Recently picked up a very nice 29-2 made in 1980 with standard hammer and trigger and target stocks. I was wondering how did S&W determine which 29-2's in that era got standard verses target triggers and hammers and target stocks verses magna stocks? Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jim

I am certainly not an expert in S&W production, but the Model 29, by virtue of being THE 29, had target hammer, trigger and stocks as standard. I have never seen nor heard of a 29 made without them. Having said that, never say never with S&W.

Me too.
Never saw a 29 with standard Hammer - Trigger.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Ok guys, a little more description is in order. The gun is extremely tight, has a very light turn line, the stocks are mint, plate screws perfect, and there is only a few small scratches on one cylinder. The sides of the "standard trigger" look as if the case coloring has faded almost to a dull shine but the back of the trigger has the normal case coloring' The trigger face is serrated. When I first got it a few weeks ago there was a hitch in the double action like a small burr some where. After thoroughly cleaning the insides and properly lubing it I put in some snap caps and worked the DA about 40+ times and the action smoothed out. Now after doing this about another 150+ times the DA feels like a smooth 'K' frame. I have a good camera but don't know how to post photos. As I said the gun shows practically no use so I don't know why some one would switch the hammer and trigger if that's the case. The S/N is N612XX. The gun was a consignment gun so I have no way to find any history on it, I left a message for the seller but no reply. Maybe Doc44 can shed some light on this. It's a 4" by the way. Any ideas fellow 29 owners??
Jim

I've never heard of a 29-2 leaving S&W without a Target Hammer and Target Trigger.

Back in the day some of us thinned target triggers to make our revolvers easier to shoot double action. About 45 years ago I thinned one of my target triggers. I had no plans to sell the revolver and it was less expensive than buying a service trigger. My thinned trigger matched your description of your trigger. I never altered a target hammer but in gun magazines I saw pictures of target hammer spurs that had been reduced in size. Reducing the hammer spur was supposed to make it less likely to snag on clothing when the revolver was drawn. If the sides of your hammer spur also lack case colors then I think you've got your answer.

To torture the sensibilities of the collectors here even further, I whittled the lower portion of a pair of target stocks to reduce their circumference. The resulting shape was similar to the target stocks that are standard on recently made 29s. Smaller at the bottom is ergonomic and does not print as bad under a coat.

By the way, before medium width smooth faced combat triggers were available from S&W gunsmiths turned a lot of target triggers into combat triggers. That was often part of an expensive professionally done trigger job or full custom revolver.

If your serial # is 5 digits after the N your gun is approx. 1972.

45mtngun - We need pictures!

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Most of my Smith & Wesson revolvers have .500" Target Hammers and either a .500" Target Trigger or .400" Combat Trigger, including my Models 17-3, 27-2, 57, 610, and 624.

I actually prefer the .375" Semi-target trigger and the .265" service trigger. I am sure I am in the minority, in that respect.

I have a Model 29-2 4" Nickel that I had the original TT and TH removed and replaced with the semi-target hammer and a service-width trigger. I just prefer the feel of the skinny trigger when firing double action and have never thought the .500" wide hammer was an improvement over the .375" Semi-target version.

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FBINA, 204th Session

Gentlemen,
The hammer on my 29 is.400 across. Since i'm getting used to that size and it doesn't look half bad, would a .400 target trigger, case colored, be the proper one to put with the hammer already on the gun? If so where would be a good source to locate one? Thanks again for all help!!

With, I presume, a few scarce exceptions, 1972 29-2s shipped with a 0.5" target hammer and a 0.5" target trigger. Some time later the target triggers were reduced in width to 0.4" but the target hammers remained 0.5". It's been posted that the change occurred in the late 1970s.

0.375" semi-target hammers are common but a 0.4" hammer? Since I'm not familiar with those I do not know what trigger is proper to match it with. I still suspect that it's been thinned. Are its rear corners more rounded than other target hammers?

I see two best choices. Put back in what in no doubt originally had or put in what ever you shoot best with. I'd do the latter.

No way to prove it, but I would guess that a previous owner tried to make the parts worth more than the whole gun. If I were offered such a piece I would knock at least $200 off its value. Consider what a set of TT and TH would cost and a gunsmith to put them in if one weren't comfortable doing it.

This might help with the .400 Target Hammer. I found this and a Model 27 rear sight assembly with a .126 blade in a gun shop hanging on a misc. rack.

Attached Images

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We can't get too hung up on the target hammer and trigger width measurements. These parts are hand finished and therefore measurements are nominal regardless of how S&W labeled them. Once I measured dozens of them I realized all the medium target hammers for example, are the same part; they vary from actually measuring something less than labeled all the way up to almost .400". And the variance changes from different production periods.

The J frame target hammers for example are labeled .375" but measure .360" to .370".

This is true for all frame size hammers and triggers. The only widths that do not vary are the .265" triggers and hammer shanks because they must fit the internal frame width.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

The hammer on my Model 28 is .400 inch wide and looks just like this one. While it is true that S&W made these parts to nominal specifications, one can easily tell a target hammer and trigger from the non target version.

Hey buddy.
Can you go back and ask where the wooden grips are ?

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

Next time I stop in I'll ask.