I see as questions as to weather the 69 is a square or round butt. She's a round butt but I have square butt target grips on her. I filled the small gap left by it being a round butt frame with a small piece of walnut. It was a very easy fix taking about an hour or so.

My favorite Model 69 load is a 210JHC by Sierra over a healthy dose of 2400 pushing that bullet at 1272 chronoed. No high pressure and superbly accurate. Easy to shoot and a joy to carry! L vs N the L is much easier to carry. Gun has shot all loads accurately, some very, very accurately.

Did you buy this gun at a gun shop or on line?

I don't know about the S&W 69, but the Taurus Tracker with the 2-1/2" barrel weighs 23 ounces - about the same as a k-frame snubby 357.

And being kicked by an angry mule is a pretty fair description of what it feels like to light off a 240gr factory magnum round in one....

I ordered a m69 from my local shop a few months ago. They know me very well and I have spent a ****-ton of money there. So when I ordered it, I asked if I found it not up to standards, can I refuse it. Of course, they said. When I went to purchase it, I discovered a very fine piece of workmanship. Up to my standards. !0 days later, I picked it up and ASAP I was at the range with 210 gr silvertips over 8 gr. Unique and hard cast 240 LSWC over same charge. Very accurate and tight.
The insides were dry so they got a touch of FP-10. All surfaces were smooth and needed no stoning.
I love my 4" 29-3, but if I ever get outa this damned state and get a little land around me, the 69 will be my belt carry.

I've looked closely at two of them now. Not impressed.

Really wanted one in a 3" for carry, but so far no dice.

Got to thinking a 4" might be OK for field use, especially since I traded off my 3" 29 long ago.

Don't care for the IL, but then, who does? It can be replaced with a plug.

Then looked over the barrel. Two piece, so that washed out any ideas of having it shortened.

Then the MIM parts. Not happy over those. But they are what they are. Take'em or leave'em.

Then saw the gap, and what was worse, it did not take much pressure on the cylinder to move the crane around. The detent is NOT a replacement for the old method. It should have supplemented it, not supplanted it.

So at this point not sure. Will wait and look at some others. I hope the new crane detent is not something being planned as standard for other models.

Just have two hundred federal 155s left out of five thousand. Three hundred are freshly loaded. Yes I shoot a lot and no I have had ZERO issues with my model 69. Yes I'll probably buy another one because I'll wear this one out. My everyday load is a H&G#503@ 1200fps. I did replace the front sight with a green fiber optic from Dawson.

And it is very accurate with my three loads non of which are jacketed.

And have not regretted it one bit. I've only shot 240 gr Magtech's out of it and it barks with authority.

I have a Crimson Trace laser grip on it that fills the hand and cushions the recoil.

It's a tack driver and the fit and finish is just beautiful.

Digiroc

Attached Images

Model 69.jpg (51.3 KB, 80 views)

Love my M69. Tried S&W500 grips but settled on Pachmayr Diamond Pros. The ball detent is supposed to rest on the side of the slope so as to hold the crane closed. It shoots very well although I do load starting 44 Mag loads. Now my carry piece in the woods and rivers. Full loads are doable, but not too many. A cylinder of full loads does bring the Tupperware kids over wondering what the hell just happened.

__________________
Foster Positivity.

Carried my 69 on my person on a 3hour 4 wheeler ride through the woods on the Clearwater drainage in Idaho today. So much handier than my 29 or 4" Redhawk!
Hardly knew it was on my hip!

Someday I will have one. But with 2 kids in college I'm suffering from that disease 'Allfundzalow' lol. So for now it's my 3" 13-3 stoked with my homerolled 173gr Keiths atop some 2400 or my M&P 45 as a woods bummin' shooter. Someday, someday......

I liked the idea of the 69 the minute I heard of it. It took a while before I even saw one outside of an NRA convention. Recently, my regular gun shop took one in on trade that was unused and basically a new gun. I snapped it up.

Although I've been buying S&W revolvers since 1980, this is the first new one I've had in a long time. It's different.

But I don't think the two-piece barrel is so terrible. Or the MIM parts. The lock is annoying just for its origin, but hey. My somewhat similar 696 has none of these travesties, but for all practical purposes I'm comfortable saying he 69 is the better gun. That nips any doubts I have.

I think the 69 is an excellent revolver. The size, proportions, and weight are just right for me.

Although I've had a few, no .44 Mag has stayed around here long. They were no fun to carry, and not much fun to shoot either. The boreline felt too high, and the grips were sized for apes. The 69, with the lower bore and K/L frame giving a few thousand grip options, has all the recoil but feels more controllable to me.

And while I've only had it for a relatively short time, I wouldn't be surprised to learn I've already carried it more than any other .44 Mag I've had.

The other .44 Mags I've had were guns I used when I had to. The 69 has so far been a gun I've used "just because". I never carried the others just for the heck of it, but I've done that with the 69 plenty already.
It's just a friendly little gun.

I bought the first model 69 I saw. I had a 8 3/8" model 629 years ago that I traded off. I had a large 40mm red dot on it and took two deer with one shot with it with 300 grain "Bear" loads in it.

It was a belt carry back-up tho my 300 WinMag but as I was setting up in my ground hide (a large fallen tree) a shot rang out from over a ridge that sent a herd of doe's running right at me.

I drew the .44 and the lead doe saw the movement and skidded to a halt about 30' in front of me, as she did that the following doe collided with her.

I put the dot on the white fur on her chest and the bullet did a complete pass through and hit the following deer with a spine shot. Both we're taken with follow-up shots.

Like all weapons I've sold I later wished I hadn't but when I saw the model 69 I knew that it would replace the .44 I lost. I bought the gun with a CT laser grip and I've also mounted an optic on the 69, but a much smaller, lighter, and more compact Burris FastFire 3 than I had on my 629.

I have not shot it much yet but am looking forward to shooting and even carrying the 69. There have also been rumors of a (nearly) 3" model and I'll probably get one of those when (and if) they become available.

I've posted these photos before (probably to many times, but what's a thread without photos?):



In a Cordura Fabric pancake which conceals surprisingly well:



In my Don Hulm front break for open carry:



Still not a lightweight to carry, but probably a pound less than my 629 would weigh in at. Note the tacky but effective velcro tape along the backstrap and finger grip. This is the "hook" part of the tape which grips well in hand and provides a bit of "give" to absorb felt recoil.

digiroc