S&W model 29

R

Rothdel

New member
my gun store knows me well.

They just got in a model 29 7 inch barrel (I think) blued.

Gun looks pristine with box and paperwork. It has rubber grips that have the S&W seal that the owner of the shop says are original from the 70's when the gun was made. Lock up is tight and after performing most of the Used revolver tests cant see any issues with it.

I love Rugers and have more than I need but only have a few new S&W in the stable so far from an expert.

Price on this is $660 out the door..... Ball park?
 
If the gun is from the '70s, the barrel should be 6.5" or 6", depending on when in the '70s.
I'd expect a '70s gun to have wood "target" grips; rubber grips are '90s.
 
was concerned about that on the Grips. I didn't know enough to be sure but thought it was odd.

Barrel might have been 6 inches. I only had a few minutes to look while I was on lunch. I know it was significantly longer than 4.
 
If it has a recessed cylinder and pinned barrel, it's pre '82. If it's a P&R, and in nice shape, I'd buy it and worry about the grips later. If you do buy it look under the grips for rust. $660's a great price for a decent pre '82 M29.
 
My late '70s had 6.5"barrel with those terrible wood grips which I changed to Pachmyer rubber which I've had ever since .Many Silhouette matches taught me how to shoot it then paid for itself in venison!!.Sometime about 1980 they changed the forcing cone which I had them do. Front sight I changed to plain ramp as I did the serious silhouette shooters . After all those years I think I can call it a keeper ! :D
 
Near the end of the P&R era S&W started using non recessed cylinders and unpinned barrels on some guns as they ran out of the parts they should have used. About half of the 25-5s with 4" barrels I have seen are unpinned but they should have pins. After 1978 all S&Ws went to 6" replacing the models that had been 6.5".

If this gun has a late serial, like N800,000 or higher it may be one of these transitional models. Wood Target stocks would have been correct as would a 6" at that time.
 
Unless you have documentation stating the gun is in the same condition that it left the factory, using the grip type, style, size, etc., is of NO concrete use when dating a pistol.

Owners change grips all the time. You cannot, with authority date a gun by the grips alone. The best you can do, accurately, is determine when the grips were first sold on the market, and then date the GRIPS on the gun to sometime After that.

Once could easily fine grips from "the 90s" on a 50's vintage gun.

When S&W stopped pinning barrels and recessing chambers (on their magnum models) (approx. 1982), it did not happen all at once on all models. And it wasn't a "use the old parts until they are gone, then use the new parts" thing. Both were used concurrently, until the existing supply of old parts was used up.

So you can find every possible combination, and they are all factory original.

$660 on ANY FUNCTIONAL S&W N frame with some degree of decent finish is a bargain these days. JUMP ON IT!!!
 
Do you know the dash number or the serial number? This link may be of some help.

My Model 29 is a later version at being a 29-5 model. One cool feature is the cylinder has no flutes. The -5 places mine at post 1990 or relatively new for the Model 29. Mine has the S&W Rubber Grips (actually a one piece) and I want to say Hogue made those grips for S&W. I did find and place wood on the gun, shot it once and went back to the rubber. :) When I die the wife can sell the gun with wood and rubber. While not a horror the gun with the rubber grips and full loads is not bad at all shooting, the wood tends to sting a little.

For the price you mention if the gun looks good and feels good (mechanically sound) I would be all over it for the price. :)

Ron
 
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