This time we have the Original Dirty Harry gun up for review. Mine is an early 70’s gun in mint condition. 6 round cylinder, the square butt wood grips and a 6 inch barrel and adjustable sights, Dirty Harry all the way. I gave $575 for the Smith 29 out the door. I am very happy with it.
Shooting the old girl: Well, if you miss its probably your fault. It’s a joy to shoot, not heavy at all like my Ruger is so recoil is a bit snappier but by no means bad. It’s only a 44 mag. So it’s not like dropping the hammer on a full bore 454 Casull. The square butt isn’t what I’d call the greatest thing but for the sake of keeping it original they stay on. All in all you’ll be hitting the 9 and 10 ring all day long at 25 yards if you do your part. Hornady 180’s have an awesome report and fireball! Lot’s of fun! The CCI feels like a 38 special firing and the 300 grain Hornady shoot nice and tight with manageable recoil. Also there are Ruger 44 loads and there are Smith 44 loads, so to speak. The super powered 44’s with the big 310, 320 and 335 grain bullets won’t usually fit in the Smith 29 cylinder, so keep that in mind when buying ammo, watch the overall length of the cartridge.
So what’s it good for?? Well it’s a classic and just cool, that alone makes the Smith 29 worth owning. You can hunt with it although they are so pretty I’d hate to see the slightest scratch on mine. From the self defense standpoint it’s a totally reliable, fairly light weight, accurate 44 magnum, enough said right?? I would suggest using the PMC 180 grain HP’s for home defense, low flash, plenty of power and follow up shots are reasonably quick. Stay away from the 180 and 240 Hornady’s,2 the flame out of the barrel will leave you totally blind the very first shot in low light, especially the 180’s! Those things should be renamed flame thrower ammo. As an after thought, check out some 44 special loads for defensive purposes.
Now compared to a new one, as Smith started making them again and I had the opportunity to handle a new one. Well I say get the original for several reasons. 1. They cost a whole lot less, dealers are wanting 800 to over 1000$ for the new ones, not worth that! The actions in both are really good but the old one is just a tad bit smoother, it just is. Its like glass, wonderful trigger pull. The bluing on the original is also more attractive. Smith can say what they want but the new one doesn’t have the dark “depth” to the bluing like the old one does. I guess they spent more time polishing and put a bit more effort into it 40 years ago, it just looks better. I was wearing diapers and falling down a lot when this thing rolled off the line and I’d say they built her perfectly. The one thing I will give the new one is the grip is thinner and more usable but it doesn’t look quite right and the lighter wood color they used looks terrible in my opinion. I like the older darker wood. That’s all aesthetics tho and up to the individual. That’s just how I feel about it. I think if you buy an old one you’ll “feel lucky too Punk” 🙂
Wrapping up, good gun. I love it a for nostalgia’s sake, watched Dirty Harry movies about 7000 times with my old Gramps while he was still here and owning this classic really does “make my day”.
As always thanks for reading and happy shooting
By: Cary Kieffer
Cary Kieffer
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