I am new to handgunning and just purchased a S&W 629 .44 Rem Mag. I was wondering what other cartridges can I shoot from this gun. Someone told me I could shoot the .44 special out of it, and that with this round the recoil would be less for target shooting. Is this the case? If so what other rounds can I shoot from this gun.

Yep, you can shoot specials and mags. Be careful with the specials to clean out ever bit of fouling in the chambers. High pressure's with 44 can happen if it gets too thick.

Problems will be if you are not a handloader, 44 specials can be hard to find. What I do is handload some unique and cast bullets for target. Very mind load.

I hope you are getting that new 629 "hunter" version from the custom shop with built in scope mount. Very nice. I want one myself.

Yes, you can shoot 44Spec. in your 44mag. But, no, you can not shoot 44magnum in a
gun chambered for 44spec. Both cartridges use bullets of .429" diameter. The difference is in the case length, the magnum being a little bit longer, and of course the
magnum is loaded to higher pressures. 44Spec. shouldn't be too hard to find. I think
all the majors make a factory load for it. Readily available via the Internet also. Here's some links for ammo:

CheaperThanDirt: http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ctd/default.asp

AmmoMan: http://www.ammoman.com/default.htm

what barrel length did you get? I have a 4" and carry it pretty much all the time in a chest holster. Its the best fishing/hiking/hunting sidearm I could think of when prowling in bear/moose country.

Thanks for the help guys. I got the 8" 3/8 barrell. I bought the gun primarly to hunt with, thought it would be a fun new challenge. I would purchase a smaller barrell and take it fishing or on other outdoor activities but MD laws are pretty strict. I will probaly just target shoot with it and take it to the deer woods.

I would suggest handloading for it. If your getting into handguns with a "heck, why not? sounds fun and challenging" than not only will it be a rewarding addition to the whole experience, but you can get hunting, target, plinking, rounds all from the same brass. You can also get exactly what you want out of the round (read: hotter hunting and milder plinking rounds than you could from factory).