After reading a couple articles about the Smith and Wesson PC Stealth Hunter got me thinking about my own 629 6.5" Power Port (tapped). Here's the Stealth Hunter:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m.../ai_n31480087/

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/w...egory_rn=15714

I love my 629 to death but it's not ideal for my intended uses. I live in western Washington and it will freckle up if I'm not careful. Also, it shoots like it has radar but isn't very capable at night and of course it isn't very fast. My idea is basically to take my stock 629, refinish it with a durable coating, and mount an Aimpoint Micro on it to make a hunting/outdoor SD/fun gun. I would love any input any from the forum regarding:

Finish: I've never had a gun refinished. I'm thinking either duracoat or an Ionbond/ Tungsten DLC type coating. I want someting that will get into and protect all the little nooks and crannies. I would like to spend less than $350

Mounting: I'd like to mount an Aimpoint Micro. Any recommendations for mounts or ones to avoing would be welcome.

Gunsmith: Who should I have do the work? Does the performance center take custom orders or do they only perform their packages. What's a good refinishing shop for something like this? I might end up having an action job thrown in or even have the barrel milled slabside.

I literally spent the last hour or so looking for this for my Smith & Wesson 29-3 Silhouette with a 10 5/8" barrel. But this will allow you to co-witness with iron sights. Now whether or not these are still available, well I honestly don't know.

http://www.aimtech-mounts.com/Revolvers.htm

I’m also in western Washington. I hunt deer with a 5” Model 629 on an island in Puget Sound, usually at least some of the time in pouring rain. I do almost nothing to care for it and it has never freckled. I also carry a beat-up 4” Model 29-2 concealed fairly often. Truth be told, every deer I’ve killed with my Model 629 would have been just as easy to kill with my Model 29-2 or even a 1911.

Help me understand your situation: What exactly are you trying to accomplish? As it sits, your revolver is on the big side for defense, but about right for hunting. If you make it better for either of those uses, it’s going to get worse for the other.

Also, why would you want to see both sets of sights? Most people shoot an Aimpoint better than irons, so why not just stick with it?


Okie John

Thanks you for your input. I'm pretty new to revolvers and have a lot to learn from this forum. My 629 started freckling after just a range session and a few humid days in the safe. I was shocked. however I had used Militec instead of CLP to wipe it down before I put it away and I later read a test where Militech actually promoted rust on a mild steel plate (Corrosion Protection Products for Rifles, Shooting, Benchrest Competition, Varminting and Firearms Storage). I also suspect Militec accelerated some rusting on a few blued Beretta M9 mags that I had wiped down with it. Maybe I'll just have the thing bead blasted by S&W and make sure to keep a little CLP on it. Do you use anything special to prevent corrosion? I would like a trouble free finish but, like I said, don't want to have to take out a second mortgage to get it.

Truth be told, I'll probably use this revolver as 80% range toy, 15% camp security and 5% hunting pistol. I will probably never ruck more than 5 or 6 miles with it. I like the 6.5" barrel length but the pistol could indeed stand to be lighter. I bet that 5" is just about perfect. Any thoughts on having the barrel milled slabside? How much metal can be safely removed on a stock 629? I'm kind of picturing the Ruger MKII Government profile. I'm partial to the classic lines of the 629; I'm not crazy about some of the new radical PC profiles.

My thoughts on retaining use of the iron sites is for basically the same reason I have back up irons on my M4. I've seen even the mighty Aimpoint fail more than once at work and, if practical, like the idea of having a backup. Is there a noticeable downside to haveing the optic mounted high above the bore as in the Aimtech mounts?

You might want to get past the idea that you have to spend tons of money to improve and/or maintian your guns. Customizing adds little if any value to them, and you’ll never get your money back if you have to sell them. You’ll enjoy them more if you invest in ammo and range time, and learn a few maintenance tricks on the side.

One of those tricks is how to handle light rust, which you’ll use all the time if you live around here. It requires 0000 steel wool, which auto parts stores have in the paint section. Wet some of that with CLP and rub VERY LIGHTLY to remove the rust. Stop as soon as the rust is gone. Then wipe down the gun with CLP and you should be fine. This also works on blued guns.

You can mill the barrel slabsided, but it only subtracts value. I have no idea how much material you could safely remove. If you want a lighter gun, buy one with a shorter barrel or a barrel that’s not a full-lug contour. You could do this easily for the cost of the mods you're talking about, and then you'd have two guns instead of just one. Hit the gunshops to get your hands on them.

Can’t offer any guidance on the bigh-mounted Aimpoint questions.


Okie John

It would help keep the rust off if you wax the gun with a good canuba wax.
I'd recommend looking at the Ultradot, it holds up well to recoil and costs less as well. It is larger though.
I'll also go along with forgeting about having both sets of sights available.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

Thanks for the input. I hadn't really thought about it from a collector's perspective but you're right; for $500 or so worth of upgrade I could start looking around for a 4" or a Mountain Gun or something.

I saw the freckling mentioned, and I thought to myself "I wonder if someone has used steel wool on that gun?"

NEVER use steel wool on a stainless or aluminum gun. Tiny particles of mild steel will embed into the metal and rust later, damaging the finish.

For stainless the best option are Scotchbrite abrasive pads.
Bronze wool would be another alternative.

Here's a link to an old High Road thread on the subject:

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/i.../t-241677.html

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