SW Model 29

I bought my RB 3" 629 in Feb'89 for Carry. These days I mostly shoot .44spl-level handloads with it.

If I were buying one today for any other purpose, I would prefer 6" to 4" (partially because I already own that 3", I suppose) ... but ... a 4" 29 would be a good, handy shooter while still being concealable.

Yeah, I know, no help at all. Sorry 'bout that.

el Godfather said:

I have been considering SW model 29 for a while. Came across the engraved 4” model. I am wondering what you all think about it, especially comparing it with the 6” model.

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They are hard to come by any more and tend to be pricey. Found one you like the price on? What is it to be used for? The 4inch tube works for a lot of things but, it of course depends on what you want out of it?

el Godfather said:

Well I have not found any with good price....just as advertised on the website. Will be used mostly for range and occasional carry in vehicle not on person. May be and may be for some wild boars ruining the fields.

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A "good price" is very subjective. As in if someone is selling one at a price you are willing to pay, that's a good price to you. For carry and range use the 4 inch tube is great for me. For pig it would depend of course on range and skill. The round will certainly drop them if the shooter can do their part. These are VERY highly sought after guns.

I have a 6" and it is a great shooting pistol. Looking for a 4" or possibly 4" in .41 mag.

I sold all of my longer-barrel .44 revolvers and kept my 4" Model 29.

No regrets.

Another 4" lover here, 629 in my case. Just feels right and points nicely for me. Comfortable when sitting/hunting in my deer stands, or vehicles with a hip holster which I prefer over my shoulder holster rigs. Something I can't easily do with my long barreled magnums.

All my N Frame Smiths are longer barrels. 6" 6.5" and 8 3/8" I like the extra weight out front.

Bob

i like the balance of my six inch model 29. i like the accuracy of that non-hole-in-frame gun. i like the availability and diversity of the 44 magnum ammo shot in that gun. i like the looks of the six inch n-frame s&w.

that said, i don't own an n-frame four inch smith. i'm sure i would like that gun just fine, but can't comment on the balance and feel. i do have a four inch k-frame smith and prefer its balance and feel to the six inch k- frame i own.

luck,

murf

If I had a choice of a 4 in. or a 6 in. I would snatch the 4 in. every time. The only advantage I can see to a 6 in. would be a bit more velocity. For me a 4 in. carries and balances much better and is plenty accurate. I own a 7.5 in. Bisley which I really love to shoot but I wouldn't dream of carrying it unless I was starring in a Western movie.

I've had four N frame 44mag's. A 4" 29-2, a 6.5" 629-8 and two 5" 629-8s.

I haven't had one for a few years, my next one will be a Mountain Gun. Unless I catch a smoking deal on a different model, in which case I won't have the funds for the smoking deal on a Mountain Gun I come across the day after inevitably.

I like a 4" for hip carry, in and out of vehicle.
Sights are good enough (or used to be LOL) for me to shoot to 50 yards.
Prefer the standard bbl to the Mountain version.
Prefer square butt.

For a range toy/hunting gun, out to 100 yards..........the 6" gets the nod.

All pre lock, and if in 629, non case hardened hammer/trigger..........which means non "endurance package".
As such, 240 gr and under loads.

A 5" classic might be a nice compromise and be a bit more sturdy.

But to me the N frame look best w half underlug.
Not full.

I've had 4, 6 and 8 3/8" 629s.
6" is the all arounder, if you like popping stuff out to 100 yards.
the 8 3/8 is better for that, and farther..........but is just too long to be worth a darn off the range.
Took one hunting, killed stuff, and went back to 6".

If you're not gonna hip carry, then it proly doesn't matter.
Ideally, one would get three N frames so bbl length not an issue

I split the difference and got a 5”. The velocity could vary more between given guns based on cylinder gap as much as it could barrel. Buy what feels best. A 4” 629 is a big gun. A 6” is a cannon.

My Model 29-5 with a 6" barrel. I used it for accompanying my Ruger 44 Carbine over years of hunting in West Virginia. The rubber grips did tame the sting but even with the original wood grips the gun was not bad at all as to my own felt recoil. It's a 6" only because when I got it maybe 25 plus years ago that's what it was.



Ron

I bought mine as Dirty Harry guns. I soon became a believer that "Dirty Harry" had fists of steel and arms of iron. They are no fun to shoot even when loaded down with 200 grain bullets.These have been in the storage locker for about 2 years and are classified as investments.

My other Smiths are of lesser recoil and the ones I fire most often.

Love my engraved 29:

Many years ago I bought a 629-4 classic 5” and the next year a 629-4 Classic 6.5” power port. Years later I sold the 5” when I needed to pay for a car repair... then a couple years after that I lucked into a 629 Mountain Gun 4”.

The 6.5” full lug is a fistful, with a lot of weight out front to help tame some of the recoil. It still kicks with magnum-weight loads, but it’s not as bad as the other gun. At the range it’s not an issue, but lugging it around on my hip or in a shoulder rig isn’t a lot of fun for a day fishing up in the Sierras.

629 PP:


The Mountain Gun has the lightweight (624-profile) barrel that moves the weight back towards the hands. It does buck more with magnum loads, to the point where I don’t shoot it with full power loads a lot. This is the trade-off that makes this gun a much more pleasant carry gun when full power .44 loads are wanted. It’s not one of the much-easier-to-carry-all-day scandium .44’s, but IMHO those guns are absolutely brutal with full power loads.

629 MG


The standard 29/629 have a slightly heavier barrel so they’re a tad heavier than the MG. A 6” without the full lug will be a large handgun, so if you are looking for an all-a rounder the 4” can carry a bit easier and be passable on the hunt (if legal in your area) and for target shooting. The 6” will give a bit more velocity and a longer sight radius so that’s the way I would go for hunting or trying for as much accuracy bad I can at the range.

Comparison picture:



If you get a good deal on the engraved 4” I would buy it. If it’s premium-priced due to the engraving, I would look for a less ornate gun and save the $$.

Good luck with your search, keep us informed on your choice and how it shoots for you.

Stay safe.

H&R Glock said:

I bought mine as Dirty Harry guns. I soon became a believer that "Dirty Harry" had fists of steel and arms of iron. They are no fun to shoot even when loaded down with 200 grain bullets.These have been in the storage locker for about 2 years and are classified as investments.
View attachment 942042 View attachment 942043
My other Smiths are of lesser recoil and the ones I fire most often.

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Harry did shoot specials in that cannon!! 5 or 6.. in all the excitement he lost count..

Guess folks have different ideas of fun.
Most of my shooting was done w light bullets max'd out on WW296 or similar.
Fireballs, not bad recoil............blast was obnoxious.
The longer bbls actually worse.

But now that I'm older w arthritis, I dislike boomers, be they handgun or rifle.
Blast is rather annoying now too.

Younger..............I burned a fair bit of .44 mag ammo.
Worked very well on groundhogs.
They're kinda tough critters.
Had 4 diff Smiths and 4 diff Rugers.

None now.

None for some time (a decade?).
Have not seen a 629-3 or older at good price.

Might buy one just because.

I suppose............I could shoot more mild loads. Dunno.
Everything I shot, 180, 200, 240 and 255 gr............was max'd.

Kinda like driving a hot car.

Fun, but maybe a young man's sport.

The Smiths are so nice, just having one is good enough.
Even if ya aint gonna shoot it.
They are that cool.
But if magnums not ones thing, a diet of specials is still cool.

Hookeye said:

The Smiths are so nice, just having one is good enough.
Even if ya aint gonna shoot it.
They are that cool.
But if magnums not ones thing, a diet of specials is still cool.

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I shoot .44 Spl. to .44 Mag. at about a 5-1 ratio... maybe more. Same goes for mid-range .44 Mag vs full house .44 magnums. The full house loads are cool, but my range time is so limited now I am getting more and more into the milder rounds.

Stay safe.

the 4" gun is no fun at all with standard velocity magnums. the 6" is ok but would probably be noticeably better with a full lug.

I like 6" barrel revolvers for shooting magnum loads but a 4" version would be easier to carry.

For a long time, 30-40 years, I had no use for the 8-3/8" S&W revolvers but I bought one to round out a collection of Model 25-5's and I was hooked. Again, not convenient for carry. I've accumulated a number of 8-3/8" S&W revolvers in various cartridges. The long barreled revolvers are fun to shoot at the range.

I have a 4" S&W Model 69 and it has never had a magnum round through it. I could handle it but it would not be pleasant. I generally shoot loads that are slightly hotter than 44 Special loads loaded in 44 Magnum cases. The N-frame revolvers are heftier than the L-frame Model 69 so it probably be more pleasant to shoot magnum loads than the Model 69.

My Model 29/629's are all 6" or longer barrels.

I guess, I'm not much help.

I had a 6" 29 classic, full underlug and bull cylinder. It was a dream to shoot and I practically wore it out. It was a big gun that I put up with in a holster because it was so intuitive to shoot. If I get another one it's going to be 4" or 5" with a heavy bias for the 4". But I loved my 6".....