s&w 29 ?

[Fat Boy]

This is a model 29 - blue steel, full underlug, 4" barrel, sights are red insert ramp front, white outline rear with a round butt frame and what appear to be laminate wood grips, smooth with finger-grooves. The front of the cylinder appears to be chamfered. It is not stamped as a classic, or anything else. I am trying to learn more about this gun; it is tagged by the selling store as a 29-3, but I cannot ID it as such on other research. Maybe it is a 29-5?

I love the feel and look of this gun, and may be looking to buy it, but want to be sure on a couple of issues

My questions have to do with the fact that some gun scribes think the 29-3 was a departure from better quality, prior model guns, and it took a couple of generations to get some of that quality back. So if it is 29-3 as opposed to a 29-5, is that a bad thing? Or vice-versa?

I did, BTW look inside the crane area of the frame, and can't recall exactly which edition it was. So, I am asking if anyone can assist with information on this one. If you have a picture, that would be nice.

Thanks!

 

[Oro]

1) I do not recall a 29-3 with a 4" full lugged barrel.

2) A 29-3 should not have round grips unless also a short (3") barrel. If you swing out the cylinder, the model and engineering variant are stamped there in the yoke cut. Take another look.

I am guessing what you are looking at is a 5" Classic DX? Are you measuring the barrel correctly - from the front of the cylinder face to the muzzle? Otherwise they measure about 1" too short and a 5" will measure as a 4". Also, I think these guns shipped originally with the 2nd generation factory finger-groove combat grips. These were made of Morado wood and were darker, less highly finished and less figured than the prior Goncalo Alves ones, but they were not laminate - that is, assuming they are the original grips and not replacements. If I am right (and really only photos can tell), the store has mis-identified the gun as a 4" 29-3 and it is actually a 29-5 5" DX, they have also likely mis-priced it too cheaply.

some gun scribes think the 29-3 was a departure from better quality, prior model guns, and it took a couple of generations to get some of that quality back.

And there are people who think cars have been ruined ever since the automatic transmission was invented. The 29-3 was the first generation of S&W guns to have non-pinned barrels, and non-recessed cylinders on magnum (and they were only ever on magnum) calibers. This has nothing to do with quality, only old features some people don't understand fully. The actual quality of S&W guns took a big turn for the better at that time as new machinery and better management practices corrected some gross laxity and poor quality control that was common from the very late 1960s up to about 1980.

I would buy a 29-3 or 29-5 without fear of any lurking quality issue, but then that statement is no substitute for actually thoroughly checking out the individual gun.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

I find noting wrong with the 29-3 guns. I bought this one new in the mid 1980's. It had a 6" barrel originally. Several years ago I did a barrel transplant to a 4". It has served me well and will keep doing so.

 

[cyclopsshooter]