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S&W Revolvers: 1980 to the Present All NON-PINNED Barrels, the L-Frames, and the New Era Revolvers


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  #1  
Old 10-31-2009, 07:52 PM
DOEBOY1 DOEBOY1 is offline
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Default Light weight 44 mag

HELLO ALL HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE LIGHT WEIGHT 44 MAG I QUESS ITS TITANIUM? FOUND ONE AT A FAIRLY NICE PRICE THINKING OF TAKING IT HOME BUT THIS IS ABOUT TO FOURTH ONE I'VE SEEN LIKE NEW CONDITION AT A PRICE FAR BELOW WHOLESALE. IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS NEWER GUN OTHER THAN THE RECOIL AND LOCK THAT IS A TURN OFF TO PEOPLE MAYBE A DEFECT. i REALLY LIKE IT. I THINK IT WOULD MAKE A GOOD COMPANION FISHING.
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Old 10-31-2009, 09:00 PM
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DB1:
I think it is the best lightweight woods carry gun on the market. I load 44 specials in mine with Gold Dot Hollow Points. No problems in 3 years.
Ed
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Old 10-31-2009, 09:32 PM
jkc jkc is offline
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The recoil is brutal, but, assumably you're not gonna be plinking with it, just using it in dire straights, such as when some critter is gnawing on you, or trying to... I'd rent or borrow one before making the investment --- they're not offered at fire-sale prices for no reason...
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Old 10-31-2009, 10:51 PM
DOEBOY1 DOEBOY1 is offline
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the one i saw was $599 i thought that was a steal. the whole sale price is around $800. huge difference i dont mind the recoil sometimes nice to add at little blunt force trama to the hand to end a bad day. thanks for the reply now to convince the boss that i need it, very hard to conceal among the others. i have toyed with the idea of trading my taurus raging bull 454 on this, but i got such a good deal on it i hate to trade. smith fever at times takes it toll on mental stability and reasoning.
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Old 10-31-2009, 11:06 PM
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Neal Neal is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jkc View Post
The recoil is brutal, but, assumably you're not gonna be plinking with it, just using it in dire straights, such as when some critter is gnawing on you, or trying to... I'd rent or borrow one before making the investment --- they're not offered at fire-sale prices for no reason...
I have read many times the recoil is brutal with this gun. (Model 329?) Have you or anyone tried the X frame rubbers on it? I have the X frame rubbers on my 45 Colt Mountain Gun and it is much more pleasant to shoot.
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Old 11-01-2009, 09:41 AM
xrmattaz xrmattaz is offline
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My 329 is a pussycat with hot .44 Special loads, and does indeed sting a bit with magnums. It is adorned with Kim Ahrends boot grips, as I've found those to be best for CCW. Sparks VM2/Comptac CTAC or FIST #12 holster, easier to conceal than my Glocks.

If something was indeed gnawing on me, I don't think I'd even notice the recoil.
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Old 11-01-2009, 11:01 AM
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re: "smith fever at times takes it toll on mental stability and reasoning"

My belief is 'Smith fever' provides far more a therapeutic remedy which restores stability and reason in an otherwise dark and chaotic universe...
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Old 11-01-2009, 11:31 AM
Wayne M Wayne M is offline
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Great carry gun, lousy gun if you want to shoot it. And I don't mean a box or so. I enjoy shooting the 44 and when I shoot I usually burn through 200 to 300 rounds at a time. Shooting that much, even a Mountain Gun gets to be a handfull even with handloaded hot 44 Specials. Lots of argument on this one but you've answered part of your own question when you said you'd seen three of them. To me they're a lot like the lightweight pocket 38 Specials: carry them lots and shoot them little. Both the guns and your future (non)nerve damaged hands will be much happier. Add to that, these guns have trick blast shields(at least the ones I've seen) that need to be FACTORY replaced with much shooting and you have another reason to buy, at the least, a Mountain Gun and maybe take another step up to a standard 629 4."
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Old 11-01-2009, 04:57 PM
DOEBOY1 DOEBOY1 is offline
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a mountain gun is definitly on my list. my 44 craze started with two n frame grips i bought in st augustine this summer on vacation. had to have a gun to fit them to, being they were square butt and the 629 i had was a classic. well i have filled the gap between one pair of target grips with a 629 found at a pawn shop. and in my search for the mountain gun i found a 2 inch 629-2 [?] with combat grips for a great deal [ round butt]. so still no gun to fit the second pair of dark brown smooth grips. so my delemia is this if i can find a mountain gun at a good deal with out the distraction of all the other guns i want then maybe the gun buying frenzy will subside. the 329 is only a new distraction just like the snub nose 629. the allure of a mountain gun just gives me chills.
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Old 11-01-2009, 08:33 PM
sonny sonny is offline
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I have an as-new 325 (.45 ACP) which is a bugger to shoot. Shot it about 15 rounds with 230 gr commercial; laid a flap of skin back on the web of my thumb.
Great woods gun...if ya never have to shoot it.
Sonny
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  #11  
Old 11-01-2009, 10:12 PM
andyL8 andyL8 is offline
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I have a 629-4 Mountain Gun, and I think they are the perfect 44 Magnum to carry. They are actually fun to shoot with mild Mag or warm special loads. To me, they are NOT fun to shoot more than a box of full power Magnums through. The MG recoil is more violent than painful, but I cannot even imagine how hard the 329s torque your wrists when you shoot them. I think the MG would be far better in a defensive situation. I can't say how much weight someone else would be willing to carry, but the Mountain Guns and the Model 19 are awfully close in weight.

Andy
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Old 11-02-2009, 01:42 AM
Homesteader Homesteader is offline
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You'll have an excuse to buy two 44's. A 329PD for carry and a Mountain Gun to shoot/practice with. The 329PD with full house loads is like bare-handing an over the fence major league homer. Fun once or twice but not much more. Fantastic for what they're made for though.
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Old 11-02-2009, 09:45 PM
DOEBOY1 DOEBOY1 is offline
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thanks for all the advise i may just save my doe and sale one of my sig p9, that i got really cheap, and wait for a mountain gun to take home. that way the boss may precieve me making an effort to sale one then buy one. she would probably look at a mountain gun and like it therefore it would not blend into the forrest with all the rest of the trees or wood it?
too soon to take that chance
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Old 11-02-2009, 11:21 PM
jeffrey jeffrey is offline
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I too have a 629-4 Mountain Gun and I find that it's comfortable with medium loaded 44 special and a real handful with magnum loads. I don't carry it because I find a 4-inch N frame a bit heavy, but then again, the bears around here are not all that interested in chomping down on hikers/hunters.
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Old 11-08-2009, 09:17 PM
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As everyone else has said: "Carry a lot shoot a little". My 329 Night Guard is 29 oz.'s of security in the woods from both two and four legged critters. I always have it on my person; not left in the truck because it weighs too much, like some other .44's I own.
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  #16  
Old 11-09-2009, 01:12 AM
Dale53 Dale53 is offline
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You fellers are just hung up with "pretty" grips. These things almost REQUIRE Pachmayr's.

If I had a lightweight big bore, I would FIRST get a pair of Pachmayr grips for it, THEN I would reload using a good Keith bullet at the velocity that would allow me to make quick "second shots". I would end up with something like the Skeeter load, I suspect. That load (in .44 Special cases, 7.5 grs of Unique behind a 250 gr Keith bullet) gives me 950 fps in a full size .44 Special. That is MORE than enough for self defense. If I needed more (bear country) then I would load it up a bit.

FWIW
Dale53
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Old 11-09-2009, 04:31 AM
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Neal mentioned using X-frame grips to tame the recoil of .44 mags in a light weight gun. I have been carrying my 629-4 MG with a set of Ahrends grips and loaded with 210 gr Silvertips when in the woods. I decided to carry it deer hunting this year using a hand load of 240 gr XTP and 24 gr H-110. I bought a Hogue X-frame grip from another board member and it came just last week. Friday I worked Sight-In-Days at my local gun club and had a chance to try the X-frame Hogues. I was very surprised at how much difference those grips made! That hunting load is still a hand full, but is much more managable with the X-frame grips.

Hang on tight and enjoy the ride!
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329pd, 44 magnum, 629, ahrends, ccw, colt, commercial, hogue, lock, model 19, mountain gun, pachmayr, round butt, sig arms, silvertips, skeeter, snubnose, taurus, titanium

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