Would an appreciate a little info on 4” pre model 29

[DARE]

Think the Red Ramp sight was standard on the .44 Magnum. There were one or two 44s that shipped in 1955, but think most people agree 1956 was the 1st year for the gun.
The .357 Combat Magnum was also introduced in 1956. Again, there were one or two that shipped in 1955. Most of the Combat Magnums did not have the Red Ramp sight, but a few did. Think Bill Jordan's gun that shipped in January 1956 had one.
If you see one that is orange I think it is just the lighting. Don't think S&W made any that were orange.
Not aware of any earlier guns that had the Red Ramp, so I would say 1956.

 

[SS336]

The stocks on the OP's M29 are fabulous. I might have bought it just for those.

 

[Gun Relics]

They do look like KB grips and KB Cola is better than Coca Cola!

 

[DARE]

If RKmesa says they are KB I think you can take that to the bank. They are beautiful with fantastic figure.

 

[CKPOMEH]

I did a side by side photo comparison so the readers can see the difference between an original finish and a refinished gun.

On the left are photos of my one and only 5 screw, similar serial number range as OP .44. My gun in not pristine, maybe a 95% condition with some wear due to holstering and handling, but it's original. You can clearly see the difference in sharpness of stamping and finish.

I sure hope this helps and is of educational interest, because it took a while to do it!


View attachment 794514

This is super super helpful - thank you for posting this - I actually printed and saved in my photos for future reference.

Should we expect all stamping to be lighter as in the 5 screw gun shown here? I have a couple of 5 screw N frames myself and they have indeed that very distinct and lighter stamping. I have plenty from the 70s (-2 models) and they are not as prominent - even the ones I am sure are original do not have quite the crispiness of those older ones. Is this a function of time (different processes, etc), so therefore expect an original S&W from the 70s to be somewhere in the middle, or shall I expect same level?

Kind of like the Browning HPs - the older ones from the 60-70s (T, C series) lettering is visibly thinner than the 'Assembled in Portugal' ones from the 90s..

Also, the note on the frame around the plate rounded off was very helpful as well....I think someone else had added that.

I know now I have at least one M28 that is refinished and I suspect a couple of more I will inspect more closely....

 

[Clayguy]

I picked this revolver up a couple of weeks ago, love it. 5-screw, 55-56?? I know the grips are not correct, but they are cool. I assume it should have a set of cokes. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

The grips are awesome!

 

[jcelect]

I do believe the OPs grips were done by KB!

This is a miniature set on my mod 35.

 

[Gun Relics]

Think the Red Ramp sight was standard on the .44 Magnum. There were one or two 44s that shipped in 1955, but think most people agree 1956 was the 1st year for the gun.
The .357 Combat Magnum was also introduced in 1956. Again, there were one or two that shipped in 1955. Most of the Combat Magnums did not have the Red Ramp sight, but a few did. Think Bill Jordan's gun that shipped in January 1956 had one.
If you see one that is orange I think it is just the lighting. Don't think S&W made any that were orange.
Not aware of any earlier guns that had the Red Ramp, so I would say 1956.

Here's the earliest ad I have for it - April 1956 from the American Rifleman magazine. (I don't know that I've seen a case with the logo stamped on the inside like this):