Caving To Common Sense

[brokenprism]

I recently splurged on a 4" nickel 29-2. It's a thing of beauty, unmarred, with an almost invisible turn line, a beautiful rich warm nickel finish, real color in the case coloring... and I can hardly bear to handle it. I fuss over the finish, wax it, wrap it, fear to touch it.

So I bought a 4" 629 in exc condition, and now I have to move the 29-2 to pay for it. I'll lose about $300 over what I paid -- it just always seems to work that way, don't ask me why -- but at least I'll have something I can carry, use Hoppe's on, touch, holster, shoot, and wipe clean on the cylinder face with a leadaway cloth. (No, I can't keep the nickel as a showpiece. Ex-wife sees to that.)

To anyone waffling over a nickel piece you think you can shoot and still keep prisitine: consider stainless and learn to love a brushed white finish.

 

[MichiganScott]

I don't buy NIB collector grade guns or commemoratives. I simply have to shoot the snot out of anything I own.

A model 29-2 in about 80% is just about right.

 

[Jack Flash]

Roy Jinks has discounted the myth that you can't use Hoppe's on a S&W factory nickel finish.

Carrying it would probably wear the finish, however. I don't know about leadaway. I've used leadaway cloths on my nickel M10 and had no issues so far.

 

[brokenprism]

OK, I happily stand corrected on the Hoppe's thing. I'd heard that it exploits defects and attacks the copper underplate, which made sense.

80% is too 'comfortable' for me. I like them to look new, and it's easier to keep stainless looking good. Blue is a little easier than nickel, but even blue will find weird particles in a new holster. Leather is another reason -- always looking for lined has its own costs. I like old Safariland 25s and Bianchi 10Ls, but it's easier to find 10s than 10Ls.

 

[Kframes4me]

Wow there is someone else out there like me, I struggle with this as I collect all the time, but it doesn't stop there. I am the same way with muscle cars / daily drivers and more. It's wired that i love pristine items but am more comfortable using less perfect ones. I know I need help. Thanks for sharing, and happy shooting.

 

[pownal55]

I have three model 27's
3.5" 4" and 5"
Two are 99 percent condition the 4" about 95 percent.
I shoot the 4" and admire the other two, works for me.

 

[brokenprism]

I have three model 27's
3.5" 4" and 5"
Two are 99 percent condition the 4" about 95 percent.
I shoot the 4" and admire the other two, works for me.

If I could afford to keep the nickel for lookin', I would. I get some satisfaction cruising the excellent photographs on this site. I download 'em like... porn. : ) Almost as good as owning.

 

[Point 357]

If I could afford to keep the nickel for lookin', I would. I get some satisfaction cruising the excellent photographs on this site. I download 'em like... porn. : ) Almost as good as owning.

I can help you!

 

[Hawg Rider]

Just to give you an idea of what you have...yesterday at a local gun show a dealer was offering a 4" nickel Model 29-2, with wood box, papers and tools, for $1350. The revolver looked very nice- like 95%+, but the presentation box was not a S&W (probably some Ebay aftermarket box with red liner and no recesses). I actually considered it, but then I remembered that I'm really not a safe queen collector either...I like to handle'em and shoot'em!

 

[gwpercle]

Don't ever, ever, ever sell a gun you love! Save up and buy or pay off the other in installments .
You WILL REGRET selling it for the rest of your life.
Keep it, Keep it, keep it...and lovingly take her to the range and shoot it, No price on pleasure like this.
You can afford both...just scrimp here and there. In your post you stated both guns are in your possession right now ...they are sort of almost both paid for! don't sell either one!
Gary

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Wow there is someone else out there like me, I struggle with this as I collect all the time, but it doesn't stop there. I am the same way with muscle cars / daily drivers and more. It's wired that i love pristine items but am more comfortable using less perfect ones. I know I need help. Thanks for sharing, and happy shooting.

You don't need help; you just need more guns. I, too, respect perfect samples like I used to see new in stores, but I also feel that anything that can't be shot (or, worse yet, carried daily) isn't really a gun. Right now, I own only one gun that I'm a little leery of carrying, my 98% blue Model 12 with jigged bone grips from WyattBurp and a Tyler. Beautiful gun, and quite practical now that it has service (NOT Magna) grips, but I know that if I carry it a lot, it's going to show it. Fortunately, I have a nickel Model 12 to carry, in addition to a 2" Model 15, and the nickel wears a little better, while the 15 already has enough dings that a few more will never be noticed.

Nice to have the money for more than one or two guns.

 

[lhump1961]

Don't ever, ever, ever sell a gun you love! Save up and buy or pay off the other in installments .
You WILL REGRET selling it for the rest of your life.
Keep it, Keep it, keep it...and lovingly take her to the range and shoot it, No price on pleasure like this.
You can afford both...just scrimp here and there. In your post you stated both guns are in your possession right now ...they are sort of almost both paid for! don't sell either one!
Gary

That's the best advice right there! I have let a couple of guns go but that was long ago and I vowed never to sell again. Now, that may not be true of a fantastic plastic but you have to think very hard before you let go of that never to be duplicated nickel 29. I agree that you should take it out and shoot it...it'll just make you love it more and the bit of shooting wear won't take anything away from it's beauty...not to mention bragging rights at the range!

 

[Art Doc]

What? You are willing to lose $300 because the gun is too nice to own?

I'm not even going to comment on that as nothing good can come from it.

Wish I had a dollar for every pristine, unfired gun that came into my hands and I immediately put to work. I could almost buy another pristine, unfired gun...

 

[arjay]

Put it in the back of the safe and sell it next year,you'll come out ahead.

 

[flundertaker]

Just to give you an idea of what you have...yesterday at a local gun show a dealer was offering a 4" nickel Model 29-2, with wood box, papers and tools, for $1350. The revolver looked very nice- like 95%+, but the presentation box was not a S&W (probably some Ebay aftermarket box with red liner and no recesses). I actually considered it, but then I remembered that I'm really not a safe queen collector either...I like to handle'em and shoot'em!

sounds like I want the only one at the Melbourne show this weekend.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk

 

[Tom_R]

Guns will come and guns will go. The chase is most of the fun.

I am surprised that you are going to lose money on the 4" nickel 29-2. People really want those, and they go for big bucks on the auction sites.

Either way, best of luck, keep it if you can, if you can't, make the best deal that you can, and shoot whatever you end up with.

As a sidenote, a lead away cloth works very well on nickel, and of course on stainless as well. Just don't use it on a blued finish.

 

[Jim NNN]

I have a model 36 from the late 1960's that's about 99%, save a couple very minor flaws. It may have only had a cylinder fired through it - only the faintest of turn lines, but I put a couple of cylinders through it myself, and I'm glad I did. I found a slight problem with the ejector rod that I wouldn't have if I'd never fired it. Fixed the problem but now I never shoot the gun because it's too nice. I use my other 36, which is at about 95% because I worry less.

 

[brokenprism]

"Just to give you an idea of what you have...yesterday at a local gun show a dealer was offering a 4" nickel Model 29-2, with wood box, papers and tools, for $1350."

Well the new owner, a member here, will be happy to hear this. He got it for $1100.