...is also my first S&W firearm! Just picked up a 629 Competitor (technically a 629-6)! The action, especially the SA, is amazing. I've never felt so little creep or over travel.

The only things I immediately want to upgrade are the sights. I'm having trouble finding fiber optic (or any replacement) sights for this version of the 629. It has the Patridge sight system with a dovetailed front. Any ideas for sights? I'm just not a fan of this design and would prefer some bright dots.

Any other ideas for possible upgrades? I've already ordered a lock plug kit to get rid of the ugly hole from Original Precision. I may also get an extended cylinder release, likely the short Hogue version. I don't want it to stick out too far beyond the end of the frame.

While the MIM trigger is a bit fugly, it's hard to argue with the feel of this action. I'm not immediately jumping into the "replace all the MIM parts" boat.

Congratulations, that is an impressive first revolver. Not exactly testing the waters with that. 629s are Fundamentally very function firearms with such a broad range of power. What is your intended use? I tend to buy to fill specific goals, but find something about revolvers are just fun with out needing a specific purpose too

Yeah, you're not messing around starting with that thing! Are those removable weights in the barrel underlug?

Honestly, that monster is so big and it's already got a rail and what looks like a removable rear sight plate...I'd be tempted not to mess with the irons and just put an optic on it. An MRDS would provide quicker sight picture acquisition and really wouldn't have much impact on the overall profile of a gun that size.

“It shoots through schools”. Obscure movie ref. aside that thing is bad ass. Not a “.44 guy” but something like that would go a long way towards changing that. .

Enjoy.

If you are gonna buy one, that is a good start. Very nice looking gun.

I like my 6.5” 629, surprisingly pleasant to shoot.

I remember my first wheel gun like it was only a couple months ago!

While I haven’t owned one, I’m no stranger to revolvers, so I had no problems jumping in with this one. Intended use is target shooting at the range.

Those are removable weights in the under lug. It came with a set of metal and Delrin ones.

It’s heavy enough I wasn’t too keen on putting an optic or red dot on it, but I’m open to it because it does have the Weaver rail. Plus, I bet I could reach out a bit with this barrel length. I may play around with some of the red dots I have.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: flesheatingvirus,

Congratulations!

You keep this kind of thing up and before long you may morph right into Sledge Hammer himself!

^^^ I was 3 when that series went off-air.

The black Delrin weights look silly, plus the rearmost one got stuck and I had to damage it with a screwdriver to get it out. I think I'll make some aluminum weights on the lathe and ditch the plastic. I could even make a single weight that is the length of the stack. I can customize the mass by adjusting the bore size.

Here is a link for specs on the cannon:

https://www.smith-wesson.com/p...or-6-weighted-barrel

Still no luck finding sights for it.

I'd think the S&W dovetail would be common.
Try The Revolver Supply Company, LLC.

The spec sheet says 57 oz! That is a full pound more than my mundane 4” 629. Is that before or after the removable barrel weights? That sure is one way to tame .44 magnum rounds.

Congratulations, they are an addiction. I have William's Firesights on my Ruger revolvers. If they are available for the S&W, I recommend them.

I have not upgraded the sights on my 4" 629 as I can still see them adequately.

That’s a heck of a first revolver. My first was a 6” no dash 686. Your 629 should handle even hottest loads just fine.

quote:

Originally posted by 1lowlife:
I'd think the S&W dovetail would be common.
Try The Revolver Supply Company, LLC.

They have a front sight for the S&W V-Comp revolver. Upon reading the reviews, there are many folks who say it works great on a Competitor model! I may pick one of these up. I'm not sure if the rear sight is standard for S&W revolvers or not; I've never replaced one of those. Regardless, I think I'll start with the red fiber front and the plain black rear before doing anything to the rear.

I'll also check out William's Firesights.

quote:

Originally posted by Shackelford:
The spec sheet says 57 oz! That is a full pound more than my mundane 4” 629. Is that before or after the removable barrel weights? That sure is one way to tame .44 magnum rounds.

With all of the metal weights installed (unloaded), it is exactly 57oz. The steel weights plus the screw are 3.3oz of that. I'll have to get a fully loaded weight when I get my dies in and can actually make some ammo!

Just loaded up and tested my first rounds (240gr FMJ + 23gr H110 + magnum primer).

I like this gun. The 2L water bottle never stood a chance. I need to get some hollow points.

58.7oz fully loaded

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
Just loaded up and tested my first rounds (240gr FMJ + 23gr H110 + magnum primer).

I like this gun. The 2L water bottle never stood a chance. I need to get some hollow points.

58.7oz fully loaded

It's crazy the energy that a .44 will dump into a water jug! I've been doing that penetration testing thing with the milk jugs in the other thread, and while I know the prevailing wisdom is that penetration and hitting vitals is the important thing, it's hard to ignore the devastation that a .44 Mag delivers on contact to those first few jugs in the line compared to a .357.

Wow, Talk about Go Big. I've been a S&W revolver fan for a very long time; long before MIM and internal locks. I've now owned just a few S&W revolvers with the dreaded MIM lockwork. Much as I was concerned about MIM, the MIM lockwork has created no issues. And these revolvers have all had smooth double actions, clean single actions, and they all timed/carried up strongly. This could not be said of some of my S&W revolvers, purchased new in the '70s and '80s. I think you're smart in not immediately jumping into replacing MIM components...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: rock185,

quote:

Originally posted by rock185:
Wow, Talk about Go Big. I've used S&W revolver fan for a very long time; long before MIM and internal locks. I've now owned just a few S&W revolvers with the dreaded MIM lockwork. Much as I was concerned about MIM, the MIM lockwork has created no issues. And these revolvers have all had smooth double actions, clean single actions, and they all timed/carried up strongly. This could not be said of some of my S&W revolvers, purchased new in the '70s and '80s. I think you're smart in not immediately jumping into replacing MIM components...

I was very skeptical of the MIM, too. Check out these links, FWIW. They are interesting reads. The parts seem to work very well, though they can be ugly with the seams and hollow portions.

https://revolverguy.com/all-about-mim-part-one/

https://revolverguy.com/all-about-mim-part-two/

https://revolverguy.com/all-about-mim-part-three/