Can anyone post what years and barrel lengths of the Model 29 had the round butt frames?

From what I can tell, it looks like 1985 with a 3" gun for Lew Horton.

The model would have been a 29-3, and definitely would not be t have been pinned and recessed.

I bought a new one and it was around 1985. Pretty gun with combats and all. Just a pain in the everything to shoot. Put it back in the box and traded it to my son a few years later. He got hard up and sold it for next to nothing. Actually, nobody really wanted the things back then. Sort of a useless gun. We are both really sorry now that one of us didn't keep it. I got a Ruger Number 1 in 375 H&H Magnum in the trade and still have it. I did pretty good but still wish I had the Smith back.

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Dr. B

Would any 29-2's have the round butt frame?

I never saw one before the early to mid 1980's, and I was buying about every gun that was out there. Oh yeah, I did shoot 44 Specials in the thing. It was kind of cool with those loads.

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Dr. B

Doc, it's sad that no one ever thought of medium to hot .44 special loads for the belly-gun M-29. Talk about a super self-defense revolver. Oh well.

Not as a factory original gun. The shortest barrel they offered at that time was a 4" barrel, and 4" guns and above in the pinned and recessed era were square butt guns.

There may have have been some prototype or experimental round butt guns, but to my knowledge and from what I have read, no round butts.

The first production 44 Magnum with a round butt was made for Lew Horton in 1985. It is a 29-3 and was named the "44 Combat Magnum". The first round butt 29-2s were made in 1974, but there are only two of them.

Bill

*edit* I now see that this is a 58-29. Which barrel is this though? It would appear to be a modified Model 29 barrel. I want one of these. I would love to know the exact specs and what shop can do this type of work.


I found this post doing an extensive search for different round butt Model 29 variations and I have never seen one of these before. This would be my absolute holy grail revolver. My heart is fluttering knowing these exist.

Wondering if the 29-3 ever had a factory 4" round butt variant.

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SWCA 3563
10mm aficionado

Saw a DeVille custom at a gun show around 1977 that was round butt, P&R, and Magna Ported. Couldn't afford it, sooooo.

You got that right!

That was Elmer Kieth's disappointment with Remington's 44 Mag loading as well.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

The barrel is a modified Model 29-2 barrel that has also been shortened to 3 1/4 inches. MOD. 29 is stamped in the yoke cut and 29-58 is written in Model No. box on the end label on the blue cardboard box. The serial number is N153333 and it was shipped on May 6, 1974. It originally shipped with smooth Magna stocks, but shooting factory 44 Magnum loads with those stocks was too punishing. I had Keith Brown make and fit a pair of Combat stocks of zebrawood and they work just fine.

Bill

Bill,

That's a very interesting custom.

Barrel 3 1/4"; just enough to keep from shortening the shroud (from the back end).

Did the same person order both guns?

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Any of the reputable shops discussed on this forum can do it.

No 29-3 4" RB that I'm aware of, certainly not regular production. Not even a distributor exclusive that I can find.

However, there's one in similar configuration but it's a 29-6 (no internal lock). The S&W Collectors assoc. 25th Anniv, 4" Tapered Barrel, SB, 1995. There were 10 over run guns w/o the Anniv enbellishments sold to the public.

But the rd butt became standard and replaced the sq butt in 1995-6 on the 29-6 (began 2003). Although as far as I know, the 4” barrel was no longer offered.

And of course the Mtn Gun but it has a tapered 4" barrel w/RB and internal lock. Model 29-9, 2003

There's the 329PD Airlite Sc, 4" full lug, RB, 2003.

The SS 69 5 shot L frame now comes in 4" 1/2 shroud, with sq butt. 2014.

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Jim
S&WCA #819