Hi all,

I have been looking at both 29s and 57s as shooters for silhouette....any suggestions?

I know this will probably stir up debate about .41 v .44 but pffft...thats whats going on in my head right now.

Mike

get and use both.....

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Scott from Canton Ohio

That is what I am thinking..lol. But buying 2 guns for the same purpose can pose problems here.

Here in Australia (in Queensland anyway) it is a little difficult...you have to justify your need to have a handgun.....every one you buy...

To shoot hanguns up to .38 cal you need a licence and need to be a member of an approved target shooting club. To have anything bigger (up to .45 cal) you need a special endorsment from your club saying you compete in silhouette or single action comps. If you have any more than a couple of each category the weapons licensing branch start to ask questions.

You have to shoot a minimum number of club competitions each year (6 minimum) and if you have more than 1 gun in any category that number increases...if you don't your licence can be revoked and your guns taken away.

You can not keep hanguns for hunting or self defence.

There are also restrictions on barrel length for shooters...120mm minimum for revolvers (so NO snubbies) and 128mm for semi auto pistols. Collector guns don't have the same barrel restrictions but....

You can get a collectors licence for pre 1947 hanguns but you need to prove each time that the gun has significant and obvious historic or collectable value. You can apply for a post 1947 collectors licence but again you need to justify your collection. To justify it weapons licensing ask you to collect to a theme (eg. pre '47 Commonwealth military hanguns, etc). We can't just rock up to a gunshop and buy what we like

The only thing you dont need a licence for are antiques...pre 1901 flintlock, cap and ball, pinfires or other "not commercially available" calibres. BUT they still have to be registered with the police within 14 days of aquisition (except flintlocks)

I am lucky that I have my concealable licence (class A, B, C & D) so I can shoot all calibres. I have a pre 1947 collectors licence and I am well known to Weapons Licensing for collecting and having many antiques registered...but it is still a painful process..lol

Laws are pretty strict here..lol

If you buy a 29, make sure it is a 1990 or newer version with all of the endurance upgrades, which will help with long term durability on the silhouette range.

With a 57 the endurance package isn't quite as important, since the gun is slightly heavier due to the smaller bore and chamber dimensions, and the fact that the .41 doesn't recoil as hard. It is close, but even the little bit less amount helps over the long haul.

Thanks Gun 4 fun!

Two items you should keep in mind when making your decision are the flatter trajectory of the .41 when compared to the .44, which would be a help for shooting silhouettes, and obtaining brass and bullets for the .41 is slightly more difficult than it is for the .44. I would think component availability would be a big concern due to your location.

S&W_aussie,

It seems to me -- because of the horrendous paperwork that is required to keep track, that one bureaucrat is needed to oversee each and every single handgun owner in your country. It's a shame when a government doesn't trust their own citizens enough to allow law abiding citizens more reasonable ownership....

Good advice from Gun 4 Fun... The earlier 29's are great handguns but they simply can't stand up to the frequent heavy bullets and heavy loads used in silhouette shooting. They were never intended to. The rule of thumb is to keep the older 29's limited to bullets not heavier than 245/250grs and keep the powder charges moderate.... I've hunted bear and elk with older 41s and 44s for over 30 year and had wonderful success with them both, but using smaller bullets than you'll likely use for your shooting.

The later 29/629's are a better choice and have upgrade features certainly less wearing on the firearm. Although the 41 Mag is my favorite caliber I would have to opt for the bigger bore and heavier bullets so necessary for effective silhouette shooting.... One poster said...."buy them both." That really is the best advice... :-)

This is all excellent advice...thanks TDC!

Perhaps I should juist go all out and get an X frame .460

Actually it just comes down to a matter of class.

.41 Magnums are simply more classy, and can do anything the less classy .429 S&W Long can do...(there, I said it!)

I guess you know where my opinion is...

I'm another fan of the .41, but that being said if I was in your situation I would probably opt for the .44 as ammo and components are much more readily available. I personally do prefer the .41 for the reduced recoil and flatter trajectory and I just seem to shoot them better.

I don't know about class when it concerns me and my .41's, but that .41 mag can do everythng a .44 can do with less recoil and fantastic accuracy. Gun 4 Fun was 100% correct as he is 99.9% of the time. The 57 is the stronger gun and you will shoot that 29 loose over time.

A proper handload will knock them animals down with authotity out of either round. The .41 will do it for less money, recoil and noise with less wear and tear on you and the revolver. The reduced recoil of the .41 over the .44 does add up over a match. Something to think about as you don't want to be jerking that trigger and a stout .44 will bring on the trigger slapping faster than the lighter .41. Unless you have a very thick wallet you will/should be handloading for either round to save money and develop the most accurate load possible. Contrary to popular belief there is plenty of .41 magnum bullets, cases, powder ect. to load that .41 with either light plinking loads or ram knockdown machines. I created a post on this subject and was bombarded with help with sources of components for handloading my 57's and 657's. On either revolver I'd have the yoke beefed up to keep it tight. Pretty simple job and Magnaport does it for a good price thats worth every penny. They are presently making me my version of a 3.5" Jovino using my 6" shot out model 57.

I guess you can tell my answer is the .41 mag. My old 57 has 38 deer to it's credit over the years and the caliber is my all time favorite. I'd use it for hunting any 4 legged animal in North America with the right handload. Have owned 3 .44 mags. They are all gone but the four .41's are still ticking like a Rolex watch.

Best of luck on your search. The wife and I will be coming your way in 2012 for a 3 week tour of your beautiful country. Wish I could bring and pack one of my handguns for all of them dangerous critters. Would like to take a kangaroo and croc for the meat. Hear kangaroo is delicious and I love gator meat, but detest that vile and vicious reptile. They scare the **** out of me!

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V/R
Roger / SG

I don't shoot silhouette but I did notice that I got better penetration on the gristle plate of wild hogs while guiding during grad school.

For what it's worth. I have both and prefer the 41.

I'd definitely make it the .41 Magnum. My experience, having worn out a Model 29 over 30 years ago w/ full power loads and hard cast bullets, is that the Model 57 is tougher, for reasons others here have noted. Yes, the diameter is only .019" less than the .44, but that makes considerable difference, in my experience. I no longer have a Model 29; I do have three Model 57s and won't look back.

You must be a handloader. I really like 215 grain hard cast bullets over a stout charge of 2400, standard primer. This combo is wonderfully accurate in my revolvers. And my guns are still tight.

I'd probably buy a 629 with the Python-type barrel. It is easier and less expensive to buy 44 Magnum ammo and components (than .41s) and you don't need super-heavy loads for metallic silhouette.

I haven't shot it for a long time but I used to use considerably less than maximum 44 Magnum loads from a 6.5-inch gun when I did and I don't recall ever hitting a target that didn't fall. Once, just for fun, I shot a match with the 255-gr gas-check bullet and 8.5 grs of Unique - basically an indoor target load. These knocked down 200-m targets just fine too. Maybe I was just lucky and got some notably "soft" set targets that day... ?

I was never a top-level competitor. I just enjoyed shooting the game for fun and was curious about what I could do with my box-stock 6.5-inch 29. I will say it was not a lot of fun shooting next to the XP100 guys. Those folks could really put the "blast" in muzzle blast.