Smith and Wesson Model 29

     The model 29 was made famous by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry series of films that came out of Hollywood.  "Make my day" is a statement that is recognized worldwide.  The model 29 at the time was the most powerful handgun in the world. There were some black powder pistols that were more powerful but not in production at the time. This was the handgun that detective Callahan carried and made famous.  There are many variations of the model 29.  This model was made in stainless steel, nickel, and blue.  You can get a model 29 in 3",4",6", 6.5", 8 3/8" and 10 5/8".

The model 29 looks amazing in its different configurations with grips and barrel lengths. Smith and Wesson has a variety of choices and consumers have modified their own versions of the model 29 and it would be great if you shared the pictures of your model 29 here as well.
I wouldn't say that the model 29 is the best selling S&W ever made but I would say that it is the most famous.  This is the revolver that the whole world recognizes thanks to Clint Eastwood.  I can remember watching Dirty Harry as a kid and seeing the model 29 and thinking as a child that it was overkill.  Imagine that!

A quick Google search will reveal one of the most fascinating revolvers of all time.  The model 29 has a cult following and many people have them.  The general consensus is that the model 29 with a 6" barrel blued is a fairly rare item to obtain.  Not because they aren't out there, but because many people don't want to sell them.  Can you blame them?  Before the movie was released most used the handgun for hunting and some law enforcement carried it but not many.  When the film came out in 1971, they scrambled to keep them on the shelves and now most of these beauties sit in a very dark area of peoples safes, never to see the light of day again.
The model 29 had several improvements and we can look at the dash to see what S&W wanted to improve on.
29-1 was introduced in 1960 and had modifications to the ejector rod screw
29-2 dropped a spring that secured the cylinder stop
29-3 1982 dropped recessed cylinders and pinned barrels for crushed fit barrels
29-4 1988
29-5 1990
29-6 1996 standard mono grips from Hogue
29-7 1998 changes to the locking mechanism, firing pin attachment, new hammer and trigger introduced by injection molding process
Starting numbers and years on the model 29 N-frame revolver
N1-1969-72
N100000 1973
N200000 1974-77

N300000 1975-76
N400000 1977-78
N500000 1978-80
N600000 1979-80
N700000 1980
N800000 1980-83
N900000 1982-86

The model 29 S&W is one of the most sought after revolvers
in a 6" blued variation.  These sell quickly and you can still find them on gunbroker.com or on gunauction.com.  Many people place bids on these when the pop up.  I have seen many of these sell in pairs as well.  The model 29 looks great in its presentation box and many collectors still drool over the opportunity to purchase one of these.