Post by HeadHunter on Dec 5, 2022 19:58:04 GMT
Gunsmithing the S&W models 29 & 629
Introduction
Since its release by Umarex a little over a year ago, the S&W model 29 has been a popular choice with replica revolver lovers and the 629 has been a very close second, but it has had its fair share of problematic issues; we've seen finish problems, crane lock-up issues, partially rifled inner barrels, flimsy plastic grips and even non functioning ejector rod lock-up pins. These problems have been concerning not just to owners but have also been putting off other collectors from adding one to their collections too. With these issues in mind I've decided to put together a post on remedying a fair amount of these problems, although I should point out that one of these 'bad points' is beyond repair and I will start with that one.
Issues
Finish problems
I originally pre-ordered (from Braces of Bristol) two S&W model 29s (the 6½" & the 3") towards the end of last year and picked them up from the seller at the British Shooting Show way back in February 2022, unfortunately I hadn't noticed the finish problem on the 6½" version (I originally thought that it was finger print smears from handling) until I got back home with them both.
As you can see in the above pictures, the finish was marred quite badly on the cylinder of this S&W29.
The only solution to this was to return it to the seller for an exchange, which they duly did. My only advice on this subject is to dutifully inspect the gun prior to buying and if you can't inspect it, like if you were doing a 2nd hand postal purchase, then be aware of this issue. The finish on the 29 is a definite finger print magnet and as such any physical inspection would require you to have a soft polishing cloth on hand to wipe it clean of these marks so that you can visually check the finish properly.
Ejector rod issues
Inspecting the ejector rod area can reveal more than just one problem, firstly there's a frame mounted pin that supposedly locks the ejector rod into place once the cylinder and crane arm are closed, these can often be missing the spring or the pin is not even long enough to engage with the ejector rod. Secondly, the ejector rod can be bent which can only be seen when dry firing the gun through six shots and thirdly, the crane arm can be 'pushed' slightly out of the frame as the cylinder rotates.
As you can see in the video the ejector run out/wobble can cause the crane arm to lift slightly out of the frame.
Now reading the previous paragraph you be forgiven for thinking that you should stay well clear from buying one of these guns BUT you'd be wrong, as I've mentioned I bought two 29s, plus I also own two 629s and out of all four I only have one that actually does this (the 3" model 29), the other three are all functioning perfectly.
To find an answer I'll have to digress a bit into why this happens, so bear with me for a minute and hopefully all will be revealed, including the suitable solution:
S&W cylinders generally rotate in an anticlockwise action (unlike Dan Wesson & Colt, which generally move in a clockwise direction) which tries to push the cylinder out of the frame as it rotates, hence why S&W revolver generally have at least two points of lock up (one at the rear of the cylinder and one at the front of the ejector rod) which keeps the crane arm locked into place. If one of these lockup points fails to engage properly then this can create the problem, which in our case is the ejector rod lockup pin. The first thing we need to look at is the ejector rod, if it's got too much wobble (excessive run-out) then it'll need to be straightened, rather than having me try to explain how to do this you'd be better off watching the following instructional video from Larry Potterfield at Midway, USA...
Just remember to err on the side of caution when doing the adjustments !
Moving onto the ejector rod lockup pin.....
And here's a further video on how to strip down the cylinder and crane arm from the frame, and more importantly, how to get the ejector rod out of the cylinder....
I should point out that I did try fitting both a metal washer and the nylon washer to the ejector rod and found that the ejector rod would not seat correctly back into the frame as the lockup pin was fouling the fit. That would be a perfect solution if you wanted to grind out a 'ball detente' for the pin in the top of the ejector rod but you would also need to sand the top outer edges of the knurled section of the ejector pin to allow it to seat correctly, which is something that I may actually do at a later date.
Now, one of my guns actually came without the spring fitted for the ejector rod lockup pin ! They're easy enough to remove, there's a drift pin that needs to be tapped out to allow the pin and spring to come out. Once the pin was removed I managed to find a replacement spring (I cut down a spring of the same diameter) and then retro fitted it back into the frame. The replacement is a fair bit stiffer than the original but it works as it should and causes no issues at all, overall a simple fix.
The top pin has the replacement spring whilst the one below is the correct original version.
Interestingly enough, the S&W 629s DON'T have the ejector rod lockup pin fitted to them and it seems to make absolute no difference to cylinder lockup or crane latch movement at all !
Flimsy grips
This is something that is only relevant to the model 29s as the 629s have far better quality Pachmayr styled rubberised grips fitted to them. The trick with these is to pad them out internally with Plasticine to add weight to the grips as well as to alleviate their creaky nature. I've been reliably informed from many sources that this works extremely well and changes the 'feel' of the gun tremendously.
Partially rifled barrels
All of my S&W 29s and 629s were originally smoothbore BB firers, which I've since had fully inner rifled barrels replacements made (courtesy of our resident barrel smith - Modski66) and fitted . If I was to buy again or recommend to another member which one to buy I would, without any reservation, go for the smoothbore versions, the guns (straight out of the box) are very accurate when using pellets down the smoothbore barrel and getting a partially rifled barrel does not appeal to me or many others for that matter too. If you are unfortunate enough to have purchased a rifled version without realising the lack of a fully rifled inner barrel then there's always the option of advertising in the wanted section for either a smoothbore inner barrel (I've got a few spare, lol) or asking if somebody would be willing to make a rifled one for you.
Finally.....
This thread is in no way a 'review' of either of the S&Ws, this thread is just for those owners who are wanting a solution to a certain problem with their gun. There's too many 'unloved' guns out there that just need simple remedial work to get them back into that 'loved' category, whether we should be buying guns that need this amount of work doing to them from new is not the subject of this article/thread, I'm only here to offer help to those that need it and there's quite a few of our members who, like me, are only too willing to be a part-time gunsmith for the sake of their collection.
As always, any questions just ask.......
