Well, the full lug feature on the m629 makes that model a m629 Classic. They still offer the straight m629 with no underlug.
For a time, S&W offered a m29 Classic as well. My brother had one and it was an excellent handgun. I still kick him for selling it, and kick myself for not being in a position to scoop it up...
In the looks department, I find that I like blued steel equally as much as stainless. I used to heavily favor stainless but have since grown very fond of blued steel, especially on the older models.
However, if you plan to carry your new to you 29/629 frequently I would vote for the durability of the stainless model. The fact is, blueing does wear with time in the holster...stainless does not. Some argue that wearing the brushed finish of a stainless Smith is wearing the original finish off. While technically speaking this is true, the bottom line is you don't have to worry about pitting and rust occurring when the finish starts to wear. From a collectors standpoint this is an issue.. For the every day guy like me, it is not. Different strokes...
But comparing 29 and 629, there really is no difference other than the material they are made from if we are speaking of -3 and later m29's. (I may be off on what revision the m29 was on when the 629 came out and ready to stand corrected if I am wrong) The 629 is literally the stainless steel twin to the m29 of the same vintage.
Grips: target grips look appealing, but for most people they really don't fit the hand very well. This becomes glaringly obvious when shooting powerful magnum handguns like 44's. Unless you have a large hand, you will notice that the revolver will have a tendency to flip in your hand mostly because your pinky doesn't come close to wrapping around the bottom of the grip to help control it. But this does not apply to every person, some like the classic target grips just fine, and that is OK. I am just speaking of my personal experience...Best advice I can offer in the grips is for you to handle a few and see what feels best in your hand. If possible, (and legal in your state) fire a few different models equipped with different grips. Grips can make or break a person's experience with a handgun like a 44mag. They matter more than you might think.
There are many companies that make grips much more fitted to the human hand that allow that last finger to help and keep things under control in your hand. Hogue, Altamont, Ahrends and many others offer "finger groove" grips in many different materials starting with basic yet very good functioning rubber, to exotic hardwood with checkering and so on. I have experienced a very noticeable improvement in recoil control switching from target grips to finger groove grips back to back on the same revolver.
And you can get nice wooden grips for any of the new Smiths if you prefer wood over rubber. The nice thing is you can keep the functionality of the finger groove grips and also retain the attractive looks of hardwood. These same companies also offer grips for the old square butt Smiths if you get a 29 with target grips and decide you don't like them.....
I have Altamont grips on a couple of my revolvers, my 4" m19, and my 5" 460. Couldn't be happier.. and the cool thing about Altamont is you can get them with the S&W medallions for an extra few bucks.
