Questions about hot ammo for my 629

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629classic.44

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I was wondering what's the hottest ammo I can get & put through my 629-6 Classic 5" BBL. I recently tried some Cor Bon Hunter 260gr BCHP at 1450fps & 1214ft/lbs muzzle energy. By far the most fun round I've run through my 629 so far. The muzzle flash was insane & very loud but that's part of the fun :D Definitely more recoil too but super comfortable to shoot. I went through 40 rounds & wanted more but at 50 dollars a box my wallet said to take a breather. Sadly I think these rounds are discontinued, can't seem to find them for sale online. Any rounds like these out there with the same power or more that I can fire in my 629? The more muzzle flash, recoil & noise the better for me.
 
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For factory ammo I usually shoot WWB 240-gr JSPs.
That is plenty of noise, recoil and such for me.

I have found Remington 180-gr ammo to have significant muzzle blast, flame and recoil. You might try a box and see for yourself.
 
I like to shoot 225 gr. Hornady FTX LEVERevolution. It fires at 1410 fps and they do very well in my 629-2. I get good accuracy to about 175 yards with them. But if I want to run heavy loads I use Buffalo Bore "Keith" rounds which are designed to mimic the original .44 mag load limits. 255 gr. and at 1350 fps they do make a loud pop when they fire.
 
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Buffalo Bore is the hottest I know of. They make a whole slew of different loads - check them out! BB is also the ONLY Manufacturer I know of in the entire industry that states EXACTLY what velocities you WILL get out of different barrel lengths WITHOUT any exaggeration or excuses. If you doubt their stated velocities bring along a Chronograph and you will see first hand.

Ammo from the "Big 3" ammo makers NEVER actually performs to the spec;s they state.
 
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l remember my first 44 Magnum. I was young and dumb, wanting Magnum Fun.

It was a deep Smith&Wesson blue Model 29-2, 8 3/8'' barrel. Real

Fire Breather with Super Vel 44 Magnum ammo... Back in 77-78 our

IHMSA match director got an Oehler Chronograph... Shooting 5 rounds

averaged 1803fps from those 180gr missiles.. Firing a couple @ night

they looked T H E R M O--N U C L E A R
 
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Underwood Ammunition, and Buffalo Bore load 'em hot.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
 
629classic.44 said:
I was wondering what's the hottest ammo I can get & put through my 629-6 Classic 5" BBL. I recently tried some Cor Bon Hunter 260gr BCHP at 1450fps & 1214ft/lbs muzzle energy. By far the most fun round I've run through my 629 so far. The muzzle flash was insane & very loud but that's part of the fun :D Definitely more recoil too but super comfortable to shoot. I went through 40 rounds & wanted more but at 50 dollars a box my wallet said to take a breather. Sadly I think these rounds are discontinued, can't seem to find them for sale online. Any rounds like these out there with the same power or more that I can fire in my 629? The more muzzle flash, recoil & noise the better for me.
Click to expand...

Groo here
As long as the load is to 44mag pressure specs , all is fine.
What I would not do is use the 300+grain loads.
The pressures are the same but last longer due to the time it takes
the boolet to exit the barrel.
This increases the stress on the frame and cylinder.
 
Too bad Sierra doesn't sell the 165gr JHP they make for COR-BON. Just might be the bee's knees for what the OP is looking for. Not a reloader, but with guys pushing 180gr loads to 1800fps just imagine what that little pill could do. Besides flame-cut your frame in a hurry ;)
 
chief38 said:
Buffalo Bore is the heaviest I know of. They make a whole slew of different loads - check them out! BB is also the ONLY Manufacturer I know of in the entire industry that states EXACTLY what velocities you WILL get out of different barrel lengths WITHOUT any exaggeration or excuses.
Click to expand...

Underwood also makes high quality, high velocity ammo that pushes hard up against the limits of the caliber, similar to what BB produces. And they are generally considerably less expensive than BB, offering frequent free-shipping deals with $100 orders. I've been pleased with what I have ordered and shot so far. The Underwood website does not provide as much useful information as Buffalo Bore's (in that regard, BB is clearly superior to pretty much every other ammo manufacturer) with respect to expected velocities out of a given barrel length. But if you email their customer service with specific questions, they should provide you with enough information to make an informed decision. At least that has been my experience so far. I've even spoken to the owner a couple times on the phone in the past and he definitely made a good impression.
 
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Thank you all for the Suggestions so far! I'll give the Remington 180's a try & some of the Buffalo Bore & Underwood stuff. So the consensus is it's not good for the Smith's to fire 300 grain bullets or higher?
 
Reload! Just work up to the maximum loads slowly and watch for pressure signs.
 
So the consensus is it's not good for the Smith's to fire 300 grain bullets or higher?
Click to expand...

It's my understanding that the whole Endurance Package thing grew out of wanting to use those heavy loads. I know the guns before the Endurance Package will not take a steady diet of 300 gr. rounds but I was under the impression that anything made after the 629-2 will handle those rounds. The thing I would worry about is using 300 gr. +P+ rounds. That's a whole lot of power and way more than the original design specs for the .44 magnum. The Buffalo Bore "Keith" round was designed to hit the top power rating in the original specs as worked out by Elmer Keith. But again the Endurance Package was about enduring those heavy rounds. I just don't know about adding +P+ power to a heavy load. And Buffalo Bore does make rounds that heavy. Like this 340 gr. +P+ round. I don't know if your Smith would stand up to these all day. I doubt it. They're really more specialty rounds designed for dangerous game.

Heavy .44 Magnum +P+ Pistol & Handgun Ammunition

On that page you'll find a list of firearms that will stand up to these rounds. You'll also find this statement right after the list of guns that will work with that round.

"We get hundreds of emails asking if this load can be fired in S&W revolvers or some firearm other than what is in the above list. The answer is NO."
 
I've been a fan of Doubletap Ammo for a decade plus. His stuff has always been reliable and consistent. Safe for S&W. Check out the numbers yourself.

44 Magnum
 
300 gr. +P+ rounds.
Click to expand...

To my knowledge there is no SAAMI specification for anything like .44 Magnum+P+ or +P for that matter. That rating is just a marketing gimmick used by the manufacturer. In light of that little speck of information, the Smith & Wesson N-Frame .44 magnums could not be "rated" for ammo which has no SAAMI Spec.. I don't know how any other manufacturer deals with this. I do not believe that Ruger has a formal written warranty-just what is mandated by State and Federal consumer protection statutes. They have an in-house service policy which is discretionary and subject to change if and when Ruger sees fit. Currently it pretty good.

Bruce
 
C J said:
It's my understanding that the whole Endurance Package thing grew out of wanting to use those heavy loads. I know the guns before the Endurance Package will not take a steady diet of 300 gr. rounds but I was under the impression that anything made after the 629-2 will handle those rounds.
Click to expand...

I'm somewhat of a newbie to S&W revolvers. Can somebody briefly elaborate on what the "Endurance Package" is?
 
Basically a larger bolt and bolt cut in the cylinder and a heavier bolt spring.
Some found that under heavy loads the earlier guns would jump out of battery upon being fired. No problem with the round that fired, but the cylinder would the repeat the same chamber or skip one rotating to the next shot. Never happened to me. But, then I have never fired bullets over 240 gr or loaded beyond normal.
 
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