S&W 696

Wow wonder what that .40 would bring now days! Said it was 1 of 300. I don't know how many 696s were made, but there was a blued 6 inch model 24 in the case next to it and I thought there were probably a lot more of those made than the 696 so I took it instead.

.44 Special Fiveguns
The Sixgunner by John Taffin
Sam Colt started it all. In 1836 his Colt Paterson became the first truly workable revolver. Chambered in both .36 and .40, it was a smallish, somewhat fragile five-shooter, that is, the cylinder held five rounds. Groups like the Texas Rangers especially took to the new repeating pistol, however Sam Colt went bankrupt and that could’ve been the end of that except for another Sam. By the late 1840s we were at war with Mexico and Ranger Sam Walker went east looking for Sam Colt to see if something could be done to come up with a viable revolver. After the two Sams put their heads together the result was the 1847 Walker Colt. This was a true sixgun weighing in at 4-1/2 pounds with a massive cylinder holding anywhere from 50-60 grains of black powder and six .44 round balls. It was said it could stop man or beast out to 200 yards. The true sixgun had arrived.
Over the next three decades Colt sixshooter evolved through several stages, the Dragoons, the 1851 Navy, the 1860 Army, the Cartridge Conversions, the 1871-72 Open-Top finally arriving at the 1873 Colt Single Action Army. The latter was especially effective when chambered in .45 Colt or .44 Winchester Centerfire (.44-40). Meanwhile, over at Smith & Wesson we had the arrival of the .44 American in 1869 followed by the Model #3 Russian and the New Model #3. In 1907 the first .44 Special arrived in the Smith & Wesson New Century, or Triple-Lock which also happened to be the first of what we now call N-Frames. This was also known as the First Model Hand Ejector and was followed in succession by three more Hand Ejectors, the Second Model, Model 1926, and 1950 Model Target. While Smith & Wesson was doing all of this Colt chambered both their Single Action Army and the double action New Service in .44 Special. We reached the epitome of Colt Single Action .44 Specials with the New Frontier in the early 1960s.
All of these were true sixguns and in the early 1960s .44 Special shooters had a choice of the Smith & Wesson 1950 Military and or 1950 Target or the Colt Single Action Army and New Frontier. Then a disaster struck! Both Colt and Smith & Wesson dropped the .44 Special from production. All .44 Special sixguns were gone. However, all .44 Specials were not gone as a new company, Charter Arms which had begun with a five-shot .38 Special pocket pistol, enlarged their .38 Special slightly and the result was a five-shot .44 Special known as the Bulldog. It was not as beautifully finished as the Colts and Smith & Wessons, it was not a six-shot large frame revolver, it would not handle the heavy loads some were prone to use in their .44 Special sixguns, however it was a .44 Special.
Ruger had arrived on the sixgun scene in the early 1950s, however they did not produce a .44 Special with the early centerfire Blackhawks being chambered in .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum. Since .44 Specials were so hard to find Skeeter Skelton in the 1970s led the way in introducing the concept of converting .357 Three Screw/Old Model Blackhawks and the Smith & Wesson Highway Patrolman to .44 Special while at the same time he also urged both companies to bring the .44 Special back. Eventually Colt chambered their 3rd Generation Single Action and New Frontier in .44 Special and in the 1980s Smith & Wesson resurrected the 1950 Target as the Model 24/624 in a limited run of both blue and stainless steel versions. These were all true sixguns, however they too were soon dropped and only sporadically have we since seen .44 Special sixguns from both companies. Ruger finally came forth with a New Model Flat-Top .44 Special thanks to Lipsey’s ordering a special run. Since then we have been able to find Ruger .44 Specials in both blued and stainless versions as well as Flat-Top Blackhawk and Bisley Models.
Since the .44 Magnum arrived in 1956 why would one want a .44 Special anyway? First there is the almost spiritual quality some of us sixgunners find attached to the .44 Special, however the reason usually given is the fact the .44 Special versions are somewhat lighter in weight, about one-half pound less than a .44 Magnum comparable model making them somewhat easier to carry all day. Then there is also the fact most .44 Magnum shooters rely on .44 Special level loads for everyday use. However, although the .44 Special sixguns maybe lighter they were/are basically the same size frame and cylinder wise and also fit the same holsters as a .44 Magnum. So the weight was reduced, however the bulk remained. For easier carry we needed a smaller .44 Special sixgun.
Smith & Wesson had led the way in down-sizing sixguns. In 1935 the first .357 Magnum arrived in a full-sized, .44 Frame, heavy duty and somewhat weighty .357. Thanks to the urging of Bill Jordan 20 years later Smith & Wesson came up with a smaller .357 Magnum, the Combat Magnum which was built not on the .44 Frame but on the .38 Special K-Frame. Nonetheless, it still held six rounds. If the .44 Special was to be made smaller the diameter of the cartridge precluded shrinking the cylinder and still holding six rounds. The result was the five-shot .44 Special from Smith & Wesson.
As we entered the last decade of the 20th century we had two five-shot .44 Specials available. Charter Arms still offered their .44 Bulldog including a stainless steel version with more to come; more on this shortly. While Taurus had begun offering such a five-shot .44 Special, the Model 431. I have often mentioned the fact there are two Charter Arms stainless steel Bulldogs stashed in the two bathrooms in our home and right now at arms length in the side drawer of my desk is a highly customized Taurus .44 Special by Bill Oglesby. Bill designed this five-gun as a go along on packing and camping trips, however those days are long gone and instead this fascinating little .44 Special is on duty every day. It has a 2-1/2” barrel, finish is all matte stainless steel except for the cylinder and trigger which are highly polished, the hammer has been bobbed, and the sights are very easy to see combination of a V-notch rear sight matched up with a tritium white bead front sight. Everything is designed rapidity in action. I have added a Tyler T-Grip adapter and keep it loaded with Buffalo Bore 200 grain Anti-Personnel full wadcutters.
Before the 20th century ended Smith & Wesson offered three five-shot .44 Specials all of which demand high dollars today if they can even be found on the used gun market. The first example which arrived in 1996 was the Model 696 built on the L-Frame with a 3” barrel. This is an all stainless steel five-gun with a round butt, smooth trigger, and S&W adjustable sights with a red ramp front sight. This was followed in 1999 with the Model 296 which is a 2-1/2” barreled alloy lightweight version with a round butt and the concealed hammer as found on the smaller .38 Special Centennial. Finally came the Model 396 Airlite in 2000. This 3.2” barreled .44 Special is a joy to pack all day long and is a grand choice for backpacking and hiking off the beaten path. It has a round butted aluminum alloy frame, S&W adjustable sights with the front sight being a Hi-Viz Green Dot. In 2008 a special version of the Model 396, the NightGuard came forth with an all matte black finish, 2-1/2” barrel, fixed rear sight and Tritium front bead sight. It was only produced during 2008-2009.
Smith & Wesson reached for the epitome of Perfect Packin’ Pistols with the 4.2” barreled Model 69 Combat Magnum chambered in .44 Magnum. This is a stainless steel, five-shot, double action sixgun. Sights are typical Smith & Wesson adjustable sights with a white outline rear sight matched up with a red ramp front sight. Just recently a second version with a 2-3/4” barrel was added. Both of these are .44 Magnums, however the truth is for most of us they make much better .44 Specials. They work just fine as .44 Specials and should the need arise we always have the choice of using .44 Magnum loads. For use on the trail it would not be a bad idea to load it with three .44 Special loads backed up with two .44 Magnum loads giving us an extremely versatile .44 five-shooter.
Charter Arms original .44 Special in the 1960s was a blued five-shooter with a 3” barrel. At the time it was one of my most carried sixguns and logged many miles in the top of my boot. It went on fishing trips, Diamond Dot learned how to clean it after falling in the river with it in her pocket while flyfishing, hiking trips, and family outings. One year, now nearly 40 years ago, we rented a motorhome and took a rare vacation with the kids who were all in high school at the time, and the .44 Bulldog was stashed in the camper. Twice in my life I felt it was the fact we had a gun protected my young family and in both cases the gun I had with me at the time was the .44 Bulldog.
As mentioned above two of my house guns are .44 Bulldogs with a stainless steel version stashed in each of the bathrooms. Can you think of any place you would be more vulnerable in the house then a bathroom? If something happens I want a gun immediately and easily at hand. In the bathrooms the stainless steel Bulldogs are always ready loaded with 200 grain Blazer JHPs. The first time I mentioned this in writing several years ago, some laughed; many others felt it was a most sensible idea and followed suit. I hear from people all over the country who now have stainless steel handguns stashed in their bathrooms. The .44 Bulldog is perfect for such duty. With its five-shot cylinder and cylinder bolt slots cut between chambers, the Bulldog is much stronger than it appears. In fact it will probably handle heavier loads than most of us would care to shoot. My normal heaviest load for the Bulldog is the Keith 250 grain SWC over 7.5 grains of Unique. The Bulldog has now been replaced by the latest Charter Arms .44 Special Bulldog, the Pug. Charter Arms also offers a Target Bulldog which is especially suited as a Trail Gun. It has a full under lugged barrel with both 4” and 5” versions available complete with an adjustable rear sight and a ramp front sight.
Ruger is now part of the .44 Special five-gun scene. One of the most underappreciated double action .357 Magnums is the Ruger GP 100. This excellent design has been around for over 30 years and has proven itself to be totally reliable and exceptionally rugged. Lipsey’s took a good look at the GP 100 and special ordered a 5” blued version chambered in a five-shot .44 Special. In addition to 5” .44 Specials available from Lipsey’s, Ruger is also cataloging a stainless steel 3” GP 100.44 Special.
This brings us to the ultimate single action five-gun, the Freedom Arms Model 97. With the Model 97 only slightly smaller than a Colt Single Action, we have the option of using any holster made for the Colt with the Freedom Arms revolver. Freedom Arms is simply the finest single action revolver ever produced by any manufacturer. Tolerances are held tightly and the finest materials available are combined with the best possible craftsmanship. Freedom Arms revolvers have always been expensive and owners will proudly attest they are well worth it. As this is written Freedom Arms delivery time is running about one year.
Colt still catalogs both the .44 Special Single Action Army and New Frontier, however they are extremely difficult to find. Thanks to Charter Arms and Freedom Arms we do have .44 Special five-shooters available.