Anyone remember the S&W model 29 "silhouette"?

[RDCL]

It seems there is not much discussion on this 10 5/8" barreled monster!

I bought one back in '84, but I ended up selling it in '92 and used the funds to buy a 629 classic. I have to say I miss it and am STILL kicking myself.

My guess is that guys silhouette shooting in those days already had their guns of choice before S&W tried to get into that market and mostly preferred the Thompson Center contender for that sport. I've also heard over the years that the model 29 silhouette was a failure (in sales) for Smith & Wesson because the model 29 market just hated the idea of such a long barrel on this model.
Even back then I remember guys at the range with their own model 29's saying to me: "Why on EARTH did you get such a long barrel?"

Well.....I do not consider the model 29 a "carry gun"....in ANY barrel length. The .44 mag round IMHO is much too difficult to control in a self defense situation under extreme stress. Yes, one could use a lighter load for self defense.....but then at that point....why even carry a model 29 at all and not a 1911 .45 instead?


I guess what I'm getting at.....is that I never understood the unpopularity of long barreled model 29's. Are their any owners or former owners like myself that loved the 10 5/8" silhouette?

Also...does anyone have a rough guess on how many were produced?


Russ

 

[unspellable]

S&W Silhouette

Let's separate single shot pistols and revolvers. Back in the day, Dan Wesson completely dominated the silhouette revolver picture. The remainder of the revolver picture consisted of Ruger, et al. , but not S&W. The S&W silhouette revolver was an attempt to break in on that market that failed due to the S&W's relative delicacy. The S&W simply would not stand up to a steady diet of full house loads at the rate any serious silhouette shooter would be running. And we do mean full house. After the price limitations on revolvers were lifted a cost is no object single action became big in the sport.
(Be it shooting, car racing, or what have you, attempts to hold down the cost of equipment in any sport never last and it becomes a money game.)

As a field revolver, the S&W will hold up. But then it's down to a question of who is partial to a 10" barrel, and not many are. For a S&W 29 for field use, I'm partial to a 6.5" barrel myself.

 

[RDCL]

I thought this post vanished days ago

Anyway, yes....as I stated I did buy a spanking new "silhouette" 29 back in the mid '80's and I'll agree with you on the guns relative "delicacy". Although I did not fire any where near as many full house magnum loads as silhouette shooters did there were at leat two occasions when the cylinder ejector rod loosened under recoil to the point that the cylinder could NOT be opened with out some serious effort.
My model 629 classic never had any such problems however.
I still loved the revolver and I regret selling it because as a .44 special shooter it was a dream to shoot. Super accurate at long range ( at what could be considered long range for handguns at least.)

Also yes, I'm one of the few partial to long barreled model 29's. I'm still curious as to how many silhouette guns S&W made. I suppose no one will know for sure except S&W sales and marketing of those days.

Russ

 

[Eightball]

The S&W simply would not stand up to a steady diet of full house loads

I hope this is not still the case?

 

[unspellable]

S&W 29 weak points

I've not heard of trouble with the ejector rod un-threading. A number of years back S&W switched to a left handed thread on the ejector rods to prevent this very problem. It should not loosen if properly tightened. At worst, a VERY TINY drop of thread locking compound should fix it.

Some of the 29s experienced bolt unlocking under recoil which allowed the cylinder to rotate before the next shot. S&W fixed this and one or two other minor problems with the "endurance package".

The real Achilles' heel in the S&W design is the manner in which forward travel of the cylinder is limited. The travel is limited by the tail of the yoke tube bearing on the bottom of the cylinder well. The tail of the yoke tube has a relatively small area and gets worn or battered down while wearing a corresponding groove in the bottom of the cylinder well resulting in excessive cylinder end play. S&W did not fix this and I'm puzzled as to why not, as it would be a relatively small design change. In the Model 29 it is alleged that the yoke tail gets special heat treatment to somewhat alleviate this problem. The model 25 does not get this treatment and is notorious for going loose with heavy loads. This is why the loading manuals specify heavy 45 Colt loads for Rugers only. It's not that the S&W won't take the pressure, but that it won't take the slamming back and forth.

 

[Schlittenfahrt]

I bought the Model 29 silhouette revolver on impulse about 13 yrs ago. The dealer had been 'stuck' with it for years and offered it at a price that I just couldn't refuse. "Papa Bear' is aging gracefully in its origional box, along with the sales paperwork.