Model 629 Deluxe

[Fahrenheit]

Thinking of picking one up. Always wanted a Smith and .44 mag. A few of my shooting buddies say they are **** (as in all Smith .44s) and tell me to get a Ruger. They say the Smith cant handel a steady diet of .44 mag. Any truth to any of this? Also looking at the "Classic" line in .44 as well, so the same question for them. No matter what one I get I'd disbale to lock and put in a "Plug".

Thanks!

[Mule88]

I have litterally put thousands of rounds through several 29's and 629's of factory equivilent loads with no problems. Around 1989-90 smith introduced their endurance package on the 29's and 629's to strengthen the guns to endure and hold up better. Most of the problems came when people started using heavier than factory loads (300 gn bullets) and this helped to solve that problem. Yes the ruger is stronger than a smith but the smith has a much better trigger (IMO) and I shoot the Smith better than the Rugers I own. If you keep to factory pressure levels you'll get years of service with no problems. I had one M-29-2 (before the endurance package was introduced) I shot 13000 factory equivilent loads in it before have to send it to the factory for a tune up. If you feel the need to beef up your loads get a 460 or 500. Hope this helps and welcome to the forum.

[Fahrenheit]

Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the info. I just plan to run my own loads but nothing above max loads.

[fyimo]

The S&W will handle more ammo through it then you will probably want to reload for it if you keep them at or below max. I had a Ruger Red Hawk with 7 1/2 inch barrel and it was built like a tank but the action wasn't as smooth as my S&W 44 mags.

[daveyc]

The percieved fragility of the 29/629 is certainly a hot topic on message boards and greatly exagerated in my opinion. i own both ruger redhawks and 8 or 10 29/629's. while the rugers are heavy and rugged, for me at least, they are much harder to shoot accurately than the smiths. this is due mostly to the much smoother, lighter trigger pulls of the 29/629. as to the durability of 29/629's, i really don't see it as an issue. my "workhorse" 5" 629 has seen somewhere north of 5000 rounds in the last 3 years with no percievable wear or decrease in accuracy. this is especially true of guns produced after 1989 that have the endurance package. and with the lifetime warranty of current production 629's you really have nothing to loose. If you do manage to shoot one loose, just send it back to the factory and have them tighten it up for you. good luck
daveyc