Found a great 629-1 that had to come home with me. Lots of pics

[Mystro]

I generally buy any clean 29/629 I find locally. A younger guy just inherited a beautiful 629-1 from his grandfather and traded it in on a few autos.
The grandfather purchased it new and kept it in his glass gun case.

It didn't come with any box but I could tell it was hardly ever shot.

The lock-up was tighter than any M29/629 I have owned (and thats a lot.) I am talking bank vault solid. Smoooooth action and crisp trigger break.

I took it apart to inspect it. Grips are immaculate and dated May 30 1984. Inside it looks pristine and not touched.

I plan on hunting with it since it's a shooter and SS. It will go well with my other hunting 29's.


I have owned other 8 3/8" barrels and love the balance. Oddly enough I tend to be carrying a 6" when killing most of my deer with a 44. I posted back a few years and was featured on the Hornady web site as my longest documented shot was with my 6" open sighted 629 at 175 yards on a doe. 240xtp dropped her instantly. The 8 3/8" really gives a great sighting window. I am looking forward to hunting with it.

Here is a comparisons between a 6" 629-6 and 8 3/8" 629-1.

I will keep buying every clean old M29/629 as they come up. The new M29's are good shooters for me but the old ones are magical.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Nice!

I really like the first photo, which exaggerates the length of the barrel.

Mind telling us what you paid for it?

P.S. Glad you rescued it from somebody who obviously did not know how nice it is. Pity granddad let him have it, only to trade it off on semi-autos.

 

[TJB101]

Nice review ... that sure is a sweet looking gun.

 

[lamarw]

Beautiful revolver. Congrats. I have a Model 27-2 with the 8 & 3/8's " barrel and nothing compares in my book. S&W made some magnificent N Frame revolvers back in the day.

 

[Siggy-06]

Very beautiful .44 S&W. Any idea on how much it weighs? I bet it'll drive a tack at 50 yards easy.

 

[Mystro]

I had a M29 8 3/8"from the early 70's. It was mint in box. They are surprisingly easy to carry and very well balanced. I feel very little balance difference beteen a M29 6" and M29 8 3/8". Even weight feels similar. Without that heavy full underlug, they are a joy to carry and shoot and not front heavy in the hand. I hunt with a bandolier holster under my coat most of the time so barrel length will carry the same with either 6" or 8 3/8". I am struggling with what to do with the grips. I love the factory Goncalo Alves target grips and they are mint. I don't really want to damage them and have a N-frame rubber Hogue laying around and might put them on as not to mark up the factory grips???? I just hate the look of rubber grips on a classic beauty such as this.

 

[larryf1952]

I share your affection for the old 629's. They are among the finest examples of the gunmaker's art. That is quite the specimen that you have there.

The first 629-1 that I owned was a fine gun, but it had a few cosmetic flaws that bothered me. I sold it at a gunshow and used the proceeds to buy a new Colt Anaconda.

A few years later, I was browsing the table of a dealer friend at another gunshow. Much to my delight, he had another 6" 629-1 on his table that was almost perfect. It had been stolen from a pawn shop and released from police evidence. I snapped it up.

I also prefer the original wooden S&W target stocks on these guns. My hands are long and slender, and they feel good to me. I cannot abide what black rubber handles do to these fine guns.

Here's a pic...