Picking a 4-inch 44Mag

[FTG-05]

Wow....Another cracked frame and on the first range session...that does not instill confidence to me...

Obviously you did not have time for frame damage so it had to be a flaw from the factory. I'm curious how you kept faith in the gun when it was returned after that kind of initial experience? How many rounds do you have through the replacement now?

I bought it used, so take what you want from that.

I have about 24 full power .44 mag and about 50 .44 Specials through it now. I replaced the wood grips with the Pachy Gripper rubber grips, much better on full power loads, a ***** cat with specials.

S&W replaced the frame without blinking an eye, so I'm not too worried about it. I won't be using it for a IDPA/IPSC match with full power loads, although I will with specials - after hog hunting season.

Thanks,

 

[fyimo]

Having hunted and been a Sportsman for quite a while I will say if you are talking Grizzly bears the outcome is not usually good even with the 44 Magnum. In fact about 10 years ago one of the hunting magazines had an article about grizzlies written by a conservation officer in Alaska who stated that in all the cases that he knew of being investigated where a person had a handgun that the bear always killed the person and about 70% of the bears died after the attack.

 

[spaniel]

Guys, I did not start this thread to beat the dead horse(s) on what is the right caliber for a bear sidearm or whether I am stupid for not wanting to bowhunt in griz country with a .338 Winchester Magnum strapped to my back. You may resurrect one of the many tired comet threads on these topics if you wish to discuss them.

I sincerely appreciate all the on-topic comments. These thoughts have been of great help to me.

MTA: After a load development session with the 41 tonight I'm leaning towards a full underlug 5" 629 in order to get some more range time...comfortably...and determine whether the slightly disappointing accuracy I'm getting is me or Taurus. It's not bad, but based on my smaller guns I expected better. So I'm thinking of diversifying by adding the heavier gun before adding a second lightweight bigbore to the stable. Perhaps give S&W another year to work on those scandium frames.

 

[NE450No2]

The wife and I both carry S&W 44 Mag Mountain guns when in the woods.

I think they are the best combination of size, weight, power and shootability.

A 5 " underlug S&W will be heavy on your belt. It will be a good shooter for sure, however.

 

[spaniel]

I was all set to order a 5" 629 Classic within the next couple weeks...get used to the platform with a gun I can shoot a lot with any load I want, and use for a primary deer weapon in the woods...

Then a deal came up on a lightly used 329PD within driving distance. So I ended up with the 329PD after all!

The only 44Mag ammo I had on hand was very stiff handloads (IIRC 23.5gr H110/240XTP) for my Ruger carbine. I fired 3 rounds with the factory rubber grips...wow...you could feel the recoil get stouter as the cylinder got lighter! The recoil itself did not turn me off as much as the unnecessarily exposed metal on the back of the frame smacking into the web of my hand.

SW 500 grips on the way...they are fools for even shipping the gun with grips they do. Taurus equips with FAR better grips than SW provides.

Also loading up some lighter ammo. I'm looking forward to seeing how this works with ammo across the spectrum with reasonable grips on it.

 

[m657]

Between these 3 : 3" & 4" 629; 4" 657 Mtn Gun, it continually amazes me the nuances in handling and comfort.

Each has magnificent qualities. For belt carry in the woods, I prefer the 41 mag 4" Mtn Gun. Accurate, stout enough to take on anything I can foresee, I prefer it to the 4" 44 mag...although that one is as accurate as I can be out to 50 yards.

I love the 3" but the additional muzzle blast can be distracting. It alone mounts RB wood grips with large finger grooves. When I find just what I'm after, I will change them to match the others, which have the Hogue soft rubber SB which serve my needs very well.

Without the expectation of miles of hunting trail to consider, just my own rather limited woodsie walkabouts, any serve me well.

I'd like to try the 329 but they don't turn up often on the used market in my area.

 

[Jitterbug]

I hemmed and hawed over the same decision and finally went with a 4" 629-6, it carries well in a Simply Rugged holster, although the cylinder does tend to wear on me after 5 or 6 hours or so of scrambling around on a trout stream...and I don't know if the lighter gun would make any difference in that regard.

With a 250/260 grain BTB WFNGC running in the 1225 fps range it's a handful and unpleasant to shoot for more then a dozen such rounds, same thing can be said for the 280 gr. BTB WFNGC in the 1150 fps range. I can do it, but not what I consider to be pleasant shooting.

Under 1000 fps it's an all day fun shooter.

I would like to try out the 329 PD, since lighter is almost always better for carry, but with the recoil of the above loads I don't know...I went with the heavier gun since I only have one .44 at the moment.

Zeroing, getting used to and gaining a practical level of proficiency with the above loads requires a bit of trigger time, at least for me.

I haven't ruled out the 329 PD and after I feel comfortable with the 629 and heavy loads, (pretty much there) I would like to try one out.

More is better with the big bores, I'd really like a 5"-6.5" Classic as a shooter, and I'd also like to try out a 4" 45 Colt, I wouldn't pass on a Mountain Gun, Ruger Redhawk or Blackhawk in .45 Colt if given the chance.

Good luck with your 329 PD I'd be interested on what you settle on for a carry load while in Grizz country.

 

[spaniel]

I finally got a chance to shoot off a couple cylinders with the 500SW grip installed. I loaded up some 240gr XTPs over 9gr Unique (~1000-1050 fps?). Recoil was not bad at all, the only shot that bordered on something I would not want to shoot a whole box of was the last one...it really does start to kick harder as the cylinder empties.

I must say though, also having a very lightweight 41Mag Taurus I have to admit that Taurus has a better grip design. It is more rounded and fills my hand better, so my whole palm is absorbing the recoil vs basically just the webbing area with the SW grip.

The only full power mags I have on hand have H110 in them, which I don't want to run through this gun, so testing full power loads will have to wait until I get some 2400 loads made up.

Accuracy at 20 yds was superb, likely one of the best revolver groups I've shot. It took the Taurus in that area.

 

[CWH44300]

Glad you like your new sixgun - I agree on 2400 , its all I use now for full power loads , you might find a charge of around 19 gr and a 240 gr bullet to be just about good enough for anything - have fun with it and let us know what you decide on

 

[TDC]

When I read a thread like this one about all the concern for a couple of ounces of gun weight I have to smile.

It seems to me a few people need to consider some basic personal weight training for themselves rather than suit the firearm to their strength or endurance level.

I've hunted successfully for 35+ years with 8 3/8" N frames - all day long - for weeks on end and never suffered the fatigue some others declare. I now hunt with a 500 and they are a bit heavier.

The sacrifices and compromises people seek to lighten their load could better be served not by handgun weight but by reducing other non-essential "do-dads" people tend to carry. I know one hunter who carries a lightweight 44 Mag -- negating its purpose by carrying a whole box of ammo "in case he needs it."

If your hide depends on the selection or use of the tool... pick the best one suited to accuracy, recover-ability and delivered energy...

JMHO

 

[K1500]

The 329pd hurts and can be problematic, but it is the lightest thing out there. You could get it, or you could save some coin by buying a 629, go on a diet for a week and lose the same amount of weight that you gained by going for the 629 (not saying you are fat, just saying there are lots of places to trim weight). I have a 329 and carried it when I was overweight. Yes, my hypocrisy knows no bounds. Now that I have lost weight, I don't carry it near as much, mostly because I find it uncomfortable to shoot and I have less than 100% confidence in it.

 

[spaniel]

When I read a thread like this one about all the concern for a couple of ounces of gun weight I have to smile.

It seems to me a few people need to consider some basic personal weight training for themselves rather than suit the firearm to their strength or endurance level.

I've hunted successfully for 35+ years with 8 3/8" N frames

The sacrifices and compromises people seek to lighten their load could better be served not by handgun weight but by reducing other non-essential "do-dads" people tend to carry. I know one hunter who carries a lightweight 44 Mag -- negating its purpose by carrying a whole box of ammo "in case he needs it."

If your hide depends on the selection or use of the tool... pick the best one suited to accuracy, recover-ability and delivered energy...

JMHO

Thank you for your concern about my conditioning. I will consider that this weekend while I am doing a moderate workout of running 6:15 per mile for 18 miles.

When I see a thread like this where someone has to brag about their toughness for carrying an unnecessary three pound block of steel I have to smile. It makes it pretty clear they are likely full of it or don't hunt nearly as hard as they think they do. Seriously, you chastise about follow up and you use a 500?

I already own the gun. Thanks for contributing absolutely nothing to the content of the thread.

 

[spaniel]

The 329pd hurts and can be problematic, but it is the lightest thing out there. You could get it, or you could save some coin by buying a 629, go on a diet for a week and lose the same amount of weight that you gained by going for the 629 (not saying you are fat, just saying there are lots of places to trim weight). I have a 329 and carried it when I was overweight. Yes, my hypocrisy knows no bounds. Now that I have lost weight, I don't carry it near as much, mostly because I find it uncomfortable to shoot and I have less than 100% confidence in it.

See, if you had actually read the thread you'd know I already own one, and if you had read my prior post or had any experience with the gun wearing proper grips you would know all the whining over recoil is overblown.

 

[spaniel]

Glad you like your new sixgun - I agree on 2400 , its all I use now for full power loads , you might find a charge of around 19 gr and a 240 gr bullet to be just about good enough for anything - have fun with it and let us know what you decide on

Thank you. I will try that. I need to check the velocity of the loads I shoot through my ruger carbine, i had to loctite the sights on it so if I want to share ammo I will need to match that velocity...we'll see if I end up going that high.

For mountain carry I am thinking hard cast in the 270 range should be sufficient. I do care about follow up

 

[amazingflapjack]

for bears-bear spray, for holster-something accross the chest that the alaskan guides use, they move their gear around too. Look at changing your approach to the clothing you wear. For hand gun, along with what has been suggested-Taurus makes some very powerful compact revolvers. If you like your 41 mag-considder a 1000 series 3rd gen S&W auto.

 

[DesertFox]

I have shot 6 black bears with my 6" 629 from 20 yds to 50 yds. They each ran a minimum of 20 yards before dying, with a slug in or through the heart. That tells me in grizzly country to carry a rifle. Crazy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I'm not crazy, when in grizzly country I carry a rifle.

The is the most well-put comment I've heard in a long, long time.

 

[DesertFox]

Thank you for your concern about my conditioning. I will consider that this weekend while I am doing a moderate workout of running 6:15 per mile for 18 miles.

Which does nothing for your strength...

 

[DesertFox]

Concerning the OP, my preference is a 629PC 2 5/8" w/ Hogue monogrips. 325gr on top of plenty of H-110.

 

[TDC]

Thank you for your concern about my conditioning. I will consider that this weekend while I am doing a moderate workout of running 6:15 per mile for 18 miles.

When I see a thread like this where someone has to brag about their toughness for carrying an unnecessary three pound block of steel I have to smile. It makes it pretty clear they are likely full of it or don't hunt nearly as hard as they think they do. Seriously, you chastise about follow up and you use a 500?

I already own the gun. Thanks for contributing absolutely nothing to the content of the thread.

<snip>

Gee! No offense intended. You asked.... I responded..... You're welcome. Sorry you didn't get an answer you wanted.

 

[toroflow1]

There is but one to consider...a 629-4....last dash # with forged hammer & trigger, and with firing pin on hammer. It does NOT get any better than this!