I suppose by the time I had finished writing I had confused things enough that it sounded like it.

But the answer is no. I am perfectly happy with the Model 29, just as I am with the Model 19. I shoot "specials" and magnums in both guns, and have no serious complaints. Use them as intended and it's all good news.

What I was lobbying for was a bigger gun, but not as big as the X-frame, or even close. I'd like a true .45-caliber gun, which an N-frame is not, with anything but low pressure loads. (It is my understanding that S&W always thought of the N-frame as a .44-caliber design, long before the 44 Magnum came along.) It should be built to handle 300-gr loads, maybe at 1200-1300 FPS... ?

I believe the S&W engineers could have come up with a design like that, and it could be carried on a belt and used like a handgun. Instead, we got the X-frame. Obviously, my opinions, and those of my few friends, do not amount to much in Springfield.

The gun I have in mind is a different animal than a Model 29. It shouldn't even be offered in 44 Magnum caliber. If you start to confuse the two, it will give the bean counters an opportunity to shelve the 29, just as they did the 19.

Lots of people (myself included) don't really need a .45-caliber magnum S&W DA revolver - but I would still like to have one. I have enough 19s and 29s, I guess, but I would hate to see S&W cash out the 29, as they have the 19/66 in deference to the 586/686.

We may be talking about similar guns, but I don't see the need to "improve" on the 29 for the sake of the 44 Magnum cartridge. I think that's the main difference.