My first S&W revolver (629 no-dash)

[TonyBen]

Smith and Wesson 629 6" 44 Magnum, no-dash P&R'd. Exactly 12 rounds fired through it.

A very good friend of mine pretty much gifted me this for Christmas. I'm building two rifles for him but he knew I've been wanting a 629 for years. I wanted to have one for my 44th B-day and now I have it (a year late, but I'm not complaining).

It comes with an original box and display case.

Serial number is N7787**









Anything I should know about these?

Any ammo to stay away from or parts to upgrade?

Tony.

[Smithbug]

The only thing that I can think of you neee to know about them is that they are AWESOME!!! Congrats on your Christmas gift!

[nachogrande]

Off to a heck of a good start. IDK about the "exactly 12 shot's", 12 or 1,200 still nice. And I only eat 12 potato chips, not 11 or 13.

[Bakebfr480]

What are the two rifles you're building for him? Nice pistola too!

[lrb1200]

Well Tony, Very nice!

Now, just imagine two 29-2's blue and nickle 6 inch,
to keep that 629 company.

[TonyBen]

Originally Posted by Bakebfr480

What are the two rifles you're building for him? Nice pistola too!

I'm building a match grade rear-lugged M14 with a Kreiger barrel, bedded into a McMillan stock and another M14 EBR in a SAGE chassis. Both will be built on Bula receivers.

I've already built two LRB M14's (M25's actually) for him in the past.

Here are close examples of what I'm building for him. I'm just doing the labor, he's supplying the parts.





Tony.

[ExRanger714]

As far as round count I picked up a 29-2 6" with two rounds missing from the 20 round box of Remington 240 grain soft points (remember those) that were bought with the gun.

[75Vette]

Ho ho ho to you! That's a nice way to jump into the 44 mag addiction. I was lucky enough to snag a 6"er and an 8 3/8"er a while back. No presentation cases though. Congrats!

[oysterer]

how sweet...I do not shoot 44 mag in mine but 44 special only. I also get a assortment of cast bullets and measure the throats. Yours will likely eat 0.432 sized bullets and shoot like a laser. Absolutely awesome gun.

[Narragansett]

"" Anything I should know about these?""""

Yes, if you have not shot them before , hold on to it, till you get the feel

Below, my 629 no dash factory fired only with Culina black and white ebony grips

[ExRanger714]

Originally Posted by TonyBen

Anything I should know about these?

Tony.

I use plugs and muffs when I shoot mine.

Remington 180 grainers are barn burners but shoot way low for me.

[TonyBen]

So these are pretty solid? They can handle full power mags? I have shot 629's with full power magnums before, but those were other people's guns and they had Hogues.

I most likely will be shooting 44 specials with the occasional magnum. I might get a good set of rubber grips and take it hunting. I've been wanting a 44 mag as a sidearm as there are black bears and big kitties where I hunt.

No internal parts upgrades worth installing or are those only for the later 629's?

Thanks,
Tony.

[t4terrific]

Originally Posted by TonyBen

So these are pretty solid? They can handle full power mags? I have shot 629's with full power magnums before, but those were other people's guns and they had Hogues.

I most likely will be shooting 44 specials with the occasional magnum. I might get a good set of rubber grips and take it hunting. I've been wanting a 44 mag as a sidearm as there are black bears and big kitties where I hunt.

No internal parts upgrades worth installing or are those only for the later 629's?

Thanks,
Tony.

It’s perfect just like it is, grips and all. Give it a chance with magnums. You’ll need to train yourself to handle the hot stuff without flenching.

You will probably think the gun is all over the place when you first start with the magnum loads, but if you practice, you’ll very quickly realize the gun is very accurate.

[75Vette]

Originally Posted by TonyBen

So these are pretty solid? They can handle full power mags? I have shot 629's with full power magnums before, but those were other people's guns and they had Hogues.

I most likely will be shooting 44 specials with the occasional magnum. I might get a good set of rubber grips and take it hunting. I've been wanting a 44 mag as a sidearm as there are black bears and big kitties where I hunt.

No internal parts upgrades worth installing or are those only for the later 629's?

Thanks,
Tony.

The ND 629s were pre-endurance pkg that began with the 629-2E engineering changes. Take it easy on the old girl. It'll still shoot magnum loads but don't get carried away. There are no parts upgrades to make that gun stronger. I'd be content shooting 44 spl or light loaded mags through it.

[Bakebfr480]

Originally Posted by TonyBen

I'm building a match grade rear-lugged M14 with a Kreiger barrel, bedded into a McMillan stock and another M14 EBR in a SAGE chassis. Both will be built on Bula receivers.

I've already built two LRB M14's (M25's actually) for him in the past.

Here are close examples of what I'm building for him. I'm just doing the labor, he's supplying the parts.





Tony.

I thought you meant custom bolt action rifles......oops!

[dickydalton]

Originally Posted by 75Vette

The ND 629s were pre-endurance pkg that began with the 629-2E engineering changes. Take it easy on the old girl. It'll still shoot magnum loads but don't get carried away. There are no parts upgrades to make that gun stronger. I'd be content shooting 44 spl or light loaded mags through it.

I shot all hot loads in the one I bought in 1982 and had to have it rebuilt a bit by before 1989. Then I toned it down a bit and it's still going good.
I still have the wooden box but the blue cloth is long gone.

[Notime2]

Mr. TonyBen, That's about $1200. of Happy Birthday! Congrats. I shoot mine with wood checkered Hogue grips, and never exceed 240gn. bullets. Enjoy. :-) Notime2

[TonyBen]

Originally Posted by Bakebfr480

I thought you meant custom bolt action rifles......oops!

Nah, that would be too easy. But I do work on bolt guns too...



Tony.

[TonyBen]

Originally Posted by Notime2

Mr. TonyBen, That's about $1200. of Happy Birthday! Congrats. I shoot mine with wood checkered Hogue grips, and never exceed 240gn. bullets. Enjoy. :-) Notime2

Well I guess I earned most of it then. The labor for building two rifle kits is $200 each, so $400 total labor for assembly,

Bedding a rear lugged rifle is $300.

Installing a SAGE chassis is $100.

So basically I'm doing $800 worth of labor.

It was a very good trade.

Tony.

[jaymoore]

I thought about you the other day when i ran a few rounds through an M1A. Mostly handgunning the past few years, though.
("jmoore" on M14forum and milsurps.com)

The main thing to note about the earlier (pre-1990s, mostly) S&W .44s aside from the endurance package changes is the throat size, which runs usually between 0.431" to 0.433". If you don't shoot much past 25 yards or use a lot of hard cast bullets, then it's no big deal. But having cast bullets throat size or about 0.001" bigger can pay off big time for long range use. I run mostly soft swaged bullets through mine, with no leading. Velocities about 1000fps work great and won't beat you or the revolver up at all.

I dunno how many thousands of rounds my favorite 29-3 has through it, but it's mostly running good still. The sear engagement may be getting a little dodgy, which has nothing to do with how much powder gets burnt per case. Lock up, carry up, endshake and bore condition are all still excellent!

I can think of one area to check that seems peculiar to early stainless N-frames: The yoke retaining groove can get worn on it's rear face. It may be mistaken for endshake caused by the upper yoke contact face. There will be some variation in the groove width due to the way they were fit at the factory, wear will be evident as a shiny wider area running about 90 degrees about the circumference. (Only have had to weld up one so far, generally they need such drastic repair.)

[Tom_R]

Originally Posted by TonyBen

Smith and Wesson 629 6" 44 Magnum, no-dash P&R'd.

Anything I should know about these?

Any ammo to stay away from or parts to upgrade?

Tony.

Tony, the 629 no dash was made from 1980-1982. A three year production run and then when the 629-1 came out, they were no longer pinned and recessed.

So having a pinned and recessed 629 is not common.

These carry a premium. Especially when they have a low round count, and when you have all the accoutrements like box papers and tools.

I would value yours between $1200 - $1400 strong, all day long.

Some are found for less, some go for more, but that is the strong value on it.

So for $800 worth of work, you are coming out ahead.

This is a heck of a gift from your friend.

It will handle factory Magnum loads without issue. Just don't hand load a nuclear round and blow up the gun.

[murphydog]

Originally Posted by dickydalton

I shot all hot loads in the one I bought in 1982 and had to have it rebuilt a bit by before 1989. Then I toned it down a bit and it's still going good.
I still have the wooden box but the blue cloth is long gone.

Forum member jcelect can reline the case for you for a reasonable cost.

Oh, nice gun too, OP.

[bananaman]

Originally Posted by Narragansett

"" Anything I should know about these?""""

Yes, if you have not shot them before , hold on to it, till you get the feel

Below, my 629 no dash factory fired only with Culina black and white ebony grips

Those are sure some good looking stocks! I bet they would look good on my 29-3! Bob

[TonyBen]

Originally Posted by murphydog

Forum member jcelect can reline the case for you for a reasonable cost.

Oh, nice gun too, OP.

Thanks. I need this done too. The blue lining has flaked away and is now a blue dust. I’m thinking of doing it in blue felt.

Tony.

[TonyBen]

Thanks for the info, and it’s good to see you again

Tony.

Originally Posted by jaymoore

I thought about you the other day when i ran a few rounds through an M1A. Mostly handgunning the past few years, though.
("jmoore" on M14forum and milsurps.com)

The main thing to note about the earlier (pre-1990s, mostly) S&W .44s aside from the endurance package changes is the throat size, which runs usually between 0.431" to 0.433". If you don't shoot much past 25 yards or use a lot of hard cast bullets, then it's no big deal. But having cast bullets throat size or about 0.001" bigger can pay off big time for long range use. I run mostly soft swaged bullets through mine, with no leading. Velocities about 1000fps work great and won't beat you or the revolver up at all.

I dunno how many thousands of rounds my favorite 29-3 has through it, but it's mostly running good still. The sear engagement may be getting a little dodgy, which has nothing to do with how much powder gets burnt per case. Lock up, carry up, endshake and bore condition are all still excellent!

I can think of one area to check that seems peculiar to early stainless N-frames: The yoke retaining groove can get worn on it's rear face. It may be mistaken for endshake caused by the upper yoke contact face. There will be some variation in the groove width due to the way they were fit at the factory, wear will be evident as a shiny wider area running about 90 degrees about the circumference. (Only have had to weld up one so far, generally they need such drastic repair.)

[amazingflapjack]

The "no dash" is my favorite. Now find an 8 3/8 barrel-congrats!

[Model39]

I bought this in the spring of 1980. Just by luck my Model 629 came with the grooved trigger which was a mistake and considered a scarce variation of this Model. I have had this all this time and have never shot or used it. They are great revolvers. You have a great friend and a nice "first" Smith&Wesson revolver, hopefully the first of many more Smith revolvers to come. Thanks for sharing.

[double-dipper]

Happy belated birthday and congratulation on a very sweet S&W P&R 629 The 629 is my personal favorite wheel gun. as for what to shoot stay away from the Buffalo Bore +P+ stuff for sure.

[TheHobbyist]

That is a great gift and a fair trade. Between friends it is very respectable for you both and nice when you can barter.

I would not worry about internet legends and myths about shooting magnums through it. Some prefer the .44 special for the reduced recoil. Ok, sounds good. The notion that you are going to wear out your gun, is likely not feasible. For one, most people nowadays will not shoot enough for that to happen. Even if you shoot 10's of thousands of rounds through it, send it back to the factory or order the parts you need. Very, very unlikely most people will ever have that issue. Don't worry, be happy.

[TheHobbyist]

To clarify the reasoning, assuming $ 40.00 a box if you don't reload for it... 10,000 rounds divided by 50 (standard box) x 40 = $ 8,000.00. So if buying factory ammo, you might have an issue at $ 32,000.00. I personally know people who had to replace parts at the 40,000 rounds range. Most people are fine. I'd be interested to know what they were initially tested for, prior to any issue, from the factory.

[Bumpus13]

Originally Posted by TonyBen

Smith and Wesson 629 6" 44 Magnum, no-dash P&R'd. Exactly 12 rounds fired through it.

A very good friend of mine pretty much gifted me this for Christmas. I'm building two rifles for him but he knew I've been wanting a 629 for years. I wanted to have one for my 44th B-day and now I have it (a year late, but I'm not complaining).

It comes with an original box and display case.

Serial number is N7787**









Anything I should know about these?

Any ammo to stay away from or parts to upgrade?

Tony.

Dove right in to the deep end!

I like it ... Very nice!

[mod29]

Originally Posted by TonyBen

I most likely will be shooting 44 specials with the occasional magnum. I might get a good set of rubber grips and take it hunting. I've been wanting a 44 mag as a sidearm as there are black bears and big kitties where I hunt.

Nice gun!
For woods-carry I use Winchester White Box .44 Magnum 240-gr JSP ammo.
That should work great in your new gun, and no doubt would handle black bears or mountain lions if the need ever came up. I can often find that ammo at Wal-Mart for a decent price.

Personally, I limit my P&R Smiths to occasional magnum use only. They can handle it, but I see no need to push it. .44 Specials or light reloads using magnum cases are what I generally target shoot with.
I also don't shoot heavier bullets than 240 grains out of my .44 magnum revolvers. I simply haven't felt the need.

Let us know how your new gun shoots!


...

[TonyBen]

Thanks for the ammo recommendation! I'm looking to stop by the sporting goods store today and pick up a box or two of ammo and get her sighted in. I don't have any 44 reloading components.

I took off the side plate last night and everything inside was spotless. I greased up the yoke and the extractor shaft since everything was bone dry. I'll probably do the same with the internals soon.

Tony.

[M29since14]

Please don’t use grease on your S&W 44. A light oil is preferred, and sparingly. Three or four drops should take care of the whole gun. S&W revolvers are more easily over lubed than under lubed. Keep an eye on cylinder rotation. If it starts to drag slightly, time to clean the yoke and cylinder. A little resistance from crud left behind from firing makes the hand’s job that much harder. Clean is far more important than lube. Reserve fast double-action shooting as much as possible. Ordinary double-action shooting is OK.

I wouldn’t change anything in that gun unless it was necessary. If in safe operating condition, install whatever stocks suit you (but keep your factory stocks, of course) and give it a try. I would stick with ammunition in the 200-250 grain weight range, preferably from one of the major US manufacturers. If you don’t handload, the Blazer line in both 200 and 240 grain JHPs have been very accurate in my S&Ws. No steel-cased ammo, please.

Congrats on the 629. Very nice looking revolver!

[TonyBen]

Thanks for letting me know. I'm not going to do any intense shooting with this. Looks like the Winchester white box 240 grain will be the hottest ammo I run and it will only be during hunting season.

Most shooting will be slow fire paper punching.

Tony.

[Glashaus]

Hey Tony, good to see a familiar face from the world of M14’s! Enjoy that 629, they are a lot of fun!

[Snapping Twig]

Congratulations, that's a rare bird!

I would get in touch with Kurac on this forum and have him make you some cokes out of the wood of your choice.

Factory grips on N frames rarely fit anybody's hand. John can make you something that looks factory with the coke profile and you will enjoy shooting it much more.

As to loads, I use a 250g hard cast in a magnum case with 7g W231/HP38 for a useful Spl load.
Magnums for me are the same bullet over 22g W296/H110 over a Win primer.

Anything within the SAAMI range is OK.

[Narragansett]

Originally Posted by Snapping Twig

Congratulations, that's a rare bird!

I would get in touch with Kurac on this forum and have him make you some cokes out of the wood of your choice.

Factory grips on N frames rarely fit anybody's hand. John can make you something that looks factory with the coke profile and you will enjoy shooting it much more.

As to loads, I use a 250g hard cast in a magnum case with 7g W231/HP38 for a useful Spl load.
Magnums for me are the same bullet over 22g W296/H110 over a Win primer.

Anything within the SAAMI range is OK.

Beautiful gun, and only fired 12 rounds! I second the Culina Grips( Kurac ).

Below is my 629 no dash with Culina black and white ebony targets. It has yet to be fired. No presentation case though.

On stainless, I like light grips. American Holly or Italian olive wood, or the black and white in the pic for a contrast

Enjoy it!!

[TonyBen]

Beautiful grips! I got some Hogues in today but will definitely get some fancy wood in the future.

Thanks for the load data.

Tony.

[Narragansett]

Originally Posted by TonyBen

Beautiful grips! I got some bogies in today but will definitely get some fancy wood in the future.

Thanks for the load data.

Tony.

There are other people that make nice grips. Pat Grashorn if you want stags, but Culina has some of the best fancy wood I have seen yet .

just for reference Exhibition dark cocabolo on a M17, and Italian olive on a 15-2. The olives are really waiting for a M66

Olive would look great on a 629. Somebody on the forum has olive on a 629

[shouldazagged]

I love those olive and American holly stocks.

[TonyBen]

Now this is more like it. I got the Hogues in yesterday and man, what a world of a difference! This thing feels much better in the hand now.





Tony.

[Bacon]

Can I have your wood grips? You don't need those old things anyway.

[TheHobbyist]

^^^ Insert sarcasm.

[TonyBen]

Originally Posted by Bacon

Can I have your wood grips? You don't need those old things anyway.

Sorry, but no. Can't break up the original parts.

I'd eventually like to put on some fancy wood grips.

I was showing pic of the pistol to my co-worker and he told me his brother makes custom pistol grips but he's backlogged a year or two. I think his brother's name is Craig Spegel or something like that.

I'll have to check out his grips and see what they look like.

Tony.

[Bacon]

Just want to say landing a P&R'd 629 for your first S&W revolver was very fortunate for you. Wish I could be so lucky. Unless you are made an offer you can't refuse I bet you hang on to that one.

Also, Craig Spegel is a highly respected custom grip maker. He makes some very nice stocks for S&W's. The only drawback is the long wait.

[greenmachine]

Beautiful gun. Personal opinion of course, but I think those stocks are perfect for that gun.

[WILDPIG]

Great looking rifles, Tony.

WILDPIG

[laytonj1]

"Serial number is N7787**"

Serial numbers N777918 to N778965 were manufactured on May 29, 1980.

Jim

[S&WsRsweet]

Tony good to hear from you man those are some great looking rifles you built any thing in 6.5 creedmore on M14 type just wondering. I have a 629-1 ( post pin and recessed pre performance upgrades) I have hunted with for oh 30 years over 8 states never shot a bear or a moose but I have never had one of my 240 grain jacketed soft points bounce off anything I hit yet and I ha e hit some good size deer and dang big and heavy hogs a few coyotes .I fun and practice shoot a 240 grain lead bullet at 900 fps and probably put 100 rounds a month down range .Mine is still tight and right and bright .My honest open sight handgun range on game these days is only about 75 yards but I do mostly stalk hunting and go places most guys dont as there are no wheeler trails ect .One word of advice don't skimp on your carry rig .I use a bandoleer style rig with a full flap holster it wears great and protects my revolver when in the boondocks .Mine is an 8 3/8 and I love .The only thing that would make yours better would be if you feel so guilty about that great deal you send it to me.Congratulations and we want a range report .