Not only do we have the term “classic,” we also have “classic design” and they are not synonymous. For example, every 1911 made today is based on the classic design of the original. The same holds true for all single action sixguns, which have their roots in Colt’s original Single Action Army of 1873, while all modern large-frame Smith & Wessons come from the parent Triple-Lock of 1907.

Surely no one would argue against the Colts of 1873 and 1911 and the Smith & Wesson of 1907 being true Classics. To these we can also add such as the Luger, all pre-war Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers, the Colt Python and the Rugers of the 1950s. I have definite ideas on just what constitutes a classic and I admit to being highly biased. I like what I like.

I have arbitrarily set timelines for classic firearms from what were the big three firearms manufacturers of my youth, namely Colt, Ruger and Smith & Wesson. Here they are and I will not argue the point, which is one of the few positives of growing older. In fact, old shooters are expected to be somewhat curmudgeonly. It is a grand feeling! So here we go. Certainly classics do not have either warning labels or locks be they internal or external.

The classic SAA Colts ended with the shutting down of the 2nd Generation Single Actions in the early 1970s. Colt still produces Single Actions but they are not quite the same. With Ruger the term classic can be implied to anything before the transfer bar single actions arrived in 1973. Smith & Wessons are a little harder to pin down. In 1966-67 the grand old classics such as the .38-44 Outdoorsman and the 1950 Target were dropped from production, grips with a diamond around the screw hole bit the dust in 1968, while the pinned barrel and cylinder recessed for cartridge case heads were gone by 1982. Since I am being curmudgeonly — and enjoying it — I will say a factory original Smith & Wesson needs the diamond grip, pinned barrel and recessed cylinder to be considered a classic.

Classic is basically a term, which appeals to the heart, soul and spirit, while the mind has to admit today’s firearms from Ruger and Smith & Wesson are stronger, usually more accurate and, relatively speaking in today’s market, less expensive. As much as I love what I call the classics, if I needed a heavy-duty, powerful, totally dependable, impervious to weather, big-bore sixgun for backcountry use, I would not choose one of the classics but rather a modern stainless-steel version of the classic designs. I may be mostly guided by the heart, soul and spirit, however I definitely do have a practical side when it is needed.

Anyone who regularly reads my words knows of my deep affection for the .44 Special, due in no small part to the writings of Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton. When the .44 Magnum, for which he had been beating the drum for nearly three decades, arrived in late 1956, Keith retired his .44 Specials and never looked back. Skeeter on the other hand quickly embraced the .44 Magnum, however, soon realized the .44 Special was better for many applications including LEO work. Skeeter had such great affection for the .44 Special he single-handedly resurrected it 30 years ago.

Classic Parentage

The .44 Special arrived in late 1907 as the New Century, 1st Model Hand Ejector, or Triple-Lock. In 1915, the encased ejector rod and the third locking feature were dropped and the .44 Special was now the 2nd Model Hand Ejector. In 1926 the 3rd Model arrived with a return to the enclosed ejector. Finally in 1950 the Model of 1926 evolved into the 4th Model Hand Ejector, the 1950 Target, destined to become the platform for the .44 Magnum in just a few short years.

Colt started chambering the Special in their Single Action Army in 1913 with “Russian And S&W Special .44” marked on the left side of the barrel. Nearly 25 years ago I found an ad in the local paper for such a Colt dating back to 1929. I looked at it and foolishly decided $400 was too much to spend. Thankfully Diamond Dot was a lot smarter than I was (she still is!). She went out that afternoon to shop and pick up my newly repaired boots. When she handed me my boots I found that .44 Special in one of them. It is a beautifully made sixgun, however the 2nd Generation .44 Specials are every bit as special.

Colt’s 1st Generation .44 Specials are rare with only 506 being manufactured and only approximately 2,200 2nd Generations were produced. For the past several gun shows my friend Tony Kojis has displayed a 7-1/2" 2nd Generation .44 Special in beautiful condition, fitted with one-piece ivories, and also having an extra .44-40 cylinder as well as a second set of stag stocks. I wanted it!

Since 1956 I have had a running gun bill but, hallelujah, it is finally paid off with a feeling somewhat akin to burning a mortgage. Not wanting to start a bill all over again I did the un-American thing of actually saving to buy this .44 Special. It took awhile to come up with the money, but I soon had the Colt.

Shortly after I received a call from noted S&W collector David Carroll who had read the review of my .44 book and wanted to order one. As we talked about guns he mentioned he had a .44 Special I might want. That was certainly an understatement as it was an original 1950 Target. What to do?

DD To The Rescue

My cash was all gone, I didn’t want to make another bill, so I went with the only recourse left. Diamond Dot came through, she always has money put away somewhere, and the second .44 Special became mine, or more correctly, ours. Two of the world’s greatest classic sixguns all .44 connoisseurs lust after, arrived at the same time. I do not believe in coincidence so let’s just say it was definitely meant to be.

I learned a lot from my dear friend Jack Pender, a man I talked about in these pages several years ago as one of my heroes. We talked often, several times a week in fact, as he was dying of cancer. In spite of his condition he never lost his sense of humor.

Just before going into the hospital he received his long-awaited custom .41 Magnum, which he never got to shoot. He said to me, “Taffin, I only have two worries. One is I will never get out of this hospital bed to shoot my new .41, and the other is I will and it won’t shoot worth diddley squat!” I think of Jack every time I get a newly acquired sixgun. Dot and I had a lot of money invested in these two .44s. Would they shoot worth “diddley squat”?

My most used load for the .44 Special has long been the 250-grain Keith bullet over 7.5 grains of Unique, which has a muzzle velocity of approximately 900-950 fps from a long barreled sixgun. The accompanying picture of the first two targets shot with these special Specials will attest to their worthiness. I doubt I will ever use any heavier load in this particular Colt SAA and its companion S&W 1950 Target. I don’t believe in messing with perfection.