Cool new Model 29

[Eddietruett]

Picked up this neat Model 29-3 Silhouette last week. 10 3/8” Barrel with the adjustable front sight. First one I’ve ever seen in person. Looks to have never been fired. I just wish S&W had produced a Model 27 with the same configuration.

 

[adcoch1]

Bet that is a dream to shoot. I cut my teeth on a 29 6.5", but the longer barrel would make it even softer for those long range shots, especially in DA. That's beautiful...

 

[Drail]

Should come with a bipod.........

 

[GBExpat]

I seem to recall Lt.Speer (Clint Eastwood) pulling one of those out of his pants in City Heat.

 

[Slamfire]

Heard of them, never seen one in person. Interesting pistol.

 

[Riomouse911]

I remember when the 4-position front sights came out on their long barrelled silhouette pistols (back in the 1980’s) I saw a new one in a gun store case in .357 that looked like a 686, but I never fired one to see what the adjustable front sight could do.

Pretty gun!

Stay safe

 

[Drail]

The front sight has click stops and you would adjust the elevation for 50, 100, 150, and 200 yards. When you got to the line you started at 50 then rotated the mechanism how ever many clicks it needs for 100, 150, 200. Takes the guess work out of the elevation part. But you still got winds out at 150 and 200 to deal with. It takes a lot of skill and practice.

 

[.308 Norma]

I seem to recall Lt.Speer (Clint Eastwood) pulling one of those out of his pants in City Heat.

Yeah, that was a funny scene. But the gun Clint pulled out of his pants was a single action of some type - probably a made for Hollywood "Buntline Special."

 

[hq]

Oh the memories. During the silhouette shooting boom in the 80's they were everywhere, and then they just suddenly vanished. Back then the S&W importer did a great job supporting all kinds of shooting sports, too.

I think I've only seen 3-4 during last few years and no-one seems to want them anymore. Building a hunting revolver out of one might be an idea?

 

[Pat Riot]

I am envious. I have never seen one in person. Congrats

 

[daverich4]

Unfluted cylinder version. Bought it new in the late 80's and still have it.

 

[Drail]

THAT'S a nice Model 29.

 

[The Evangelist Cowboy]

The Model 29, to me, is the absolute pinnacle of beauty in a gun to me. Love pythons and SAAs but man if I could only have one the 29 would be my choice.

 

[Eddietruett]

I remember when the 4-position front sights came out on their long barrelled silhouette pistols (back in the 1980’s) I saw a new one in a gun store case in .357 that looked like a 686, but I never fired one to see what the adjustable front sight could do.

Pretty gun!

Stay safe

They did make a Model 686 and a 586 Silhouette with the adjustable front sight. My dream gun would be a Model 27 Silhouette.

 

[adcoch1]

Unfluted cylinder version. Bought it new in the late 80's and still have it.View attachment 813898

Put the standard front sight on it and it would be the twin of my first revolver... That is awesome...

 

[Eddietruett]

Unfluted cylinder version. Bought it new in the late 80's and still have it.View attachment 813898

I do like an unfluted cylinder for some reason. the only unfluted gun I have at the present is a Model 60 Stainless Chiefs Special with an unfluted cylinder. One of 500 produced in 1989 for Michigan Police Supply. Maybe its because you don't see many unfluted guns, but I think they are really cool looking

 

[Eddietruett]

Unfluted cylinder version. Bought it new in the late 80's and still have it.View attachment 813898

Is that a Model 586? Maybe its just the picture, but frame does not look as big as a Model 29. Also looks like a 6" Barrel? I've never seen an adjustable front sight except on 8 3/8" guns with the lone exception the Model 29 Silhouette with the 10 3/8" Barrel.

 

[Riomouse911]

They did make a Model 686 and a 586 Silhouette with the adjustable front sight. My dream gun would be a Model 27 Silhouette.

That’s what I thought. I was a high school aged kid when I remember seeing the gun... I always remembered reading articles on silhouette and the energy it took for the 200 meter rams to fall. Seeing the .357 with the 4-position silhouette sight made me wonder whether the .357 had the whack to topple the 50lb rams...

Neat pieces of handgun technology and history, too.

Stay safe!

 

[cfullgraf]

Seeing the .357 with the 4-position silhouette sight made me wonder whether the .357 had the whack to topple the 50lb rams...

I started shooting IHMSA Handgun Silhouette in the 1980s with a Model 19 and then later a 10" Contender, both 357 Magnum. As long as the ram was properly placed and as long as you hit the upper 2/3's of the body of the ram, it would topple. Leg hits or low body hits were less than successful.

After I stopped shooting silhouette competitions, the bullet manufacturers began selling 180 grain plus bullets for silhouette. The heavier bullet delivering higher momentum would probably be more successful toppling the ram with less than optimal hits.

 

[Riomouse911]

I can sure see the margin for error being pretty slim with the .357 shooting the 158 gr. when compared to the .41/.44 or the .357 max with the 180 gr.

I shoot lots of rimfire silhouette (nothing sanctioned) using not only the four usual targets but some bison, cowboy, raven and bear silhouettes too. The bison and bear are impossible to knock over with a .22 Lr without a clean upper-body hit like you describe the rams need with the .357. (.22 mag flattens them all!)

Stay safe!

 

[GERALD BEER1]

I live in upstate NY and have a 29-3 S&W 6" as shown in a photo above. I have participated in .22 steel shoots but would dearly love to attend/ shoot in a full size silhouette shoot. Does anyone know where this can be done within a reasonable drive from Albany NY?

 

[ClemY]

It doesn't appear to have the endurance package installed that Smith & Wesson came up with to improve durability for those people who were beating them to death with max and above max loads. You could call the factory and they could tell from your serial number if it got the treatment. The treatment included lengthening the cylinder stop notches and putting in a heat treated yoke among other things.

 

[reddog81]

That's an impressive revolver. I'm not actively looking for another model 29 but if I saw one of those for sale locally I'm not sure I'd be able to pass it up. What's the going rate on one of those? $1250?

 

[Tallball]

Great find!

 

[375supermag]

They did make a Model 686 and a 586 Silhouette with the adjustable front sight. My dream gun would be a Model 27 Silhouette.

Hi...
I was at the gun club today shooting my 686 Silhouette Model along with a handful of other .357Mag revolvers.
My son and I were shooting my preferred target/plinking/general purpose load of 158gr commercial cast LSWC over 9.8gr of Blue Dot. This load delivers fine accuracy in my revolvers. It also works well with Hornady 158gr HP/XTP bullets as well.
If you can find one of the Silhouette Model S&W revolvers, I think you will find them to be quite accurate. The front sight adjustments are very repeatable and quite useful for longer range shooting out to 200yds.
I wasn't shooting at long range today but my Silhouette Model 686 will regularly hit a 8" gong at 200yds with 158gr and 180gr reloads(not the load I referenced earlier) when I do my part. I need to shoot it more often at long range for groups on paper. My shooting at 200yds is typically done just to show a couple of club members that they are wrong when they say you can't hit anything at long range with a handgun.