In this Field Test Shooting Review I test out the Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 BB Revolver in the Replica Airguns Sea Can Indoor Shooting Range to find out its velocity and accuracy using both 4.5mm Steel BB’s and .177 Caliber Lead Pellets. The version I am using is the BB version but my viewers have informed me that the BB version may in fact shoot just as well as the pellet version using pellets even without the rifled barrel due to how pellets are shaped not always requiring a rifled barrel to fly true. So let’s find out!
Starting with the velocity test, I shot 4 rounds of each ammo through my Chronograph using a fresh CO2 cartridge. Umarex claims the Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 BB Revolver is able to get a maximum fps of 420 using standard 4.5mm steel BB’s and I was able to average 396 so every close. In warmer conditions 420 fps should be possible. Switching to the .177 caliber lead pellets the fps lowered a bit to an average of 323 fps as expected since the pellets are much heavier (around 7 grain versus 5 grain). I would expect the energy of the pellets to be a bit higher and also keep that energy out to further ranges so if you plan to shoot longer ranges perhaps go with the lead pellets over the BB’s as long as they are similar in accuracy which I test next.
For the accuracy portion of the test I again started off with the 4.5mm Steel BB’s and fired 6 rounds into my paper target setup 30 feet down range. I shot the Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 BB Revolver using a seated shooting position with my hands resting up front on a sand bag to help with stability but it’s not perfect and there is always some human factor to consider. That said I was able to shoot a 1.5 inch 6 shot grouping with the BB’s and if I remove one outlier from the group that reduced it to closer to around an inch so not too bad for a BB shooter. I then switching up to the .177 caliber lead pellets and was a bit surprised that even without a rifled barrel the pellets seemed to perform better than the Steel BB’s getting a solid 1 inch grouping with no real outliers in it!
Unfortunately I do not have the actual rifled barrel version of the Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 Revolver. Perhaps in the future I can compare the BB verso to the Pellet version using pellets to see if there is an improvement with the addition of the rifled barrel. I can say the BB version without the rifled version shoots pellets just fine at least up to 30 feet so feel free to shoot whatever ammo you want to with it and not be worried about compromising accuracy or velocity.
Type: BB Pistol. Manufacturer: Umarex. Model: M29. Materials: Metal & plastic. Weight: 2.5 pounds (1135 grams). Barrel Length: 8.375 inches (Smooth bore). Total Length: 12.13 inches. Propulsion: 12 gram CO2 cartridge. Action: Revolver, single and double action. Ammunition Type: 4.5mm steel BB's (Also available in 6mm Airsoft). Ammunition Capacity: 6 rounds. FPS: 420fps claimed.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 BB Revolver is light in single action but not too light, there is virtually no take up and the release is predictable. In double action the trigger pull is heavier as the cylinder and hammer are both actuated manually by the trigger but even so the pull is not what I would call heavy for a double action revolver. The double action trigger pull is nice and even and will not tire out your finger too much firing all six rounds quickly.
Accuracy: At this point i have not made my Field Test Shooting portion of my review for the Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 BB Revolver but I expect to get close to the 420 fps claimed velocity and I also expect to shoot around a 1 to 2 inch grouping based on my past experienced with similar Shell Loading BB Revolvers. I may even pull of a 1/5 inch group if I am on my game and so is the gun… We will have to all wait till next week when I record the shooting portion of my review for the Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 BB Revolver.
Build Quality: Overall the all metal build quality of the Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 BB Revolver is very good. The black chrome finish looks really nice but does show every finger print and any grease from your hands. The imitation wood grips look just like real wood and with only the exception of a small scratch or crack in the front plastic red sight, the Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 BB Revolver was flawless.
Realism: The Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 BB Revolver is the same revolver used in one of the Dirty Hariy Movies and really looks exactly the same. As with all the shell loading BB/pellet/Airsoft Revolvers, they look and perform exactly like the real steel versions other than recoil of course. The only give away for the Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 BB Revolver would be the diameter of the shells as Umarex decided to repurpose the 38/357 shells used in their other smaller caliber shell loading revolvers. It would have been nice to have a larger 44/45 caliber sized shell that they could use in both the Colt 45 Single Action Army Revolvers and this 44 Magnum version of the Smith and Wesson M29 Revolver. The barrel opening is closer to that of a 44 Magnum so they did get that part right.
Pros:
Classic iconic 44 magnum movie revolver.
Mostly all metal build.
Good overall weight, it’s big so expected to weigh a fair amount.
Lots of detail, well made, fit and finish is very good.
Fully S&W Licensed via Umarex.
Love the black chrome look but prone to finger prints.
Simulated wood grips look real enough.
Should have good overall power, accuracy and shots per CO2 (claimed around 80 per CO2).
Adjustable rear sight for windage/elevation with red dot front sight.
CO2 Allen key built into grip.
Recessed barrel true to 44 magnum opening size.
Nice Trigger pull in both single and double action.
Cons:
Shells are closer to 357 not 44 magnum in size.
Don’t like the white writing on the right side.
Black chrome finish shows lots of finger prints and grease.
Comments:
I really like that Umarex decided to give us this more classic Revolver to add to our collection of Airgun Revolvers! I was a big fan of the Dirty Harry Movies so this gun is for sure going to be part of my Airgun collection and even if you are not a fan, you should probably be a fan of the Smith and Wesson M29 which was considered to be one of the most powerful revolvers back in its day. Right now you can get it in 4.5mm Steel BB and 6mm Plastic Airsoft but hopefully there is a .177 caliber Pellet version on its way at some point.
My Table Top Video of the Umarex S&W M29 8 Inch Barrel Shell Loading CO2 BB Revolver:
I have a nice Airgun Pistol Update Unboxing video to checkout where I take a look at 5 Airguns four of which are Gas Blowback Airsoft Pistols and one is a CO2 BB Revolver. I don’t go into a lot of details here on each Airgun as this is mainly just a preview video to let everyone know we have these products in our Online Replica Airgun Stores and give a you a quick look at them. I will be following up with individual Table Top and Field Test Videos where I go into more details and also show you how each gun performs in the Replica Airguns Indoor Sea Can Shooting Range.
