Model 29 & 629

[Crh1943]

Hi folks,

Been contemplating getting the famous and fabulous .44 magnum with at least a 4" and up to the 6.5" barrel. However, I just had a question regarding the full underlug (which I do not prefer for aesthetic reasons - I like my 686 that way and that's it). At what dash did both of those models incorporate the full underlug?

I was looking to get either a 29-2 thru a 29-5 or 629 thru 629-4 simply because of the retro, no keylock/mim parts (although I have newer smiths that never gave me ANY ISSUES that have both of those parts) and as an homage to the old ways things were done......but if any of those dash models have the underlug, just let me know which if you guys would be so kind.

Thank you

 

[MJFlores]

Great decision. My first .44 was a 6" 629 that I bought brand new in 1986. I was 16 at the time, and had to have y dad do the actual buying after I saved all summer. I loved that gun but like a moron, sold it to buy a ring for a girl. I felt sick leaving the gun shop after selling it, but thought it was the thing to do. These days, I no longer have the first 629, the ring, or even the girl! After years without I replaced it with a brand new 4" 629 which I really like. Sure it has the lock, and MIM parts but after 2 trips back to S&W it's been perfect for 5 years or so? Shoots to point of aim, is very accurate, and just one of my all time favorites. I recently stumbled onto my dream gun and scooped it up...a 6" 29-2 in pristine condition. Both the 629 and 29 are great guns. In my opinion, the 29-2 is the one to look for only because, from what I understand, is the first 29 with the "endurance package" making it better able to deal with a steady diet of .44 magnum ammo. It's also the last to have recessed chambers in the cylinder, and a pinned barrel. You could argue that neither enhances the gun's performance any but their options of the past so they're nice to have in a gun. I'm not an expert but I dont recall ever seeing a 29 with full lug under the barrel. I have seen many versions of 629's with the full under lug. I know bot standard models have the lug just after the ejector rod, but I bet the weight of the full lug helps tame recoil quite a bit. Like you, I do think the N frames look better without a full lug. For a 629, try to find one before 2000 without the lock and you'll be fine. Again, this is all just my opinion...and i do HATE the lock but, mine hasn't ever created a problem. Some day if I ever have the side plate off I'll remove the lock flag just to guarantee it never locks up but honestly, at this point I have many thousands of rounds through that gun without a single issue. They dont have the nicer finish that the older Smiths has, but it makes you less weary of slapping it into a holster after firing it a bunch, laying it on the shooting table, etc. I swapped the grips with some Culina round to square butt grips and have to say, it's quite handsome. I quick word about the MIM parts these days. Metal injection technology has come a LONG way...and you just dont hear about MIM parts failing like you did 15 years ago. In a new Smith, the hammer and trigger are MIM...and they simply dont take any real abuse. A lot of 1911's these days have MIM slide release pins...now that part takes severe abuse every time the gun is fired and none of mine have ever failed...I dont recall ever hearing of one fail either, so a Smith with MIM parts is alright. If you like the gun and it's at a good price I wouldn't let that scare you away. Anyway, a nice N frame of any vintage and finish, in .44....with a few boxes of ammo and a sunny day is a recipe for a very fun day!

 

[The Gila Bender]

1990's era full-lug .44 Magnum 29/629's were named "Classic". Pre-MIM full-lug Classics I have seen are 29-5 and 29-6; 629-3 and 629-4 only. I have a 29-6 Classic 6.5" blue, and a 629-3 Classic 5". The 6.5" is a long range tack-driver, I recall pinging 55-gallon steel drums at ridiculous distances at a machine gun shoot many years ago. I'm searching for a long-tube 8-3/8" Classic from that era now, because "More is More". IMO the 29-5, -6, and 629-3, -4 are among the finest revolvers manufactured by Smith & Wesson.

 

[cmansguns]

Go original classic 29-2 if you can

Don't know much about the "new" guns, cause I don't own any. My 29-2 is 1980, in excellent shape and a real "show stopper" when at the local indoor range. The other lanes with black fantastic plastic, just clear their piece, and wander on over to my lane to watch, listen (with ear muffs for sure) and ooh and ahh over the fireball, muzzle lift and tremendous boom of full house 44 maggies going downrange.

Incredible accurate (when I can hold it properly), a real piece of art history, and invariably...the ones that want to try a round or two (and appear to know what they are doing with range protocol, safety gear, body language, etc.) when accommodated by me usually get off a round or two and offer to buy it on the spot!

No sale......

Get one (original 29-2) if you can (around $900 to $1,200 this area...if you see them), otherwise I don't think you will ever be "really happy" wondering what you may have missed.

Just my $0.02.....other opinions probably inbound.

 

[The Gila Bender]

Gotta agree with Charlie B. The 29-2 is THE iconic S&W .44 Magnum. Pinned and recessed, truly a classic. Plentiful, too. Just for grins, this is a first year .44 Magnum, S147233, shipped to an Amarillo hardware distributor in July 1956 that was tucked away in a glass case at a Phoenix gun show in December 2018. Not pretty, but after a good cleaning and trip to the gunsmith, it's a very reliable and accurate shooter. This is THE gun that launched the .44 Magnum to fame. Note: Elmer Keith is holding S147220, only 13 numbers from mine. (thanks cmansguns!)

 

[cmansguns]

Tom;

Is your gun THAT gun that Elmer's holding in the autographed photo????

What a treasure!.....and found tucked away at a 2018 gun show!

How many armed security were standing around that gun when you obviously wrestled it away from the at the time owner?

My hands can barely hold down the target grips on my 1980...how do you control that 29-2 with those grips on the one you pictured? Unless they are cokes?

 

[rubiranch]

Tom;

Is your gun THAT gun that Elmer's holding in the autographed photo????

What a treasure!.....and found tucked away at a 2018 gun show!

How many armed security were standing around that gun when you obviously wrestled it away from the at the time owner?

My hands can barely hold down the target grips on my 1980...how do you control that 29-2 with those grips on the one you pictured? Unless they are cokes?

The picture says Elmer is holding S147220. Tom's is S174233.

#13 is still pretty impressive.

 

[Mike_Fontenot]

I WAS carrying a S&W69 4" 5-shot L-Frame .44mag as my everyday primary (with full-spec Underwoods), but I had problems with the cylinder stop being inertially pulled down by the recoil, and allowing the cylinder to rotate during the recoil. I suspect that was due to my use of a very relaxed grip, with flexed and relaxed elbows. I bought a S&W629 5" full-underlug "Classic" 6-shot N-Frame .44mag, and it has become my everyday primary. No trace of any inertial pull-down of the cylinder stop. I carry it (like I did with the 69) from pajamas-off until pajamas-on every day, in a homemade under-the-shirt cloth vertical shoulder holster ... very comfortable and well-concealed. For me, it is the perfect carry gun. (I put the X500 grips on all my L-Frames and N-Frame).

 

[AveragEd]

I think all of the S&W .44s are great shooters but I lean toward the longer barrels - six" and 6-1/2-inch. I have four - a 4" 629-4 is in the possession of our son and the remaining three are pictured below. They are a 6-1/2" 629-4 Classic, a 6" 629-1 and a 5" 629-3 Classic DX.

Ed

 

[amazingflapjack]

The 629-2 classic hunter is one which has both the unfluted cylinder and the full underlug-they made 2500 of them, and they are sought after models. The 629-3 began the endurance feature, and continued thereafter. The one exception is the 629-2E which added the endurance late in the production cycle-you don't see them very often, and when you do they are beaucoup piasters. But don't let the lack of the endurance feature affect your decision unless you are going to feed your gun a steady diet of hot loads-a 629 of any stripe will handle it. I like the no dash and dash 2's myself.

 

[Crh1943]

Everyone,

Thanks so much for the input and wisdom! Much appreciated.

 

[SLT223]

At this point I have a variety of 29's and 629's ranging in production from the late 50's to a few years ago. The best shooter in the bunch is the 5" 629-6, if you can believe it. Best factory double action trigger I ever pulled, and it shoots like a laser.

 

[jaymoore]

At this point I have a variety of 29's and 629's ranging in production from the late 50's to a few years ago. The best shooter in the bunch is the 5" 629-6, if you can believe it. Best factory double action trigger I ever pulled, and it shoots like a laser.

From my experience, the 629-6s shoot as well as the DXs, which may be why they don't bother with the extra sub variant any more.

And, as noted, the triggers are as good or better, at least in SA, which is how I usually shoot mine. Good enough that the DXs stay at home most of the time whilst the various -6s are used for competition at both 100yds and 200m (with optics).
I like the old four position front sight 10 5/8" barreled 29s well enough to go through the rather large bother of doing special loads for them, but if S&W came out with a new silhouette model, I'd buy at least two straight away! The old 29-3s, etc. just don't seem to hold their accuracy as well past 100 yards.

 

[grip frame]

To answer the OP's question:

Smith offered the Classic and standard non full lugged versions of the 29 and 629 concurrently.

If you do not want full lug then seek out the following standard barrel models.

29-5 or 29-6 in 4,6 or 8 3/8" barrels
629-3 or 629-4 also with the three barrel lengths.

All listed are full endurance package guns and pre lock/mim. I am also in the opinion they were the top Smith 44 mags.

 

[Texas Star]

I'd opt for a M-629-3 with six-inch barrel. And I already have an as-new Safariland M-29 holster with green suede lining and basketweave stamping.

I once owned a M29-2. Made about 1960, 6.5 inch barrel. Factory target stocks, probably Cokes, smooth rosewood. It shot astoundingly well. And it was gorgeous.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

At what dash did both of those models incorporate the full underlug?

In 1987 the first 44 magnum full-lug barrel started out as a new model which S&W had a contest to pick it's name. It became known as the M29 Classic Hunter. Since it was a 29-3 it did not have any of the Endurance features which first came out on the 29-4 in 1988.

Since you don't like full-lugs, don't buy this one.

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Don't buy this one either.
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M629-6 Classic, 5" bbl. with unfluted cylinder
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[t4terrific]

I have seen multiple 629-4's with MIM triggers. I believe it was transitional.

 

[AveragEd]

Don't confuse color-casehardened parts with MIM - the MIM ones look almost black while the others have different colors running through them. My 629-4s both have color-casehardened hammers and triggers.

Ed

 

[lamarw]

Here are pictures of my Model 29 (no dash) and my Model 29-2.

The blued 29 is vintage 1960 with coke stocks and a 6 & 1/2" barrel. The nickel 29-2 is vintage 1975/76 and has a 4" barrel.

 

[Dieseltech56]

I have seen multiple 629-4's with MIM triggers. I believe it was transitional.

You're totally right. Before they switched to full mim for -5 they started phasing in the mim triggers in the last year of -4. You could find a 29-6 out there like this too