$18,900.00
A documented original 4-inch factory-nickel 5-screw Pre-Model 29 .44 Magnum — the configuration the Smith & Wesson collector census has hunted for decades and, until this gun’s factory letter, was not believed to exist as an original. Ships complete with the S&W Historical Foundation factory letter, original 1957 factory invoice, period-correct presentation case, factory tools, and original box & papers. 95%+ condition.
→ Read the full documented story, factory letter & full gallery
This is the revolver the Smith & Wesson collector community has openly hunted for decades: a 5-screw N-frame, special-order 4-inch barrel, original factory nickel .44 Magnum. The standing S&W Forum census of 5-screw nickel .44 Magnums lists only four or five documented examples — and every one of them is a 6½-inch gun. Serial S169056 is the 4-inch the census says it has not seen, and the Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation factory letter (signed April 30, 2026) confirms the nickel as original factory — not a re-plate.
Shipped July 16, 1957 to Sargent Sowell Inc. of Grand Prairie, Texas. It comes complete with the factory letter, a scan of the original 1957 factory invoice, the period-correct black leatherette presentation case, original factory tools, and the original box and papers. 95%+ condition throughout.
It is also the exact configuration John Milius wrote into the 1970 Dirty Harry screenplay — the gun that Smith & Wesson, working directly with Warner Bros., could not source for filming.
→ See the full documentation, valuation & 20-photo gallery
$18,900. At this price we expect to talk with you. We will walk you through the factory letter and invoice, send additional close-up photos, answer every question, and arrange escrow or wire transfer if you prefer. Ships to your FFL; Colorado pickup available in Steamboat Springs.
→ Read the full story · Call (970) 879-2210