Smith and Wesson mod29
- Thread starter Shootr2016
- Start date
Would it be possible to have a new 4.25 or 4.5" barrel made by the Custom Shop and shipped into Canada that would match a blued M29-2 that presently has a 4" factory barrel? Any idea as to costs and compliance with legislation on converting prohibs to restricted here in the "Great White North"?
S&W Pre Model 27s came with a 5" barrel, but they are few and are between.
https://www.rockislandauction.com/d...ouble-action-revolver-with-rare-5-inch-barrel
https://www.rockislandauction.com/d...ouble-action-revolver-with-rare-5-inch-barrel
.44 Caliber is prohibited for civilian ownership in Mexico. So there will be no .44 Model 29 barrels there to be had. Also, the Gringos do not permit barrels to be exported -- as I am sure you know. Now, there are ways that it does happen but it is always upon the "customer" to provide the barrel to the Custom Shop. The Custom Shop does not provide it for you. Trying to get a barrel into Mexico (something I strongly advise you do not do under any circumstances) is very dangerous. Trying to get a finished barrel back out of Mexico and into Canada is going to be a legal cesspool that is best avoided. At the end of the day, it just isn't worth it. I mentioned in the first place that the Custom Shop was capable of such work just to point out that the job itself is not impossible, but it is difficult and has financial drawbacks attached to it as well as technical problems (like barrel remarking) that might not be a highly polished skill here in Canada. However, I did not mean to infer that the Mexican Custom Shop would do such a job for "export" because they simply wouldn't, in my opinion, and I certainly would not ask them because it would make them look sideways at me for quite a while afterwards. And I intend to move back to Mexico in 3 years or less and do not want to have them looking sideways at me.
I have stated this before but will say it again: the Mexican Shooting Community is a closed community. You do not just "sign up" and become accepted. Everyone gets vetted. Once vetted, if you have something valuable to offer your "need to know" might increase. Most Mexican Shooters never acquire a "need to know" any more than the very basic information. Foreigners even less if they are even invited to join.
On the other hand, the actual S&W Factory probably has the capability of at least building you a 4.25 inch blued barrel. They are already turning out stainless ones, I am sure they could hand-make you one and roll-mark it accordingly if they wanted to. They would not be willing or able to ship it to Canada I suspect, but IRunGuns could probably help you with getting it into Canada. It is a possibility worth checking into.
Failing that, get a 6.5 inch or 8 3/8 inch barrel here in Canada and cut it down to 5 inches. That way the roll-marking won't look so bad, especially using a 6 or 6.5 inch tube.
Sold my early 4" M29 years ago. Came in a wooden case. I was going to sell my current M29-2 4" but after all this palaver I think I'll keep it. 'Sides, all I'd get would be low ball offers as it's a prohib. It wears Miculek grips and has a silky, smooth DA with a narrow smooth trigger from Charlton.
I used to do a lot of solo mountaineering and I carried my first M29 in the top pocket of my Kelty pack where I could reach back and grab it. You never knew if you'd bump into an unfriendly bear. I only shot two loads from it with the same 240 LSWC - 12 grs of the old, smoky Unique and 5 grs of Bulleye. I carried a speed loader of each with me. Both were loads used by the late Skeeter Skelton, my gun guru at the time.
There's a cairn on the Joffrey Glacier near Pemberton, BC with a .44 magnum casing in it. Climbers were encouraged to leave a momento behind. I often wondered what people thought when they found it.
I did a hack job of the factory grips that fit my little paw well. Never crossed my mind to have any other barrel length.
BTW - my S&W "Rappy" will be delivered in tomorrow's mail. Took an eon to get approved by the Ontario CPFO. As far as the rcmp is concerned, it's a 686-6 Plus Pro Series with a CZH prefix serial #.
Got a set of Altamont "Dragon Scale & Stippled" grips coming for it from a guy on the S&W Forum.
I used to do a lot of solo mountaineering and I carried my first M29 in the top pocket of my Kelty pack where I could reach back and grab it. You never knew if you'd bump into an unfriendly bear. I only shot two loads from it with the same 240 LSWC - 12 grs of the old, smoky Unique and 5 grs of Bulleye. I carried a speed loader of each with me. Both were loads used by the late Skeeter Skelton, my gun guru at the time.
There's a cairn on the Joffrey Glacier near Pemberton, BC with a .44 magnum casing in it. Climbers were encouraged to leave a momento behind. I often wondered what people thought when they found it.
I did a hack job of the factory grips that fit my little paw well. Never crossed my mind to have any other barrel length.
BTW - my S&W "Rappy" will be delivered in tomorrow's mail. Took an eon to get approved by the Ontario CPFO. As far as the rcmp is concerned, it's a 686-6 Plus Pro Series with a CZH prefix serial #.
Got a set of Altamont "Dragon Scale & Stippled" grips coming for it from a guy on the S&W Forum.
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hatman1793
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Why old school? Go new school!
Call the S&W Performance Center & have one built to your specifications. The PC does great work.
Call the S&W Performance Center & have one built to your specifications. The PC does great work.
With one exception, in all the pics I see the wide factory trigger. Those don't work for me in DA.
I've got a wide, smooth trigger in one of my 4" M66s and it's going to be ground down to a narrow, smooth trigger. Did the same for the wide, target trigger in my 4" M15. Much improved!
I've got a wide, smooth trigger in one of my 4" M66s and it's going to be ground down to a narrow, smooth trigger. Did the same for the wide, target trigger in my 4" M15. Much improved!
S&W used to sell smooth medium width "combat triggers" for both N frames and K/L frames. Maybe you can find one for your revolver. - dan
Immediately after posting my comment, I took the wide, smooth trigger out of my 4" M66 and went to work on it. I couldn't index as well with it in DA mode as I could my other S&W revolvers with narrow, smooth triggers. I tended to pull the gun to one side.
I found that because of it's width, I could not get the same control when shooting DA that I could with my other M66 whose trigger I worked on, grinding and polishing the serrations off the surface to a mirror finish.
This not a job for the faint of heart or the impatient, but it is the 3rd time I've done such work and I'm getting pretty good at it. I do about 90% of it on a bench grinder, cooling the trigger as it gets hot. Then I break the edges with a Dremel followed by a LOT of work with various grades of emory cloth.
Invariably I wear a hole in my thumb during the polishing process but that is fixable with a dab of Crazy Glue. Worth it for the results.
I found that because of it's width, I could not get the same control when shooting DA that I could with my other M66 whose trigger I worked on, grinding and polishing the serrations off the surface to a mirror finish.
This not a job for the faint of heart or the impatient, but it is the 3rd time I've done such work and I'm getting pretty good at it. I do about 90% of it on a bench grinder, cooling the trigger as it gets hot. Then I break the edges with a Dremel followed by a LOT of work with various grades of emory cloth.
Invariably I wear a hole in my thumb during the polishing process but that is fixable with a dab of Crazy Glue. Worth it for the results.
Barrel length really makes no difference to accuracy. I've seen snubbies used to pop steel chickens at 200 meters. They're just harder to shoot well for most people. - dan
easyrider604
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Greater Vancouver, BC
Yeah, likewise. Wide target triggers were meant for single action shooting...which is just boring.
Shootr2016
Member
- Location
- Northern Ontario
Just took another look at your pics deadman. The S&W logo is pretty much cantered and the 44 mag a little forward. I would be fine with that. It's more the appearance at first glance like the bluing not matching. Still impressed for being done with hand tools.
Some have commented to just buy a new one but I just can't stand the locking device. It totally takes away from the gun in my opinion. I like the old school quality.
As for trying to send anything out of country, that's out of the question. Don't need any scrutiny. There is enough on all of us already.
I will get it done some how. Going to do a search tonight for Canadian smiths. I will post when I make a decision what to do. With before and after pics of course.
Ron
Some have commented to just buy a new one but I just can't stand the locking device. It totally takes away from the gun in my opinion. I like the old school quality.
As for trying to send anything out of country, that's out of the question. Don't need any scrutiny. There is enough on all of us already.
I will get it done some how. Going to do a search tonight for Canadian smiths. I will post when I make a decision what to do. With before and after pics of course.
Ron
Best three shot group I ever fired was at 15m with a S&W M60 using 158 SWC and 5 grs Unique.
All I could see was one hole so I went to have a look and it was a tight three shot cloverleaf! I was so nervous I couldn't shoot the remaining two rds!
I used to win bets by keeping most of my my rds in the 8" bull at 100 yds with my 4" M28.
My Dad was cooking at a remote logging camp and I paid him a visit. He told me that one of the crew took a shot at a glass insulator with a .303 from the bunkhouse steps every night after supper. He hadn't hit one yet. My Dad knew I had the gun and asked me to take a shot.
I took the classic two hand hold only to be challenged by the .303 shooter saying that it was a "HANDgun", meaning one hand only. I cocked the M28 and was rewarded by a shower of glass. Lucky shot, and I quit while I was ahead. My Dad was delighted.
All I could see was one hole so I went to have a look and it was a tight three shot cloverleaf! I was so nervous I couldn't shoot the remaining two rds!
I used to win bets by keeping most of my my rds in the 8" bull at 100 yds with my 4" M28.
My Dad was cooking at a remote logging camp and I paid him a visit. He told me that one of the crew took a shot at a glass insulator with a .303 from the bunkhouse steps every night after supper. He hadn't hit one yet. My Dad knew I had the gun and asked me to take a shot.
I took the classic two hand hold only to be challenged by the .303 shooter saying that it was a "HANDgun", meaning one hand only. I cocked the M28 and was rewarded by a shower of glass. Lucky shot, and I quit while I was ahead. My Dad was delighted.
There has to be a smith willing to do it somewhere, you might want to source out a front sight to supply if your donor pistol doesn't have a pinned style. I couldn't find one at the time which is why I re-used the existing sight.
When I did it there was another member who posted he had a similar job done, can't remember who the smith was though.....
When I did it there was another member who posted he had a similar job done, can't remember who the smith was though.....
CalMex, Thanks for the clarification about the Custom Shop on what is possible and for who. Would you have any suggestions on where it may be possible to acquire new or used barrels suitable for being used as is or cutting down to just beyond Prohib length from sources in Canada? If posting them in a thread is not allowed, please PM me. Thanks again.
Remember that I spent most of my adult life in Mexico, not Canada. So I am certainly no longer any sort of expert on things Canada. With that said, the first thing I would be doing would be to check with IRunGuns to see if they can import you a barrel. I would think they could. If they can, that opens several possibilities, such as:
1. Now you can check out the barrel availability at Numrich Arms and Brownells, not to mention the WANT TO SELL columns in the S&W Forum and places like that. You will find a barrel. AND, you are doing it legally if IRunGuns can do it for you. But you need to check this out.
2. Supposing that IRunGuns can do all this (so far), you could even go the next step and look for a gunsmith in the U.S. to do the cutting and resetting the sight and perhaps -- if needed -- the remarking of the lettering.
So that's two things I can think of right off the top of my head. Of course, if IRunGuns can help you, perhaps the first call you make should be to Smith & Wesson itself and see if there isn't some way they could just "make you a barrel". I mean, they can. Obviously, they can. It's just a question of "will they?"
There is always the chance that the barrel would have to be stamped with the importer's name, I guess. But call and find out. That way you'll know.
Shootr2016
Member
- Location
- Northern Ontario
Hey Deadman
I talked to a gunsmith on the west coast. ( bits of pieces) He said he has done this job many times. He described the job exactly the way you did yours. The cost is $220.00 which I consider quite reasonable. He says if you don't know what your looking for you won't be able to tell. Just an FYI.
I talked to a gunsmith on the west coast. ( bits of pieces) He said he has done this job many times. He described the job exactly the way you did yours. The cost is $220.00 which I consider quite reasonable. He says if you don't know what your looking for you won't be able to tell. Just an FYI.
