if they move during the fire it's because the lower inner holes, which should correspond to an elastic steel pin inserted in the frame, are loose or offset. Filling the inner holes, or perhaps one of them, with two-component glue to prevent movement should work_
in case, even any li'l thickness of metal or even paper, if properly inserted into the holes, could work.

however, if the gap is due to a distortion between the internal surfaces of the wooden grips, fine sandpaper and a sheet of glass should work to even out the gap.
generally the grips are clear coated on the outside but not on the inside, thus favoring distortion over time_

 

That's how I would fix it.

 

I would think you could relieve some wood from the insides of the grips where they fit against the steel where they fit tight.

 

in any case, before any sanding, I would first lean towards a careful examination of the relationship between steel pin and inner holes. if this is not tight-fit, the grips will still move with each shot. at least this happened on my 29s_

 

I love this gun so I’m definitely not risking any harm to it. I have a set of Pach’s that I’ll put on it for shooting if need be rather than mess the woods up

 

Well, that explains a lot. So how do I go about fixing a gap that size?

 

I make it clear that I cannot tolerate handling or seeing anything on a 29 other than grips like yours, old style, without the crescent on the left for the speedloader, nor hogues, pachm., or anything else,
but that I'm not Rijtmac, who would give you more professional advice and who I hope can intervene_
sanding has nothing to do with it here, imho : if they were mine, I see two paths: cleaning the mess around that offset hole, and locating the point where the right hole should be. please wait until I continue with the help of the translator...
...if, before shooting, you can tighten the grips, screwing the central screw, in the correct position, the quickest solution is a tiny dab of shoe patina on the lower steel pin, as a releasing agent, next remove the splinters from the offset hole, degrease the inner surface with some acetone on a q-tip, prepare a suitable two-component mix with sawdust similar in color to the splinters, if possible, then reposition the grips and wait for the bi-glue to dry...
in the worst case, when you remove the grips, it will be obvious where the pin insertion hole should be, so you can use this as a reference, defining its position with a cross drawn in pencil...
...at this point, with the grips positioned ok and the glue dry, I would be satisfied and try it on fire: if nothing moves, I would be happy and I'll make my day_
if something (?) went wrong, or if I'm a true OCD, I would prepare a tiny round wooden section, similar to a Marlin's bullseye, a li'l wooden disk to be positioned & glued inside the grip, after having appropriately created the recess using the references already obtained with the pencil cross, hence it will be easy for you understand where to drill the new and definitive pin hole_ from the outside, nothing will compromise the appeal of your Target grips, o.c._
up to this point I have told you as much as I could, if I haven't explained well, please, ask again, but I hope that in the meantime some accomplished Restorer/WoodWorker can help you with greater competence and clarity_

 

Over time, the grips on my 29 got loose also. Fixed it with the epoxy solution. Haven't had to fix them again, although I don't shoot it as much as I used to.

 

I used some epoxy and drilled a pinhole and they are perfectly snug. However, there is still some gap in the grips after some sanding. Is it just cosmetic and I should leave it be and shoot this beast, or should I relieve some interior wood so that they hug up flush with each other?

 

...if it were mine, I would try as it is now, without doing anything else. you then always have time to sand flush the internal faces, remembering that, in any case, the main cause of distortion originates because the wood is only sealed on the outside, and even more with a single point of constriction (the screw) in the middle, therefore it will tend to recur unless the inside is also sealed with some (matte, please) lacquer or varnish_

 

I would certainly consider adding a filler or shims to the pin holes to keep the stocks from rocking. But beyond that, I would be very careful modifying those stocks.

Consider that your factory stocks are presently unmolested and still functional. If you mess that up trying to make things perfect.... Well. it could get expensive.

Before you relieve any wood from the inside of the stocks, you need to figure out where the excess wood is. Is it in the cut out for the frame handle? Or are the stock faces not parallel to each other?

Do the faces of the stocks line up together when they are off the gun? If not, the inner surfaces of the stocks aren't flush. They would need to be sanded to even them up. Be very careful here not to take off too much or they could look worse than they do now--especially if one side ends up thicker than the other. Sanding will also remove any finish from the inside, making bare wood, and it will be obvious they were messed with. Not likely that you will be able to match the factory sealer as it is older than whatever you would then put on to cover the sanded wood.

At the risk of marking up the inside of the stocks, you could smoke the grip frame with a candle then put on the stocks. You will see soot where the grip frame touches the cutout. That's the area where you would relieve the cut out.

Other options...
Pachmayr grips--rubber $30-50 on EBay
Custom wooden (aftermarket) grips. starting about $50 and up
Used or new S&W stocks hoping they will fit better than the ones you have starting about $100 and up. Make sure the appearance of the stocks is proper for the manufacture date of your model 29. Walnut vs Goncalo Alves and proper checkering pattern and finish.

Personally, if it bothered me, I would use an aftermarket stock set for shooting and keep the factory wood unmolested. If you or anyone else ever wants or needs to sell your Model 29, the untouched factory stocks could make a difference of several hundred dollars.

But it's your handgun to do with as you wish.

 

I would certainly consider adding a filler or shims to the pin holes to keep the stocks from rocking. But beyond that, I would be very careful modifying those stocks.

Consider that your factory stocks are presently unmolested and still functional. If you mess that up trying to make things perfect.... Well. it could get expensive.

Before you relieve any wood from the inside of the stocks, you need to figure out where the excess wood is. Is it in the cut out for the frame handle? Or are the stock faces not parallel to each other?

Do the faces of the stocks line up together when they are off the gun? If not, the inner surfaces of the stocks aren't flush. They would need to be sanded to even them up. Be very careful here not to take off too much or they could look worse than they do now--especially if one side ends up thicker than the other. Sanding will also remove any finish from the inside, making bare wood, and it will be obvious they were messed with. Not likely that you will be able to match the factory sealer as it is older than whatever you would then put on to cover the sanded wood.

At the risk of marking up the inside of the stocks, you could smoke the grip frame with a candle then put on the stocks. You will see soot where the grip frame touches the cutout. That's the area where you would relieve the cut out.

Other options...
Pachmayr grips--rubber $30-50 on EBay
Custom wooden (aftermarket) grips. starting about $50 and up
Used or new S&W stocks hoping they will fit better than the ones you have starting about $100 and up. Make sure the appearance of the stocks is proper for the manufacture date of your model 29. Walnut vs Goncalo Alves and proper checkering pattern and finish.

Personally, if it bothered me, I would use an aftermarket stock set for shooting and keep the factory wood unmolested. If you or anyone else ever wants or needs to sell your Model 29, the untouched factory stocks could make a difference of several hundred dollars.

But it's your handgun to do with as you wish.

i sold and traded away probably 10 SWs to acquire all my Marlins, i don' regret getting the Marlins but I offloaded some sweet revolvers. I won't sell another SW again. My primary concern was the pinhole that i fixed, i sanded he inside a bit and have a small gap a the front but nothing awful. I might, if i get bored enough, do some epoxy work to fill that gap but otherwise the will get in interior oiling where it was sanded, then a coat of Ren Wax and that'll be it. It's not like my 29 will be my woods walker, i got my 19 for that job.

 

I had similar issues with after-market plastic grips on a model 65. I fixed it, believe or not, with Bondo. Automotive plastic body filler. It is hard enough to hold everything in place, while soft enough to remove easily from everywhere it is not meant to be. Fills all the gaps and spaces and keeps everything from moving.
I would not use epoxy.

YMMV
Luisyamaha