Mag-na-ported 29-2 value

[D1911]

Found a mint blued 4" Model 29-2 for sale. The gun has the factory targets, and the action is excellent with a tight lock-up. It looks to be fired very little but has no box or case. The only thing is it's been Mag-na-ported. The price is $1700 with no wiggle room. 29s in any barrel length are getting hard to find here in California but was just curious what the thought is on the price. Sorry, no pictures available. Thanks.

 

[505Gibbs]

Found a mint blued 4" Model 29-2 for sale. The gun has the factory targets, and the action is excellent with a tight lock-up. It looks to be fired very little but has no box or case. The only thing is it's been Mag-na-ported. The price is $1700 with no wiggle room. 29s in any barrel length are getting hard to find here in California but was just curious what the thought is on the price. Sorry, no pictures available. Thanks.

IMO it's too high given no box etc. and to a collector the porting is a negative.

 

[D1911]

IMO it's too high given no box etc. and to a collector the porting is a negative.

I'm with ya on that. I told the shop the MNP would take away from the value, but they're not budging on the price because it's a consignment gun.

 

[Valmet]

Sounds waaaaaay high to me...

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Agree that the price is too high, even for California. In most of the market, Magnaporting is negative, although not for me.

Offer what it it's worth to you, or a little less.

Best wishes.

 

[Roofuss]

Keep looking...too $$ and the porting is not a plus .

 

[Hawg Rider]

Found a mint blued 4" Model 29-2 for sale. The gun has the factory targets, and the action is excellent with a tight lock-up. It looks to be fired very little but has no box or case. The only thing is it's been Mag-na-ported. The price is $1700 with no wiggle room. 29s in any barrel length are getting hard to find here in California but was just curious what the thought is on the price. Sorry, no pictures available. Thanks.

IMHO, the consignor is asking about $500 too much for that revolver...even considering Republik of Kalifornia pricing. Although "mint", it's been ported and doesn't have any goodies with it. I'm OK with porting, but I think it detracts from the aesthetics of a valuable vintage revolver. Years ago I purchased a nice condition 28-2 at a local show that was "bubba ported" (holes drilled on both sides of the barrel), but I only paid $430 OTD. It's smooth, shoots great, and is accurate but I wouldn't have paid any more. Maybe you could leave your contact info and an offer of $1200 and see what happens. If they don't accept your offer, keep shopping. Otherwise, if you really want that revolver- pay the price. Good luck.

 

[Rpg]

I suspect you’re correct that it hasn’t been shot much.

It’s common to find 44 magnum handguns offered for sale along with a partial box of ammo: the owner having decided a few rounds were enough. In this case, the owner made an attempt to make the revolver less unpleasant but was unsuccessful.

For me, the porting significantly reduces the value of the gun: it makes it undesirable. I’d be hard pressed to offer more than $800 for it and then to use as trade stock.

 

[ken158]

I'm with the crowd here on a ported 29-2 and consignment guns are usually a pain to a LGS. They want to support their customers hoping they spend their money there but overpriced guns sit forever and the owner still has to do the paperwork to get their own gun back when it won't sell.

 

[Engine49guy]

California prices are very different than Florida prices, if I saw that gun in Florida I'd be thinking if it was under $1k I could find a replacemant dash 2 four inch barrel for abt $150 I could swap barrels and sell the magnaported barrel to someone looking to send theirs out to be magnaported.

 

[stansdds]

That would be a hard "no", even in California.

 

[Rocket3]

High but not crazy, however, the Mag-na-port reduces the value significantly. In my opinion.

 

[Photog]

I dislike Magna Ported pistols. In the past, I have looked a few, but always tell the seller that I will deduct whatever it costs to rebarrel the the firearm since I won't own one. Just a quirk I have, I guess.

 

[Pirate6134]

I purchased a Magnaported model 29-2 in 1997 for $500. It was sold in a wooden box and has an excellent trigger. It was sold with rubber grips which I replaced with ebony grips from Eagle Grips. Barrel length is 5 7/8”.
I think this revolver was customized by MAgnaport and has the Mag-Na-Life hard chrome brushed finish and Millet sights.

Really enjoy shooting this revolver and I think the porting makes the shooting a pleasure with the heaviest magnum loads.

 

[6string]

I purchased a Magnaported model 29-2 in 1997 for $500. It was sold in a wooden box and has an excellent trigger. It was sold with rubber grips which I replaced with ebony grips from Eagle Grips. Barrel length is 5 7/8”.
I think this revolver was customized by MAgnaport and has the Mag-Na-Life hard chrome brushed finish and Millet sights.

Really enjoy shooting this revolver and I think the porting makes the shooting a pleasure with the heaviest magnum loads.

That looks like a Magnaport job. They usually polished the trigger and hammer as part of their action work. The Magnalife finish is well known for its toughness.
Back in the 70s and 80s they were one of the few nationally recognized shops that consistently did excellent no-nonsense work. They had good turnaround and while their work wasn’t cheap, it was a good value.
Also, they recognized what shooters wanted. Without their custom work and packages, Smith and Wesson may have never introduced the Lew Horton 3” 24-3 44 Special or the Mountain revolvers.
I think the day will come soon that a niche market will appreciate their work, just as has happened with King Gunsight, etc.

 

[CWH44300]

That looks like a Magnaport job. They usually polished the trigger and hammer as part of their action work. The Magnalife finish is well known for its toughness.
Back in the 70s and 80s they were one of the few nationally recognized shops that consistently did excellent no-nonsense work. They had good turnaround and while their work wasn’t cheap, it was a good value.
Also, they recognized what shooters wanted. Without their custom work and packages, Smith and Wesson may have never introduced the Lew Horton 3” 24-3 44 Special or the Mountain revolvers.
I think the day will come soon that a niche market will appreciate their work, just as has happened with King Gunsight, etc.

Agreed wholeheartedly!

This is a recent thread on their work in the new era section

Magnaport mini combat conversion.

 

[CH4]

Still a little high for a non Magnaported gun. I’d consider it at <$1300.

 

[Fullmetaljacket]

If you are going to spend $1700 you can find a better one than this one, IMHO. Patience usually pays off.

 

[series guy]

There are enough shooters out there that the porting likely won’t have much affect on the selling price. The fact that S&W ported more than a few models gives the treatment some credibility. With no accessories I think the gun is around a $1400 gun so while high the price isn’t that far off. If you like it ask the shop to convey your offer to the seller. I have had success doing that in the past.