S&W model 29-5
I'm looking at what appears to be a very good deal on a S&W Model
29-5.
Couple of questions: What do the designators after the model number indicate? In this instance the "-5" after the model 29. I have seen them from -2 through -6.
This is a 4 inch blue gun with standard walnut checkered grips as well as a custom over size "finger grip" set. Very good to excellent condition, shiney bore, and excellent bluing. I was told it hasn't had more than 100 rounds fired. His price to me is $475. In my comparitive shopping I have seen them for considerably more. Am I missing something? Anything I should be aware of with this particular model?
TIA!
29-5.
Couple of questions: What do the designators after the model number indicate? In this instance the "-5" after the model 29. I have seen them from -2 through -6.
This is a 4 inch blue gun with standard walnut checkered grips as well as a custom over size "finger grip" set. Very good to excellent condition, shiney bore, and excellent bluing. I was told it hasn't had more than 100 rounds fired. His price to me is $475. In my comparitive shopping I have seen them for considerably more. Am I missing something? Anything I should be aware of with this particular model?
TIA!
0
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Check some other posts here.
Anything else on it like "Classic Hunter"?
Full lug or tapered barrel?
Cylinder fluted?
The dash #s are added with each change or introduction of new parts. Like sights, different barrels, etc.0 -
quote:Originally posted by fideau
Check some other posts here.
Anything else on it like "Classic Hunter"?
Full lug or tapered barrel?
Cylinder fluted?
The dash #s are added with each change or introduction of new parts. Like sights, different barrels, etc.
No indication of "Classic Hunter". Not a full lug nor fluted bbl. Does has the fluted cylinder.0 -
quote:Originally posted by JoeFaz
Couple of questions: What do the designators after the model number indicate? In this instance the "-5" after the model 29. I have seen them from -2 through -6.
That's the revision (or sometimes called "dash") number. Over the years Smith and Wesson has made a number of changes to the revolvers mostly having to do with simplifying manufacturing and lowering costs. Each time they changed, the "dash" number goes up by one. On model 29s the first few changes are as so:
-1 1960 Change [ejector rod] to LH thread
-2 1961 Cylinder stop changed, hole in front of trigger
guard eliminated
-3 1982 Eliminate cylinder counterbore (magnums only)
One of the later ones included adding the key lock which is present in most new-manufacture Smith guns.
From a FUNCTIONAL standpoint, these are all pretty similar; you're not going to notice any difference in just shooting the gun, and there are arguable advantages to changing the ejector rod thread direction and even eliminating the cylinder counterbore. From a COLLECTORS standpoint, the lower the "dash", usually, the more desirable the gun.
quote:
This is a 4 inch blue gun with standard walnut checkered grips as well as a custom over size "finger grip" set. Very good to excellent condition, shiney bore, and excellent bluing. I was told it hasn't had more than 100 rounds fired. His price to me is $475. In my comparitive shopping I have seen them for considerably more. Am I missing something?
Hard to say not having examined the gun in question in person, but assuming what you say is true, $475 for a good to excellent condition Smith 29 sounds like a pretty good price to me.
quote:Anything I should be aware of with this particular model?
Well, if you didn't already know, the Smith model 29 became famous as the "Dirty Harry" .44 magnum gun from the 70s Clint Eastwood character/ series of movies of the same name. Obviously, .44 magnum packs more recoil than most handguns, though in my opinion, its not a "wrist-breaker" or unmanageable.
Edit: Yeah, I know that the movie prop gun on the original "Dirty Harry" movie was supposedly actually a model 57, but so what? Its all fiction anyway. The movie DEPICTED a model 29, and the model 57 and 29 are externally identical. To this day, I think the Smith model 29 and "Dirty Harry" are synonymous, and the movie sold a *LOT* of guns for Smith back in the 70s.
The Smith 29 is a well built gun, though lots of competitive type shooters prefer Rugers as they tend to hold up a lot better under the stress of thousands of full-power .44 magnum loads. But unless you plan to fire LOTS of REALLY powerful loads through this gun (ie you're reloading for it), you're pretty unlikely to wear it out. Ammo cost and other reasons mean that the overwhelming majority of shooters don't fire their .44 magnums a lot.
Personally speaking, I don't have that much use for a 4" barreled .44 magnum. For hunting and recreational shooting, I'd prefer a 6 or 8-3/8" bbl version for a longer sight radius and a little more "zing". A 4" gun is a good choice if you want to use the same gun for defense against people, animals, AND for hunting.
Edit: for what its worth Elmer Keith used to carry a 4" bbl model 29 for defense, but he'd still often use a longer barreled one when hunting.0 -
quote:Originally posted by beantownshootah
quote:Originally posted by JoeFaz
Couple of questions: What do the designators after the model number indicate? In this instance the "-5" after the model 29. I have seen them from -2 through -6.
That's the revision (or sometimes called "dash") number. Over the years Smith and Wesson has made a number of changes to the revolvers mostly having to do with simplifying manufacturing and lowering costs. Each time they changed, the "dash" number goes up by one. On model 29s the first few changes are as so:
-1 1960 Change [ejector rod] to LH thread
-2 1961 Cylinder stop changed, hole in front of trigger
guard eliminated
-3 1982 Eliminate cylinder counterbore (magnums only)
One of the later ones included adding the key lock which is present in most new-manufacture Smith guns.
From a FUNCTIONAL standpoint, these are all pretty similar; you're not going to notice any difference in just shooting the gun, and there are arguable advantages to changing the ejector rod thread direction and even eliminating the cylinder counterbore. From a COLLECTORS standpoint, the lower the "dash", usually, the more desirable the gun.
quote:
This is a 4 inch blue gun with standard walnut checkered grips as well as a custom over size "finger grip" set. Very good to excellent condition, shiney bore, and excellent bluing. I was told it hasn't had more than 100 rounds fired. His price to me is $475. In my comparitive shopping I have seen them for considerably more. Am I missing something?
Hard to say not having examined the gun in question in person, but assuming what you say is true, $475 for a good to excellent condition Smith 29 sounds like a pretty good price to me.
quote:Anything I should be aware of with this particular model?
Well, if you didn't already know, the Smith model 29 became famous as the "Dirty Harry" .44 magnum gun from the 70s Clint Eastwood character/ series of movies of the same name. Obviously, .44 magnum packs more recoil than most handguns, though in my opinion, its not a "wrist-breaker" or unmanageable.
The Smith 29 is a well built gun, though lots of competitive type shooters prefer Rugers as they tend to hold up a lot better under the stress of thousands of full-power .44 magnum loads. But unless you plan to fire LOTS of REALLY powerful loads through this gun (ie you're reloading for it), you're pretty unlikely to wear it out. Ammo cost and other reasons mean that the overwhelming majority of shooters don't fire their .44 magnums a lot.
Personally speaking, I don't have that much use for a 4" barreled .44 magnum. For hunting and recreational shooting, I'd prefer a 6 or 8-3/8" bbl version for a longer sight radius and a little more "zing". A 4" gun is a good choice if you want to use the same gun for defense against people, animals, AND for hunting.
Great info, Beantown, thanks! I don't intend on using it a lot. Carrying it on hunting/fishing trips in the woods, a little range time to get the feel for it, etc. I do agree about the longer barrel, though. What I'd really like is a 6+ but this is such a good deal. maybe I'll buy it and sell it, and buy a bigger one, LOL!
Actually, I have a so-far winning bid on a nice 6" Ruger Redhawk .44 mag. Older model but in tip top condition.
Re: Dirty Harry. I was working for SFPD when the first one was made. Got to meet him several times. VERY cool guy. Met him again years later and he was still cool, and we recalled his days making DH.
I just heard something today that the gun he ACTUALLY used was a .41 mag version. Don't know if that's true, but the persone stating so swears it.0 -
Read somewhere that some scenes were shot with the Model 57, 41 mag.
But there were several .44s used in the movie, and Clint actually did shoot one for real to get the recoil right.0 -
Joe,
If you don't want it, I'll buy it. The 4" 29s, especialy lower dash numbers have sort of a cult following among Smith collectors. Elmer Kieth, the man who invented the 44mag carried a 4" 29.
W.D.0 -
quote:Originally posted by CapnMidnight
Joe,
If you don't want it, I'll buy it. The 4" 29s, especialy lower dash numbers have sort of a cult following among Smith collectors. Elmer Kieth, the man who invented the 44mag carried a 4" 29.
W.D.
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