Traded my Browning Hi-Power 9mm and $75 cash for this 629-1 3" Mag-na-ported 44 Magnum today. I've heard several times that the 629-1 model is equivalent to the 29-3 model as far as engineering changes go and both are before the "endurance package". So my question is what FACTORY load would be best to run thru this (1200-1500 per year approximately)? I'd like to stay away from 44 special if possible, but if that is all this will handle, then I guess that's what I'll use. I wish I could run hot loads often, but don't want to rattle it loose. Thanks in advance for all helpful replies!

If you are shooting that many a year have you considered reloading your own?

I would also question why not get a newer 3” 629 to shoot and preserve your nice old one?

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-Matt

I have been saving my brass for a year or 2 and do plan to reload in the future, but don't have a press yet. Probably start reloading in the fall. 1300 rounds per year is only a 50 round box every other week, so it's not too much money. I know it will be cheaper to reload, but I just don't have the time. I barely have enough time to go to range every other week. When I do make it to range its spur of the moment.

Sorry I only answered your first question. To answer your second question, Im not a collector, so I only keep guns that I shoot. That's the reason I traded off the Hi-Power for this gun. I only shot the Hi-Power once and didn't care for it. I plan to shoot this gun. But to keep it in good condition, I want to shoot it with safe loads that won't ruin it.

Just a question, but why shoot 1200-1500 rounds a year of full house .44 magnums out of a 3" mag ported 629-1? I could think of a few more pleasant things to do. I shoot mostly cowboy load .44 magnum rounds at the range just for practice. A few full house magnums at a time just to keep in practice and remind me of what the .44 Magnum is really like.

Nice 3" 629-1, great gun

Just for the record, I own and shoot a 3 " M629-4, backpacker



and a 4" M629-5

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Life NRA, Life TSRA, C&R FFL

As I said above it's only 50 rounds every other week. I don't mind recoil.

But like I said, I understand full power loads aren't good for this gun so I'm okay with shooting the lower recoil rounds. I just need help determining which loads are safe. I usually just buy Winchester white box.

There are others here that have shot lots of full power loads their .44s, hopefully they will chime in. But, I shot a lot of slightly reduced power reloads through my 29-2 and it held up without problems. Hickok45 claims more than 75,000 rounds through his 29-2 from the mid 70s. He did break a trigger stud.
Guns are different. Some hold up better than others, it seems to me. Shooting a lot of heavy .44s will create some endshake and wear the ratchets so that a new hand will need to be installed, and maybe some other small parts, but as long as the frame and cylinder hold up, they can be rebuilt without a lot of money invested.
From what I have read, the big problem with the pre upgrade guns were heavy use of 300 grain full power loads used in metallic silhouette shooting back in the 80s. Factory 240 grain loads does not seem to be as hard on the guns as the 300 grain loads.
Personally, I think you just shoot it to your hearts content, or as much as your hand will tolerate, then if it needs a tune up, have one done or send it back to the factory, and truck on!!

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

I am thinking I will likely buy some 44 special and keep buying Winchester white box 240 grain fmj and just shoot half a box of each per range session that way at the end of the year only half of the 1200ish rounds were full power.

I recommend Magtech 240 grain. They seemed to have noticeably lighter recoil than some other brands like Winchester white box. Mild enough to shoot a whole box, but you know it’s a magnum and not a special.

The problem with that is the difference in point of impact vertically. Traditional 246 grain RNL are down around half the velocity of standard .44 240 grain cartridges. They don't get out of the barrel until it has risen higher.

There is no reason to believe that your 629 will not hold up as well as old Elmer Keith's Model 29s did. He did not live long enough to see the endurance package and never knew is 29s were not adaquate for standard loads. See night owl's comments on 300 grain bullets above.

Don't worry about it and just shoot it. It'll hold up fine.

Also I think your gun will tell you what it likes and what is too heavy. If you’re experiencing counter rotation of the cylinder due to it unlocking under heavy recoil I think it’s safe to say that load is too hot. I tried to fix my 29-3 and never had any luck. It needed reduced loads or nothing.

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-Matt

I won't feed it anything that is heavy or hot. Just regular 44 mag or maybe 44 special.

Great looking new gun. Have fun with it. Hopefully the Mag-na-port will also counteract some recoil. Jh

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SWCA 3255 SWHF 615

I can't answer your question about factory ammo to use, since I reload, but I'll echo what some others have said, they're not weaklings if you're reasonable with them.

I bought my 29-2 new & shot it a lot (thousands) for many years, but nothing over 240/250gr weight bullets. Some very hot, by today's standards, & a lot of moderate loads.

Some months ago I noticed it was getting hard to unlatch/open the cylinder. Turned out I finally accumulated too much endshake.

Two shims later & all is good with nothing else needing attention.

Use it, don't abuse it & it'll last a long time. (I have my newer 629's if I need a sledgehammer. )

Congrats on your find!

.



.

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Waiting for the break of day

If you haven't fired it yet, you're in for a learning experience about using full loads in a ported short barrel.

And while the gun is up to the task handling full loads, you may find that the unpleasantness of the added blast with a ported gun will be the determining factor in what you're going want to run in it.

I had magnaported 4" bbl 29-2, I had the barrel changed back to a non-ported barrel... can't imagine what a 3" ported barrel is going to be like.

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Conrad
SWCA #1830 SWHF #222

I think as long as I use factory fmj ammo like Winchester white box Arnscor, Magtech, Fiochi, etc, the recoil and muzzle blast will be fine. I understand that 44 magnum is a scary caliber for many people on this forum. People respond differently to recoil and muzzle blast and I personally enjoy it. This is probably because I am still kinda young, so as I get older I will likely shoot less or none 44 magnum rounds. If it proves to be too much, then I'll just shoot 44 special rounds.

Copied straight from Mag-na-ports website:

"Dual Trapezoidal Mag-na-porting is designed for shooters using shorter barrels with a minimum length of 3 inches. This style of porting provides greater relief from muzzle lift. Using two trapezoidal ports on each side of the barrel, the primary focus of gas dissipation helps reduce the muzzle lift. Extremely effective on the snub nose magnum revolvers.

The Mag-na-port process does not, in itself, alter a handgun's accuracy. The improvement comes from the shooter's being more comfortable, and able to return the gun to a firing position more quickly because of softer recoil. It is this characteristic that is responsible for the popularity of Mag-na-porting amongst law enforcement personnel and competitive shooters."

I shoot standard pressure 44 mag loads, mostly 240 gr Winchester white box or similar out of my 3” 629-1s and 629 Mountain Guns. However, annually I probably shoot 100 to 200 rounds from all of them combined. Not that your gun can’t handle that many rounds, if it were me I’d buy a different 44 mag, perhaps a Ruger or Freedom arms.

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213th FBINA

Groo here
Nice gun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't get hungup over porting [I have many]
Some shooters forget that ALL revolvers are ported[ the BC gap]
The porting on that gun will help the thumb web area[ hurts me]
NOT the kick.
For ammo order from online guys like Georgia, Americam etc,
With cast loads they seldom load heavy..

Ah yes... being young and enjoying the blast/muzzle flash.

I can relate to that, in my younger days I relished that too, where I competed with my Cousin in seeing which one of use could come up with the hottest .44 Mag Hand loads to make the other wince, and he won hands down with his loads using Hodgdon H110.

The Hodgdon website says this about H110... "H110 is the spherical powder that screams "no wimps, please!", delivering top velocities with great accuracy in 44 Magnum, 454 Casull, 475 Linebaugh and the 460 and 500 S&W magnums.

We shot at an outdoor range and we usually ended up clearly the spots on either side of us at the shooting table when we unleashed our hot loads.

As for factory loads, I've found that Fiocchi is on the hotter side of factory ammo.

Enjoy your gun... I have a 3" 657 .41 Magnum and still enjoy shooting it, albeit with tamer loads to suit this arthritic 67 year old.

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Conrad
SWCA #1830 SWHF #222

I say shoot it with what you want as much as you want. Life is short. Have fun and try and wear it out. If you do, show it off with a round count and how many smiles you got out of it. Have it fixed or buy another at that point. Rinse and repeat as needed. Great gun you have. Enjoy.

I am just curious as to why where you came up with 1200 rounds per year over several years being the "Number" that will ruin your 629? I think there is a lot of myth to shooting/ shaking a 44 magnum apart. I have several magnum guns with short barrels including the 44 magnum 629-3 and 629-4. I have no intention of ever shooting .44 specials out of them. If I do (which I doubt) get some end shake I will just have it fixed and shoot on. Enjoy your beautiful 629-1. Shoot it like it was meant to be shot.

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

Couldn't sleep today so I snuck off to the range for a little bit. I had a few boxes of various brands of 44 Mag so I sampled them all. Shot 8 cylinders total (48 rounds). The Winchester and American Eagle both shot the same. The Defender Big Boar was much lighter shooting. Felt like 357 mag. I bought a few boxes of the Defender Big Boar at a gun show a while back. I can't find it anywhere online or in store. Must be discontinued. If anyone knows where to find it let me know. The Winchester and American Eagle in the 3" didn't seem anymore powerful than they do out of my 4" 29-2. Not sure what all the fuss is about. To be honest, I was kinda nervous after all the comments above about full power loads in a 3" barrel. I suppose every body is different. Im not a "recoil junkie", but I do appreciate and enjoy shooting large calibers. After seeing how the gun handled today, I have no plans of shooting 44 special. I just hope it doesn't rattle loose too soon. If it does I'll update this thread.