I Bought Something Today That I Really Don’t Need

jackie schmidt

jackie schmidt

New member
I was coming back from Corpus Christi this afternoon after a week long job, (Align Boring the shaft line on a new boat), and stopped at Carols Guns in El Campo. Something caught my eye in the display case, a really nice Model 29 S&W, four inch barrel. It tuned out to be a late 60’s model with an “S” serial number.

The pistol was tight, no marks, beautiful blue, and if it was ever fired, I couldn’t tell. Certainly not much.

I liked it.

http://benchrest.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22700&stc=1&d=1564019986

So I bought it. $1100 bucks, cash deal.

So now I have to buy dies, powder, bullets, brass, etc.

I wonder if Elmer Keith’s load of a case full of 2400 behind a 240 grn hard cast semi wad cutter is still in vogue.?:p
 

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So nice, well done.

I use Keith's load in my 629 using Oregon Trail Laser Cast hard-cast 240's.

As far as "does it still work?" ...... please think 3-4-5 times before just handing it to Sweet Marilyn to pop a few off!
 
Like Al notes, hard cast bullets. Get a 20# pot and a 2 cavity mold.

I use a 6 cavity H&G. But they are hard to find today.

,
 
Jackie - I had a couple of those and they are simply too much pistol to shoot at targets. Just go buy a box of jacketed bullets and after you shoot it a time or two, clean it, load it, and put it in your nightstand drawer. If you choose to load, 2400 is a good powder...likely the best.

BTW - NICE PISTOL!!!
 
Nice score, Jackie. There's something so nice about those early N framed S&W's....my Model 28 Highway Patrolman was the nicest shooting revolver I've ever owned.

Enjoy! :) -Al
 
I have an early

70's 6.5" 29. Nice gun, hard kicking at 22 gr 2400 and a 240 but manageable. I used to load it down a bit, to 20 gr for metallic silhouette and it worked fine. I think that is the load you will find in current loading manuals.

Also, get a Lewis lead removal tool.
 
Just my 2 cents

I would suggest shooting .44 Specials in that fine revolver. You will enjoy it more.
If you Really want to shoot the .44 Mag rounds I suggest getting the Hogue grips. They are designed better for the recoil you will experience. Also get the .44 Special reloading dies and make a spacer for the difference in length.
Centerfire
 
That 4" barrel will really be loud with a heavy load of 2400, and it will be a handful.

For my Model 29, I generally load 16 gr of 2400 with a 240 gr lead bullet. Very, very accurate, and recoil is easy to handle.
 
lead bullet shooting primer:
1)bullet must fit the gun( barely clear the cylinder, .0005 to .0015 OVER bbl)
2)hard enough for the velocity you are shooting
3)enough lube to make it to the end of the bbl
( there are coated bullets today...no knowledge there)
i shoot cast bullets/i cast bullets, and have never used a lewis lead remover



glp said:
70's 6.5" 29. Nice gun, hard kicking at 22 gr 2400 and a 240 but manageable. I used to load it down a bit, to 20 gr for metallic silhouette and it worked fine. I think that is the load you will find in current loading manuals.

Also, get a Lewis lead removal tool.
Click to expand...
 
Back when I shot big handguns on a regular basis, Elmer Keith's hard cast semi wadcutters were always the hot ticket.

They don't foul the barrel, and you can push them, (if you want too), at the same velocities as jacketed bullets.

Back in the '70's, there was a Bullet maker in Pasadena Tx that duplicated Keith's bullet. It was Jarro Bullet Co. the guy died years ago.

Elmer Keith was full of BS on some things, but when it came to the 44 mag, he had it figured out.
 
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.44 Magnum

When I see ."44 magnum", I can still feel the punishing recoil. I haven't owned one since back in the 70's

I once owned two Mod 29’s with 8 inch barrels.
A 44 mag and a 357 mag. Replaced the wood with pachmayr grips. The 44 was the first to get traded for another hand gun. Kept the 357 a good while. It was a lot more fun to shoot.

The older I get the less attractive these big cannons are.:D





Glenn
 
44 mag - cannon? - naw, my 308 or 7x284 bolt pistols now those are hand cannons or as I call them loudenboomers. i have a 44mag in a Super black hawk- grips do make a difference i have aftermarket grips on it do to my small hands.
 
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Said in my Crocodile Dundee voice "naw… that's not a knife…. THIS IS A KNIFE".

I used to LOVE to shoot my M-29..... but that was when I was a younger man....
Hey Jackie.... didn't you just have a thread about things you shouldn't do when you are over 70? :)

My load for this is 22 grains of 2400 shooting a jacketed 240 bullet.


67365521_2661337637234518_8110741229609680896_n.jpg
 
Now if you really want to keal something try some Garrett Hammerhead 310 gr hardcast at 1325 fps. Hell on hogs;-)
 
I shot a ruger super redhawk, 7 1/2", in a 50 yard steel match for about 10 years,
it was called MAGNUM HANDGUN MATCH because it took a 44 mag to knock over our steel.
i started with 240's, went to 255, then 280, then 300's.
in my alloy the 300 came out at 292, and at over 1100 fps the steel went down.
in a 20" carbine(side match) i shot at just over 1350.
(ps no leading)
 
Ahhhh...."22 grains of 2400 and a 240 grain Keith SWC". Does that bring back memories of my youth.

I love big bore handguns and am not recoil sensitive...my current darling is a Freedom Arms .454, but I found the old Keith load downright un-pleasant in my 6" Model 29. And as Dan said, modern 2400 is not the same as the Keith era 2400. 22 grains was a bit too warm for my liking. It rattled my 29 loose and jumped the cylinder (old style). 20 grains was much better.

To be fair, though, I never tried the Keith style Roper grip. Mebbe that would've helped with the recoil. Pachmayers helped a little.

I then discovered Ross Seyfried's writings on big bore handguns. He was a protege of Keith, but had developed different opinions than his mentor on the big bores and making them tick. I found him to be pretty much spot-on. His thoughts were 296 or 110 were better powders for the .44, LBT's were a better hunting bullet, and if you wanted to full-throttle the .44, you got a Ruger Bisley. 296 and 110 burn cleaner, LBT's leave a bigger hole, and the Bisley grip handles recoil better than anything else I've come across, and the Ruger is a tougher handgun. I went that route for my future big bore endeavors.

Since then, I've regarded my Model 29 as the lady in my big-bore stable. Graceful lines...slender...and gorgeous. As such, her diet became a lighter charge of 296 and a 180 grain Sierra JHP. We've gotten along a lot better since this realization.
Many a vineyard-marauding San Juaquin Valley jackrabbit could attest to effectiveness of that load...if they weren't pieced-out all over the countryside.

I just wish I could see her front sight nowadays...

Jackie: Don't get too hung-up on "want" vs. "need". I think the last thing ANY of us want to wrestle with is the want vs. need moralistic conundrum whilst peering into our gun safe(s). If we were going to be honest with ourselves...oooooh...that would make for a boring gun safe. And a small gun safe it would be. Pride in ownership is under rated.

After a lifetime in the workplace, I think you probably deserve a few "wants".

Justin
 
Zebra13 said:
Ahhhh...."22 grains of 2400 and a 240 grain Keith SWC". Does that bring back memories of my youth.

I love big bore handguns and am not recoil sensitive...my current darling is a Freedom Arms .454, but I found the old Keith load downright un-pleasant in my 6" Model 29. And as Dan said, modern 2400 is not the same as the Keith era 2400. 22 grains was a bit too warm for my liking. It rattled my 29 loose and jumped the cylinder (old style). 20 grains was much better.

To be fair, though, I never tried the Keith style Roper grip. Mebbe that would've helped with the recoil. Pachmayers helped a little.

I then discovered Ross Seyfried's writings on big bore handguns. He was a protege of Keith, but had developed different opinions than his mentor on the big bores and making them tick. I found him to be pretty much spot-on. His thoughts were 296 or 110 were better powders for the .44, LBT's were a better hunting bullet, and if you wanted to full-throttle the .44, you got a Ruger Bisley. 296 and 110 burn cleaner, LBT's leave a bigger hole, and the Bisley grip handles recoil better than anything else I've come across, and the Ruger is a tougher handgun. I went that route for my future big bore endeavors.

Since then, I've regarded my Model 29 as the lady in my big-bore stable. Graceful lines...slender...and gorgeous. As such, her diet became a lighter charge of 296 and a 180 grain Sierra JHP. We've gotten along a lot better since this realization.
Many a vineyard-marauding San Juaquin Valley jackrabbit could attest to effectiveness of that load...if they weren't pieced-out all over the countryside.

I just wish I could see her front sight nowadays...

Jackie: Don't get too hung-up on "want" vs. "need". I think the last thing ANY of us want to wrestle with is the want vs. need moralistic conundrum whilst peering into our gun safe(s). If we were going to be honest with ourselves...oooooh...that would make for a boring gun safe. And a small gun safe it would be. Pride in ownership is under rated.

After a lifetime in the workplace, I think you probably deserve a few "wants".

Justin
Click to expand...

Trust me Justin, between my Chevelle and my shooting, I manage satisfy a lot of my “wants”.
 
Well now....

Unless you plan to shoot this beautiful S&W quite often, I'd just buy the commercial ammo. That's what I did with my 1986 4" Python. Got bored with the extra steps in pistol loading the 38 Special and 357 ammo and just bought the thrifty Walmart loads.

My days of hand loading several hundred rounds per month when I was on a local pistol team are long gone and to tell the truth, don't miss it.

Good luck with those nice gentlemen Mr. S&W.

Virg
 
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