S&w 629 4"
 

Last week I got a 4" S&W Model 629 for my new carry pistol in bear country. I've had a couple of Ruger Super Blackhawks in .44 magnum for 40 some years, but this is my first S&W in that caliber. The 245 grain hard cast lead bullets that I've been using for years in my Rugers also shoot well in this 629. I zeroed it to hit point of aim at 25 yards with those bullets, and it will also keep those bullets in light .44 Special loads on my 8" steel at 25 yards.

After I got it zeroed on my first day shooting it, I found a plate size piece of 4" thick concrete that I put on a stump. My first shot at 20 yards with one of my 245 grain full loads reduced that piece of concrete to airborne gravel.

I've only had it to the range twice and have only shot one box of full power .44 magnum loads and 1/2 box of .44 Special loads through it, but I haven't had that much fun shooting a pistol in years.

I have carried a 629 when in bear country foryears. Mine has a 6" barrel and a wonderful trigger. Normally I shoot 240 grain XTP bullets with medium loads, but when backpacking in bear country it is stuffed with 300 grain XTP's and a stout charge of 296 or similar. Moving up to the 300 grain bullet makes quite a difference in recoil. The S&W is not as heavily built as the Ruger so I do not give it a steady diet of heavy loads. The 629 is simply a great pistol.

I really like the S&W 29 but I prefer the longer barrel version, its put more hogs in the freezer than all my rifle combined,
its certainly very accurate, trigger faultless, and while its not every guys (cup of tea) Id feel lost without it.




load a 310 grain lee cast 44 caliber bullet over 21 grains of H110 , size .430 , cast from 95% ww alloy and 5% tin
that has been my almost exclusively used load, in my S&W 29, for the last 35 plus years and it flat works, use a firm crimp, seat out to near max length that the cylinder allows and PRACTICE!!

I have an older model 29 made back in about 1970 with the recessed cylinder and target sights and 8 3/8" barrel. It came in a display case which I still have also plus all the original paperwork. The revolver is still in perfect condition and I have fired thousands of rounds through it. The trigger is very light in single action mode (made before all the liability suits) and its accurate as all get out with 240 gr Hornady XTPs and WW 296 powder.

I used to have a nice 4 inch barrel colt Anaconda , used to carry all the time back in the early 90's doing a lot of bear drives thru thick swamps, where a rifle was more a inconvenience not worth the hassle to carry
I got it used for dirt cheap(think I paid a 150 bucks for it)
stainless/chrome plated I forget, but WOW what a smooth trigger it had and I shot it well

then in about 2001 or so, some guy offered me 1500 for it and away she went
I look back now and its one of them guns I wish I held onto
never shot a single critter with it sadly, but I did enjoy shooting it
I have a few S&W 629's of different size barrels and yrs of make, but I never felt any of them were as smooth an action as the colt was!
still great guns
I also sold a bunch of the RSR custom shop one's back in the 90's, they made some pretty sweet set ups thru the custom shop

every choice you make is a compromise in several areas,
revolvers in most common calibers, used for hunting larger game.
from 357 mag to 500 mag , are used at moderate ranges,
seldom much past 120 yards max.
longer barrels, weight more and make transport, and carry more difficult,
in exchange you get a longer and easier to use, more precise, sight radias, higher velocity and less felt recoil.
accuracy tends to improve but thats not totally dependent on bore length,
larger mass projectiles retain impact energy more efficiently.
proper projectile design has a great deal to do with impact performance,
generally the heavier projectiles in most bore diam. work best but rifling twist rates and velocities,
need to be considered.
handgun velocity with a hard cast gas check bullet, in a reasonable barrel length,
will rarely maintain good accuracy at over about 1600,fps--1700 fps

ID suggest you select larger caliber revolvers pushing 250-450 grain hard cast bullets in 44-50 caliber, pushed to 1300-1400 fps or more,
tend too penetrate very effectively at common hand gun ranges.
once you have the ability to punch through ,destroy the vitals of the game ,and have bullets exit the game from all reasonable angles and ranges,
more power is of little benefit
as usual correct and consistent shot placement is the critical factor
357 mag= 158 grain-180 grain
41 mag= 220 grain-250 grain
44 mag= 270 grain-320 grain
45 caliber -300 grain-350 grain
480 caliber 350 grain-400 grain
50 caliber 400 grain-480 grain
don,t think a 357 mag can,t be effective, it is,
but its not in the same class as the larger magnums

I've been taking this new S&W 629 out to the range every Wednesday afternoon, and the fun just keeps getting better. I'm no Jerry Miculek firing it double action, but I don't do too bad shooting single action. Shooting single action, offhand I can keep most shots on the 15" gong at 50 yards with my .44 magnum loads and most shots on the 8" gong at 25 yards with both my .44 Special and .44 Magnum Loads. I also took some of my 1/3 ounce shot loads over to the Skeet field and had fun shooting the station 8 clay targets. These shot loads are made out of .303 British or .30-40 Krag brass that is cut to .44 Mag cylinder length and the rim trimmed to .44 rim dimensions. I've shot these shot loads for many years in my 7 1/2" Ruger Super Blackhawks, but for some reason they stick in my 629.

Hardcastonly, that's a pretty fair guide for first time pistol buyers that you posted.
"44 mag= 270 grain-320 grain
45 caliber -300 grain-350 grain"

I've only shot two big game animals with my pistols. Both were black bears in the 5-5 1/2' range on DIY spot and stalk hunts. The first was with a 220 grain cast bullet from my Govt model 1911 .45 acp., the other was with a 250 grain gas checked cast bullet from one of my .44 magnum Ruger Super Blackhawks. Both were one shot kills that died close to where they were standing when I shot them. Like Hardcastonly posted, "shot placement is the critical factor."

how many of you gentlemen have a larger bore (revolver you hunt with)?
like a 454 cassull, 445 DWSM, 480 ruger, 460 S&W or 500 S&W.
and how many of you hand load for those revolvers?
Ive hunted with revolvers loaded with hard cast bullets for 5 decades
the results are in my opinion rather satisfying , and suit my hunting style well,
AS I prefer to try to get into under 100 yards (well under if I can) before firing a shot.
power is not as critical as most people might imagine , but accurate shot placement is critical.
yes a 44 mag is 100 percent lethal, and with a 310 grain lee hard cast bullet in a 44 mag,
and 445 DWSM,
I've shot more than a few deer and hogs and two elk in the last 50 years
yes you can select and use a more powerful cartridge,
yes the 44 mag is now considered old school,
yes more power and a larger heavier bullet potentially hits harder,
Ive yet to see the extra power provide a great deal more lethality, but
if you can handle the recoil certainly a 480 ruger, 460 or 500 S&W provides more power,
but Ive always wondered if a 44 mag properly loaded has bullets that punch through and exit from most angles ,
how much do you gain from more power.

from what I've read hes using a ruger revolver in 44 mag with 300 grain bullets