Obviously I purchased my 629-1 before adequate research regarding factory lock up upgrades. It was just too pretty and a fair price. Should I send it out to a custom gunsmith for lock up detent improvements? I could also shoot it as is and send it to S&W if it gets sloppy.

I don't think you have anything to worry about if you don't shoot a couple thousand HOT handloads. Factory ammo will take many many years to wear that pistol out. I have 4 old ones from the 70's that have seen allot of use and they shoot just as good as my Classic, 629-3.

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JIM
NRA Pistol Instr

What S&W did with later 29s and the durability package isn't something a gunsmith (or even S&W) can add later on.
Not sure what you mean by the detent question.
Denis

Back in the olden days (the '80's), when Metallic Handgun Silhouette Shooting was becoming popular, lots of folks were using Model 29s for competition. Many of these shooters were handloading to very high pressures and putting lots of lead downrange. This caused excessive wear on the Model 29 and there were more than a few that experienced cylinder unlocking, rotation, and timing issues. Shooters were taking their guns in to have modifications done, including installation of a ball detent in the frame in the front of the cylinder crane to act as an additional locking lug. In response S&W came out with their endurance package. This is a long winded way of saying that, unless you will be hot loading and shooting TONS of ammunition, I don't think you're going to have an issue.

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Even older, even crankier....

I have put over ten thousand .44 magnum loads through my Model 29 (8 3/8" barrel) and it is still just as tight as the day I bought it (about forty years ago).

I ended up with two loads. My practice load is a 250 gr home cast Keith bullet (now the Mihec clone of the H&G #503 but previously an original H&G mould) ahead of 23.0 grs of H110. My hunting load was 24.0 grs of H110. The practice loads chronographs at 1200 fps and my hunting load chronographs at 1300 fps.

I have taken several deer with this load and it works as expected. I have never lost a deer with this load.

Maximum load is 25.0 grs of H110 but I never saw the necessity of gaining another 100 fps at the expense of accelerated wear of my revolver. I consider this a good trade off.

I have deliberately limited the use of 300 gr bullets to just a few (one deer) and save those for my more robust Ruger Red Hawk. Frankly, since I am not hunting moose or bear, I have little need for anything more than the 250 gr Keith.

My Model 29 does NOT have the endurance package and with my loads has not suffered. However, I would look for one (probably new for me) in my next Model 29. Actually, I have bought a recent new 629 (a Performance Center Light Hunter). It is everything a person could want in a Smith but will never be shot as much as my old partner. I am getting too old and feeble to pull a deer out of the woods, but I still have an excellent memory of a fine revolver for a great many years.

Dale53