Model 29 best and worst model or years?

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Great question! I don't have the answer but am subscribing to this thread in hopes of learning about one of my favorite Smiths.
 
This should be an interesting thread, I'll throw my opinion in. Original pre 29's and early model 29's are some of the best finished and well put together S&W's ever made IMO. But if you plan on lot's of shooting then no, dash 2's are nice as well (love that 6.5" barrel) but alas they are also not made for lot's of magnum shooting. Now with the dash 3's we lose P&R, no loss for some a major loss for others, also not a long lived magnum shooter. By now we're in the late 80's and S&W has heard of the "weakness" of the 29 and has begun to take steps to strengthen the platform resulting in the stream of dash #'d models of the 90's, these 29's while nowhere near as well finished as the original 50's/60's guns are much more long lived as magnum shooters.
Honestly it really depends on what you plan on doing with a model 29, collector? Pre or early no question, Dirty Harry? 6.5" dash 2 no question. A Shooter? post endurance pkg gun. Just my 2 cents...
 
I would say that the low point of 29s had to be the -3. Loss of P&R and the finishes not quite as nice as 29-2 and older. The -4 thru -6 had the endurance upgrades, so I rate them better than the -3. Also, after -6 the MIM (cast) parts (hammer & trigger) come into being, and I personally don't like them, although others find no fault in them. So IMHO, to rate the 29s, it would go something like this:
1. 29-1 and older
2. 29-2
3. 29-5
4. 29-4 & -6
5. 29-3
Not a thing wrong with the 29-3s (I have a few), but the above are my personal preferences.
 
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I think Nframe357 gave a very good answer, especially for the different reasons stated.

I would have to agree with toroflow's number order in general.
 
The best 44 Magnums from a fit and finish perspective are the ones made and shipped in 1956. Since this was the first year for this model, S&W did an extra special job of polishing and fitting each gun. The early guns also hold up well when used with Elmer Keith's recommended 44 Magnum load.

Strictly from a shooting point of view, the Model 29 with the endurance package (1989) and later model variations (yes, even the Model 29-10 with the internal lock) are superior to the earlier ones.

Bill
 
For my purposes, I most enjoy looking for (and sometimes finding :o ) a nice 29-2 made up through the late-60s, but others have pointed out logical reasons why earlier, and later, guns have desirable characteristics.

If I wore the gun everyday and had need to use it with real 44 Magnum loads, I would be looking for a 29-5, with the standard barrel profile, or a similar 629, probably a 629-3, or even a 629-4, since some of those can be found with square-butt frames.

Some time ago I quit using 44 Magnum loads with >275-grain bullets. 29-2s will handle these reasonably well, but I think they are right on the edge for most 29-2s that I have. The improvements in the later guns do seem to be effective. Since these guns are usually not finished quite as nicely, they are logical candidates for holstering.

I do not care for the Python-type barrel of the Classic guns, but admit it does make them nice to shoot when firing more than 25 rounds or so in a short period of time. I also do not care for round-butt guns, which just seem inappropriate for a belt gun, and needlessly complicate the stock making process - unless one wants an enclosed backstrap.
 
My model 29 experiences....

All mine are from the early to late 1970s.
My 1975 61/2" blue had iffy timing but was super accurate.

My 1976 83/8" that I used for IHMSA was very accurate but went out of time. I sent it to S&W and told them what it was used for.
Whatever they did worked great and I never had another problem after about 2,000 rounds of Sierra 240gr.jhp and 24 gr. of WW 296.

In 1977 29s were like hens teeth and a friendly dealer/distributor offered me a 61/2" blue. We opened the box and the bluing was awful as were the grips.
He got another out and it was the same. The third time was the charm - a beauty.

My 1980 m629 also went out of time and was returned. When i got it back the windage sight had to be moved all the way to the right.

The first 29s had a cylinder bolt that would back out and jam the gun, and the fix was reversing the thread which became 29-1.
 
I've only owned one M29. My preference is toward M57/M58s however. My guys presented me this M29-2 cira 1972 when I left Fort Campbell just before I retired. It has taken one 250 lb hog in NC with 240 LSWC reload.

29_with_tanto_left_side.jpeg


CD
 
Great Timing!

Wow, great timing guys! I was just about to ask the forum about a purchase I almost made this weekend at a Central Florida gun show, and this thread may just answer my question.

I was window shopping for a Model 29, and I stumbled across one vendor that had a couple of Colt Pythons (6" bbl blue and 6" bbl nickel) and a blued Model 29-3 (6"). He was asking $1100 and $1200 for the Pythons- which seems to be about the going price these days. However, he was only asking $575 for the 29-3. It was ~95%+, and seemed smooth enough and tight (came with the standard S&W blue plastic case). I was really second guessing myself for not picking it up even though it probably would have resulted in a divorce. But after reading several different Model 29 threads, now I think I'll hold off until I find a nice 29-1 or 29-2. I'm kind of partial to P&R.
 
Hawg Rider said:
Wow, great timing guys! I was just about to ask the forum about a purchase I almost made this weekend at a Central Florida gun show, and this thread may just answer my question.

I was window shopping for a Model 29, and I stumbled across one vendor that had a couple of Colt Pythons (6" bbl blue and 6" bbl nickel) and a blued Model 29-3 (6"). He was asking $1100 and $1200 for the Pythons- which seems to be about the going price these days. However, he was only asking $575 for the 29-3.
Click to expand...

Where about was this person? I recall seeing 2-3 vendors with Pythons and a Model 29, but not with the prices you mentioned. Did you go Saturday or Sunday. I am wondering if you went Sunday and it was the same guy I saw but he lowered his prices due to it being the last day.
 
despain said:
I have 29-3 serial # ACY8xxx wonder if late enough for endurance package???? this revolver never fired ..
Click to expand...

I believe the -3's with the endurance pkg were marked -3E. The -4 is the first model to have all of the endurance upgrades.

Back to the OP
Just for looking at, the 5 screw pre-models are by far the nicest. I have shot a gazillion rounds through my original 29 which is a -3 with no issues; however, I will say most of them have been more along the lines of a hot 44spl load. On that same note, since I dont really shoot hot magnum loads anymore I prefer the 60's vintage -2's for finish and reliable shooting.
 
I can tell you from my experience that I was purchasing model 29-2s in the late 70s and they had gone to a bluing process where the frames were one shade of blue and the barrels and cylinders were another.
I also saw a few that came through from the factory that had "push off".
The 29-3s were ok with the bluing but the fit and polishing was less than the model 29-2s.
I think that a general way of looking at it is that as time went on, the quality fell due to production costs.
 
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