The very first firearm handgun I shot was a late 60's or 1970 SW Model 29 with full house loads. They were reloaded by the man who took me on my first deer hunt in Nevada. He lived in between Reno and Carson City and I lived in Franktown Ranch, where I spent 1969 to the time the ranch was donated to the University of Reno Musical department. My mom died in Franktown Ranch; our smaller than normal cattle horse hog chicken duck geese goat sheep and adopted animals.

Since 1966 I grew up with Great Danes:


Above is Marmaduke my latest Great Dane Fawn Puppy Boy! He is hardly a year old and still is a puppy in all ways despite his size.

The first handgun I shot was the SW 29 w/6 1/2" barrel from the time of Dirty Harry. The family friend took me deer hunting for the first time and I was in high school.

After we sighted in our rifles he took out his SW 29 no dash with Red Ramp front and White Outline Rear Sights. We had just sighted in high powered rifles and then he sat down on the ground and shot at a boulder 100 yards away. The boulder of granite was bigger and higher than three or four human beings and that round slammed into the crevice he was aiming at sans handgun optics or other.

It was LOUD!

He demanded me to shoot it as a sophomore in high school and I hadn't even shot a .22 or anything before this introduction to handgunning in the Model 29 way.

I had the ear protection over my ears and I squatted the way he did with the handgun balanced between my legs aiming with the 6 and a half inch barrel having Red Ramp Front and White Outline Rear sights and single actioned a shot with the crevice he already shot into. I hit within 4" at 100 yards of my target with that first shot. I was stunned with the trigger pull and accuracy and power and ease to use regular installed sights on any gun whatsoever.

I was sold. But I could not afford an SW and bought the Ruger Super Blackhawk instead in .44 Magnum 7 and a half inch barrel non fluted cylinder similar to this prize I have original in .41 Magnum:



Well, I have 4 29s but the 6 and a half inch I have in two. However, honestly, my very most favorite handgun is my 4" SW 29-10 Machine Engraved (and a target to show with the lone shot being the last shot after sighting in with the first five shot group, to be followed with the beautifully balanced N Frame to be on target with five successive groups of 6 shots):





I can't thank SW enough for the Classic 29 being in current production. They (my three) are just like that old first handgun I fired in the mountains of Carson City while sighting in for my first mule deer hunt!

Many memories of SW are unforgettable.

I got into IHMSA silhouette shooting around 76-77.. My first silhouette gun was a long barrel 8" 29 Smith...l had been brought up hunting deer in the low country of SC with a shotgun... Now living in an area where rifles were favored l decided to try my 29 on deer...For the next several years l took at least a couple a season with that 44.. Then l got "educated" during the "bean field rifle" craze.....Now it's the AR evolution...Funny, l never lost or tracked a deer taken with that big 44....Deer didn't complain . Not near as far to walk after shooting one either