I took my Granddaughter to the range today and had a great time. There was a man shooting a Ruger Flat Top in 44Mag. He was shooting full bore hair of the dog ammo. I walked over to the bench they were shooting from and asked to see the pistol. He handed it to me and I couldn't believe what great shape it was in. He said it was his dad's and he didn't shoot it much. I told him you shouldn't either, at least not with that ammo. He said, why not, it says 44Mag. I told him I have seen several of them in gun shops years ago with the top strap curled up and the top half of the cylinder no where in sight. I also told him that's why they changed the design.The pistol had a four digit serial # beginning with 9 so it could have been a first year production. He said he took it to a gun shop and the man told him it had been re blued so it was not worth as much as it would have if it had been left as new. I told him it was still a very valuable pistol no matter what the man said. I also told him it would probably bring a thousand dollars in today's market. If you really want one, where are you going to buy it? I had one years ago with a four digit # beginning with 7. I wish I still had it.