Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Unusual S&W Long Tom sports 10.5" barrel and adjustable front sight


I don't usually get tempted by Long Tom revolvers, but I just listed the longest of Long Toms I've ever seen and I gotta admit, it is tempting.

I generally like 4" or shorter barrels on wheel guns, but this S&W 29-3 .44 Magnum has a 10.5" barrel with a micrometer click-adjustable Patridge front sight. There's two firsts for me, the barrel length and the front sight, never seen either one before.

BlueBook makes no mention of a 10.5" barrel for the 29-3, but here it is. There is also no mention in the BlueBook listing of an adjustable front sight, but this one has no manufacturer's stamp on it so it leads one to think it is a factory sight. Who knows?
BlueBook on SMITH & WESSON : NUMBERED MODEL REVOLVERS (MODERN HAND EJECTORS)
MODEL 29-1 & LATER VARIATIONS (3 SCREW)
- .44 Mag. cal., 4, 6 1/2, or 8 3/8 in. barrel, eliminated top screw on sideplate and screw in front of trigger guard. Disc. 1999. 
I shall resist temptation for a couple of reasons, mainly because I'm flat broke. But if I was gonna buy a Long Tom, this one sure is tempting, plus it's even priced pretty reasonable for a S&W 29-3, a mere $700 buy-it-now price on gunbroker.com.

Let's retroactively call this one the Smith of the Week since I have no other candidates in mind so far.

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