Does anyone not shoot their 29-2 alot? I've had mine for about six months it's in great condition and I like to keep it that way but any of my other guns are to shoot is it wierd to not want to shoot such a great revolver.. I have even considered selling it but I know I will just miss it so what does everyone think thanks bnb in advance
Model 29-2 question
- Thread starter Brutis
- Start date
If it has been shot before, shoot it, clean it and take care of it, it will not lose value. It has no special collector's value if it has been shot before. It is a high condition shooter. Shoot it and keep it in high condition
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Mine have been shot since 1973 when they were new. If you ain't gonna shoot it. Sell it to someone who will.
.38SuperMan
Member
About thirty years ago my dad gave me his unfired 4” nickel 29-2 in the presentation box. I just can’t own a gun just for the sake of owning it and have shot it a few times. Fabulous gun and a work of beauty but I’m not much into heavy recoil these days. Ive been thinking of loading some 44 specials though and seeing how it performs.
I guess we each enjoy our guns in different ways.
I guess we each enjoy our guns in different ways.
As has been said, there is no reason not to shoot your 29-2. If you keep it clean and maintain it mechanically you should be able to do a lot of shooting without doing any harm. I’m not crazy about shooting full-charge .44 Magnums anymore, but I can do it. I’d much rather shoot intermediate loads (250 gr at around 1000 FPS) and save the true Magnums for a rainy day, so to speak. Are you a handloader?
BigMuddy
Member
I have two 29-2's, a 4" and a 6". To answer the question, yes I shoot them a lot. I am not a collector and don't worry at all about "hurting the value". All of my guns are for enjoyment, not financial gain. My 4" has had modifications done by Ron Power that did nothing but improve the performance and that makes it more valuable to me.
No offense intended, but these "should I shoot it" posts always get the same reactions. No real right or wrong answer, but one that should be entirely up to the owner of the gun. I'll never understand those that don't want to have any use or wear on a gun, and I am sure they don't understand how I can take a NIB gun that is no longer made and shoot it the day I bring it home, then stick it in a holster and go for a ride on my horse. It is one of those things that is really up to the individual. I do believe that if one is asking, it is because they REALLY want to shoot it and are just looking for reassurance. If one wants to shoot their gun they should. Life is too short!
Dan
No offense intended, but these "should I shoot it" posts always get the same reactions. No real right or wrong answer, but one that should be entirely up to the owner of the gun. I'll never understand those that don't want to have any use or wear on a gun, and I am sure they don't understand how I can take a NIB gun that is no longer made and shoot it the day I bring it home, then stick it in a holster and go for a ride on my horse. It is one of those things that is really up to the individual. I do believe that if one is asking, it is because they REALLY want to shoot it and are just looking for reassurance. If one wants to shoot their gun they should. Life is too short!
Dan
I would love to see some photos of your 29-2! Sounds like a good one.
Extra special because your dad gave it to you.
Load some light magnum loads in magnum brass for your gun.
That's pretty much all I shoot out of my 29-2's.
I'm using Extreme plated 240-gr bullets and IMR 4227.
lamarw
Member
You have received some excellent comments in regards to your question. In my own world, I have a Model 29 no dash with coke stocks, clamshell presentation case and unfired. It is my collector piece. I have just obtained a Model 29-2 with and "N" prefix serial number which is in excelent condtion but fired. Upon receipt, it will become my shooter.
So, it is an easy thought process in "my world". Just another person's way of looking at the situation. We are both blessed to have this minor problem in our lives.
So, it is an easy thought process in "my world". Just another person's way of looking at the situation. We are both blessed to have this minor problem in our lives.
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4thAlabama
Member
I got my 8 3/8 in 1979. Probably shot 4-5000 rounds in it, mostly LSW at 1000 FPS. Still works fine and only a little holster wear at the muzzle.
stansdds
Member
Not a 29-2, but I do have a factory nickel plated 29-3. I don't shoot it a whole lot and when I do it's usually with hard cast lead reloads that I load to what would be between 44 Special and 44 Magnum velocities. I don't feel that I need to beat it to death with 44 Magnum loads when I also have a Super Redhawk.
truckerdave397
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I guess I am on the other end of this. I have two 29-2s nickel in presentation boxes that I have owned for ten years and have never shot either one. No real reason other than my hands do not like the punishment. Seems like 22s and 38 wad cutters are my new favorite. Can’t bring myself to sell the 29s.
292
Member
I carry and shoot my 8 3/8" with everything from 250gr Keith's with 19.3gr of 2400 to carpenter bee loads with grits and 1gr of Bullseye.
The Gila Bender
Member
BigMuddy
Member
I've never owned an 8 3/8" 44. Had a M57 nickel in that length. (wish I had that one back). Those long tube 44's always make me think of Skeeter's writings about his friend Evan Quiros. He says that Evan carried one in the seat of his pickup daily for his ranch duties. That gun was carried daily starting in 1958. Now Skeeter rarely mentioned dash #'s in his articles but that one almost had to be a "no dash" model. If it was a "pre" 29 Skeeter still referred to it as a M29.
Evan's daily carry load was the Thompson designed Lyman 429244 gas check bullet that weighed 250 grains. It was backed with 22 grains of 2400, a common load in the 44 mag. There's no telling how many rounds that gun handled and in an article from 1981 Skeeter mentioned that Evan had a new gun in waiting in case his ever broke down but said it didn't seem likely.
The point is.... M29's are not quite as fragile as we are often told they are. They are some of the best shooting handguns ever made!
Dan
Evan's daily carry load was the Thompson designed Lyman 429244 gas check bullet that weighed 250 grains. It was backed with 22 grains of 2400, a common load in the 44 mag. There's no telling how many rounds that gun handled and in an article from 1981 Skeeter mentioned that Evan had a new gun in waiting in case his ever broke down but said it didn't seem likely.
The point is.... M29's are not quite as fragile as we are often told they are. They are some of the best shooting handguns ever made!
Dan
The Gila Bender
Member
Roger that, BigMuddy. I picked up this 1956 first-year 5-screw .44 Magnum with original cokes at a Phoenix gun show last December. It looks a little rough but after a thorough cleaning and trip to the 'smith to fix timing and cylinder gap it shoots like a champ. He guessed it had shot about 3K rounds since new, based on the limited wear to the forcing cone. I pumped about 350 rounds of .44 SPL through it at steel matches earlier this month. It's like an old pick up truck -- the paint's a little scratched and faded but it drives out nice!
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BigMuddy
Member
Gila, that's the kind of 44 mag Smitty I like looking at. All these posts on M29's prompted me to go out with mine today. Just got back in from worming horses and running about 70 rounds through my 6" 29-2.
Dan
Dan
The Gila Bender
Member
I've been an N-frame enthusiast for 25+ years and have a few safe queens and rare examples, pre-1960. But the ones that really float my boat are the ratty old irons that were carried and used then eventually put away and forgotten or sold by their owners. I like to restore them to a status that resembles "comfortable retirement from active duty." Among my favorites, and least likely to attract a collector, are a 1916 .44 Triplelock, a 1925 2nd Model .44, a 1946 3rd Model .44 transitional, a 1956 .44 Magnum, and a 1989 629-2 .44 Magnum Mountain Revolver. ALL of them needed some kind of repair to make them functional and safe, none are particularly collectible. I enjoy shooting them, sharing them, and handling them. Each one tells a story through years of accumulated finish wear, bumps, and dings. These guns had long lives and I'm just the current caretaker. There's a place for never-to-be-shot collectibles and "one to show and one to go". But the ones I really take pride in are those that have been brought back from oblivion.
This is the .44 Triplelock that shipped to El Paso in 1916. This veteran had been in and out of a gritty holster so many times that the muzzle is beveled. It hadn't been touched for decades and it was seized up by a hundred years of accumulated dried oil, grease, gunk, and grit. All it needed was a deep cleaning and timing adjustment to make it operational. Now it shoots, and it's darn accurate too!
This is the .44 Triplelock that shipped to El Paso in 1916. This veteran had been in and out of a gritty holster so many times that the muzzle is beveled. It hadn't been touched for decades and it was seized up by a hundred years of accumulated dried oil, grease, gunk, and grit. All it needed was a deep cleaning and timing adjustment to make it operational. Now it shoots, and it's darn accurate too!
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rdcl
Member
I shoot mine....now.
A few years back I bought what could be called a "collector-grade" 29-2.....blue....8 3/8th.....presentation case, original tools paperwork, etc. Beautiful, not a mark, nick or blemish anywhere....pretty much a pristine gun except for a faint (very faint) turn line.
Well....one day I just couldn't resist comparing it to my other 29-2 as far as accuracy. I figured.....just a few rounds right?
After half a box of ammo (.44 special)......I put the gun carefully aside on my shooting table. Gently on a soft cloth. Well. Would you believe it ? I dropped a loaded 1911 magazine right on the barrel giving the once mint barrel a nasty scratch.
I'm STILL angry at myself over my clumsiness.
Oh well. Now I have TWO "shooter-grade" 29-2's
No more safe Queens for me. Life's hard enough just trying to keep scratches off my car!
Russ
A few years back I bought what could be called a "collector-grade" 29-2.....blue....8 3/8th.....presentation case, original tools paperwork, etc. Beautiful, not a mark, nick or blemish anywhere....pretty much a pristine gun except for a faint (very faint) turn line.
Well....one day I just couldn't resist comparing it to my other 29-2 as far as accuracy. I figured.....just a few rounds right?
After half a box of ammo (.44 special)......I put the gun carefully aside on my shooting table. Gently on a soft cloth. Well. Would you believe it ? I dropped a loaded 1911 magazine right on the barrel giving the once mint barrel a nasty scratch.
I'm STILL angry at myself over my clumsiness.
Oh well. Now I have TWO "shooter-grade" 29-2's
No more safe Queens for me. Life's hard enough just trying to keep scratches off my car!
Russ
BigMuddy
Member
That Triple Lock is another great one Tom. Color me green with envy and thanks for sharing.
Dan
Dan
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Dan Carey
Member
Yes I do. 29-2
Handload for it. Do a lot of load development. Like to ring steel with specials and every once in a while the magnum load for hog hunting.
It rides in the desert with me all the time in a snubbyfan holster. Sent it to Nelson Ford a while back for a tightening and trigger tune up. Was starting to get some end shake.
Handload for it. Do a lot of load development. Like to ring steel with specials and every once in a while the magnum load for hog hunting.
It rides in the desert with me all the time in a snubbyfan holster. Sent it to Nelson Ford a while back for a tightening and trigger tune up. Was starting to get some end shake.
I shoot my 29-2 and 629-1 a lot but I do not shoot a lot of full house magnums through them. When shooting paper I load either standard 44 specials or more recently mild 44 mag brass loads. I’ve found true blue power excellent for this type of loading and it will be kind to your fine revolver over time.
lamarw
Member
Here is before and after pictures of my Triple Lock. The before is how I got it back in March, and makes The Gila Bender's Triple Lock look almost prestine. The after is after I removed all the corrosion where it had destroyed the nickel finish. It should prevent the spread of the cancer. It also must of seen long term storage in a holster. I opened the side plate and it was like new inside. The stocks are also in good condition and have the hand pinned matching serial number on the inside of the right stock.
It now has a protective coating of Renaissance Wax. I am just happy to own a triple lock.
It now has a protective coating of Renaissance Wax. I am just happy to own a triple lock.
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LimaCharlie
US Veteran
I have a 4" S&W 29-2 with presentation box and an 8" Colt Anaconda in .44 magnum that I shoot often. When they aren't enough, I break out the Ruger Super Redhawk in .454 Casull.
I have several collector guns, commemorative guns, and tribute guns that I have bought and taken to the range to shoot.
I have several collector guns, commemorative guns, and tribute guns that I have bought and taken to the range to shoot.
I have been having the same battle but I bought a pre 29 off a member here and it had been fired but pretty mint. Then I got a 19-4 and a 29-2 and other than a minor turn ring both look unfired so I not fired either. Then I thought about my late wife's wedding present to me...a Python that we both fired quite a bit and it still looks great 39 years later. Well I lost a friend last night and today a few of us got together and raised a glass and toasted " to Glen" Another old flat foot was there and we said we haven't busted any caps together in months.....next Friday the 29-2 and the 19-4 are going to the range....
