Like the title says. Which would you buy and why? I'm looking at both as fun guns and as back up on pig hunts. That's why I want the short barrels. Would be belt carried with the possibility of chest carry.

629 TALO -vs- 69CM
N-frame vs L-frame
6 shot vs 5 shot
39oz vs 34oz
one-piece barrel vs two-piece
traditional crane lock or ball-detent
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Really comes down to what you like & need.
Does the weight matter?
Does the extra shot matter?
Price? The 69 is cheaper.
Availability? The 69 is probably easier to find currently.
Grip size?
Both are plenty strong.

For fun I think the 69.
If you want a really lightweight 44 snubby try a 329NG at 27.5oz.

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Waiting for the break of day

Hello, seems you have a cool problem, FYI I prefer the 44 myself.
I have the 629-4 3" and recently got a 69 stubby. I did have to send the 69 back because of a mysterious ring in the bore, but it's back and as good as new. If I had to keep only one it would be my CA bulldog. ( just kidding) it would be the 69. Ok there I said it! Please don't judge me! Lol. Lock? What lock? For real, I have rubber boot grips on the 629 but I like the stock grips on the 69. IMHO you can't go wrong with either one!
SEMPER PARATUS

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CPO

I already have the 629 3" Talo. Love it. Still getting the 69 2.75" next. Why not both?

I went with the 3" 629 Talo edition. No regrets, I love the gun. My primary intent was to use it as a backup gun while hunting and hiking, but I've discovered it's a fun and surprisingly accurate range gun. Shooting .44 magnum will wear me out before I get through a box of 50, but I could shoot .44 special all day.

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The 69 is the L-frame , which some find fit their hand size much better. If that doesn't matter, or you are not concerned about being able to conceal it easier, the N frame offers an extra round and perhaps extra weight up front with underlug barrel.

To me it comes to this: if you want compact and easiest to carry, go with the 69, if you don't want compact, why go with a 3" barrel?

Neither is compact enough to carry as an edc (my opinion) and if I'm going to carry and use .44 Magnum loads,I'll take a bit more weigh and one extra round.The 69 makes no sense to me,after owning one for a while. I recently sold it as it was a gun for a situation I didn't have. My 329PD however,is a different story..
Now if S&W would make a Scandium L frame ultra light .44 I may be tempted to buy one. (think 340PD but in .44)

I give my vote to the 629 as I think the extra weight would be beneficial to shooting the full power 44 loads but to be honest I have seen some guys who can handle a lightweight full power handgun just fine so that would be my limitation not the gun .They are both great firearms ,you have a hard choice but please get back to us and let us know what you decide and yes a few pictures maybe a range report ,good luck.

Groo here
I have both.
If you are going to carry the gun a bunch, use the m-69.
If it is a range gun, the 629.
Most don't shoot full up 44 mags most of the time.
Either gun will take it,but can you?

When looking at such a gun ,the question is, what will will happen the most?
The carrying or the shooting.
I like the smaller size and "smoothness" of the M-69 over the m-29.

The 69 snubbie is surprisingly manageable, IMO.

Others have suggested it's because of the lower bore axis to grip distance, compared to the larger frames, resulting in less flip.

I dunno about that, all I can say is it shoots better than most would think.

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69 Combat Magnum -01b (Nosler-Unique target)


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[QUOTE=Breakaway500;139683157)
Now if S&W would make a Scandium L frame ultra light .44 I may be tempted to buy one. (think 340PD but in .44)[/QUOTE]

They did the 296 and 396 are both alloy L frame 44 specials. True not 44 mags, but I have a 396 and stuck in a titanium cylinder and it is super light and sweet. Almost forget it is there holding 5 200 gr loads. I think its like 22 or 23 oz loaded.

M629 / M29 with unfluted cylinder and 3" barrel, much more pleasant to shoot than M29 with standard cylinder and 4" barrel. Mass matters in a 44 magnum ! !

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S&WHF 366

Recently I replaced the fluted cylinder on my Classic 5" 629-6 with a new unfluted cylinder I purchased from Midway. While everything was apart I weighed both cylinders on my digital scale, just to see how much difference there is: 1/2 an oz. Yep, that's all. No problem, I got it for the look.

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629-6 Classic, 5" bbl, on reloading table

(-01b)

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