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Cure for Shooting Boredom :)

For a lot of years my shooting has been pretty much focused on rifles. I've been feeling a little bored with it lately. My first shooting love many years ago was revolvers, and I focused on .357 N-Frames. By far my favorites. I do have a couple 629's. I have never owned a 29 but a 6 1/2” one is something I've wanted to add to the collection for a long time. I haven't really been trying hard to find one but I always knew when one came my way, I'd get it. Well, that time finally came and it was an opportunity to get back to my roots so to speak. Had to pay retail but oh well. It's not like these things are flooding the market.

It seems to have none of the quality issues I've been hearing about in S&W revolvers in general. But, shooting 240 grain bullets and 8.5 grains Unique, it hits about 6 inches high at 25 yards with the rear sight bottomed out. No doubt a faster load would hit lower but I plan to shoot moderate loads with this. I guess a taller front sight is in order.

It's a Smith and Wesson Model 29 Classic. The presentation case was included.SW29Classic.jpg
 
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I hear you!! Short range and 600yd bench rest has been my thing since 96 but the last 36mo the Drs have been taking out parts and overhauling what's left of me and I too have gone back to my handguns. Built me a little range out back of the shop that I share with the wife's horses and have been thoroughly enjoying the things that I have had stuck back.... John IMG_20230428_121519928_MP.jpgIMG_20230428_121654124_MP.jpg
 
AccelR8, have older 8 3/8" 29 that handles cast 240 grain bullets fine. I have a Colt New Frontier in 44 Special that demonstrates a similar problem, my solution was to switch to 200 grain bullets and was quite happy. Like others here I am mainly a rifle shooter, but now that most of my rifles are shooting at a level that I am happy with, I'm starting to do more pistol shooting.
 
Buy a 57 or 657 in .41 Mag. I own both .357 and .44 mag but this is by FAR! favorite. Mine are a 6" light bbl and a 8 3/8 heavy. You'll be amazed by basically the same power at a LOT! less recoil.
Please do not respond unless you have experienced both and actually have an opinion.Gary
 
AccelR8, have older 8 3/8" 29 that handles cast 240 grain bullets fine. I have a Colt New Frontier in 44 Special that demonstrates a similar problem, my solution was to switch to 200 grain bullets and was quite happy. Like others here I am mainly a rifle shooter, but now that most of my rifles are shooting at a level that I am happy with, I'm starting to do more pistol shooting.
I have some 180's I can try.
 
I have wondered in the past if some Smith and Wesson revolvers were possibly sighted in for bullseye shooting out of the factory. I have encountered several over the years the shoot high at 25.
 
I have wondered in the past if some Smith and Wesson revolvers were possibly sighted in for bullseye shooting out of the factory. I have encountered several over the years the shoot high at 25.
I think I will try it at 50 yards and see what it does there.
 
For a lot of years my shooting has been pretty much focused on rifles. I've been feeling a little bored with it lately. My first shooting love many years ago was revolvers, and I focused on .357 N-Frames. By far my favorites. I do have a couple 629's. I have never owned a 29 but a 6 1/2” one is something I've wanted to add to the collection for a long time. I haven't really been trying hard to find one but I always knew when one came my way, I'd get it. Well, that time finally came and it was an opportunity to get back to my roots so to speak. Had to pay retail but oh well. It's not like these things are flooding the market.

It seems to have none of the quality issues I've been hearing about in S&W revolvers in general. But, shooting 240 grain bullets and 8.5 grains Unique, it hits about 6 inches high at 25 yards with the rear sight bottomed out. No doubt a faster load would hit lower but I plan to shoot moderate loads with this. I guess a taller front sight is in order.

It's a Smith and Wesson Model 29 Classic. The presentation case was included.View attachment 1435410
I blew up your picture and it looks like you have a pinned front sight, if you like the load you're using you can pick up a taller front sight from TK Custom or Jack First . I've backed way off on my heavy loads also, recoil isn't as much fun as it to be.... John
 
I blew up your picture and it looks like you have a pinned front sight, if you like the load you're using you can pick up a taller front sight from TK Custom or Jack First . I've backed way off on my heavy loads also, recoil isn't as much fun as it to be.... John
Yes it is pinned. I may go with a Patridge, maybe with a gold bead Patridge. One guy is urging me to go with a fiber optic style, you know those light-pipe ones that present a red or green dot to the eye. He loves the visibility but to my eyeball, they don't really stand out much more than a conventional sight. Plus I like the traditional look. To me I kind of equate the fiber optic sights with cheap guns. Not a fair assumption, I know but still I have that hang-up.

As for recoil, I have a big Redhawk with fat squishy Pachmayer grips for when I want to shoot the heavy stuff.
 
My first wheel gun was a SW model 29, 10 5/8” silhouette model. I tried like hell to like that gun, never did shoot as I expected or wanted it too. I moved on to FA’s and have not looked back.
Have a few Ruger’s in the stable and a couple of SW’s. My 657 was my first 41 mag and it is a shooter.
 
The same shop now has a n M29 Classic 4 inch. Now I'm going hmm...

It has the heavy barrel. I really prefer the skinny barrel like on the 357 N frames and the Mountain Guns. I have a 629 Mountain Gun which is of course stainless steel. I would snatch up without thinking a blued Mountain Gun in any chambering. 44, 45, or I think they made a 41 too. As far as I know they're not makin' 'em anymore. I'd grab an M27 in any barrel length too.

I'm assuming at least some of you know how it is when you get on a kick...
 
Yes it is pinned. I may go with a Patridge, maybe with a gold bead Patridge. One guy is urging me to go with a fiber optic style, you know those light-pipe ones that present a red or green dot to the eye. He loves the visibility but to my eyeball, they don't really stand out much more than a conventional sight. Plus I like the traditional look. To me I kind of equate the fiber optic sights with cheap guns. Not a fair assumption, I know but still I have that hang-up.

As for recoil, I have a big Redhawk with fat squishy Pachmayer grips for when I want to shoot the heavy stuff.
I too have changed up some of my sights trying to get something I can see better, don't know how good your eyes are but what I've found is that a lot depends on the background that you are shooting into. I've found that a serrated flat black patridge works well till it doesn't. Some backgrounds do well with white and some with orange. What I've been doing is using the small bottles of Testors from Amazon IMG_20230428_153534115_MP.jpg in orange applied with a tooth pick or liquid white out applied the same way on all or half the back of the front sight. If you don't like it you can take it off easily with acetone or your wife's finger nail polish remover.. John
 
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Two front sights I can see pretty well primarily because of the orange color. On the right, a layer of florescent orange nail polish over a layer of white. On the left, one I did with files back in the early 1980's using a liquid sight insert kit from Brownells. The sight was originally a plain black serrated ramp. I filed the notch with a triangle file, scratched in the grooves with a thread gauge matching the spacing of the little grooves, then cut the grooves first with a knife-edge needle file and then finished them with a triangle needle file. I see in this pic, they've taken a little beating since then. Held up well though over the years.
2frontsights.jpg

In terms of my eyes, I remember doing that insert with simply the issued eyeballs, no magnification. There is no way I could do that today. In my early 20's I tried scoping a revolver but found I could not shoot it any better than I could the iron sights. Might be time to revisit that. Today, I can sure shoot a red dot sighted 22 pistol way better than I can the same open sighted pistol.
 
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That one on the left is sort of translucent and that helps with the visibility. Makes it bright. The inserts coming out of the factories today are opaque and that doesn't help at all, at least not to my eyes.
 
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This one on the other hand is difficult to see. It's rode around in a leather holster a whole lot! I've been debating what to do with it. I've thought of milling it off, milling a slot and pinning in a new blade. But now that I look at this pic it doesn't look to bad. Maybe I'll square it up with files and reblue it, making up the lost height with the rear sight adjustment . Maybe give it that red insert treatment. I wonder if that liquid kit from the 1980's is still good.1frontsight.jpg
 
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The same shop now has a n M29 Classic 4 inch. Now I'm going hmm...

It has the heavy barrel. I really prefer the skinny barrel like on the 357 N frames and the Mountain Guns. I have a 629 Mountain Gun which is of course stainless steel. I would snatch up without thinking a blued Mountain Gun in any chambering. 44, 45, or I think they made a 41 too. As far as I know they're not makin' 'em anymore. I'd grab an M27 in any barrel length too.

I'm assuming at least some of you know how it is when you get on a kick...
I don't have a clue " how it is to get on a kick"IMG_20230428_175324603_MP.jpg John
 

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