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For what its worth, here's my experience with the Model 29 S&W:
My earliest Model 29 was a 29-2, 6 1/2" barrel. My loads were 245 gr. Keith cast SWC, pushed out at 1400~1500 fps. After about 3,000 round of this I experienced difficulities and found the trigger pivot pin had sheared off. Had this repaired by a gunsmith and after another 1500 rounds or so, same thing happened, plus another pin sheared off as well. I contacted Smith & Wesson and they told me to send it in. Further telephone calls with the factory and they advised me they were making an "Endurance Package"
and when it was ready they would install it in my gun. After a couple of months Smith & Wesson called me to tell me my gun would be ready by the end of the week. I asked if they could install the full lug barrel on my gun while they had it, and they did, giving me an 8 3/8" full lug barrel. All this was of no cost to me.
After I got the gun back I put some 13,000 rounds more through the gun without a hitch, also bought a couple more Model 29s already having the Endurance Package and no problem in that respect.
As to why I shot such high velocity, I was using the gun for long range varmint shooting, out to 100 ~150 yards on groundhog, so wanted some pretty fast stepping ammunition.
I sold this gun this year, putting a total of just short of 18,000 rounds of magnum stuff through it.
Bob Wright
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