I just picked this gun up the other day, I don't think I got a great deal because I paid $715.00 for it, but its NIB, and has all the paper work with it. Not sure if it was suppose to h ave the cleaning kit with it or not, someone might be able to let me know if my cleaning kit is missing or if they stopped putting them in the later model guns. I also have no idea what year this gun was made, there is a pencil mark on the inside of the box that says 11-5-1994....not sure if this is when it was made or when it was purchased. So what do ya'll think, should I shoot it or keep it NIB and pass it on to my sone one of these days?

Your ok...sit,pass,keep...nice Smith

I passed up one of those about 3 years ago that had a price tag of $600. I've been kicking myself ever since! Have not seen another one since then. I'm not sure I would want to shoot any full mags out of it, but most likely would have to try, just to see.... Great looking gun, I think you did fine.

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

That sure is a nice looking 44 you have there. You said its your grail gun. So why not shoot it? Take your son with you and shoot it with him.Make some memories with that 629. That is more important than letting it sit around and do nothing,$715 Is not a bad price at all.

Yea, I really want to shoot it but I am thinking of trying to find another one that is a shooter, but in great condition. Anyone have any idea about if I am missing the cleaning kit or not?

Marshall,

you have a valid point.......however at this time I don't have any kids, but the wife and I are working on it However the gun could be more enjoyed by shooting it rather than letting collect dust I suppose

I have the exact same model, exact same Product Code.
My S/N starts BRM62XX.
These are excellent shooting revolvers. When I'm in the woods, this is what I'm packing. I usually load it with Winchester white-box 240-gr softpoints. I think this makes an ideal combination.
It would be a complete waste to lock that revolver up and not shoot it. You're not going to hurt it by shooting it.
It will mean a lot more to your son one day, if he has memories of the two of you shooting it together.
Nice score! I really like mine.

Oh...by the way. I'm not sure if these came with a cleaning kit or not. I didn't get one with mine, but I was not the original purchaser...so I'm not sure.

-Jim

My 629-4 Mountain Gun was new enough to be cased in a plastic box, but for what it is worth, it came sans sight tool or cleaning gear. The 4" MG makes a large enough fireball in the right conditions, cannot even imagine the snub. Great looking gun!!
Andy

Great looking .44! I'd go ahead and shoot it and make some memories as they will be worth a lot more than what you paid for it. Also, I think you did OK on the price and it seems that the short tubed N-frames aren't coming down in price whether they've been fired or not.

I also have the exact same model. No cleaning kit came with mine. My SN is BRK85XX, so it makes mine slightly older by a few months. The best part about this gun is it doesn't have magna ports. Something I don't care for.

Go shoot your gun, if you take care of it and polish out the turn line, it won't show if it was fired or not. Except for the gas cutting...

Here is mine. The grips I swapped for wood combats.

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NRA Benefactor Member

500 mag nut,


You're gun is beautiful, I love the wood grips. One thing that has really suprised me is that the action on this gun is very smooth, most of my guns I have needed to do an action job on, this gun is dang smooth already, was yours that way as well or did you need to slick it up some? I agree with you about the magna porting, I think it looks bad and for what I would need it for I doubt it would be very helpful at all.

The "Spec. Ord." number on the label is supposedly a Julian calendar date code for the 194th day of 199(4) thus 4 194. A serial prefix of BRW looks like a 1994 per the Standard Catalog of S&W.

I have a 629-2 with a longer barrel that sat in a gun case for decades hardly being fired at all. I can see wanting a gun you know is likely to work because it hasn't been fired enough to break anything. But me, I want to know it will keep working. Mine had been fired about a dozen times when I bought it. It's still only been fired about 50 times. But I will be shooting it more and I'll be carrying it for those "just in case" times when a person needs a honking big caliber. I had a bear problem in my yard last spring and I heard some of my neighbors saw a bear just before it turned cold. I have my 12 ga. shotguns and my .30-06 but those are tough to carry around the yard with me when I need to do those late night chores that come up once in a while. So tonight I ordered me a nice holster for this gun so I can keep it with me when needed.

I won't hold back shooting mine too much even though it's pretty expensive to shoot and it's hard on my middle finger too. I want to be able to hit what I'm pointing it at. But the gun shoots extremely well so I won't need to practice a lot. I mean it shoots very, very well. I came close to selling this gun not long after I bought it but now I'll probably be holding on to it for a long time. It's never a good idea to let go of a super gun like this one.

I think you'll find yours is a great gun worthy of being shot instead of being kept in a safe to take out and look at like some buried treasure you dig up once in a while. Guns are made to be shot IMO. Have fun and buy jewelry or works of art if you want something to look at. I feel sorry for the person who kept my gun for so long and shot it so little. It seems like they didn't get their money's worth to me. But YMMV as always.

Mine has a nice action, only bummer was the timing was slightly slow on a few chambers. I tried an oversized hand on it, but it was too much so I took it back out, reinstalled the original hand then peened the ratchets slightly to correct the condition.

While I was in there I lowered the rebound spring to 14 Lbs. It's trigger is very smooth and very nice.

I have another 629-4 that has a 4" barrel and this one seems like the preformance center tuned it from the factory. Sweet!

I shoot the back packer every once in a while, using specials. I can't hit well with it as I normally shoot 25+ yards and the small sight radius hurts my aim. I'm in there with it, but it's no 6 1/2" 29

It's ment to be a carry gun, and if you want a 44 mag for a carry gun, this 629 is a fine choice!

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NRA Benefactor Member

Nice purchase! I think this would make a great woods carry / general carry gun. Might just go on my list...if I can find the end of it...

So... why cant you shoot it and still pass it on? You arent gonna hurt it.

very nice gun. You'll love it. I have a blued 29-4, 3" Special @ 96%. I do shoot that gun occasionally. Mine doesn't have the Magnaporting either, which is fine with me. Turned down a gunshow 4" 57 yesterday that had the porting. It was a nice gun except for that point. I realize that some folks like that, and that's fine.
Shoot your gun.

SHOOT IT!!!
It will jump a lil bit with WWB, but not bad.
Nothing better than taking a .44 snubby to the range, and yes, I consider a 3" N frame to be a snubby
You HAVE to do a night fire with it to get the full effect.


Jim

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Big bullets leave big holes

Does anyone actually shoot these 3 inch N frames with the wood grips or are they merely for show? I might go ahead and get some nice stocks for it but I wasn't sure if it would be able to be shot comfortably like that or not.

Human hands are all a little different, and any single hand will respond differently to different stocks. I have shot .38 Specials in guns with prewar service stocks whose mild recoil still stings the base of my thumb when I shoot, but yesterday I was cutting loose with a .41 Magnum with target stocks and the heavier recoil was just heavier recoil--didn't sting at all. I think you need to try different stocks to find out whether one configuration is more uncomfortable than another. Shifting your grip even 1/16" can have a big positive effect.

The least comfortable revolver I have ever shot was a 296 in the factory configuration. A Cor-Bon .44 special round going off in a gun that weights about a pound and a quarter has got to be more attention grabbing than a .44 Magnum going off in a 629 that weighs about twice as much.

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David Wilson

I dont have a wife,child or 44 magnum handgun,I am working on the wife and 44 right now! Good luck !!!

Like other posters mentioned, you have all the normal paperwork that came with that gun. Looking at the special order #, your gun was boxed up at the factory on the 194th day of 1994. I say load it and shoot it! All of my 629's get exercised. They are all capable of superb accuracy. Smith and Wesson can damn sure produce a platform for the 44Mag!

Great looking 629-4. I paid $725 for my 629-4 2 years (or so) ago and it was used. Mine is not a backpacker but has the 3 inch barrel. Also, mine has a full underlug barrel, unfluted cylinder, and pinned front sight (black). It is fine shooter from mild to full loads. Enjoy yours. They are much fun.
Mark

Finding a set of fingergroove combats is not easy today. When advertised for a reasonable price they sell quickly.
If you;re willing to spend a hundred bucks you'll find some.

I fired my 460 Performance Center with the K fingergroove combats shown here. It was a handfull, but the upside was ,No One Else wanted to shoot it.

Good luck NOW,shoot your new gun.And start buying ammunition as you find it, and keep all your brass.












Regards ,, Allen Frame

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.