29-2 Dull Nickel Finish? Value/Questions

[camo.guy]

Hello,

I am new to the forum and have came in search of some information about a 29-2 I recently purchased from a friend. The gun has seen its share of neglect over the years but I sent some considerable time cleaning and it turned out looking 10x fold better than original condition. This was my first S&W purchase and after doing some research on my own still had a few questions/concerns that I would like to clear up.

About the gun:

N Frame

Stamped 29-2

Serial number falls in the N3xxxxx range. From what I found this puts production between 75-76?

Barrel length is 6.5

Questions:

The gun currently has the black Pachmayr grips. Was this a factory grip or was this an add on at some point? The grips aren't in the best shape and will most likely get replaced when I come across a decent replacement. What do people recommend when it comes to grips for these guns? This gun will see its share of firing time.

The gun was claimed to be nickel finish but when comparing to other nickel finish guns this seems to be a dull "satin" finish and not a lot of shine. From what I have found S&W did not make a dull finish 29-2 so is it possible that this is just a worn, dated nickel finish or does this appear to be a refinish job at some point?

The gun did have a bit of oxidation on the right side just in front of the grip, as you can see in the pictures so I spent a little time buffing and now the oxidation is almost gone but the spot shows more of a shine than the rest of the gun. Could this be the original nickel finish coming back? Or could that be bare metal now showing after buffing?

I am far from a professional on revolvers and don't have much experience grading firearms. Could someone help give a % grade and or value of this revolver as is? Just trying to see what I have here.

Thanks

 

[camo.guy]

closer look at the trouble spot

 

[Art Doc]

"Serial number falls in the N3xxxxx range."

Paranoid much? Sure you want to reveal the 3?

I hate to break this to you, but if that is indeed a Model 29-2 it's been refinished in some sort of hard chrome. Nickel would be much shinier and the hammer and trigger should be case hardened (bluish) and not match the silver finish on the rest of the gun.

Not impossible that it's actually a Model 629 which was the same as the 29-2 but in stainless steel. Stainless has that dull silver look. S&W often stamped the wrong model number on guns with so many different models being built on the same frame size.

Hopefully somebody more informed than I will come along with a more definitive evaluation.

Oh, the rubber grips are not original. The 44 Magnums came with wood stocks in the target style.

 

[BigBill]

I've seen nickel and hard chrome go dull in the past. I purchased a yellowed nickel finish the PO thought the h&r was. Some Simi chrome polish and some elbow grease revieled it was a 100% flawless chrome finish.

Just look at silver ware. Even that goes dull.

 

[camo.guy]

"Serial number falls in the N3xxxxx range."

Paranoid much? Sure you want to reveal the 3?

Oh, the rubber grips are not original. The 44 Magnums came with wood stocks in the target style.

Thanks for the replies so far. I did consider the dulling of the nickel since it has been somewhat mishandled in the past. Is there a decent way to tell other than attempting to polish the entire gun to see what happens?



Sorry about the SN. I attempted to post from my phone twice and the text was deleted both times and the gun was in the safe so I didn't pull it out to get entire number after fiddling with my phone for a half hour.

N31X798 hopefully that is better

I didn't think the grips were original but I've seen a few posted around for sale with the same grips so I wasn't sure.

 

[Xfuzz]

I will go with a refinish.
Armaloy(sp) or Nitex...?
Both very durable.
Great 29-2 shooter.

 

[max]

If it was factory nickel, there will be an N on the face of the cylinder, on the frame under the grips and on the bottom of the barrel. It looks to me like it was refinished in some hard chrome.

 

[camo.guy]

I don't recall seeing an N under the grips. There is an E10 stamped under the grips though. There def. isn't an N on the front of the cylinder

 

[pharmer]

Armaloy(sp) very durable.

And not something you want to polish with anything abrasive. Joe

 

[Tom_R]

That is not Nickel. No chance.

That gun has been hard chromed. The hammer and trigger are hard chromed as well. The wear on the right flat near the trademark is puzzling, as I understand hard chromed to be super durable, so it got left on something wet for a while.

But if you get it touched up, it will look great.

Get rid of those Pachs though, and get some nice grips for it.

 

[Art Doc]

The hammer and trigger are an immediate tip off to a refinish. They should look like those on the gun below (a 27-2). They are never nickel plated from S&W. Those are also the correct stocks for your gun. It was obvious at a glance to the experienced eye that your 29 is not nickel.

BTW- Here's the N on an original nickel plated S&W under the left stock panel.

 

[Tom_R]

In Terms of value, I'd say you have a solid $450 - $500 shooter.

Shoot the hell out of it. It's hard chromed, it's not a collector piece by any stretch. But definitely enjoy. Put some full house Magnums through it and see what it can do.

 

[Aguila]

Nice shooter. In terms of grips, the original target stocks look very good on the gun. However, for shooting with full power Magnum loads, the exposed metal of the backstrap and wood grip combination can get pretty unpleasant pretty quick. My preference are the Pachmayr Decelerator grips, which are the same brand you have on now, but with finger grooves. I have medium-sized hands and they really keep the bite of the recoil down to a manageable level, in my opinion. I have a set on all my 29s/629s.

If you really want to have fun and turn heads at the range, get a hold of some Remington 180-grain Jacketed Soft Points. Those thunder out the end of the barrel at about 1600+ feet per second with a giant fireball to match.

Enjoy.

 

[Engineer1911]

You determined the guns worth when you paid the purchase price. I would estimate the value between $550 to $650 depending on local market conditions. You have an excellent shooter, but the refinish, hard chromed hammer and trigger wiped out collector's value in the $850 to $1,000 range.

You cannot harm the revolver's value by shooting it, the finish is very durable, and you have a high quality firearm.

 

[steelslaver]

Although hard chrome makes it a non collector, I think it makes it a superior shooter. Very durable, rust resistant and actually has less drag on wear points.. Wasn't meant to be collected in the first place. Meant to be shot

 

[camo.guy]

Thank you all for the replies. I came in way below the $500 mark on the purchase so I feel I made a pretty good decision on the buy.

I attached a picture of the oxidation spot before I made the attempt to polish it out. It appeared to be a bit of surface rust. Is this possible if it is truly hard chromed? I didn't know better and now instead of the oxidation it is just a bit of a polished spot on the finish. I may look into someday have the side plate refinished now that I have an idea about the guns past. I believe this will be a great woods carry gun around my property after I pick up a decent holster and some new grips.

 

[Tom_R]

Thank you all for the replies. I came in way below the $500 mark on the purchase so I feel I made a pretty good decision on the buy.

I attached a picture of the oxidation spot before I made the attempt to polish it out. It appeared to be a bit of surface rust. Is this possible if it is truly hard chromed? I didn't know better and now instead of the oxidation it is just a bit of a polished spot on the finish. I may look into someday have the side plate refinished now that I have an idea about the guns past. I believe this will be a great woods carry gun around my property after I pick up a decent holster and some new grips.

I know in a previous post I suggested getting nicer grips, but that looks real tough like that.

Way below the $500 mark is outstanding, and yes it is a great woods carry gun. An excellent one. Heck, there really is no harm in tapping it and drilling it for a scope for Deer Hunting if such a thing interests you.

I really like it, it has personality for sure. And the best part? No need to worry about scratching it, or making it less than pristine.

 

[BruceM]

It's some type of hardchrome such as Armaloy or Metaloy. Yes, rust can peek out from under hardchrome but it's not very common. I doubt that you will be able to "polish out" any hardchrome finish like you would with nickel. It's way too hard.

Bruce

 

[A10]

Actually you found yourself a very practical shooter for what sounds like an outstanding price. That would go for 6 to 650 around here. Enjoy your gun!

 

[Art Doc]

You have a great shooter and the price was appropriate. Leave the Pachs on it. They will tame the recoil a bit and they nicely fit the look of the gun...very business like. If you want a "pretty" 29 they are out there at $800-$1,200.