I visit Jack aka Arch this morning and came home with this today, a 4" S-numbered .38/44 Heavy Duty (pre-Model 20) with a 4" barrel. The grips are factory numbered to the gun and the letter from Jinks indicates it was delivered to Padgett Brothers Co of Dallas in 1950.

It appears that this revolver has been handled and dry-fired more than it's been shot, if it's been shot at all. I plan to shoot it a lot!

Does anyone recall reading the account of Skeeter Skelton being jumped by two men and lost control of his M27 and had to kick it under his patrol care so his two assailants could not get it. After that he had essentially Fitz'd a 38/44, as a backup pocket gun, but soon switched to a more conventional Detective Special or Chiefs Special

Another account has Skeeter, on the eve of being shipped out to the Pacific during the war, taking taking a couple 38/44 HD's, lopping the barrels to 3", removing the hammer spurs and cutting the trigger guards, ala Fitz. He was going to carry these in a double Berns Martin upside down shoulder holster, but his CO nixed the idea

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Great looking old Smith.

That is one magnificent piece of gunware. Always thought a 4" Heavy Duty was one of the meanest-looking handguns ever built.

Norm, I do remember Skeeter's story about the two Fitz'ed Heavy Duties in the Berns-Martin double rig, but IIRC it was after he became sheriff of Deaf Smith County. The story was in one of his books but I don't recall which one. Seems like he said he carried the rig for a while and then sold it and the guns to finance an air conditioner for his car. Regretted it later, of course.

Both of those books are currently buried in my stash of gun books, which has far outgrown my bookshelf space. If I get time I'll try to find that story.

I called him to catch up and he told me about that gun. I asked him what he wanted for it and he told me that you had already jumped on it. Darnit!

That is about all a man could want for a Heavy Duty. Let us know how it shoots!

...may be a moniker jokingly referring to Jack, but in YEARS of gun trading (sometimes incestuosly, especially when Mark Roberts got involved), he's been a man of his word. Although we've trusted each other with thousands of dollars worth of each others guns, I will not turn my back on him at a Mexican restaurant if I'm having fajitas :) !

Jack is a good man and a dear friend. I'm hoping to get down his way in the near future to catch up. Been several years since I saw him.