Thank you for looking.

In my experience, it always seemed as if the early 629 stocks had an orange hue to them. I am not sure if they were intentionally hand-picked that way.

1) 629, 4", the least produced of all the 'no dash' barrel lengths. Shipped 10/81. NIB, unfired.



2) 629, 6", shipped 10/81.



3) 629, 8 3/8". Shipped September 3, 1981 to Dave Cook Sporting Goods Co., Denver CO

Very nice sir.

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S&WCA #3012

Great trio Nick!!! To complete the package you need a 4-inch case like that of the other two 629s. I am sure Joe Cebull can accommodate you.

Bill

Very nice trio sir. It is interesting about the orange-ness that you noticed in the grips. Now I have to take a closer look at my 4 incher for that characteristic.

A very nice collection! Thanks for sharing.

Woe is me. The only 629 that I ever owned was a 4" no dash. Bought it brand new, it was in a case just like yours, if I remember. This would have been very early 1980s. I think it came in some kind of cardboard outer carton that I threw away!! Wish I knew then what I do now. I gave the case away, we were presenting our retiring chief with his service gun, and I donated the case to present it in. Then, about ten years later, I traded off the gun.

To make matters worse, the guy I traded it to wanted to trade it back to me, and I said no. Been kicking myself ever since.

Had no idea back then that it was collectible. Live and learn!!

You have a wonderful set there!!! Thanks for sharing with us.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I had a 4" no dash 629 also bought in '81, and the G/C targets on it were definitely of an orange-ish hue. Had some problems with that gun and eventually traded it away. Regrets.

Had a 6". Definitely a orange hue to the grips.

Les, I agree. The 4" is in the Type C case ('76-'78) and the others are in the Type D-1 ('79-'81). This gun was bought by a collector, from the original owner, as New and Unfired. I asked about the case and the collector verified with the original owner that this is the case that he bought it with, new.

Before I bought it, I wanted to double-check, so I called Roy Jinks and Joe Cebull. I was told that it was the correct case. Roy's NIB 4" is in the same case as mine. I was told that there was a surplus of cases and that they would often use what was handy.

Back in the 1986 I got a call from a gun shop. He was selling a collection of .44 Magnums for a husband and wife. They both worked at Smith & Wesson.
Seems they had just retired. They were moving to Alaska and gave him their collection of .44 Magnums. Back then, you as an employee were allowed 5 guns a year. They each bought 5 .44 Magnums for about 10 years, just at the start of the .44 craze. There on the floor behind the showcase was 100 boxes of brand new .44 Magnums, sealed in shrink wrap. Some had the cardboard shipping boxes. The dealer showed me the list of serial numbers with notes. I distinctly remember seeing in the notes "10 first year Model 629" followed by the serial numbers. They wanted to sell the entire collection as a whole. I don't know if they did, but, he told me if they sell them individually, they wanted $1000.00 each. I did manage to buy 25 brand new presentation cases from the collection. Wish I could go back to that gun shop today. By the way, it shared it's driveway with the Ludlow Mass High School.

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Don Mundell

In reference to the orange color of the Target stocks, I have K frames from the same timeframe and they too have an "orange" hue.
I think it was the coloration of the last of the "football" before the "cutout" target stocks.
Not all, but there was a run of them I suppose.
Back in the day when all of those stocks were plentiful and cheap, I always traded those away for dark stocks with good grain.

GF

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SWCA #2420

That is a beautiful set of 629's man!

That's more of a "perfecta"!!! Thanks for showing those off.

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Don't You Ever Wash That Thing

P&R 629s are a buy-on-sight for me...just never seen one yet

I thought I would bring these 3 up for another look. Thanks.

Most presentation cases never seem to hold up, but yours look super.

Bob

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Sag Harbor & Manhattan, N.Y.

We call those orange grips, "pallet wood".

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Nice, very nice trio!

Saw a set like this back in November in Tulsa NFS. Could this be the same set? I do have the 4" but none of the others.

Hi, I’ve put this group of 629’s together over the last few years. I just took my time and waited for the right guns.

A 4 inch 629 no dash in unfired condition complete with everything that came with it is my grail gun. I will find one someday.

My first gun was a 629 no dash with the 8 3/8" barrel. It came with a presentation case like the one you showed in your first pictures, a blue S&W box, a bigger cardboard box that it all shipped in. Getting rid of all that stuff is still my biggest gun related regret. I did however shoot the snot out of it, had it rebuilt and than foolishly traded it away. It was the hand cannon of it's day.

I have the 4" 629 no dash in the presentation box. Gun is immaculate but unfortunately the liner is deteriorated. Also has the orangish colored grips. This is my weekend carry gun.

I bought this "no dash" in 2007 - NIB. Never fired. Shipped in 1981. I had a choice of this 4" or a 6" and (wisely as it turns out) chose the 4". I have a 629-1, 8 3/8" that I shoot, as I've never been a fan of the shorter-barreled .44 magnums. I had a 4" 29 many years ago, shot it once, and sold it not long thereafter.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Dick

A bump to visit these 629’s again. Thanks again for looking.

My 4-inch no-dash (from 1981) also has the orange hue mentioned, the stocks on my 6-inch (from 1980) have a little more color (and figure).

Attached Images

629 NoDashes.jpg (81.8 KB, 68 views)

As Higgins would say, "Oh my God, Magnum!"

I thought I would bring these up for another look. I have always liked the 629 since it's introduction, but I have a soft spot for the early examples.

4-Screw, My 629 no dash 4"came in the same case as yours did. And the grips are about the same as well...………………………………...M*

Great Set!!! I too love the P&R 629s and I'm glad you ran this thread back to the top.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

I usually bring this thread up once a year....hope you are all well.

Thats a very nice set. I found this 4 inch no dash last year, but it was only the gun. Not sure if the smooth targets originally came on it or not.

Hey 4screw
We've missed you of late! Working too much with this Covid thing ? ? ? Here is my set of 629s! I put the grips and cases on all of them as they came to me as orphans!



jcelect

Hi Joe!

I miss you as well. You can always call, and you can ALWAYS stop by the house like you did the last time.

I have you to thank for that 8 3/8 no dash beauty.

I have been busy at work with Covid, and I hope you are well.

Very nice examples all. I have one unfired no dash, but it is transitional. No pinned barrel, but a recessed cylinder. The original targets have a slight orange hue to them. Right now it has Culina black and white ebony.

Sorry no idea why the picture rotated

Attached Images

629L.jpg (62.1 KB, 49 views)

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

Do most of us have an unfired 4"? I put my name on a list at a store and when i got the call it was for the 8 3/8th. I went to another store a year later and picked up a 6" Class A engraved. 15 years ago on GB I found the missing 4". 8 years ago I found another 8 3/8th that I couldn't refuse, I shipped it off for a 3" diet. Now I have a P&R 5" 629. I ended up buying a 4" 29 to keep the 629 unfired./ How sick am I. Notime2

With the recent GB sale of $20,000 for a 4" first-year gun, I thought I would bring this thread up again.

By the way, if you buy all three, I can discount them by $1000...I'll do $59,000 for the set. I will also include an almost complete box of .44 Magnum shells....I think there are 47 in the box...maybe 46.

Great trio ,and how remarkable that all three stocks look as if they came from the same plank of wood.

If you're gonna get cheesy on the ammo, I'll have to pass.

4 rounds is 4 rounds........

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

About a year ago I picked up a 4" M/629, it's Magnaported not sure if it came from S & W that way or was done since leaving the factory.

I’ve never seen a factory Magna-Port 629. I would get a factory letter.

My 629 magnaported as an RSR special run in 1983. Not factory but still original.