ACE10000D
Member
I have this same model, serial number, serial number BEZ6665, and agree with everything RT states.
This Model 29 is a mystery
- Thread starter Jeep 1
- Start date
OP
Ace is yours a fluted cylinder or unfluted cylinder? And is it a round butt?
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daveyc
Member
Sometimes success is right in front of your face, I have a lot of research papers from some of the great Smith and Wesson collectors and Magazine writers and the answer to this one that a lot of people said that it simply had a barrel change or a cylinder change was in Wayne Hazelrigg's Model 629 research pamphlets but I first found it in his personal notes and correspondence between him and others before my dumb*** figured out that the Model 29-5 was the same stage in time as a 629-3 that is categorized in his pamphlet. In some of Wayne's personal notes the product code that he had came up with is 103604, which I can't find in either the 4th or 5th edition of the book of standards
Here is the insert with the answer.
It is number 26 in the upper right hand corner
holy cow, I remember reading that issue of shooting times and I think i still have a copy somewhere... that was just around the time I bought my first 629 classic and i remember dreaming about all of those guns. Do you know if Wayne Hazzelrigg is still around and collecting? is there a resourse to see his 629 research pamphlets? sorry for all the questions, this was just a huge blast from my past
OP
Sadly no Wayne passed away in May of '21 Wayne and I only lived about 15 miles apart and I knew him for the better part of 42 years and he was an all round good guy I have another buddy on here that's hanging around the forums it goes by
Frank44MAG he worked off and on with Wayne in a car dealership for many years Frank and I was able to purchase what Wayne still had in his collection which was not the major original pieces by no means but some pretty cool stuff. I shot many 44 magnums with Wayne and I miss him dearly
He convinced me when I was a young competition shooter to drop my Colt python and get a good L frame Smith 686, some of the best advice ever given to me. I have a large amount of Wayne's original research papers and correspondence between him, Dick Metcalf and Roy Jinks Of which I am very proud to have in my possession and I'm surprised all the time what I find in it. And yes that one picture is taken right out of Wayne's pamphlet I also have the handwritten version.
Tom
Lasr week, I sold an 8 3/8" model 29-5 ("Hostiles", one of the 12 revolvers series from Ellett Bros in 1990) with ser# beginning with "BER." Square butt. Joe
ACE10000D
Member
OP
OK now if we go on the assumption that Wayne Hazelrigg was correct in his pamphlet and it shows there was 3800 of these guns built for Ron Shirks Shooter Supply Distributor In both blue and stainless gun's, that serial number range is from 1989 and 1990 according to the 4th and 5th edition I would say RSSS Distributor took delivery on what they could sell and other distributors wound up ordering the balance of the rest of the round butt frames, which in that configuration may have taken a while because squarebutts were still the norm on long barreled gun's and RT44nut's letter Shows his shipping date to be September 27th, 1994 And some of those distributors could have requested a fluted cylinder with that round butt frame like RT44nut's gun, ACE10000D gun and mine We're all shipped probably as overrun guns by their later release date from their serial number time frame of 1989-1990 so it'll be fun to see how close this turns out to be true when we get some letters done on these guns!
Tom
OP
What I know so far about this Model 29-5, I do not have the box so I do not know the product code, In the Book of Standards I have not found anything product code that I thought it fit.
The serial number BEZ Prefix in the book of Standards shows 1989 however we do not have a shipping date on it.
Also according to the information from a couple Smith and Wesson gurus on this forum,
It is not one of the 9 that was produced for S&WCA in 1994, It does not match up in the serial number group and it has a standard half lug 6 inch barrel instead of the light contour barrel.
Also with having a standard half lug barrel it does not match up with a normal Classic Hunter series gun.
So if you have information please help unravel this mystery!
Tom
I got my letter back from Don Mundell the Smith and Wesson historian and it turns out this gun is quite interesting, and it is not just a simple barrel swap or cylinder swap explanation, that's why I take my time and research out these guns and ask some of you on the forum for your knowledge on these gun's
It turns out that this one is 1 of 31 manufactured in this configuration.
Tom
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If any help... I have a 29-5 6in SB unfluted cyl with box marked classic hunter. SN BFW11xx Product code 101282 Spec.Ord 1099
-don my notes show shipped Feb ' 91
-don my notes show shipped Feb ' 91
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If this was one of Wayne Hazelrigs Mod 29's, Wayne was known to "make up" what he really wanted. Different barrel, different cylinder, round butt a frame, etc. Between he and Dick Metcalf, and begging from Roy Jinks, he made up several to his liking. That picture of the display was the display he presented at the annual S&W meeting held in Quincy Il. I believe he won ths best display with it that year.
OP
Richard,
If you get a chance read the Smith and Wesson letter on this gun it was not Waynes and it is not made up it is 1 of 31 that was produced by Smith and Wesson in this configuration. I'm fully aware of Wayne's artful work with some of the guns. I have in my possession one that I got a letter back from Smith and Wesson on with all the details what he had made up which I will be posting it later on.
Tom
