Does anyone else have this affliction???

[recondoc]

I've got a perfectly good Smith .44 mag that eats anything and shoots really well.   I can't figure out why I have the desire to sell it off and build a custom single action in .44 special.   There is not "logic" to it as I can shoot specials out of my magnum but I just can't get the idea out of my head.   My thought process is as follows:
A- I love SA revolvers...especially the old Blackhawk or 50th anniversary size.
B- I prefer to shoot .44 special over magnums.  Even the old, hot Kieth loads
C- Logic gets fuzzy now as the cost of building the custom will eat my fun money budget to death.
 That's all I've got and it just doesn't ring up that well.   None the less, it calls to me.
Anyone else have this problem?  What did you do about it?
Doc

[ms]

Don't sell that gun just for get it. Stop reading all those gun rags to.

[BlkHawk73]

  A - same here
  B - the .44 mag to be is a all too common boring cartridge - I like different, less common (.44 special)
  C - The cost isn't that bad.  Two most economical routes to go are Dave Clements of John Gallagher (I use the later).  Clements actually has a package specifically for this conversion.  Without extras you're looking at between $450-$750.  Of course those little extras you might want will cost you but if you're only likely to do this once, do it just how you want it.   

  I've never understoof the "sell one to buy one" concept.  Did that 3 times and regret it.  Save the $, buy the host gun, save a bit more and send it in.  Both the abpve simiths I believe need only 1/2 down to begin the work and then the remaining balance due upon completion. 

[DennisB]

Doc:  It's not an affliction; I prefer to think of it as "normal."  Blkhawk73 nailed it on the "sell one to buy one" approach.  There's always gonna be regret.  Of course, if my wife knew exactly how many Blackhawks/SBHs/Bisleys/Single Six's I have in the safe there could be some regret, too! 

[warrior1]

 it is not an affliction , it is downright madness. yeah you can shoot 44 specials out of your smith,but that's like chewing gum with the wrapper on it. you got me thinkin about my next conversion a five shot 44 special on a three screw ruger 357.don't worry about the wife,
she'll only be upset for the next 50 years,so you might as well get it going. good luck,dan

[Catfish]

Doc,
   I think you have a real problem. You may need a shrink to get straightened out. If you have a great shooting .44 mag. and are thinking of tradeing it off for and unknown you have to be sick. What you need to do is to keep the .44 you have and go get another one then see which you like best. My first .44 mag. was a 3 screw Super Black Hawk I bought new, I still have it. I then fell in Love with the El Dorado Arms guns and got one of them in .44 mag. Man that`s a sweet gun. Thinking I need a carry gun I bought a 629 S&W with a 4 in barrel, sweet and shoots nice, but on the heavy side for ccw. So I bought a PD 329 S&W. Weights about as much as a .38 SP, but shoots .44 mags. I love it, but it`s not for thoughs that are bothered by alittle recoil. I know there is no reason a person should own 4 - .44 mags., BUT, there is no reason they should n`t eather.  

[recondoc]

Lot's of good replies here.  Hmmm.....maybe I can figure out a way to build another and keep the one I have.   I just try not to let me gun addiction affect the family budget.
Doc

[Sweetwater]

Doc-
If you figure out a way to not let your gun addiction affect the family budget, I want to know about it! My wife has learned to consult me when she wants to "use" some of the questionable surplus to insure that I haven't already earmarked it for some new "gotta have" for my gun room. I usually have to save for several months to get anything, so I get a little touchy when her stuff comes out of the gun fund, as I call it. Oh, lest you chastise me for not wanting to share, she gets first dibs after the bills are paid before I put it away. She also has my best guns and is my best pal!

Regards,
Sweetwater

[Ken ONeill]

NEVER, NEVER sell a .44 Mag. that is " perfectly good, shoots everything you feed it and is really accurate". NEVER !
Follow the advice of others, as stated above, and have your custom .44 Special built in steps, if you must.

[Catfish]

Doc,
The good part about getting old is that the kids are gone and it`s easier to find alittle more money for guns. I never go to a gun show without enough money in my pocket to buy a real nice gun or 2. The real problem now is that I have about filled my 10 ft. x 20 ft. vault. I thought that would be pleanty big when I built it. 

[recondoc]

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who encouraged me NOT to sell the Smith.  I pulled her off the market and was able to find a great deal on an Unfired Anniversary Blackhawk.   Now I have both and am happy as a pig in the proverbial poop.   I'm now going to start setting aside the extra denero to have her worked over into a .44 Special.  I've got to also decide who to have do the work.   I know Allan Harton is closest to me but I hear he may not be taking any new customers on for a while due to being backed up.  I've run into that same problem with my knife making so I understand.   I think that Clements work looks really nice and I've never heard a bad thing about him.   I also really like what I've heard about the "Little Ruger" job that Andy Horvath does at Diagonal Road.  Does anyone happen to have a picture of one of these?  I'll post more as the project progresses.
Thanks again to everyone and happy shooting,
Doc

[Broom Rider]

Did you get the 44 or 357 Anni model?
I was seriously thinking of having one of the 357 models made into a nice 44 Special.
I think one of the unwritten rules is that you can never sell a good shooting gun, especially if it's an N frame and even moreso if it's a 44.
Trust me on that.

[recondoc]

I went with the .357 model.   I'm still considering parting with the 629 Ranger but only in a trade for an N frame in .44 special with a 4" bbl.   My only concern would be that I might want to have something capable of magnum level performance in the future.   I just don't like the weight of the big Ranger with it's unfluted cylinder.
Doc