The Last New Smith & Wesson Model 296 (?) was just purchased.
I got interested in the 296 in summer of 2005.
Found it discontinued and decided to try my luck on a Charter 2000 .44 Spl "Bulldog Pug."
A total waste of money.
Straight out of the box, it shoots like poop: needs trigger job and needs to have barrel correctly installed (it looks like it's not screwed on all the way).
It consistently shoots 3.5-4 inches to the right.
I put the "dog" away, got on the internet, and kept looking up 296 stuff.
Found a picture.
Wrote the guy who posted it.
http://www.fenderforum.com/userphotos/?recid=9733
Congratulated him on his weapon.
Asked if he wanted to sell it.
He told me where a new one was sitting in a shop in Idaho!!!
I paid $459.00 for it--picked it up on 04-26-06.
(CA DoJ shows it will not expire from "safe gun list" until 01/02/2007.)
Of course it has no "ILS" ("Internal Locking System"-for those unaware of the acronym's meaning).
It is a beast of a gun in the sense that it is light, recoils fairly hard (with heavy grain rounds), and makes BIG holes.
I love it.
I can hardly wait to try out CorBon 165 grains in it.
Moral of the story: KEEP THE FAITH.
Seek out the gun you REALLY want until it is in your hands.
Don't settle for second best or any substitutes.