I haven't visited for quite a while, but back with some news for those of us north of the border.
S&W has just introduce a new version of the model 629 with a 4.2" half under-lug barrel. This might not be big news to US S&W fans, but to us it's huge. All 4" barreled guns up here are consider "prohibited firearms" which require a special license to own. Since you cannot apply for this license and had to be "grandfathered in" to get one, most of us are out of luck. S&W have now stepped up and brought us both the 686 and 629 in 4.2".
I have one on order from the first batch entering the country, should be here in a couple weeks.

Brian

watching law makers chase their tail is fun. 4" no good? ok, how about 4.2"?

same functional thing.

Its probably in millimeters, so only looks strange to those of us who still use inches. But 4.2 inches is 106.7 mm, so who knows?

Best,
Rick

As soon as you receive it, put all the paperwork in the box, and seal the whole thing in a vacuum wrap bag. In another 50 years, collectors on this forum will be paying top dollar for this rare, documented version of the 629...

Seriously though, a nice gun for carrying in the woods, with a comfortable length barrel for holster use, and that extra .2 inch of barrel will help squash any anti social, criminal tendencies you might have felt with the more dangerous 4 inch version.

Larry

You're right on with the mm thing. Legal limit is 105mm, 4" is 102mm. The new barrel length puts it in the "restricted" range, that anyone can apply for the license to own. The first batch in the country sold out in less than a day.

Brian

I'd like to see a photo of one, are they-6's

I guess I'd really be the scum of the earth up there with my snubby .38.

Its interesting that they set the limit at 105 mm. If they had used 100 mm, that would have made 4 inch revolvers legal. They were obviously intending to eliminate the most common service revolvers used all over the world for over a century!
I would think there would be a demand for 105 mm replacement barrels for S&W K frames.

Best,
Rick

Please post a link for the new revolver and I wonder what they cost??

Does it have the IL ?

Hi Guys here are some pictures of the new to Canada 629 with the 4.2 inch barrel.

Graydog

Hi All,

As you can see from Graydog's pictures, it does have the IL. I'm not sure what the "-" designation will be, I'll let you know when I have it in hand. Introduction selling price is right at $1K, about the same as the standard selling price of a 629 up here. More pictures and impressions to come when it land on my doorstep.

Brian

Took me a while to get back here to report. The pictures above that Graydog posted are accurate, so I won't fill things up with duplicates. The new 629 is a -6, IL and frame mounted firing pin. This is my first new S&W, and things have changed a bit since the guns from the '80's and earlier that I'm used to, but all in all a nice gun and a great shooter. There was a very long thread on one of our Canadian forums about quality control. One new owner received his with a turn ring on the cylinder that was very pronounced, bordering on gouging of the cylinder and the cylinder notches had fairly heavily preened over edges. He sent it in for warranty and they cleaned it up for him. Mine shows slight edge wear on the notches, and a faint ring, as do all my S&W's, so I'm going to monitor it, but not worry too much. These concerns have all been addressed here in the past, so it's not. New issue.

Later,

Brian

Ok, really neat. These will be super 'woods' guns. I have shot 3 whitetails with my Mountain Gun and hold it in high regards.

A question I have is will you, as a resident of Canada, actually be able to carry this fine firearm in the field and use it as intended?

No, not really. There is no handgun hunting in Canada. People involved in remote outdoor activities, like trapping, can get a permit to carry for animal protection, but that's about it. These people have to be employeed in their activity, not just recreational, so most will end up as target guns at the range.

Brian

Here's mine. I changed out the stocks for Hogues, and I love it.

Barrel lenght is 107mm, which I think is just a hair over 4.25".

I have noticed no quality control issues, and am very pleased with it.

Does anyone know how many were made? I heard the number for the 686s was 200 produced.

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Very nice. I'm looking for wood as well, just haven't made up my mind on which set yet.

Brian

I ordered mine from Brownell's down in the states. I tried to get a set direct from Smith and Wesson but they won't ship anything to Canada, not even t-shirts.