I have a 1962 m29-2 with a 5 inch barrel fitted with what may be coke grips from my uncles estate, it is in excellent condition, serial number S2285XX, I will be selling it for the estate and am curious about the value, I can not find a 29-2 with a 5 inch barrel that was listed on gun broker or other similar sites, I understand they are quite rare, here are a couple of pics... Thanks in advance for any information about this gun.

Very RARE gun as the experts here will tell you.To me it
looks original right down to its "coke" grips and would be
worth a very good sum to collectors here. You won't have
any problem selling it. Pete

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NRA LIFE 1974

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That would be a first year 29-2. I believe that it should have a red ramp front sight insert, but it could have been a special order the way it is.

Maybe Doc44 will pop in on this thread. He would be the one who could tell you the most info since I believe he knows more about all of the older .44's than about anyone else here.

Either way, you really should send off for a factory letter. Not only will it give you some extra info, but it will help determine if the gun is original, or was rebarreled with a 5" tube at a later date, and what configuration the gun shipped in as far as sights, grips etc. Those are "cokes", and darn nice looking ones too

A 5" .44 like this is my grail gun.

I saw your thread on the TFL forum. I'm glad you posted it over here. I do not know the value of such a gun but as far as value goes it would help if you have the original box and other goodies that came with the gun. Do you have these? Is there other fine S&Ws to be sold as a part of the estate?
I'll be watching this thread to see what value the experts put on this gun. Thanks for showing it.

It's in the correct serial number range for a 5" M29-2. However, 5" barrels were available from the parts department into the early 70's. I would bet your's is correct but get a factory letter. The 5" 29-2 on GunBroker is auction #159451777 and has been refinished, sights changed, and other mods made. Starting bid is $1200 with a buy it now at $1500.

Doc44 would be the authority.

I would guess... and it's just a guess... $2,500-$3,000.

If auctioned and two or more determined collector are bidding then who knows?

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No life story has happy end.

I have a almost identical one a couple thousand serial # above yours. I lettered mine and found it was shipped in 6 1/2". I would have bet my house it was original untill I got that letter! I seen another identical to mine that was about 7 #s different. Yours doesnt have the red insert? I thought all were suppose to have them. I have the original cokes, but here is a picture of mine with a pair of presentation grips I put on. You definetly need to letter that gun!

bama...there could be a R-B inside a rectangle indicating the revolver was sent in for a change of some type (the R-B indicates the revolver originated in customer service and not in manufacturing...it does not indicate a reblue). There could also be a date stamped into the grip frame (for example, 9 63).

Bill

Before you sell the 29-2, I strongly urge you to obtain a factory letter. I have a couple of concerns. The front sight is not a red ramp (it should be) and the two pins that secure the ramp base to the barrel are not polished flush to the barrel rib. This suggests the front sight has been replaced after the gun was finished and possibly a shortening of the barrel. It could be the owner did not like the red ramp and had it replaced with the one on the gun now. It was S&W's practice to not polish the pins flush when they replaced a front sight.

If the barrel was shortened, there is little collector value to the 29-2. If the barrel is original, I would say $2750 is a middle of the ballpark value.

Bill

Doc, if S&W has changed the barrel or maybe changed just the sight would there be some kind of stamp on the frame under the grips to show work was done?
To the OP, have you taken the grips off?

My uncle may have ordered the gun from S&W, he did that kind of thing with Remington on some 40X rifles, I am going to get the letter, he did have an old inventory list that he wrote in the late sixties showing the gun as a 5 inch 29-2, thanks for the info, I will do another posting when I get the letter from S&W, how long does it take and can you do the request online?

Here is the link, please let us know what the letter says (in about 6 weeks or so):

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/w...ectionId=10504

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

You have to download the form from the downloads at the top of the forum. It has to be mailed in along with a check or money order for $50. It'll take anywhere from 1-2, maybe even 3 months if Mr. Jinks is really backed up on them, but it is worth it, especially on a gun like yours.

Yes, a letter affirming that it shipped as a 5" is absolutely necessary to realize the market value of a true 5". The way the lettering displays on the barrel leads me to think it is not a cut down barrel, but it could have replaced the original barrel. It's still a darn nice gun. Sources indicate that only about 500 were shipped to H.H. Harris in Chicago between 1958 and somewhere around 1965. I have also heard that only about half have surfaced. It looks like one more has just became known.

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

Nice looking 29....can't recall if I ever saw one like that. Let us know what S&W says.


Tagged for final outcome

Hello all, I got the letter from Jinks and the gun is all original, plain ramp font sight, checkered Goncalo Alves target grips, built by S&W for my Uncle. An old friend of his told me that he felt like the 4 inch was to short and the 6 1/2 was to long. I am going to list it on GunBroker for the estate, I wish I could keep it myself but my Dad and Aunt could use the cash. I use the Pinwizzard name on Gunbroker also.

Extraordinary.

Thanx for posting the find on that beautiful treasure.

PM sent

bdGreen

Man, somebody jumped on it with both feet. Good sell.

This is really strange. I posted this at 3:15 pm EST (after the gun sold) and it showed up at this time?

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Miss Buddies crsides & fat tom

The letter also explains the two pins that are exposed. S&W removed the red ramp and replaced it with a plain ramp as ordered. They did not polish the pins flush as that would have resulted in a complete refinish of the barrel, etc.

Great, original gun with an unusual front sight.

Bill

WOW!!! I see this piece sold last night on GB for $4000 buy it now.

Congrats pinwizzard! Hopefully the money will help your family - someome got a nice gun!

Yes, he always wanted a back up, I just got the second letter from Jinks, in October of 1964 S&W shipped another factory made 5 inch barrel 29-2. I will list soon, Thanks for all of the info S&W Forum.

Huh..? You have a second one? What are the odds of 2 original 5" 29-2's in the same house? That's amazing.
If I understand you correctly, please post photos! We would love to see the other one.

-Jim

More pics on GunBroker, Thanks again S&W Forum, I can somehow tell my my Uncle would be very happy that you are all enjoying some of the history that he was part of. [IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]

Thanks for posting pics of revolver #2. Really nice!

I looked at your ad in Gunbroker, and I noticed the S&W letter stated there was a $10.00 charge for cutting the barrel down.
Clearly the revolver is in as-shipped configuration, but I am wondering if that would change the value to any significant degree? Is an originally installed factory cut-down barrel considered as collectable as an original factory installed barrel that wasn't cut down? Was there any 5" 29-2's shipped with barrels that weren't cut down?

Either way, a very special firearm to be sure. Too bad you can't keep it in the family for generations to come, but I can understand the family needing the funds it will bring.

Thanks again for the story and pics.

-Jim

Jim....S&W forged many of the 5-inch barrels, but did cut down a few to 5-inch. The value is not affected since the 44s shipped with an original 5-inch barrel.

Bill

Thanks, Bill. That's pretty much what I was thinking (regarding the 'value' question, anyway), but I wasn't completely sure. Now I know!
It is interesting to note S&W shipped both forged and cut-down barrels as factory-new products. The barrel rollmarks on this revolver appear to be well-centered. Very nice!

-Jim

Thanks for sharing the pics of that rare gun. Running across a 5" M-29 (and having the funds to buy it) is my dream.

If the original posters gun came from the factory with Red ramp , would it be advisable to have S&W put one back on ? I would do it , because I like them and would never sell that gun anyway .

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Idaho , Elmer and Milt

"If the original posters gun came from the factory with Red ramp , would it be advisable to have S&W put one back on ?"

Read the OP's post #17. The plain ramp front sights were, like the 5 inch barrels, special ordered and shipped from the factory. Both guns are the way they were ordered and shipped.

I love them things. I curse my current state of financial embarassment.