S & W 29-3, What to expect?

[Joni Lynn]

That one is still a good catch. Does the rear sight have a square front on it or the rounded one?
A photo would be great too.

[gwpercle]

Go find a DVD of a movie called Dirty Harry and one called Magnum Force , fairly realistic of what the model 29 will do .
Watch them...then head to the range.
Gary

[Forrest r]

Very nice!!!
I'd be looking for a wc mold for that 29-3. A 44mag can be just as accurate as a 38spl/wc combo.

If you're looking for range loads/plinking loads you might consider trying clays powder. 6.0gr to 6.5gr of clays paired with any 180gr to 240gr bullet will chew the x-ring out of nra 25gd targets.
6.0gr of clays 200gr wc
[IMG][/IMG]

220gr gc swc h&g #142 and 6.5gr of clays
[IMG][/IMG]
200gr 429303 sp and 6.5gr of clays
[IMG][/IMG]
245gr Migec (503 clone) swc hp's and 6.0gr of clays. Put a scope on a beater 629 and got it on paper. Put up that target and shot 3 shots, gave the scope a couple clicks right and shot 3 more shots. Good enough to test loads so I shot the group on the far left/left target testing that load.
[IMG][/IMG]

For paper punching and bowling pins you don't need full house loads of 296. Heck I'm getting 900fps from that 6.0gr of clays/245gr hpswc load. I can and do use it for 1 handed bullseye matches and for bowling pins.

[Sasquatch-1]

I have a swage die that I run SWC's through and turn them into wadcutters. They work extremely well in my 7.5" Redhawk. I currently do not have any loaded. I have been reloading for 44 for close to 40 years now some I am familiar with it. I currently have enough unique to keep me going for a while. I also have H110/W296 powders and Titegroup for mag num loads.

My main shooting is a 2x4 and bowling pin shoot. I have no problem knocking the pins from the front of the table using 7 grns. of Unique with the 260 grn WC. It also wreaks devastation on the 2x4 (when I hit it.)

GWPercle, I saw Dirty Harry in the theater when it first came out. One of the reasons I wanted the Blued 29 in 6 inch.

[pietro]

.

I bought a new M-29-3, ca.1981, with the 8-3/8" bbl, but it was a factory special that included Millett scope rings and the corresponding machine work on the barrel rib to accept the rings.

It was simply beautiful, with S&W perfect polishing/blueing, and a wonderful trigger.

I bought a Cordua nylon Bianchi 4101 Ranger H.U.S.H. (Hunting shoulder/cross-chest holster), mounted a red dot sight on it, and hunted deer with it for 8 years w/o any issues - but I was shooting only factory 240JSP loads.

When I wanted a more powerful revolver, a decade later, I bought a .454 Ruger Super Redhawk.


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[44man]

I don't think you can harm a S&W unless you shoot boolits too heavy. Even if I don't like the grip, it is a wonderful gun.

[jonp]

A lifetime of enjoyment?

And a huge grin when you pull the trigger.

[LAH]

I shot a 4" M29-3 for 8 years using the Lyman 429421 & 20 grs. of 2400. It shot well as I could hold. Didn't keep a track of the rounds but it did loosen up as I hardly shot anything else during that time frame. Sold it at a gun show. You'll have no trouble with yours.

[skeettx]

With the loads you intend to use, the gun will outlast you!!!
Mike

[Joni Lynn]

Most people should never experience any problems with a 29/629. They're a very well made/designed revolver. The best thing you can do to help shoot these is to get grips that fit your hand really well. Rubber wood, whatever. If the grip is right for you it will transform the gun. Keep it properly lubricated, especially a bit of lube on the extractor star on the ratchet part. Also lube the back of the yoke/crane where it contacts the cylinder with a really good lube.

[44man]

Most people should never experience any problems with a 29/629. They're a very well made/designed revolver. The best thing you can do to help shoot these is to get grips that fit your hand really well. Rubber wood, whatever. If the grip is right for you it will transform the gun. Keep it properly lubricated, especially a bit of lube on the extractor star on the ratchet part. Also lube the back of the yoke/crane where it contacts the cylinder with a really good lube.

Nothing to add but STP my friends---plain old STP.

[Porterhouse]

I don't know how many rounds you folks are talking about but they don't last forever.
My observation;
Yoke end shake & cylinder end shak are the most annoying issue for me.
With older model, cylinder stop spring is weak and sometime it allows cylinder to rotate backwards during recoil. You may have heard but never experienced this. Wait until it actually happens to you during hunting! Yes, you can replace it with stronger spring but then, trigger return gets effected and essentially you have to work on the entire action to balance it.
Forcing cone and top strap elosion are well known facts for magnum revolvers. Have you heard elosion on cylinder face? My M29s established this after a couple of thousands of rounds.
Lastly, a friend of mine and member here told me studs broke after about 100,000rds.
Oh, I almost forgot. With heavy load, cylinder tend to get stuck. I think 44man has good explanation on this but it did happened to me with near max load with 300gr boolits.

[44man]

I solved 29 cylinder stop problems with a tiny lock spring inside the cylinder stop spring. I did locksmith work and have many. Did nothing to trigger pull.
But you must lube a S&W to prevent wear.
Almost every gun brought here is DRY. CLEAN is obsessive. There is no BALANCE it is the S&W trigger pull that is great that runs it all. But you can make the hammer spring stronger and the cylinder stop spring. Trigger is controlled by the spring in the slide. Make it lighter and the trigger will not reset.

[GWM]

That one is still a good catch. Does the rear sight have a square front on it or the rounded one?
A photo would be great too.

The rear sight base has the old square front. I have replaced the front sight, otherwise all original.

[Joni Lynn]

I have the 29-4 version of that gun. It's one of my favorites.

[Texas by God]

The only problem you will have is people trying to get it from you.... Wonderful revolver!

[44man]

Oh, I almost forgot. With heavy load, cylinder tend to get stuck. I think 44man has good explanation on this but it did happened to me with near max load with 300gr boolits.
Yes. pin gets peened. Can't push the cylinder release button anymore. The S&W was designed around the lighter to 240 gr bullets and I found a 265 gr is tops.
I have a problem with wear reported after more heavy loads then you can imagine. All of my guns held up just fine with no wear.
I have no idea what the enhanced model has but I suspect a harder pin and a stronger stop spring.
What I found was reported to S&W from a gun writer friend and they rejected it to blame the shooter. But I think they changed things. What influence did I have?

[Joni Lynn]

I got to see some of the research that S&W did on the issues including the high speed photography. When they decided to address the issue they appear to have done just about everything possible to update the design in every way possible without a total redesign.

[Drm50]

I've got 4, 29-2s and a Ruger SBH. I've had the Ruger since 1964, fired approx 5000 full power
240HPs / 21 1/2 gr : H-2400. Problems, a couple sheared frame screws & broke main spring.
29-2s, I shoot only 240gr SWC: 8 1/2 gr Unique, my 8 3/8" is a couple years newer than Ruger
I have no idea rd.count but at least twice that of Ruger. My two 6 1/2" guns have been shot many
thousand, bought both used and know owners, both guns had less than 250rds of factory ammo
run through them. I keep them cleaned and oiled and have had no trouble with any of them.
I have a NIB. 4" 29-2, that I've had 15yrs and have never fired. I just got a 24-3 couple months
back(NIB) looking for WC mold for it to develope bullseye load. I have always felt that it was not
smart to wreck a target class gun with heavy magnum loads. That's what they make Rugers for.

[44man]

Not so, can't count heavy loads shot through a smith. Not boolit weight though, just very heavy loads with say a 429421 and 22 gr of 2400.
A ruger can take heavy boolits and mine has around 81,000 heavy loads through it. Up to 330 gr boolits that I love.
I have owned 5 or 6 S&W's and they took hell without a problem. I never shot Bullseye loads. I wanted to see checkering on my hand.
With a few small problems I will forever love a S&W. You ruin you own guns.