Last .44 Special I'd Ever Give Up

Hickok 45 here. Does it get any better than 44 special? Not for me. Let's throw some. You want to? Yeah. 44 special. Let's kick off with some pot smoking. All right. 44 special. It's a pretty big bootlet and case, right? 44 caliber. Well, actually 43. We've explained that to y'all a few times. So, uh, 44 special. That's what we're about today. Uh, yeah, normally maybe, uh, some dumb YouTuber wouldn't think about doing a video. The last 44 special he'd ever give up, but this dumb YouTuber happens to have enough 44 special handguns that, eh, it's a worthy, uh, endeavor, right? And study. So we're going to do that. Uh, been thinking about it and got all my 44 specials out here on the table. If you've seen this series, we have, I don't know, 12 or 15, probably last AR 15. I give up last AK. Uh, maybe I'll put a link to that playlist. Okay. If you are so new or you are soon, you're just so delinquent. You're not keeping up with things, you know, but I'll put a lab, try to remember, put a link in the description. Okay. So 44 special. And before I get too special, let's, uh, let's thank, uh, the Sonoran desert Institute, uh, for all their support. Great place to get some distance learning and drone technology, firearms technology. Yeah, man. And then Davidson's gallery of guns where you get a guaranteed lifetime replacement on firearms you purchased there. So check them out. Really a couple of great companies. And now we've got some great companies that have made these handguns, and, uh, 44 special. If you're a, uh, I don't know, you're, you're a polymer pistol, uh, black rifle guy or gal, and you haven't branched out yet. First of all, what's wrong with you? There's a lot of cool guns in the world. A lot of historical guns, a lot of just really whoever guns revolvers, you name it. A lot of really single shots, a lot of firearms that are fun, fun, fun to take to the range. I don't need to tell you that surely. But anyway, I did branch out long time ago from the tree. And I like all sorts of firearms. 44 special is one of my very, very favorite, uh, cartridges and firearms, you know, combination. This one happens to be that a six model six 96 Smith and Wesson used to make this. I think they just made it for a few years and then they quit 44 special has that kind of history, doesn't it? They, uh, I mean, all through I'm giving you some history of that in various videos, but you know, there's periods of time where it was a really popular round and oh, interest wane and they'll quit making it. And then gun writers, you know, talk them into, I'm talking back in history, we'll kind of convince Smith to come back with it. People like John Taff and Skeeter Skelton convince them to, to start making a 44 special again, they'll make it for a few years and they don't get enough sales numbers, you know, it was 1980s or 60s or whenever. And so they'll suspend manufacturing of it. Okay. Just like with a six 96, it just, it just happens over and over. That's kind of the history of the 44 special, but I'm not here to give you the big history. Just kind of, I don't know. You never know what I'm going to talk about, do you? So let's look at what we've got. So we don't take all day with this, but these are my 44 specials. I really thought I had another charter arms, but I guess I traded that off. I forgot about it. So I have a variety here. I've even got a single action. This is a Colt single actions, third generation, nothing exotic. It wasn't a firearm that glider carried or anything, but it is the sheriff's model. And because there's a short barrel and everything, no ejector rod at this a Tulsa a few years back and has an interchangeable cylinder has the 4440 and the 44 special. So that is really cool. I replaced the grips on it, carved them down, fit them and everything. I like that little thing. 44 special though. That's the only single action I have in 44 special. It might be the only one I ever have. Okay. That's just fine. I wanted one of those. I like those little sheriff's models. Uh, we'll do the easy part first. And I've got a, a charter arms, you know, kind of a concealed hammer there. Yeah. Shielded hammer. This is the bulldog, the stainless version bulldogs 44 special. That's a cool little gun. I don't fire it much, but I just have to have it. They're very reasonably priced. Oh, the bulldog. And I've got also the classic bulldog. These two, this is the classic. I think the first really model that came out with, this is a replacement. They actually call it the classic. I had one of these I bought in the eighties and they, I guess they still make this. It's called the classic. And it's just very, very, very much like those original bulldogs, you know, son of Sam and all that Berkowitz gun. So pretty cool. Uh, I was, uh, I thought it was pretty appealing, big, big bullet and, uh, the gun's not very heavy and these were not very expensive in the eighties. And, uh, so anyway, those are most of you are familiar with that, the bulldogs. Okay. They got a couple of those charter arms. So what I'm gonna do is I'm talking about these is I'm going to try and start narrowing down already in terms of what last three or four here. Uh, and I, these probably aren't going to make my, my final cut here. Uh, there'd be honorable mention. Most of all of them would be, uh, this one here. Oh, cool. Classic. Uh, probably the most valuable 44 special. I have, this is a model of 1950 and it was made in 55. I believe it's called the military model because it has a fixed sites. Okay. Those who know your Smith and Wessons, you know, you know, this guy, you probably, uh, look for them before they're, they're hard to find. And, uh, the grips have been replaced, I think. Um, and, but these again, made in the fifties, uh, the, the, it's a pre-model 21. They didn't call them model numbers in 1955. And if you're familiar with the Clint was a Thunder Ranch or the Thunder Ranch version, I guess of this, they call it the model 21. I think, uh, I had one of those at one point and I, I liked it, but it was kind of heavy, had the full Magnum cylinder. Uh, even though it didn't chamber Magnums, this is the original that that was based on basically. Okay. In model of 1950 with fixed sites. And, uh, those are pretty, uh, collectible, really nice fire. I got to put it in the finalists section over here. Okay. All right. Uh, got single action, single action. I like that it's, it's interesting, but I'm not going to put it in the finalist, uh, category. Okay. And then here we have another Smith model six 24, mainly eighties. Uh, this is basically, basically model 24 and stainless and very nice, very desirable. I probably should, I tell you from here on, uh, these are all finalists when you get right down to it. So it's really comparing and just, uh, deciding between I I've got to give them up except for one. And I don't want to do that. In fact, I never will do that, but this is a really nice four inch six 24, 44 special. Wonderful. I love it. It's kind of like the mountain gun, isn't it? Yeah. So I'm gonna put him over here and you'll be mad at me. And this one, I fired the six 96. That's also a really nice. Any one of these could be my first choice, but I'm going to put it over here. Maybe explain why. Okay. That's very nice. Now we'll get into these. I'll tell you what, these are definitely the four finalists and, uh, they're all Smith and Wesson. They seem to lead the pack when it comes to the 44 special, at least for me here, we've got a model 24 and a six inch barrel. Pretty nice and made in the eighties. And, uh, I, we have videos with that where I, uh, I say, this is the firearm that Clint Eastwood should have carried their dirty Harris should have carried. Right. Uh, because he was carrying special ammo, lighter loads anyway. So he might as well have had this better balanced 44 lighter barrel. And it just feels really good. Uh, in fact, I'll just fire it. Okay. And then we'll proceed. This one has a longer barrel. Then of course these and, uh, that I have, but it is one of the most shootable and fun to shoot. No doubt about it. Model 24, too bad. They don't still make these or do they in the classic series? I don't know. Our classic series are there. They're sort of like the old ones, but they're not really let's shoot this thing. Model 24. And again, these are all 44 special. None of these firearms on the will chamber a 44 Magnum. Okay. So these are strictly 44 special. Look at that dead center. Cowboy is going over there. Just a fun gun. I missed a single action. Hit a double action. Yeah. This thing sites are right on. You feel like you could just hit anything with that. And, uh, again, that's a characteristic of 44 special. You put a 44 Magnum in somebody's hand and they all know, and they're nervous and you're afraid of the recall. But with this you can hit. All right. So that's a final list. This is kind of the same gun in a three inch barrel. Lou Horton special, uh, nice grips. Yeah, man. Um, if I'm going to have one 44 special and I get rid of the others, uh, it's going to be tough. Let me, let me go back to this 1950. This is, uh, the most viable 44 I have, but as far as one that I'm just going to keep and shoot, uh, and I would, that would work. It's really shootable. Uh, I probably, you know, not going to take that model of 1950 and just wear it out, you know, and shoot it. So I'm gonna put it over here. Uh, again, it might be the best one I have for several reasons, but I've got to fire these and maybe even carry them some and everything. This one, I, I will, I would miss not having this to shoot. And, uh, I tell you, and this one I hadn't talked about, but this is, uh, the night guard. This one, I haven't had all that long, 44 special. And it's kind of the counterpart to the 696 I've had for a long time. I've had this one longer than any of my other 44 specials, same gun, basically except different materials. You know, we've got stainless and then we've got scandium, you know, and that makes this one a lot lighter. We did a video on that. I think it was like 11 or 12 ounces, uh, heavier. This one's 11 or 12 ounces heavier than this one. And newsflash, this one's 11 or 12 ounces lighter than that one. Funny how that works out. And so this would be a great carry 44 special. Of all I have, 44 specials, this would probably be the best carry gun. Uh, yeah, in that chambering, they all hold five or they hold five of these L frames, uh, rounds, but it, it's one you would, wouldn't be a, I'm not afraid it's not the right word, but you would not be reluctant to carry because of the weight, you know, it's nice and light and it's pretty shootable. In fact, I'll show you, oh, no, wait a minute. I shouldn't be talking or bragging here. I mean, I'll show you that you can hit something with it. As far as a defensive firearm, even though it has a scandium frame, it's a pretty shootable little firearm. In fact, I bet you I can hit that paper target between these two jugs. Yeah. Yeah. It feels good. It, it, uh, you get a little more recoil, a little more, you know, muscle flip perhaps because it's a fairly light gun, but it's just fine. This is fine. So I'm down to three, aren't I? Uh, and then this one, uh, boy, I tell you what it is really shootable too. I hate to get them all dirty, but I've got to shoot this one. This is that Lou Horton three inch barrel. And, uh, I was surprised that how shootable it is. I was expecting with, I don't know why such a big gun and that little barrel, there'll be a little bit out of balance and I wouldn't be able to hit anything with it. And I shouldn't have said that out loud. So I haven't fired it for a long time, but let me see if I can get anything with it. I told you I shouldn't have said anything. Let me hold up on the gong. Okay. I think I heard that one. Didn't I? Where I'm going. Okay. I was going high. All right. Yeah. I knew I could hit with it. Uh, yeah, I knew I could hit with this thing. It is a really nice pistol and, uh, I want this to be a valid test. I want to have a valid opinion, at least in my own little brain before I make a final decision here, because I'll tell you any one of these three would be fine. All right. Let's shoot, uh, let's pop, uh, I don't know. How about the cowboy? Double or single? Yeah. Pop a little high even on that guy. I'm gonna shoot at, uh, the gong again. Yeah. Just gotta keep it down and I could adjust the sights. All right. I could adjust the sights and I might need to do that if I'm going to shoot at 80 yards very much. Right. So these are three. This one is not as, you know, pretty, of course, uh, but really practical. So it kind of comes down to, uh, what I'm going to do with it. If I have 144 special left, uh, what is, uh, my main intention with it? And I think if I just had 144 special, then let's see, what should we eliminate? I'm going to, I can't, I can't keep this. Uh, it's nice, great carry gun, but I think, uh, I got threw it away even though it's, uh, very functional. So it comes down to these two model 24s. Comes down to barrel length, doesn't it? Mainly. And my purpose. Well, this thing, you just can't miss. Uh, but when I, you know, do a little shooting with this and remember where to hold, uh, I can hit a bow as well with it. So I think because this one is just so cool and it is smaller and it could make a fairly convenient carry gun that I'm going to end up with it. This would be my last 44 special. I would give up. I can, uh, I can shoot it pretty well. Uh, didn't necessarily demonstrate that on every shot, but I've shot it enough to know it. It's a good shooter, better than I expected it. And with a good little cross draw, you know, a holster. Uh, and I think I have one for an end frame that, that be the ticket around the farm, around the city, or maybe wherever. So let's shoot it one more time before I let you go. Okay. Did I think Alabama holster, speaking of holsters, I don't think I did. I really appreciate Alabama holster and Renegade Alabama holster. I've got several of them, uh, pocket holsters, a belt I've got in, no, I don't have an inside the waistband because I kind of quit using those, but I got outside the waistband holsters. I've even got their purse holster, believe it or not. I don't use it, but a great company. Great, great holsters in Renegade. If you're not familiar with them, they, uh, they enable you to test something, you know, that maybe otherwise wouldn't get a chance to, you know, as you're making a decision about a firearm purchase, they can be very, very, very helpful. And you might've just rent something that you just like to shoot. Don't even want to buy one of those. You just want to try it out. So check out Renegade also. Okay. So I made my decision. I got to live with it. Right. Got to live with, put one on this target right in the bull's eye. Well, a little bit above it. Yeah. Uh, so it's going a little high. So that's actually good news. I just need to crank that rear sight down a little bit. Okay. All right. Let's finish off that two liter right there. And how about a bowling pin dangling there and one sitting right here and another one hanging right here. Do I have another bullet? I have one more bullet for the cowboy. So you might not agree with me. Uh, and I'll tell you that of all these we've done, these series, this is one of the most difficult. Uh, I'll tell you those, those last four, which is basically half my collection of 44 specials. Uh, I don't know. Uh, there are not a lot of firearms made in 44 special chambered in it. Really you down to it. I don't think Glock has one yet. And, uh, so everything I have in 44 special is kind of a finalist and I had to really want it in order to purchase it. And so, uh, it's just really tough, really tough. So this is my favorite, I think. And, uh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna stick to that. The Lou Horton model 2444 special. What a nice P a lot of people, again, as I mentioned in the video on this, and we have videos on all of these, I think, except the six 24 yet. Uh, they put these in the safe somewhere and, you know, put them away as a collectible piece. Uh, I put them in a safe, uh, away somewhere and then reach back and pull them out and fire them every chance. Glad you came out today. Life is good. Oh yeah, that's better. This is a great gun for defense. Oh, Hey, didn't see you guys there. Uh, while I've got you here, I want to remind you of our friends over at Talon grips and ballast all Talon grips makes a grips. Can you believe it? Uh, for all different types of firearms, you can get rough texture or more of a rubberized texture. Uh, just sticks right on there, you know, really affordable, really cool option to improve the grip for your handguns, um, or, or rifles. Uh, so please check them out at Talon gun grips.com. You'll be glad you did. And also ballast all that has been using ballast all for many years as a cleaner and a lubricant and it's non-toxic. Uh, it works really great. And we're happy to have them on board since it's been a part of our shooting endeavor for a very long time. So go to ballast all.com, Talon gun grips.com. And also while you're out there, I'm juggling all these things here. Also, uh, while you're on the internet, please do check out our other social media like Hickok 45 on Facebook. There's also Hickok 45 on Twitter, the real Hickok 45 on Instagram. There's a John underscore Hickok 45 on Instagram where I do some things. So check out all that stuff and then watch more videos.