hello everyone, first time on the site for me. I received a S&W model 29-2 in .41 magnum after my father passed. I've been trying to find information on this gun from day one. I keep coming up empty on all avenues. It has a serial number, and i have found that it was manufactured in 1977-78 but S&W cannot tell me if it left the factory as a .41 or as a .44. It is nickel with 8 3/8 barrel. Any info would be a great help. Thank You

29-2 will be a .44 Magnum. The .41 Magnum is a Model 57. Without the serial number (or most of it) and some pictures there's not much else we can tell you.

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Psalm 27:2

Welcome! A few questions.

Does it chamber a .44 Magnum?

Is there an over- or second model stamp on the frame under the barrel, where the serial number is also stamped?

It is most likely a model 57 mis-stamped as a model 29-2. A letter of authenticity from the S & W Historical Foundation may be helpful, but if the records show it as a model 29-2 there would probably be nothing to indicate it was a .41 Magnum.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Welcome to the site. I have been a 41 mag fan for decades. I once had a
6 inch nickle 41 magnum. It was stamped 57-0. If you looked closely under the 57-0 was 29-2. My view, your gun made it out before they restamped the frame. Hopefully you know both the 57 and 29 are N frames. The demand for 44's high while 41 a lot less so 29 stamped frames must have been needed to complete a run of 41's.

Welcome to the forum!
You’ve certainly found the place where knowledgeable folks can answer your S&W questions.
Now, please be so kind and assist us here by providing pictures, if you are able. That is the very best way to get accurate information on what you have.
-Bill

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Veteran Paratrooper, '86-'90

Welcome from Arizona.

I'm in agreement that it's a M57 erroneously stamped as a M29. Except for the chamber bore and barrel bore diameters, the two models are identical.

Attached Images

M57 & M29-2.jpg (293.6 KB, 70 views)

Nice pair, Hair.

Get a letter

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213th FBINA

I have a 41 mag. stamped 57-0. You can see that 29-2 was stamped first under it. Looks like this was never restamped. An oddity but not worth a premium.

Thanks for the replys everyone... bare with me as i'm not the best at computers. I try to get it figured out how to upload pics and get them on here. In the meantime ....there is only one stamp for the model #. What part of the serial number will work or do you need it all? I'll work on the pics asap. Thanks again

This is the easiest forum to post pictures on by far.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

A .41 load will flop around in the cylinder, a .44 will not :-)

44 cylinder for sure. Still, the barrel markings are grounds for caution. I'm sure the bore .430 but I would still check

i've shot this numberous times, only using .41 ammo. I was just trying to find information on it, When i look up m29, it shows its a .44 . when i look up .41 it shows its a m57. I contacted S&W, they could'nt tell me if it left as a .41 or a .44. It was just a little confusing for me.I greatly appreciate all the feedback.

OP-what does the caliber say on the side of the barrel? Do you have ammo to check for fit as people have suggested? There are multitudes of examples of incorrect model or dash number stampings. If the barrel says .41 that is most likely what you have.

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Jim
Many K and N Frames

Pictures, pictures, pictures!!

That all depends on how much you're planning to take off.

We need the prefix letter (S or N) and the first four of the six digits; put an "x" where the other two are (S1234xx)

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I think I got them in here first time sorry

A 27-2 with serial #N479096 was shipped in August 1978. Assuming yours is a six digit # this would be ballpark.

Attached Images

	Resized_20230908_154645_1710973774741.jpg (132.8 KB, 373 views)
	Resized_20230908_154051_1710973762523.jpg (57.7 KB, 374 views)
	Resized_20240320_163439_1710974100063.jpg (49.4 KB, 372 views)

It's a S&W N-frame, 8 3/8" barrel, likely a factory applied nickel plate finish. Model 29-2 should be a 44 Magnum, but the barrel is stamped as being 41 Magnum. Factory mismarks are somewhat common with S&W revolvers, but that's a pretty big mistake.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

The big question in my mind is have you shot it. I think I would put a micrometer to the barrel before I tried it. A 44 mag round trying to pass through a 41 barrel could get exciting. I wonder what the guy at the factory who test fired it was thinking. Maybe he wasn't thinking.

A .44 Mag cylinder and a .41 Mag barrel would be a deathtrap and certainly caught by the factory. In this Schrodinger's Cat of a thread, the OP either has a .44 Magnum with an incorrectly marked barrel or a .41 Magnum with a mis-stamped frame. I've been on this board for over 10 years and never seen an incorrectly marked barrel mentioned, so I'm putting my $0.00 on the latter scenario.

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Psalm 27:2

Agree with hkcavalier - mismarked frame for a model 57. We have seen this happen a lot.

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S&W factory revolver armorer

A 44 Magnum round will not chamber in a 41 Magnum cylinder. I am sure the revolver is a 41 Magnum or Model 57 mis stamped as a 29-2 as this, and the reverse have happened.

Bill

If you have fired .41 rounds through the gun and there was no bulging of the cases (and you hit your target, since .41 is a true .410 bore and .44 is a .429 bore) then I'm with Doc44 that your frame was mis-stamped. maybe intended to be a .44 but an order for .41s came through....who knows?

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Even older, even crankier....