Range report: 629, cyl unlocked!! w/pics

[KoiBoy]

Interesting post, I just bought a 629. The gunshop ordered it so I guess it is this years model. I haven't picked it up yet cause the paperwork aint back yet. My main question is: Is it correct to say that the new 629 guns have all the upgrades already?? Next question is: The gun I bought has Hogue grips but it sounds like most guys prefer the Decelerators?? Are they softer/more recoil absorbing?? I thought the Hogues fit my hand pretty well and felt good to hold...but of course holding it and shooting it is two different things. Finally, I have had the unlocking thing happen with my 686+ and it seemed to "correct itself" at my range. I thought it must be dirt because it happened after alot of rounds. So, my question is how many rounds do you fellas usually fire before a full blown real good cleaning needs to happen???

I think the Hogue grips are great and as long as you keep a firm grip the felt recoil is no problem.

 

[KoiBoy]

The factory investigated this problem with the then new 500! It happens to me when I shoot the 500(everytime) but not with my 10 5/8" barrel preendurance package mod 29 and very hot loads and a very light trigger. It is the product of heavy recoil movement to the rear, i.e.; short barrels, heavy bullets, and large charges of powder!
The factory found the problem is not the guns, it is the shooter! Some people use what is referred to as a "light hold"! What this means is the shooter relaxes his trigger finger immediately when the shot goes off. Then under the movement produced by the recoil the shooter slaps the trigger again with enough force to unlatch the cylinder. The force required to do this is very little!
jcelect SWCA#LM723

In addition to the cylinder apparently unlocking the hammer on my 629 Classic 5" stopped working as well - the trigger would pull to the rear completely but the hammer would not move to the rear simultaneaously, but I could still hear a "click" from the firing pin. Anyone else have this happen?

 

[Malamute]

The picture looks like the grips don't fit well at the top left edge of the frame. I've found that when the grips either hang past the frame, or don't come completely even, the grips are uncomfortable to shoot in 44's with heavy loads. Most older (1950's) Smiths had very good fitting grips in that regard. I noticed the difference when handling various guns and copied the fit in several areas and improved the feel of later factory grips. Several people have handled my guns after that and commented that my grips were the best feeling factory grips they'd ever handled. I just copied the earlier fit and profile (I also took the squarish feel from the grips on the front lower edge and the rear all the way up and down the grips). Getting a real good transition from the frame to the grips is a part of the feel tho. Any amount of frame coming out past the grips right there is transmitted directly into your hand. The first thought I had when you mentioned the hand bleeding was the grip fit right in that spot. On one 29, no factory grip I tried would come even with that spot, so I filed the frame down to fit the grips, and it's been comfortable to shoot since. It was just a factory polishing glitch. You could see that the frame was uneven from side to side at that spot.

I'd throw in with the "need a new or heavier hand spring" regarding the cylinder unlocking. I've shot mostly older 29's and never had it happen. None have ever had heavier springs in them. The factory upgrade may be nice to have, but you may not really need it.


The trigger not cocking the hammer on someone elses gun may be a cleaning/crud issue. If you very carefully cycle the trigger action and not let it move all the way forward before pulling it again, you can get the cylinder to rotate, but not cock the hammer. Your trigger return spring may be weak also. Well meaning action jobs can compromise this function with lighter or cut down springs. A good careful hand polish action job should give a silky feel with standard weight springs. Cutting springs or lighter springs isn't an "action job" as seems to be the thought at times.