Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W Model 29 Favorite Barrel Length

Yes nice wabbit killers! All I have a this time are a 4, 6 and 7.5 inch 629. The 5 inch is my favorite barrel length, best of all worlds.

Mackay good to see you are keeping your hind end safe! Great pics as always!

I don't think Elmer had one, but his son did, IIRC.

I kinda like the 5" as a decent compromise although I don't have one. If I did it should be in a vault.

I have two 4 screw Mod 29's a 4" & a 6" ,carried the 4" for several years but now carry and shoot a 3" 629. Most likely my favorite. --- Mel

Elkhunter76,

It sounds like you have a seriously nice collection of Stainless S&W .44s. Thank you by the way, I am still working away in the desert. I have a couple of interesting pics from today, though completely off topic.

We were out doing our thing and a toddler approaches totally unafraid and crawls right up in my lap in my vehicle and proceeds to play with everything I am wearing and everything in my vehicle. Cute kid, typical boy, going for the things he should not play with right off the bat. Made me wish badly to be home playing with my daughter. I gave him a couple of Jolly Rancher hard candies and made a buddy.

Sand storm coming in.

To the OP,
I apologize for going so far off topic. I am a certified .44 nut by the way.

I'm on my 3rd 629. Have owned a 8-3/8", 5" full lug, and presently have a 4" Mtn. gun. The 4" is my favorite of 'em all. I put Pachmeyer round butt grips on it. It's the most "shootable" of the bunch.
Virgil B.

I don't use my M29 for hunting but more for just a general carry gun while in the woods. I used to have a 6.5" but switched to a 4" Mountain Gun. Much nicer for carrying but much more recoil with full loads but considering that I carry it a lot more then I shoot it I'll take the extra recoil.

Though I'm not a real accomplished handgunner, for what my 2 cents are worth, I like the 5" on my 629 a great deal. It's a good compromise. Also have to echo going to Milt Sparks for a holster. I'm well pleased with both.

How'd you get them all to line up like that so you could shoot em?

which? the sights or the rabbits?

Hello
I Prefer the 4" length. Long enough to take Game, Yet short enough to carry comfortable. I use a factory S&W shoulder rig to carry mine when Hunting.. Thegeneral.

Guess my first question would be what are you going to shoot for loads? If it is mostly 1100 fps and less a 4" is sure nice...but in the .44 Magnum full loads in the 4" gun get "old" real quick.

My favorite 29 was the 6.5" original 1/2 lug configuration. Never cared for the full lug guns until I shot a friends 629 5". The gun was an original 6" no- pinned/recessed gun that was only made the first year of production. My friend had the barrel chopped to 5" but the smith who did the work, while an excellent rifle smith, didn't really make the gun look like an original S&W...so it never got shot much. About 15 years later my friend called the factory to have his gun put back to original but just asked.. "You don't have any 5" barrels do you...?"....and they did. One left from a special run of full underlug barrels that had been Mag-Na-Ported. But the full underlug never balanced for him but he loved my 629-2 Mountain Revolver so we traded...









I have it and a 629-5 Mountain Gun for .44s left just having sold my last 29-2 6.5". I don't shoot .44 Magnum much since I love the .41 Magnum but keep these two around...

Bob

So far things have boiled down to two issues.

1. The gun has been back at Smith for two weeks and they haven't decided yet, what they want to do about it.

2. Model 29's went out of production some time ago. It appears that all they have on hand are the 6-1/2" blue, half lug barrels they are putting on the "Classic" 29's.

If all I can do is keep my 8-3/8",(hopefully pinned this time), or switch to the 6-1/2" half lug I'll probably beat my head against the wall and then flip a coin.

If that comes up for the 6-1/2" I'll still want that pinned plus getting my 8-3/8" back.

twodogs that sounds like a deal to go with!

Mackay over the years I have had several 29's and 629's. Had a BBQ gun like General Stuart posted, but it was a bit too shiny for my tastes. Had an 8 3/8" 29 like twogdogs is having issues with. Traded it for a 6" Stainless 29 that was a piece of junk new from the factory. It was severely out of time new in the box. It got sent back and then traded. The only 29 I really regret losing was a 4" P&R I sold to my brother with the understanding that IF he ever decided to sell it it was to come back to me. Jackass got in a bind and sold it to a pawn shop! We don't talk much anymore......among other reasons.

BTW great pictures. Kids are kids everywhere. Too bad those youngsters have had to suffer the idiocy of tyrants.

...your one "problem" to getting a pinned barrel is not having a "pinned" frame... I doubt S&W would drill your frame just to put in a pin...but that sure would be nice...

Have you ever thought about just selling this one when it comes back and then buying exactly what you want?


Bob

I've never really considered selling it and never thought that there may be a problem getting this one pinned. This whole deal was supposed to be, send it in, decide what to have done, do it.

So far I haven't gotten past the "send it in" part. I guess I thought that they'd do anything, within reason, under their lifetime warranty. It may get put to the test on this.

I do expect to have to pay a fair price for anything over and above that.

Not only should they pin it, they should give you a factory action job and at least 1/4 coverage engraving for your trouble. Although I'm not sure if they engrave SS.

I've got a nickel 8 3/8th 29-2 bought in '78, a 629 Mountain Gun in '92, and a 57 4-in. in '08. I need more N-frames. Sure would like a nickeled 29-2 like Gen. Stuart's.

..I have never heard of a post-1981 crush fit barrel unscrewing before... I have several, mostly Mountain Guns, and they are some of the best shooting Smiths I have ever owned.

Bob

I have both the 4 and 6 inch Model 629. My favorite barrel length is 4 inch

Well, Snit,

Here's the way it's shaking out. Smith says the barrel is straight and lines up with the frame top ribs "within their production specs". PLUS, they aren't set up to drill and pin barrels anymore.

I mentioned that I am willing to pay for a new barrel installation if that were an option.

The rep confirmed that I can have my barrel removed and a 6-1/2" half lug installed BUT, there would be little or no chance that the new barrel bluing would match the old frame. It may be close but no guarantee. His recommendation was that he would leave it as is, regardless who would be paying for it.

While I wouldn't compare it to any of generalstewart's beauties, it does have its own features. I've got both sets of the factory grips for it, the regular checkered and the smooth, grooved, combat grips. It doesn't have a mark on it except for the cylinder stop drag marks and, being a -3, it really isn't as valuable as the -1 or -2 series.

I believe I'm on the brink of having them send me the shop report, stating the barrel to frame match is per their specs and just leaving the original barrel on it.

Much ado about nothing?