Your mention of the "made" data motivated me to dig out my S&W box from a recent move, I got lucky and found it on the second try. My 629-6 was made in May, 2011.
I just returned from Fedx, while scrounging for the box my shipping label came via email from S&W.
I purchased the gun last August and developed loads with it and carried and fired it until last November, then the wife and I moved to get closer to her work. Not much gun fun while selling, buying and moving the house. I had been in the old place 20 years...what a PIA.
The 629 is going back to the factory for peening on the cylinder notches and the cylinder catching on 3 of the charge holes...not a big deal, but irritating on a new gun.
Two Gunsmiths looked at it one thought the ratchets were a bit rough the other thought the hole at the end of the ejector was out of round causing it to hang there....I think he's right. We'll see.
I fired a few hundred low powered loads in DA mode which might have caused the peening.
I've owned numerous Smiths over the years and recently we've acquired 3 new ones, this is the first time I've used Smith's Customer Service.
I do appreciate them picking up the tab both ways on the FedX Express shipping...that can be costly.
I hope it isn't gone to long, I'm looking forward to getting it back out shooting, carrying and doing load workups.
Nice no dash 629's you have there FYIMO, very nice and excellent photography too.
If and when I could find a nice 4" 629-4 I'd probably pick it up and compare and then keep the better shooter of the two.
Bob, good to know the 329 will fit in the Simply Rugged Pancake, I'm thinking my next big bore Smith might be that 4" 329.
I'm shooting a 260 grain Hardcast at 1225 fps and a 280 grain at 1150 fps, I gotta wonder about the recoil in that 329? Not that I'd shoot those loads often, heck I don't shoot them often in the steel gun, but one needs to do some load workups and zero.
