I picked up a 4” 29-2 off of Gunbroker recently. Apparently came out of an estate in Texas. Customizations include Magnaported barrel, yellow front sight insert, rounbutted, action work, polished trigger - pretty standard stuff back in the 80’s. One thing I don’t remember seeing before is what he did to the mainspring tension screw. He knurled the head, installed it backwards, and modified the other end to make it adjustable by Allen wrench. Anybody seen this before? Is it a signature item by a particular gunsmith, or was this kind-of common back in the day? I thought about seeing if I could just replace this screw with an original screw, oriented properly, but the action is pretty nice as it is. I’ll probably just leave it as is, since it’s well-done and unusual and I don’t know if he modified the frontstrap to accommodate his genius mod. Thanks

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That’s a new one to me. I can’t imagine why it would be worth the bother, but then I wouldn’t be round-butting a nice Model 29, either. His money, his choice.

Not something I have seen and honestly don't care for it. Enjoy your 29-2.

That tension screw is really weird!

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Pine_Worker
Ex-LEO, NRA Life

I've never seen a mainspring strain screw like that and I've been to two goat ropings and a county fair.

I like every mod except for the Mag-Na-Port.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

The "knurled head" on the mainspring screw appears to me to be a thumbpiece nut. It looks like the gunsmith shortened the strain screw too much and needed something to add to its length...

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Thanks for the replies. It is a puzzler.

I agree about the Mag-Na-Porting. Strangely enough, I’ve ended up with 4 44’s that it had been done to. Maybe it’s John Taffin’s fault.

The mainspring screw appears to me to be two pieces. The Allen screw and a separate “head”. It is very difficult to cut the key way for an Allen wrench. Also, the head appears tilted in the photo as if it were pivoting on the end of the Allen screw.

For what it is worth, I have several revolvers with the factory strain screw replaced with an Allen screw. So at least that part of the equation is not uncommon.

Kevin

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I think it's pure genius. Love it!!!
Oh, and no, never saw anything like that before. I'd sure remember if I did!

Possibly a unique strain screw installation, but if the trigger pull is good and ignition is reliable I would put it in the lever category.
That is, if it works leave 'er alone.

Don’t know about the screw, but sure do like the gun. Funny thing about Mag-Na-Port. There was a time it seemed either you had a ported gun or you wish you did. Used to add resale value. Now no one seems to like it and its a detractor to value. Kinda like rubber grips. Used to be the first thing we did to a new gun and now we think they’re ugly. Probably was due to gun writers. They all seemed to tout ported barrels and their grips were Pach’s.

Again.... I think this is a cool revolver.

Dan

Think this was Bubba's brother did this

I would take it out, replace it with an original and see if it functions properly with the standard one installed. I'm thinking the gunsmith cut the original one off two short and had no replacement so he make that one.

100
Percent spot on

In my camp, waste of time putting anything into it,
live with whatever it is.

Bubba already took it down the road of no return with
the Mag-Na-Port, and round-butting it..

So why not just get another strain screw? Looks like one of those " a little knowledge is dangerous things"

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

The only thing I’m planning on putting in it is ammo. I bought it because I like it - except for the ported barrel, but there’s nothing to do about that. I’ve got a few guns that are too nice and correct to shoot. Most of them aren’t. I’d just never seen this modification before. Was hoping someone had.

Thanks for all the replies. Bubba and I go way back

Narragansett, the voice of reason. 😁

If these modifications work for shooting under most conditions, especially under serious conditions, they are not "Bubba" mods. From what I can see, they were carefully considered and implemented to create a specific package. I'd bet a good bit that the RB modification is a sign that this is a revolver that was carried a lot, for which RB is just better and easier to conceal, quite possibly by someone who carried this as a fighting tool. I'm not committed either way about porting, but if it reduces felt recoil enough to make a difference in a fight, that's a value set. (I have a Vang-comp modified M590 12 gauge. It is obnoxious if you are not holding it. Friends called it "the earth mover". It's for fighting, first and foremost.)

Put away the collector biases and consider utility - form must always follow function.

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NHI, 10-8.

I could learn to like a 3-1/2" round butt Model 29. If I couldn't hit anything with it the muzzle blast would cook it.

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

The frontstrap may be modified as a part of the RB conversion, and the strain screw was no longer countersunk. Then the allen screw may have been installed as StrawHat suggested.

Okay guys, I know I'm new here and i have managed to reason out most of your abbreviations however this is one that still has me stumped. What does RB stand for???

Perhaps we need a thread which specifies what abbreviations are and make it one of those which do not disappear like some do. Just an idea to help those who do not have the background of others. I know many of you have been around since Noah was building row boats but some of us youngsters need a bit of guidance.

Round Butt gripframe. When I listed some of the stuff that had been done, I said it was roundbutted. I abbreviated it after that

Please remove the strain screw thingy so we can see what the setup actually is. It looks like the front of the grip frame was milled out larger for the current allen screw. Is the thumb screw head actually attached to the rest of it or does it have a pocket milled into it that the allen screw sits in?

I think jt1 nailed it. Rounding the grip frame (especially if cut to K-frame dimensions, a common mod when rounding an N back then) would cut the countersinking away. Rather than re-doing that, the smith chose this innovative means of replacing the strain screw.
If this is a "Bubba job," then so are Jovino's and other celebrated manipulations of the original S&W design. IMO this was well thought-out and executed. Nothing to be ashamed of there.

While I carefully read every post, I somehow overlooked that distinction. Thank you for clairifying it for me. And now that I understand I realize I read it just as you wrote. The only RB's I have are my mod 85 Taurus, a couple of H&R's, and a S&W #2, 2nd issue and I seldom think about them, because they are put away for when tshtf.

Again, thank you

Seems like a lot of folks are quick to holler “bubba” whenever something out of the ordinary is seen. Many talented folks went to the S&W Armorer’s School and actually learned how to work on S&W revolvers. Others worked with established gunsmiths and learned how to modify revolvers. Some are machinists and understand the workings of complicated machinery. And some are butchers.

Personally, I like that many of the posters avoid the “bubba’d” jobs. It leaves more for me to select from!

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

Well, there are guns that some would say have been Bubba-ed, and then there is the work of a real Bubba. Once you have seen both, it’s easy to tell them apart.

I’ve bought a gun here and there - when the price was attractive - that purists would say were Bubba-ed, and was always able to restore them to a condition that suited me, for my uses. The price has to be on the favorable side in this equation for me to bite. I remember biting once when restore-to-my-specifications expenses considerably exceeded my initial estimate, but I’m still happy with the gun. It needed savin’.

I'll admit to being Bubba once when I was still an auto mechanic...I often stayed late at the shop on Westheimer near River Oaks, and the nearby foot traffic sometimes visited after dark, mostly innocent but sometimes nefarious-looking...I always had my .357 Mag Ruger Speed-Six in my tool chest, and decided it would be better just to carry it in my right hip pocket...The problem was that the hammer spur could snag on the pocket if it had shifted position while I worked...

This being strictly a toolbox gun for expedient use only, I reversed my SnapOn cap and went to work with a cutoff blade, bench grinder, files and finishing stones...Definitely not a showpiece when I finished but entirely functional and no longer snagged from any position in my pocket...

I only had to present it once for inspection when three foreign nationals walked up to me about 2200 hours one night, and immediately started to spread out around me, speaking in a language in which I was not fluent...However their body language and facial expressions were universally understood, and assuming they were not tool salesmen soliciting new business, I answered in a language they understood completely...I took my Ruger out and held it down to my side which caused them to quickly reverse their steps and exit the premises...

I finished my work that night, and had the Ruger in hand as I locked up and went to my truck, but there were no further visitors......Ben

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Cogito, ergo BOOM!...

I reckon folks would accuse me of being a Bubba if they saw my M25-5. I bought it new in 1980 and promptly round butted it and installed a set of rubber Hogue grips. Most grips with finger grooves don't fit me, so I ground then down to where they did fit my hand.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Sounds like we need a Bubba Thread!

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

Here are some pictures of the gun wearing K-frame RB grips and with the strain screw removed. It looks like the factory screw could be made to work. Looks like he did use a thumb latch nut. I’ll probably just leave it as is, for now.

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Here are the rest

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You could also get a longer allen screw and fit it in place. Or at least use an allen screw as you template for the new factory screw.

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

C'mon!

You can put a new Barrel and Frame in that cylinder easily!

Yeah, I agree.

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213th FBINA

I ordered a couple strain screws, for RB and SB. We’ll see which one works better.

I understand gun-guys who look at these revolvers as something different than a gun, a tool, to be used - even used up. That we’re more like caretakers than owners. I’m the kind of guy who dreams of sending a gun to Horvath or Janis or Bowen or Turnbull or Burton or many others, but I don’t have the budget or the patience. I settle for guns like these that have been loved and customized by a previous owner. I guess I’m a little bit of a caretaker too. Except for the monetary value, I’d rather have this gun that a perfect, complete pre-29 package that I can only look at for fear of a scratch or ding. It takes all kinds, I guess. Sorry for the long, sappy post

I think your RB 44 is way cool. I love tastefully modified guns and yours looks to be well-done to me.

As for the strain screw with the thumbpiece nut on the spring facing end, I've seen many adjustments made to shortened strain screws to get them "just a bit longer" when they were shortened too much by someone looking for the perfect trigger pull. Often it is a used primer cap.

Thanks for sharing and all the best.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

hanks for posting the pics. Interesting way to do things. I get the allen screw. Maybe he couldn't find one the correct length. I guess if it works.

Boy, it just bugs the heck out of me to see someone jury rig a strain screw that way - a cylinder latch screw, really? WTH? With all the good work that went into it can't he at least make an effort to finish it off the right way, like the rest of us - with a spent large primer.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unless you REALLY like working on stuff like that, leave it be. Installing a new strain screw would involve either countersinking to make it flush, and who knows how much meat that would leave in the frame, or taking away some of the screw head and re-cutting the slot. Maybe both.

Just for information’s sake, I’ll add this. I ordered a RB strain screw and installed it. Functionally fine, but you can see that he removed metal from the frontstrap too. If I ever install grips that expose the frontstrap, maybe I’ll worry about it. Thanks for all the comments. I’m pretty sure this one will stay in the permanent collection. My boy can worry about the screw after I’m gone.

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I like the other screw setup better.

A suggestion, grip adapter.

This is a Model 25-2 that has the grip frame rounded to nearly identical dimensions of the K frame RBI’s. I had to get a set of N frame rb stocks and worked them down. If you look, the strain screw is proud of the frame, in this photograph. The grip adapter covers it and makes it comfortable to shoot until I file it down.

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

Nice looking 25-2. I prefer the look and feel of the Combats. Maybe I’ll find a set of ‘real’ ones that I can afford sometime.

Thank you, I like the ACP , N frame.

Looking at the photographs in post 33, it appears the frame may be modified to K dimensions only at the bottom of the frame. K Combats might fit the bottom of the frame but will be a bit small up at the hammer. Here is a photo of K frame magnas on an N frame, you can see the bit of frame leaking past the stocks.

You might have to get a set of N Combats and shave them down. HORRORS!!

If you want original S&W stocks, you might find some beat up ones to modify to appease the purists. Or find some aftermarket stocks for maybe less money.

Of course, the frame might be very close to correct dimensions also, hard to tell from a photograph.

The second photograph is the N frame with modified combats. I believe these were K size.

Kevin

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