless in 44-40. But everyone knows that if you shoot B/P in guns after shooting smokeless you'll mess them up!! Sooo,, ya have to buy new guns. " THAT'S MY STORY ,,AND I'M STICKING TO IT" :D :D :D Ruger doesn't/didn't make that animal. So I got a pair of the 38-40/.40SW in SS. They're fine,,,, but this is "me", I don't like "shiny" guns,, nickel, chrome or stainless or any bright gun. I thought of different ways to do the SS OMV's for a couple of years. Nothing came to mind. Then BINGO !.Got a pair of .357 OMV's, blue, cch. pulled barrels off, sent them off to be re-rifled for 38-40,, cylinders the other way for rechambering. Now I've got a pair of blue, cch,5 1/2" bbl 38-40 OMV's. I had the bbls engraved 38WCF, a little Jim Downing here and there annnd all is well in Rugerville. The reason I sent the bbls and cylinders different ways is because, best price for doing the barrels, but he didn't do cylinders. Person that did the cylinders wanted to much to do the bbls.
I'm happy
Isom Dart
Alright, damnit! You can't go posting all of that and not throw in a couple pics to go with it! :mrgreen:
 
Pics are right, lets see em!

The reason I asked is that I recently acquired one from a forum member but it doesn't say who converted it. I was hoping to contact them (the smiths in the list above) and ask by way of SN if they had done it. It was re blued and had some action work done which made it very smooth. Whoever did it did a very professional job. :D
 
Well you should have just said that in the first place. Clement's guns are easy, his mark is on the left side of the frame back towards the grips. The other top notch guys each have unique ways of re-marking the new caliber. Can you post a picture, we can probably narrow the field for you.
 
Here's one by Jim Stroh:
IMG_7120e.jpg


His markings are clear:
Flattop%2044x4__%20-%2006.jpg


Clements used to mark his with just "CCG", just visible on the side of the barrel in this pic:
P1010041.JPG
 
To CraigC,
there's nothing remarkable about them. Other than the backstraps being engraved and 38WCF ala Colt style on the top of the barrels, that's it. Worn bluing, Ruger ring, "character" dings here and there, just an ordinary OMV that's been converted. Annnnd I don't know how to post pics.
Isom
 
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