I have been fascinated with the .44 mag as long as I have been into guns.
The first one I bought was a five inch stainless in the early 90's. For some reason I got a bug up my butt when bill c68 went through and I sold a bunch of my stuff that I really regret, losing my prohibited status in the process.
A few years ago I bought another of those 5 inch .44's missing the one I let go. It shot as well as I remember despite the added "safety measure" installed to it on the side of the frame.
I always longed for the blued 61/2 inch barrel however but a disconnect in my brain made me feel as if the pre magnum package on the revolvers that came before the 29-3 was not something I was looking for. The older Ruger flat top pistols were nice however hard to come by.
I was overjoyed to get a new Ruger 50th anniversary of the .44 mag flat top with a 6 1/2 barrel. But soon found out that the I was unable to school myself into letting the grip roll in my hand and the trigger guard mashed my middle finger under recoil. That pistol sat in the safe until I recently decided to sell it despite the fact that it is an extremely accurate pistol.
I had finally broke down and ordered myself a Smith and Wesson model 29-10.
I was a little nervous about this purchase on account of the fact that I had read a number of negative reviews on it.
On opening the box it was confirmed that the bluing did not compare with the older 29's that I had fondled through the years. It also had the expected "safety" lock on it.
However the revolver was tight with no gaps between the crane and the frame as some of the newer S&W pistols I had seen. Timing was perfect and the wood grips looked like they were fitted well.
After cleaning the pistol of the packing grease I was off to the range to see how it shot compared to all my other S&W revolvers.
One free hand and one from a rest at 21 meters.
I found that I wasn't going to miss the Ruger as much as I thought however there were a couple issues.
first off the wood grips had a couple sharp points at the top of the grip frame that poked the web of my right hand in recoil. No problem as I love Hogue rubber monogrips.
The trigger had a little grit to it that smoothed out after 100 rounds or so but my main dislike is for the wide target trigger. I have yet to decide if I will look after this myself or send it away for a new one to be installed.
All in all if you are thinking on the 29-10 and you can live with the cosmetic points, you will be very happy with this reliable, accurate pistol.
Jody
The first one I bought was a five inch stainless in the early 90's. For some reason I got a bug up my butt when bill c68 went through and I sold a bunch of my stuff that I really regret, losing my prohibited status in the process.
A few years ago I bought another of those 5 inch .44's missing the one I let go. It shot as well as I remember despite the added "safety measure" installed to it on the side of the frame.
I always longed for the blued 61/2 inch barrel however but a disconnect in my brain made me feel as if the pre magnum package on the revolvers that came before the 29-3 was not something I was looking for. The older Ruger flat top pistols were nice however hard to come by.
I was overjoyed to get a new Ruger 50th anniversary of the .44 mag flat top with a 6 1/2 barrel. But soon found out that the I was unable to school myself into letting the grip roll in my hand and the trigger guard mashed my middle finger under recoil. That pistol sat in the safe until I recently decided to sell it despite the fact that it is an extremely accurate pistol.
I had finally broke down and ordered myself a Smith and Wesson model 29-10.
I was a little nervous about this purchase on account of the fact that I had read a number of negative reviews on it.
On opening the box it was confirmed that the bluing did not compare with the older 29's that I had fondled through the years. It also had the expected "safety" lock on it.
However the revolver was tight with no gaps between the crane and the frame as some of the newer S&W pistols I had seen. Timing was perfect and the wood grips looked like they were fitted well.
After cleaning the pistol of the packing grease I was off to the range to see how it shot compared to all my other S&W revolvers.
One free hand and one from a rest at 21 meters.
I found that I wasn't going to miss the Ruger as much as I thought however there were a couple issues.
first off the wood grips had a couple sharp points at the top of the grip frame that poked the web of my right hand in recoil. No problem as I love Hogue rubber monogrips.
The trigger had a little grit to it that smoothed out after 100 rounds or so but my main dislike is for the wide target trigger. I have yet to decide if I will look after this myself or send it away for a new one to be installed.
All in all if you are thinking on the 29-10 and you can live with the cosmetic points, you will be very happy with this reliable, accurate pistol.
Jody
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