Did Keith Prefer and Carry a 29 with 4 1/2 inch Barrel??

[Nalapombu]

Hey all,

I was just nosing through some of my pics and I came across one that was a M29 with what is said to be a 4 1/2 inch barrel and was Elmer Keith's favorite.

Are the 29's with the 4 1/2 inch barrel his preferred handgun that he packed every day and done most of his 44 mag shooting with? The same ones that have the Buff head carved in one side?

Does anyone have a Keith Special that they have had custom done? If so, we've gotta see that...please.

Thanks all.

Nalajr

 

[ironhead7544]

Elmer Keith considered the 4 inch M29 as the best belt gun. Power was just right and the 4 inch doesnt push up your belt when seated. Also best for law enforcement. He considered the revolver a backup to a rifle when hunting and for use when the opportunity came up, not a primary hunting tool. He was asked what he would pick for hunting and said the 6 and 1/2 inch M29.

Read a couple of his books. He makes a good case for the 4 inch M29.

 

[gkitch]

I visited the Elmer Keith Museum at Cabelas in Boise, Idaho and looked over his many firearms displayed there. The 4" N-frame is a common theme, especially in 41 and 44 Magnums.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

As you might recall, I told the tale about the guy who told me about meeting Elmer.
Elmer was fly fishing in the Salmon and wearing a jacket. As they watched an eagle circle lower, Elmer pulled a revolver from a shoulder holster.
He shot and quickly returned the gun into the holster.
When I asked my Colorado buddy 'What kind of gun?'
He said he was not sure. The whole thing happened so fast he didn't get a good look at the gun.
His best guess was a 4 inch N Frame.

 

[kaaskop49]

There can be slight variations in the announced length of a barrel. This was pointed out to me by other members when I measured different lengths for 4" bbl'd K-frames. I have a 4" bbl'd 29 which runs 4.1". I used to own a 4" bbl'd 57 in .41 Mag., a virtual twin to the 29, and it's bbl. measured 3.9".

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[RichCapeCod]

I have a recollection of reading Elmer's comment that his favorite barrel length for the S&W 29 was 5" length.

Rich

 

[harley46580]

I've been to his museum also and the one reported to be his favorites all looked to be standard 4 inch to me. You need to read his books as he talks a lot about his carved Ivory Stocks and how they helped him control the recoil.
It's very very interesting.

 

[M29since14]

FWIW... Somewhere in the loft of my garage I used to have a "Guns & Ammo" letter from Elmer, in the usual single paragraph, telling me how I should set up "your own personal 44 Magnum." It was the typical colorful Elmer letter of the '70s that many of us have seen and remarked about.

To summarize quickly, he advised his preference for a blued 4-inch Model 29 (at that time S&W was on the -2 version, which he did not object to) with the spur of target hammer trimmed and corners rounded to about 3/8" length, and target trigger thinned and narrowed also to about 3/8" or a bit less, and relieved slightly to whatever side was your strong hand. He also recommended a good action job and magna stocks without any filler.

Here is the surprise: he recommended the gun be magna-ported, which he said he preferred "for fast double-action work." I was a bit surprised by the magna-port recommendation. I had two friends who visited Elmer, one regularly and one from time to time. Both fellows said they had seen Elmer with magna-ported 44s, so I guess he meant what he said.

I followed his advice and had a Model 29 modified as he described (with the exception of the magna stocks, which I cannot use on a 44 Magnum revolver), and I still have it today.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Yes , Elmer had A 4.5in M29 and he liked it. IIRC , it started life as a longer bbl , and he had the factory shorten it. Off the top of my head can't recall if he specified 4.5 on purpose , or if the factory did so for some reason of theirs , possably having to do with existing bbl markings ?

But yes , most of his guns were 4in , and that is what he frequently recomended for a belt gun.

 

[shawn mccarver]

Elmer's first 29 was, if I recall, "remodeled," as he called it, by The Gun Reblue Co., and the barrel was cut to 4 1/2 inches from its original 6 1/2 inch length. It was also engraved during that "remodel" and he had it stocked in his trademark ivory magna stocks. That said, I believe he later used the standard 4 inch version.

EDIT: Picture at page 144 here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=VD...onepage&q=elmer keith "gun reblue co"&f=false

 

[Watchdog]

Elmer was fly fishing in the Salmon and wearing a jacket. As they watched an eagle circle lower, Elmer pulled a revolver from a shoulder holster.
He shot and quickly returned the gun into the holster.

He shot an eagle? Why?

 

[smokey04]

Can anyone post a reference to Keiths preference to a 4 & 1/2 ? I would love to see something in print. Are we sure were not confusing Skeeters preference for a 5" .357 or .44 special? I just don't see in Elmers books any reference to a 4 & 1/2 gun. I thought it was 4 " .NIck

 

[THE PILGRIM]

He shot an eagle? Why?

My buddy said 'Elmer, eagles are federally protected. You can't shoot them. ' Elmer didn't like that law. He says- Eagles eat a lot of lambs, calves, fawns, baby elk, etc.

 

[rwsmith]

And they make......

My buddy said 'Elmer, eagles are federally protected. You can't shoot them. ' Elmer didn't like that law. He says- Eagles eat a lot of lambs, calves, fawns, baby elk, etc.

And they make for really good target practice.

 

[Muley Gil]

Can anyone post a reference to Keiths preference to a 4 & 1/2 ? I would love to see something in print. Are we sure were not confusing Skeeters preference for a 5" .357 or .44 special? I just don't see in Elmers books any reference to a 4 & 1/2 gun. I thought it was 4 " .NIck

Go back to post # 10 and the link for pictures and info.

 

[Watchdog]

My buddy said 'Elmer, eagles are federally protected. You can't shoot them. ' Elmer didn't like that law. He says- Eagles eat a lot of lambs, calves, fawns, baby elk, etc.

I've read a lot of Keith's writings. In the late sixties and way on into the seventies, Sixguns was my handgun Bible. I read it over and over and over. I even took the book on trips with me, and annotated my copy of it with my own thoughts and data. The majority of my handloads were based on Keith data. He was something of a hero to me when I was a younger man, the man who had all the answers to my sixgun questions.

That said, just because you're a famous gun writer, guru, sportsman, whatever doesn't put you above the law. In retrospect (and this eagle incident, if true, is a good example), Keith now seems something of a showoff to me and more than a little egotistical. He would not be a role model for me today as he was over forty years ago. He would no longer be one of the Gods of Guns for me.

While it may be true that eagles eat lambs, fawns, etc., that's part of the natural order of things. Keith inserted himself into that natural order, killed an eagle just because he didn't "like" it or the law that was enacted to protect it, and had no plans to eat it. Even animals don't kill for "sport".

 

[arjay]

Keith came from a time and a place where some people thought it was perfectly fine to blast an eagle.Attitudes changed,but his didnt.Classic old timer.

 

[ironhead7544]

Concerning the 5 inch barreled M29, Herbie Harris used to come into the gun shop I worked in. He is the one that had the first run of 5 inchers made. He sent one to Elmer Keith. Keith said it was the perfect sized barrel length. Dont know why he carried 4 inchers. The first 5 inchers are rare and maybe he didnt want to put holster wear on it.

 

[3rdgeargrndrr]

He shot an flying eagle off hand ?. Thats Keith for ya. I can hit a 10" gong at 100 off hand but a flying animal with a 44. Wow.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

He shot an flying eagle off hand ?. Thats Keith for ya. I can hit a 10" gong at 100 off hand but a flying animal with a 44. Wow.

It was low and slow, circling. Apparently attracted by Elmer's fish.