S&W 629-1 3”

[Lilshad]

I have a SW 629-1 3" barrel. It’s an old gun but brand new in the box.. It has the firing pin on the hammer. Can anyone here tell me it this era is safe to carry with 6 rounds in the cylinder or should I only load 5? SN BBE8272. Also, if you know the value of this gun. Its brand new never been fired in the original box. Thank you for any assistance

I’ve attached photos

[97ViperGTS]

Nice 629!

Yes it is safe to carry a full cylinder because S&W uses a hammer block "safety" system that essentially blocks the hammer until the trigger is pulled.

Assuming your 3" New in Box 629-1 (with those pretty round butt combats) has the papers and tools enclosed, my estimate of value is at least $1700.

[VictorLouis]

Yes, a true 3" bbl like that one demands a nice premium. Beautiful gun.

[Nightowl]

The label was printed on September 20, 1988 if that was a leap year, on the 21st, if not.

[Hawg Rider]

Welcome to the Forum! You have a nice Model 629-1 that is both collectable and valuable. According to the "Standard Catalog of S&W 4th Ed.", the Product Code 103610 on your label means that it was originally introduced as a "Combat Magnum Model 629-1". About 5,000 of these were made for Lew Horton (major S&W distributor) in 1985, and another 1,200 were shipped to Lew Horton in 1986. Your revolver was most likely released by S&W as a follow up to those Lew Horton revolvers. As Nightowl says, the Special Order dates your 629-1 to 1988 and the s/n BBE8272 confirms 1988. IMO, this NIB revolver is easily worth $1600- $1800.

[Lilshad]

Thank you for the feedback. I had no idea this gun was valued that high. I intended to carry it and use it in the field. I'm not a gun collector and spend a lot of time in woods hunting and fishing. I was planning on carrying it, but might need to rethink this. Any opinions on if I should keep it in the box vs putting it to use?

[CH4]

Congrats on a great score!
I have two, one complete with box and goodies.
To my eye, the 3” 629 looks like the sexy 2.5” 66’s big brother.

[Lilshad]

CH4 those are nice looking guns!!

[S&W Fan]

I consider myself an accumulator not a collector. That 629 is perfect for carrying afield though is quite a handful for me at least with magnum loads. I use a 4” version that came to me without any of the extras so I have no problem carrying/shooting it.

If you would feel better not using it there are other options out there at greatly reduced prices if you chose to sell. Selling would leave plenty of cash for ammo.

[Lilshad]

Thank you. This was passed down to me so I probably won't sell it, but I may keep my eyes open for more a field grade version I won't worry about dinging up..

[97ViperGTS]

IMHO, if you are not a collector, sell it to someone who is and would appreciate getting their hands on that NIB treasure. Then take your money and run... and search out a used one for about a grand.

Remember, if you shoot what you have, it becomes "Used in Box" forever with a greatly diminished value.

Good luck!

[stmry]

I concur with the above estimates. I believe I saw one awhile back
Sell for 2k on gunbroker, so 1600-1800 seems to be very attainable.
Beautiful piece….best of luck.

[Bruceboy]

Great example of a great model. I have a 3" model 29 and a 3" 624. Last guns I would ever sell.

Congratulations,

Al

[ColumbusJBR]

Originally Posted by Lilshad

Thank you. This was passed down to me so I probably won't sell it, but I may keep my eyes open for more a field grade version I won't worry about dinging up..

1st off, beautiful gun! With the RB combats, that’s truly an enviable piece.

Just my take, but if you really don’t plan to sell it, shoot it! Sure, that’ll decrease the value (some), but you won’t care when you’re long gone. Unless you plan to pass it down to family and want it to retain maximum value. It will only go up…

Regardless, it’s your gun. Do whatever YOU want with it.

[Hawg Rider]

If you take care of the revolver and use a good quality holster, there should be no issue with you carrying it afield. It's a high quality stainless steel revolver that should last a lifetime or two. If you decide to carry it, you may want to put a set of rubber Pachmayr or Hogue stocks on your revolver to preserve those beautiful wood combat stocks. Just be sure to dry it off after use (remove stocks and any water or sweat) and apply CLP or wax. Do not store it in your holster. Unless you're in grizzly or brown bear country, you may want to use .44 Special loads...softer to shoot and very effective on both two and four-legged varmints! Enjoy!

[ENNE-FRAME]

Congratulations, I love the 629 3" I would keep it intact in the safe and look for a used one to shoot and carry. Changing the subject, mine is a 629-2, serial number BBF7526, the serial is very close to our friend's NIB one, it went from series 1 to series 2 right close to production of my revolver, what do you think?

[pharman]

If you decide to sell it please post For Sale here on the Forum...thanks...Roger

[Brian Parrish]

Originally Posted by Lilshad

Thank you for the feedback. I had no idea this gun was valued that high. I intended to carry it and use it in the field. I'm not a gun collector and spend a lot of time in woods hunting and fishing. I was planning on carrying it, but might need to rethink this. Any opinions on if I should keep it in the box vs putting it to use?

Your Dad left it to you? (Or whoever.) He kept it pristine for YOU. His intention was either to store the $$$ value for you or to leave for you something that you would never get for yourself.
If his wish was to give you $$$ then there is your answer, sell it!
If his wish was to give you something that you could use in the field, use it!

On the other hand, I want you to know that the "value" that we place on it must ultimately trace back to its field value. You should carry it precisely because it is valued that highly. If it has no practical value, then sooner or later the collector value will disappear.

If you sell it, what are you gonna do with the money?
Need groceries? Sell it!
Paying off a credit card? Sell it!
Need jewelry for your wife? Sell it!
Need some other gun that you have been looking at like a Glock? Never! The other gun seems appealing because you are still learning and don't know what this one is for yet. "But I'm not a revolver guy," you say? "Not yet." I say, but you'll learn.

Why .44 Magnum? Because it is so versatile in the field. Depending on how you load it, from weak, low recoil, cowboy specials, all the way up to Buffalo Bore Death Star level, your revolver will handle it. You will eventually learn to handload the in-between ones, the 44 special +p type loads. There is no +p for the .44 special so do it yourself. I prefer them in magnum cases avoiding carbon scoring which I see inside the cylinder when I upload the 44 special cases. (This same principle applies to the 30.06 rifle if you understand what I mean.)

Why 3" barrel? The longer the barrel the better right? But if you get longer than four inches on your hip, it pushes on the car seat. A 5-inch barrel also interferes with the seat belt latch. It is better to use a shoulder holster for that length. High-pressure, high-power magnum loads need barrel length to make any difference. From a 3" barrel you just get a lot of blast and flash and no extra velocity really. But if you have your 44 carbine loads in your belt loops, you can shoot 'em in this revolver.

A three-inch barrel is easier to conceal. I carried a 4" Model 28, Highway Patrolman, for years. It was not too heavy, I got used to it, but it did show sometimes, especially when wearing a jean jacket. My 3" now I can even appendix carry. Your belly may vary.

The real value in your weapon is your skill. The real investment is when you practice. When you get really good with it, then you will know what it is worth because YOU are what it is worth! A hunk of metal in a safe is worthless to the last person who buys it. Anyway, you should consider inflation before you determine its $$ value. A $1000 gun in the year 2000 must cost over $1800 today. Your gun has not gained in value. The value of your dollars has rather been inflated away by your government. Remember there are a lot of us old geezers on this forum who have never adjusted price and value expectations for inflation.

Thank you for showing us this weapon! And welcome to the group. I hope to enjoy your contribution here for years to come. Post the pictures and targets for us when you run it OK? Don't be ashamed of how badly you shoot it. We all been thar!

Kind Regards!
BrianD

edit: If you could get this gun in 1988 for around $800, the inflation calculator adjusts that to $2168 today, an "increase" of 171%. Please correct me anyone.

[Brian Parrish]

Originally Posted by ENNE-FRAME

Congratulations, I love the 629 3" I would keep it intact in the safe and look for a used one to shoot and carry. Changing the subject, mine is a 629-2, serial number BBF7526, the serial is very close to our friend's NIB one, it went from series 1 to series 2 right close to production of my revolver, what do you think?

What was the MSRP in 1988?
What was the street price?
Thanks!

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Originally Posted by Lilshad

I have a SW 629-1 3" barrel. It’s an old gun but brand new in the box.. It has the firing pin on the hammer. Can anyone here tell me it this era is safe to carry with 6 rounds in the cylinder or should I only load 5?

You are thinking Single Action revolvers. You have a Double Action revolver (made in 1988) and they have been safe with six rounds since the 1940s.

Welcome to the S&W Forum.

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Originally Posted by Brian Parrish

What was the MSRP in 1988?
What was the street price?
Thanks!

I am guessing the MSRP was $400 and the wholesale was $300 on the 629. I had a four inch in that time frame.

[Lilshad]

Thank you for all of the info! I appreciate the feedback. I shot the gun this weekend. The specials are fun and easy to handle. I really didn't think it was much worse that my SW .38 air light.. I will say the mags were pretty impressive and fun to shoot.