A few months ago, I came across an article here on RevolverGuy.com about converting a S&W Model 544 revolver into a .44 Special.
The author, Steve Tracy, had a commemorative Model 544 chambered for .44-40, and wanted an additional cylinder fitted so it would be able to shoot .44 Special, as well. His detailed article described the project, and I was especially interested in it, because I’d obtained a Model 544 a while back for a great price.
MY 544
I obtained the 544 because I was thinking about producing .44-40 cartridges at High Desert Cartridge Company and needed a gun to do all the test firing.
However, I soon found out that the .44-40 uses a wide variety of different bullet diameters, because the manufacturers have used different bore sizes over the life of the cartridge. Early guns were made with (nominal) .427″ bores, but many of the later guns (starting around post-WWII) were made with .429″ bores (the standard bore size for other .44 caliber cartridges, like .44 Special and .44 Magnum). John Taffin once wrote that he’d seen .44-40 bores ranging from .426″ to .432″ with no real standard for barrel groove diameter.
To preserve accuracy, I’d have to make both a “small” and “large” .44-40 to cover all the bases. I really didn’t have time to make two different offerings, so I shelved the .44-40 idea and the Model 544. I should have researched the idea more before obtaining the 544, but as mentioned above, I got it for well below the going price.
THE RIGHT GUY FOR THE JOB
Steve Tracy’s caliber conversion project was submitted to Thomas Beaudette at Trapper’s Guns out of Colorado. The original plan was to shorten a .44 Magnum cylinder (that would be used to shoot .44 Specials) to match the length of the shorter .44-40 cylinder that came with the gun, but they found out it would not work as intended. Cutting the Magnum cylinder back so it would fit the 544 frame would make the chamber throats too short to stabilize the bullet as it made its jump from the cylinder to the barrel.
If the .44 Magnum cylinder was going to be used for shooting Specials, the only thing that could be done was to shorten the back of the barrel, where the forcing cone is (the barrel extension), to allow the longer Magnum cylinder to fit. Unfortunately, this would prevent the original (shorter) .44-40 cylinder from being used on the gun, because the new barrel-cylinder gap would be too big.
Because Steve’s main goal was to build an affordable 5″ .44 Special, he gave up on the idea of shooting .44-40 in the gun, and it ended up being made into a .44 Special only.
INSPIRATION
I applaud Steve for his detailed description of the project and for providing all the important measurements. As I was reading the article, I recalled I had a .41 Magnum cylinder and yoke/crane assembly I obtained many years ago, and because of the measurements given in the article . . . it gave me pause to wonder if that size cylinder might work?
I put on my propeller hat, grabbed my calipers and the Model 544, and went to work on measuring. From the measurements in the article, and what I was coming up with, I was thinking it would work. The .41 Magnum cylinder could be shortened to fit the frame, and bored out in such a way as to give plenty of throat to the .44 Special cartridge. Since we wouldn’t have to cut the gun’s barrel extension shorter, I could still use the original .44-40 cylinder in the gun.
The next day I called Tom at Trapper’s Guns, introduced myself, and explained the idea. I gave him the measurements I came up with, and he thought it would work—we could make a true double caliber conversion for the Model 544.
I packaged up the 544 and shipped it off to him. The day after he received it, he called to confirm my measurements were correct and he could make the conversion happen.
DOUBLE CALIBER
Eight short weeks later I got an email saying the work was done, and would be shipped the next day; I received the 544 a few days later… Hoo-Rah!
The 544 came with the modified .41 Magnum cylinder (now chambered for .44 Special) installed. Tom mentioned that he got the new cylinder fit to a .004” gap, while the original .44-40 cylinder came from the factory at .005”. Each cylinder came fitted with their own yoke.
I checked the action of the new fitted .44 Special cylinder, and then installed and checked the action of the original .44-40 cylinder. Both cylinders gave a smooth action, with consistent trigger pull weights of just under four pounds in single action, and under eleven pounds in double action.
Although I like the stocks that came with the 544, I decided to install some Bear Hug grips from Tyler Gun Works. Since the 544 is a Texas commemorative, having grips from Texas made sense…and all the more so, because they came from Bobby Tyler and company.
SHOTS FIRED
On the range, the 544 did not disappoint. Using my own High Desert Cartridge Company .44 Special loads, which are topped with 200 grain TMJ and 200 grain JHP bullets, I got velocities of 885 fps through this 5” gun (they normally run around 860 fps in a 4” barrel).
The first group I shot in the black. I shot two three-shot groups while adjusting the sights. As you can see, it didn’t take long to get it to hit near the “X” at five yards. I backed up to ten yards and tuned again, shooting the group in the upper left. The last group on the upper right–yes there’s six rounds there–got dialed in perfect.
A FAMILY OF .44s
I have two favorite big bore calibers, .41 Magnum and .44 Special. Having the .41 Magnum cylinder fitted to the 544, just makes it all the more special.
Now I have four .44 caliber revolvers in a variety of barrel lengths—a S&W Model 396 .44 Special Night Guard with a 3” barrel, a S&W Model 24-3 .44 Special with a 4” barrel, my new S&W Model 544 .44-40 / .44 Special convertible with a 5” barrel, and a S&W Model 29-2 .44 Magnum with a 6” barrel.
I’d like to say a very special thank you to Steve Tracy for the most-fine article. Since shelving the .44-40 caliber ammo idea, the 544 was kind of, “out of sight, out of mind,” especially since I’ve been so busy keeping up with ammo orders from my great customers. I was glad to do something with the 544, as I’m not a collector–I won’t own a gun I can’t shoot, due to its value. I use–not abuse–every gun I own, and the 544 will be no different.
Now I need to find a holster that’s fitting for the conversion work that’s been done–your ideas are most welcome!
Sometimes, like what’s described in this article, it’s worth thinking about what one can do with existing components, and with some help, create something that does the job of two things, maybe even better. And if the result is less than the cost of buying two things then that’s even finer.
See! There’s two ways to skin a cat!! Outstanding concept Steve! I think everyone should send their 544s to Tom Beaudette!!
The 544 with the 5″ barrel is so nice to shoot. Tom got the cylinders, timing and trigger work done to perfection. The throats are cut right, as velocity checks are showing consistent chamber to chamber.
Going to be playing with 240gr loads with some old Speer half jackets that were given to me recently.
My favorite was the 24-3, but this 544 is just as good.
Thank you again for inspiration for the project!
Thanks, Steve, for sharing your project. Good call on the .41 Mag cylinder and nice work by Mr. Beaudette. I’ll bet Rob Leahy could make you a worthy holster for it. There’s a lot of folks doing good leather work, but Simply Rugged and Doc Barranti come to mind. Good luck and thanks for the ammo you build!
Back in the 1990s, I used to shoot the ‘cowboy ipsc’ matches with a guy who used an Gen 1 Colt in .44-40. His revolvers were ‘minute of door’ accurate. I suspected cylinder measurements, so I brought my micrometer to one match, and sure enough – 6 chambers, 6 different sizes. That was the least of his worries as he cast his own bullets, and handloaded all his .44-40, and even his .38-40 ammo. Then there were guys shooting vintage Colt SAA with .454″ bores using .452″ cast bullets, and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
Devoted Revolverguys know that having cylinder throats precisely and accurately cut makes a world of difference. For anyone having inconsistent accuracy issues with a revolver, after eliminating ammunition irregularities, one should check those cylinder throats. Far too many come off the production lines with inconsistent throat dimensions and many even seriously undersized.
Excellent point, Sir. I just wish the manufacturers paid better attention, so we wouldn’t have to! It would also be useful to know what they are using for specs.
Lipsey’s has a Ruger GP100 .44 Special with 5″ barrel, i’d be curious to see how it compares to your 544 (performance wise that is, as the Ruger is only a 5 shot cylinder).