S&W M29-2 .44Mag, 4" Hogue rubber grips, 85-90% finish.
The blueing looks good, slightly worn on the barrel but no rust or scratches. Rear sight body changed to some sort of white bar with outline, I don’t think it’s S&W factory. No box or papers. Great action, pinned barrel and recessed cylinder.
Any ideas of its worth?
Thank you
The 29-2 is a good piece for walking around in black bear country, and the 4" barrel is short enough that you can conceal it without much fuss. A couple of things drive price. First, collectors like it because it was the last of the pinned and recessed 44 Magnums. It was also the most common P&R 44 Magnum, so they’re far cheaper than a no-dash or S-prefix gun and beginning collectors can afford them. Second is durability. Shooters who want to use hot loads prefer the 29-4 or later guns, which have the Endurance Package, or they use a Ruger. It’s best to treat the 29-2 or any earlier Smith 44 like a hot 44 Special. 99% of the loads I run through my 29-2 are a 250-grain SWC at 1,000 fps, which is accurate enough for rabbits and powerful enough for deer.
Collectors often pay north of $1k for a clean 29-2 in the presentation case with the tools, bore mop, papers, and the other stuff. Your gun is a shooter, so probably $600-750 depending on the buyer. The rear sight sounds like a Millet (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=millet+s%26w+sight&view=detailv2&&qpvt=millet+s%26w+sight&id=545AD3DEBE86E6E98DCBAC504ECC3AC44E9B223D&selectedIndex=1&ccid=BIkOBRzx&simid=608051379758498854&thid=JN.LbjH63iEpxqhYvLakqSOfg&ajaxhist=0), which was a common though dubious upgrade for a lot of Smith revolvers. You can probably still get an original rear sight from Smith or on eBay for under $50. There are all kinds of options for grips, speed loaders, holsters, etc.
If you don’t own this one yet and the price is right, then I’d snap it up. Shooter 29-2’s are getting hard to find.
Okie John
Thanks.
You pegged the sight, that’s it. Thanks for the advice.