Adding to Mike Nesbitt’s “Perfection”

In the Spring issue, No. 125 of the Black Powder Cartridge News, I read with great interest Mike Nesbitt’s article Adding to Perfection. It was a description of his work with the 44 Special Uberti replica of the Smith and Wesson New Model No. 3 “Frontier” revolver.    

  The S&W New Model No. 3 was the final, most refined, and arguably best top-break single-action revolver of the nineteenth century. Almost 36,000 were made between 1878 and 1908, and they continued to be sold until 1915. Unlike the predecessor top-break Russian revolvers, which were an ergonomic nightmare, you can easily cock the New Models without having to change your grip on the gun. The vast majority of these New Model revolvers were issued for the 44 Russian cartridge, but as Mike points out, the revolvers were also available in other calibers by the mid-1880s. In fact, the scarcest revolver Smith and Wesson ever produced was a New Model No. 3 in 38-40 between 1900 and 1907. Only 74 were produced, one of which was recently sold from Bill Goodman’s gun shop in Bozeman, Montana. The New Model No. 3 was finally surpassed by the “Triple-Lock Hand Ejector” which was first introduced in 1907, along with the new 44 Special cartridge. As Mike stated, in the overlapping period between 1907, and when the New Model No. 3 production ended in 1908, a few of the New Model No. 3 revolvers were produced in 44 Special.

 

However, the revolver that Smith and Wesson called the “New Model No. 3 Frontier” was in 44-40 caliber. Only 2,072 were produced between 1885 and 1908. They did not sell very well probably because Smith & Wesson was too late to offer a revolver in the same caliber as a lever action Winchester or Marlin rifle. Colt had already done that in 1878, with their 44-40 Single Action Army, the “Frontier Six Shooter.” As Mike pointed out, a significant percentage of the 44-40 S&W Frontiers were converted to 44 Russian. Also, fully 40 percent of the total “Frontier” production went to the Japanese military, either as 44 Russian conversions or as 44-40s to be converted in Japan.

However, I felt sure that somewhere on the western frontier there must have been a cowboy packing a Smith &Wesson Frontier revolver and a Winchester 1873, both in 44-40. I have looked for evidence of this combo in historical literature but have been unsuccessful. Fortunately, actor Sam Elliot on the silver screen saved the day. The movie, “Conagher” starring Elliot in 1991, was in my opinion, one of the best westerns ever made. It accurately and poignantly showed the danger, desperation, and loneliness of a family’s efforts to carve out an existence on the frontier. It is also a great story of good versus evil, with even a moment of redemption for one of the later. There is the character Conagher, with what appears to be a S&W Model No. 3 revolver and Winchester 1873 Short Rifle, defending his boss’ cattle from the rustlers. After a fight with three Apache Indians, Conagher swaps two Indian rifles at a frontier general store for some ammunition. The storeowner says, “Here are two boxes of .44s to replace what got used-up in the fight.”

That sealed it for me, the quest was on! Somehow, I had to get a S&W New Model No. 3 (or replica) in 44-40 to go with my Uberti 1873 Short Rifle in the same caliber. The 44-40, or rather what I prefer to call the “44 WCF”, has always been my favorite caliber. For several years, “44 WIN” was my Montana Jeep’s license plate number; only because “44 WCF” was already taken by some other Montana fan of the caliber.

I have, or have had in the past, several Colt SAA’s in 44 WCF but never an original or authentic looking replica of a S&W New Model No. 3 in that caliber. So, when Uberti came out with their 44 Special New Model No. 3 with a longer cylinder than their 44 Russian revolvers, I saw my chance. In April of 2020, I bought two things; one of their 44 Special New Model No. 3 “Frontier” revolvers and a Uberti Schofield 44-40 cylinder. The folks at Taylors had been very helpful by giving me the dimensions on the two cylinders. Also, the parts numbers for the cylinder-moving hand on the two models matched, so I was confident this 44 Special to 44-40 conversion would work. When the cylinder swap was finally made, you would swear that the gun came from Uberti in that configuration, except for the little “.44 SP” stamping on the side of the barrel. Like Mike, I added a pair of the replica hard rubber grips I bought from Dixie Gun Works and with that I had a close replica of the original S&W New Model No. 3 Frontier revolver.

But would it shoot? I fired a couple of 44 Special rounds in it just to get a feel for the gun as it came from the factory. Then, in went the .44-40 cylinder for the last time and I have never looked back.

The hand-loading program was short and sweet. A classic 44-40 200-grain, flat-nose lead alloy bullet from Meister Bullets (SPG lubed) was teamed with 32.5 grains of Swiss 2Fg, a .030-inch Walters Wad, 1⁄16-inch compression, and CCI 350 Magnum Pistol primers in Winchester cases. This load went over the chronograph at an average (10 rounds) of 883 fps with a high of 912 fps and a low of 877 fps. At 25 yards, the five-shot group size was 2.3 inches.

Then, I went for a smokeless powder load that I knew was accurate in my Uberti 1873 Short Rifle. I used the same Meister bullet, 18.5 grains of Accurate 5744, Winchester Large Pistol primers in Starline brass. Ten rounds gave me an average of 891 fps with a high of 910 fps and a low of 878 fps. At 25 yards, the five-shot group size was 2.5 inches. This gun is the most accurate 44-40 revolver I have ever shot with these 80-year-old eyes.

My 44-40 Uberti 1873 rifle with a 24-inch barrel was purchased in 1979, from Atlantic Guns in Silver Springs, Maryland, a D.C. suburb. They are now out of business; would you expect anything different? The rifle was OK with jacketed bullets but wouldn’t shoot cast bullets worth a darn. Randall Redman put a barrel liner in it that shot cast bullets just fine and then several years later (after watching “Conagher”, of course), I had the barrel cut down to 20 inches and I shortened the forearm to the proper length. Both of the above 44-40 loads give just over 1250 fps and five-shot groups are in the three-inch range at 75 yards. My old eyes do better with a revolver than with a rifle.

 I now have my “Conagher 44-40s” to ride the range out here in Montana on my Polaris four-wheeler. I’m a happy cowboy!