I have been wanting a .44 mag for awhile but I wasn't in the market for one considering I purchased a sig 320 rx about a month ago. I went to the gun range and did the traditional walk around the used gun case after my session. I saw this 629 sitting there and it immediately caught my eye. (I'm a sucker for un-fluted cylinders.) The store was closing and I know the gun shop owner since I go there all the time so I had him hold it and I would come by the next day to check it out.

Based on my research, it is a 629-2e 3in barrel made in 89' and this is one of the 3200 made. This included the original box, original grips and all the goodies. It is ported so it could either hurt or increase value depending on the person. (I like it). So how desirable is this model? Any smith experts out there that can weigh in on my newly aquired piece? I paid $650 and it included 180rounds of ammo. It was on consignment as well. Condition wise I would rate it in excellent condition. It has a slight ring mark around the cylinder, locks up tight and the trigger is remarkable! No pits, scratches or gauges of any kind, grips could use cleaning but that's expected. I have read value could be as high as $1500 or as low as $500. Is this the run of the mill .44 or did I find a gem?

You done great. Any pre lock in that condition is a gem. $650. was a steal ported or not. Send a email to Lew Horton with the info on the box. I'll bet it was one of his.

There have been many posts about purchases that were made 2 years early -- the anticipated value in 2 years will maybe equal what the buyer paid today. The cost was too high.

In your case you bought a beautiful revolver at a price that is about 3 years too late. I would suggest that the 'correct' (or current) price is near $1,200 to $1,500 with box, docs, and like new condition.

A WARNING: Shoot it outside with quality ear protection, that little baby will have a sharp bark to it when you pull the trigger. The recoil will not be harsh, but the noise will be awesome. Even with lite 44 specials, without ear protection it will be the last thing you ever hear.

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S&WHF 366

Excellent deal, you did great!

Maybe I'm not quite understanding you. Are you saying I overpaid? I have gone through a few threads with this exact smith and each thread was roughly from 5yrs ago and the price that was paid for those was roughly anywhere from $500-900. I really didn't buy it to sell or as an investment I wanted a .44 and at this price (to me) I couldn't pass it up.

I actually did shoot it indoor already yesterday. Recoil was sharper than I was used to but tolerable. Not really any louder than gp100. More of a felt concussion and flash wasn't really noticeable but again it was well lit inside (Winchester 240g Rem mag)

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the forum. Even though I'm not a fan of ported handguns and/or non-fluted cylinders, I think you did well.

No, he is saying that you probably got one of the best deals that you will ever have. In some areas your 629 could bring double the price that you paid. You did very well indeed!

Welcome to the forum. Yessir, you stole it. Any older model snubnose 629 brings a premium and you did very well. I paid $900 for a 3" dash 1 minus box and docs a few months back and felt good about it (still do!).

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Don't You Ever Wash That Thing

Congratulations! You did good! Welcome to the Neighborhood!

Thanks to all! Yes I'm happy with my find! Thanks for warm welcome!

While I'm not a fan of ported barrels, I would have hurt myself trying to pull my wallet out fast enough.

No way I'd sell my 629-2 for that price and mine doesn't have that all important "E" on the end of the model name. It doesn't have the Endurance package and yours does. Mine was almost unfired when I bought it. It had maybe 15 rounds through it. I've put a few hundred through it. Not really that many. It still looks a lot like new. I didn't get the box and mine is a long barrel, which drives the price down. And after all those things I would not sell for the price you paid. You have a $1000 revolver IMO. At least. I bought mine cheap too. But I bought it from my brother. I tried to tell him he could get more out of it but I think he had the idea I would sell it back to him when he asked. And I would have if not for having bought an expensive holster for it and for the fact that black bears started showing up in my yard especially when I was cooking on the grill. I kept that gun handy just in case. There's something about a bear threatening you that makes having a bear thumper handy feel really good. I got a lot of lip smacking and teeth clacking from them and that is a "that's my steak sucker" sound all the way. I had a sound of my own though. It goes something like this - BOOM!