A Look-Cool Long Colt

They say every gun has a story. A reader submission series from American Handgunner, Wheelgun Diaries seeks to tell some of those stories through the words of revolver owners.

The following stories were shared by email with permission to publish.

Shorty ‘N Tell

John Taffin’s piece on the Shorty Forty-Four gave me the idea to send you a photo of my shorty. A handy carry wheelgun with enough pop to discourage two- or four-legged predators, it’s a Smith & Wesson Model 29 with a three-inch barrel and a round grip. The gun is one of a limited run from the Lew Horton company, made in November 1985.

I’ve had 8-3/8” and 6-inch 29s. The 3-incher isn’t as pleasant to fire as those but it’s manageable, especially with .44 Specials. And, as a friend told me, if the time comes when I have to shoot at a bad guy, don’t worry about missing — the muzzle flash will probably set his clothes on fire.

John Schroeder
Wisconsin

Editor’s Note: Only 5,000 of the Lew Horton Smith & Wesson Model 29-3 revolvers were made in 1985. Founded in 1948, Lew Horton Distributing ceased operation in 2019 after 42 years of business.

Having owned, carried and shot .22 pistols for most of my life, I bought a used 3-screw Ruger .357 Magnum many years ago. Later, I traded it for a Ruger New Model Blackhawk .45 Long Colt with 4-5/8” barrel on a whim at the recommendation of my very good friend, Bob. He promised that I would be glad I did — and he was right!

Not long after that trade, Bob and I took a cool fall day trip to east Texas for some forest land 4-wheeling in our pickup trucks, handguns in tow. We came to a nice wide spot with tall hills all around us and decided to unlimber our guns at some old downed trees. That was when my real appreciation for the .45 LC really began! The gun was easy to carry in a holster custom-made by my father-in-law, was easy to shoot accurately and was just cool to carry on my hip!

Other calibers have come along, but I keep going back to my old Ruger. You can load it hot or keep it really light. Concealed carry? Doesn’t work. Punching paper? Not that much fun. But to this day, the big .45 continues as my overall favorite to carry, shoot cans and look cool.

Linden Baker

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Do you have a wheelgun story to tell? Send us a photo and your story by email and you could see it published here and featured in our regular Wheelgun Wednesday newsletter.

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