29 AOLIC, where did you get those great sights?
Is it aftermarket?
Thanks.

as the brass feared the PR hit and if you used it, it could wind up in the evidence locker for a year (or five). I did carry one for a few weeks back when S&W was recalling the 586's but not long enough to beat it up.

I carry a 629 daily now but most of the shooting with it is mid-range level loads (1000's of them). The finish isn't that bad but stainless is very forgiving in that respect. The grips have acquired some scars but then so have I and, having earned them all (usually through stupidity), I wouldn't give any of them back.

I am not a collector but rather an accumulator of firearms and I see nothing wrong with a functionally superior specimen that is "finish challenged". To paraphase the movie line "Pretty is as pretty does".

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Big bang, much smash'em.

I recall back in the 80's the Coconino County SO (Az) allowed the guys to carry anything they could qualify with after a problem with a guy hit with a couple 357 rounds continued to shoot a couple deputies. I don't think it was all that common, but those guys could be 200 road miles from backup, as was the case when the guy shot those deputies. Some of them wanted all the horsepower they could get under those circumstances. 44's shoot through cars fairly well also.

The 29 I traded the radio for was carried by the deputy for years before our department had " a little shootout situation " where we were running out of ammo . At that time someone was sent on an " ammo run " , if you will , and that is when it became very apperent that every deputy carrying a personal weapon / caliber of choice was not such a good idea . Going to fetch .38 , 9mm , .357 , .41 , .44 , .45 ACP , .45 LONG COLT , in the middle of a shootout sounds funny now , but at the time it was not . The department standardized to the S&W 659 shortly after that shootout .

I've seen that picture before, but always enjoy it.

I see about a 50-50 mix of well used and nearly new 29s. Around here, especially before deer hunting with a handgun became legal, there just wasn't much need for a 44 Magnum revolver and once the newness factor had faded, 29s were off to the market and another home. When I was younger, only the diehards kept and shot 44s much. It's a little different now, but not a lot.

A good friend of mine, retired cop, always had a thing for the Model 29. He shot more .44 Magnums than most people shoot .22s. The third time he sent his 6" back to S&W for an overhaul, they gave up on it and sent him a new gun.
For a time he did carry his Model 29 as a duty weapon. But that was back in the days when such things were allowed.
He left the replacement gun to me when he passed. I'll never sell it.

Yep, the gun was originally a 6" and I used it that way for a while. Then I got the Skeeter Skelton bug and cut the barrel to 5". The front sight is an Ed Brown patridge and the rear sight is a Millett. I am probably going to change the front sight to a McGivern type with a bead.

Here's another pic of the binness end

it got some holster wear. The previous owner had not fired it much at all - but had it MagnaPorted !!!! - which did little but make it louder and allowed for one heck of a fireball when dusk was approaching.....
I carried it in an old Buckheimer pancake holster that now serves to carry my 4" Highway Patrolman. I am getting recoil sensitive in my old age. But I did put some holster wear on it. I fired it with light /medium HP loads, but it was still.....interesting.

I have NEVER seen a non-hunter model S&W .44 Magnum that appeared to have had heavy use, and none of the 6 or so single action .44 magnums I have owned over the years was fired much either.

I have always heard that the Dirty Harry movies encouraged a lot of guys to buy a Model 29, but the first box of ammo fired encouraged them to sell it.
I have found this to be mostly true.


Mark

I knew a couple of officers who had carried them before ammo standardization became...well, standard. As recently as the mid-80s the Fremont County WY prosecutor's office was issuing 629 snubs to their lawyers. At that time the policy of all agencies in the county was a 9mm minimum (mostly BUGs); beyond that if you could qualify with it, you could carry it.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

There used to be a number of old deputies out in the country in Wyoming that carried .44 mags. When they retired, most of the new young guys opted for a high cap semi or a .357. A few still keep the .44 in their trunk in case any dinosaurs show up.

One thing I have never understood is why so many .44 owners beat up themselves and the gun with full house .44's all the time. If people would either reload lighter loads or shoot .44 specials they could enjoy shooting much more and save their guns from wear and tear. I have several 29's that have been in the family for over 30+ years and they look new even though they all have 2000+ rounds through them, probably 75% of which were specials. Any .44 load at 1000/1100 fps is nothing to laugh at and it is a pleasure to shoot. Now that I have switched to a .44 Mtn Gun this is especially true. A lot of Dirty Harry wanabe's would probably still own their guns if they understood this simple thing.

"One thing I have never understood is why so many .44 owners beat up themselves and the gun with full house .44's all the time. "

I personally have never understood why people would buy a .44 magnum revolver when they really wanted to shoot a .44 Special. Must be those Dirty Harry wannabe's.



Models 24's are so much handier plus you can load 'up" the .44 Special for the few times you want a little more horse power. You have the tapered barrel already so there is no need for a "Mountain Gun".

Bruce

Thanks for this answer 29 aolic.
My 4 inch 29 still shows some signs of wear. As far as finish is concerned. Almost no flame cutting.
I've just bought it used a couple of months ago.
Seems the guy was so scared of it that he almost never shot it and cleaned it often with a sander machine or something.
The gun is still in the hands of a skilled gunsmith for refinishing and checkout.
Nevertheless, the wonderful grips from Executioner reached home for a week or so ago... Eager to introduce one to the other!

One of my 29's, a -2, 6.5" was worn by a desk Sgt. for 20+ years, IIRC that was in N.J.
He said he didn't like to feel outgunned!

I bought this M29-2 new in 1977. It was originally an 8 3/8" gun, about all I could find back then. At that time most shops were charging a premium over retail. This one was bought at retail, $360 or so IIRC. I was only 16 then but the Dirty Harry bug had hit. It was my first handgun. About 7 or 8 years later I had the barrel cut to 5" and I was a happy camper. I shot a pile of rounds through it, successfully hunted deer and hogs with it and competed in bowling pin matches while in college using reduced loads. Around 1994 I was cleaning it and noted what looked like a little "chunk" of material missing from the bore. I called S&W and they requested that I send it in. A couple of weeks later the 'smith assigned to work on the gun called and advised that the barrel needed to be replaced but the only 5" barrel they had was the new underlugged Classic barrel. I said fine. The gun came back tighter than new, with a full action job, fully re-nickeled with three front sight blades. Now I was a real happy camper. It has since been hunted and has even thrown some heavy WFN's too. That said, it looks about like new.



I bought this early M29-2 while living in Canada a couple of years ago for $400. Given what the grips are going for I thought it was a fair deal. It arrived well worn with the finish a mess like it sat in a holster for years. It was still pretty tight though. It is at Jim Stroh's shop along with an 8 3/8" 45 Colt barrel. It will come back a tightly chambered and tuned 5" 45 Colt.

if the 44 is too much for you...just say so!heeee

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

"Were 29s ever carried as service weapons by police? A couple of people have mentioned this but does anyone know how widespread the practice was?"

A number of officers in Alabama carried privately owned M29. One of my former partners shot his quite a bit, mostly with light bullet reloads. He had nickeled his and it didn't have much wear, even though he carried it for years in an unlined Border Patrol holster.

In an earlier thread, someone mentioned that, IIRC, Alaska troopers were issued M29s.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I reserve my 29-2 for cast lead reloads at 1000fps.

My 629-6 is for full house thumpers. I enjoy them both immensely.

+1 I believe that Alabama State Trooper Sergeant Jim Collins who owned the national PPC championship for several years carried a nickel 29 on duty. I know he shot that gun in some informal metallic silhouette matches back in the 70's, and targets he shot at were stone cold down! I don't know if Jim hangs around this forum, but it would be nice to hear his comments if he does.

I think Model 29's first began getting a lot of wear and tear when metallic silhouette competition first became popular. Targets at the longer ranges need a good thunk to reliably take them down, and shooters generally shot maximum loads in their 29's and 57's. It also took a lot of practice to be really proficient, and most shooters really pounded the guns in the course of a couple of years. That is probably the main reason S&W beefed up the gun in later editions.

I wouldn't argue with you about the special being handier but it is still a special and if you need or want true magnum power, well, you need a magnum. I have a special and I have magnums and I was treating my magnums nice long before Dirty Harry was a movie. Having the ability to vary the loads in the same gun in a handy option, especially wandering around in the mountains where I grew up. The Mountain Gun is a little lighter and packs very well. Try it you might like it. And oh yes, Dirty Harry claimed he carried "light specials", so I guess he understood the versatility of the magnum frame over the special.

I agree with what Meeteetse said....

It's all about the versatility the 44Mag provides.

Some of our urban shooter/plinkers don't use their guns for hunting so it seems they have some difficulty understanding the need for the maximum horse-power the mags can provide. Of course the 44 Mags aren't as much "fun" to shoot but they aren't supposed to be.

The same issues are seen when some urban shooters discuss the longer barreled N frames. The 3, 4, and 5" guns are obviously better choices for self defense/ concealment, but the 6, 6 1/2, and 8 3/8 gun are markedly better as an open sighted hunting firearm choice, IMHO.

As for LE use of the 44. The SO I worked for many years ago permitted large magnum carry if the deputy could qualify at a higher level than those who carried 38/357s. In a 135 person department, three road deputies chose to use 44Mags and two chose 41s. I carried a 6" 41 Mag. In a huge county where back-up could be an hour away, a little more "horse power" provided a little more comfort....

"I wouldn't argue with you about the special being handier but it is still a special and if you need or want true magnum power, well, you need a magnum."

The thing is that the vast majority of M29 owners down want the recoil or "wear & tear" on their magnum, so they feed it an almost continuous diet of "Special" level ammo. Then, there are those who feed the Mountain Guns the same because of the increased muzzle flip with the tapered barrel. It's true the buying the magnum gives you headroom. It's just that it seems the vast majority of owners never really need or use it-especially with the 4" guns.



Bruce

I acquired a well-used 29-2 4" in 1993 at a gun show for $266.00 OTD. It is a 1972-4 vintage gun and it has always shot very well. The finish is maybe 75%. I have a 6 1/2" in similar condition and an 8 3/8" that is very nice.

I like to take all three to the range and shoot my ammo through all 3 sequentially. No doubt the 4" is a hand full, 6 1/2" is reasonable and the 8 3/8" is a pussycat. I used to take the Target stocks off since the checkering will ruin your day if you shoot a lot. Now I leave them on and wear a shooting glove (and don't feel like a wimp either).

Also, I have noticed that factory .44 Magnum ammo has been tamed down over the years (as has .357 Mag.). Only handloads and specialty ammo can really deliver the pain we seek/need.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

Love it! A well-used (though not necessarily abused) handgun is a thing of beauty!

"+1 I believe that Alabama State Trooper Sergeant Jim Collins who owned the national PPC championship for several years carried a nickel 29 on duty. I know he shot that gun in some informal metallic silhouette matches back in the 70's, and targets he shot at were stone cold down! I don't know if Jim hangs around this forum, but it would be nice to hear his comments if he does."

When I was a young Lee County deputy in the late '70s, I met a trooper that worked the Opelika post. His name was Dewey (IIRC) and he carried a 4" M29 and had a 14" M97 Winchester in the front seat of his cruiser.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I shoot mostly 44 specials or 44 special equvilent 44 mags in my 44 mag. I just see no reason to shoot more than that for target shooting or plinking. But I load it up with magnums when I go into the woods.

I would not feel the need to have a 44 mag if I lived in town and 2 legged vermin was all I was going to run into. A 44 Special would be all I would carry.

A 44 Special is just not enough when you run into a bear or lion. Actually a 44 mag is not enough if it is a grizzly bear but it is better than nothing.

John

Sir, I'm sure the .44 mag's noise, kick, and cost have much to do with why most "hardly used" guns stayed that way.

It might also be a matter of location. Here in Colorado, well-used .44 mags are common. Handgun hunting is legal here, silhouette shooting is fairly popular, and Colorado's back country is home to certain animals that regard humans as food. I imagine barely used .44s are more common in densely populated areas.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.