Received some great feedback a couple weeks back and would welcome more responses from those familiar with the recoil of the 44 magnum shooting 240-260 factory ammo. I have owned the 357 magnum for a number of years and a very easy gun to shoot. Now thinking of stepping up to a 44 as a carry weapon after being away from grouse hunting for about 20 years and wanting to get the over/under 12 gauge to be more than its annual cleaning and no shooting. Many more black bear here now than what there used to be. Need to shoot the gun enough with 240 loads to at least be proficient with the gun. With less than perfect eye sight at age 62 and not ever going to be an expert gunner, I want the gun that will give me the advantage especially if I need a second round. In just picking the two guns up in the local gun store, the 4" feels the best and balances the best. I am simply guessing to say I believe the 5" would be easier to shoot with a little more weight out front and probably a little less recoil. Here is where I would appreciate your expertise as never having fired either one, I am guessing at what would work best.

I'm with you on the feel of a 4" vs. longer. I dont own any revolvers with barrels longer than 4".

A few thoughts though... the difference you might feel in recoil between the two will be negligible, and if you ever have to shoot it in self-defense you wont notice the recoil anyway. I carry a .454 Casull (Ruger Alaskan) for self-defense in the mountains -- you oughta find someone who has one for you to shoot, cuz you'll never think a .44mag has a lot of recoil after that.

You're going to carry it a lot more than your going to shoot it, and for that reason alone, the 4" seems like a smarter choice to me.

I'll second that! I have the Alaskan in 454 and two 44Mags. I go plinking with the 44s. I was at the range this week and put 200 rounds of 44 special through then shifted up and put 100 rnds of 44 mags through my Ruger SRH.

I have the 4" and the 5" 629. The 5" shoots better and the 4" is better balanced and better to carry. However, if it came time to defend myself from a black bear attack I would want to be carrying a 5" or better a 6"- I would want the extra velocity and slightly better time for a second shot. And I would want to be carrying the pistol loaded with nothing but Garrett hard cast lead/silver alloy rounds. (I think his site is Garrett Cartridges Inc. 44 mag .45-70 .44 ammo ammunition bullets african hunting cartridges but not 100% sure).
Again, I think what is more important than the barrel length is the rounds you will carry. You will be surprised that you will not notice recoil or any barrel length factors if you are charged.

Either one. The bear won't know the difference.

Your assumption is correct. In my youth I owned and shot S&W 29s/629s in 4", 6". 6.5" and 8.375". The longer the barrel, the easier they are to shoot, but the shorter the barrel, the easier they are to pack. It's a tradeoff. If I were going to carry full power loads today, I would probably try to find one of the older 5" 29s/629s with the full underlug. But it's very much a matter of personal preference.

You've gotta handle and shoot them both to make that decision.

I've chosen a 5 inch barrel as the best all-around balance, carry, shooter length combination. I believe many others have done the same... Add X frame grips and you're all set....

As the first reply says, if you are shooting in self defense, you will not feel any recoil! Adrenaline is a great and powerful thing. That being said, if the 4" feels the best, that is the one I would pick. With practice, you will have just as quick of a follow up shot. Happy hunting!

I have both and my pick would be the 5 inch. It balances better, a bit less felt recoil for quicker follow up shots.

I have and shoot all available barrel lengths . The 4" is my absolute favorite , the difference between 4" and 5" is not much with full house loads. Get the one that feels best and practice until you feel comfortable with it. Enjoy your time in the woods

I have both except my 4" is a Mountain Gun version. The velocity difference is not enough in 1 inch for the bear to notice. Sight radius is 1" longer with the 5" but you are not target shooting here, it's self defense you are concerned with. And if you are concerned with self defense you are dealing with a charging bear with no time for "aim, relax, squeese and fire". It really comes down to in IN THIS SPECIFIC SITUATION, to having the gun available. The 5" , with full lug, is just long and heavier enough to make a difference in comfortable carry. I have carried a gun every day as a profession for 30 years. Weight makes all the differnce is whether you carry or not. You will be more likely to carry the 4" all the time than the 5". The gun that you have with you is the one that matters. Also remember to not get wrapped up in the hype on bears. You are dealing with a BLACK bear here, not a Grizzly or Kodiak Brown Bear. More than a few hunt a Black Bear with the 357 Magnum. A 240 gr. 44 Mag. is quite sufficient for Black Bear unless you shoot them in the butt.

I have to agree with this. I live and hunt grouse in black bear country (Down East Maine), and although they are shy, I see about as many blackies as I do whitetails in the course of a year. In fact, one of my prime woodcock and grouse coverts has a number of bear baits set in it, and the bears are also pursued with hounds in the same area. I've never even thought of black bears as a problem.

Coyotes on the other hand are another matter, and I usually take a woods gun with me in any season just in case the dogs tangle with any when we are berry picking, etc. Normally it's a 1911 or K-frame.

If you want to carry a heavy sixgun just because you like them, fine. I've found that carrying a big shooter on my belt while bird hunting with a light shotgun to be kind of a pain, and have only done it a few times when both birds and deer are open. Can't afford a drilling yet.

Probably carrying a pocket full of 12-gauge slugs would be easier, and a double gun would allow very quick removal of birdshot and replacement with something more robust. And for self defense you are going to use it at very close range anyway and would just point and shoot. In fact, at ranges of 7 yards and less it won't really matter at all what you have in a 12 gauge. Whatever is in front of the muzzles is going to go away.

I don't know about that, has anyone bothered to ask????

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Forum consigliere

My pick is my 4" 629 Mountain Gun.

If the 329PD had been out when I was buying .......... I'd bought it instead.

Yes, there is recoil ........... but you need to handload to get over the transition and once you are accustomed to the .44 ......... you'd think it was a cap gun if you are in an intense pressure situation!


Three 44s

I live in Colorado and often hike and camp in the high country where the Black Bears are. I have yet to see one. I carry a 66-2 in 3", a CS-1 3" or a .357 Mtn Gun, 7 shot in 4" with a 180gr. bullet. We are talking about black bears here not browns or grizzly's I think that sometimes people get carried away with the need for some sort of supper load for anything bigger than a small dog! It you feel the need for a .44 mag. then go for it but it may in fact be more than is needed for the purpose.

After years of toting around a variety of longer barreled .44's (4" to 7.5"), I no longer carry anything with a barrel longer then 2.5". I find the longer tubes slower to get on target, and slower to get back on target for a follow up shot....both extremely important in a SD scenario (we aren't talking about "hunting" here, ok!). Yes, I know I am giving up some velocity, but it is a worthwhile tradeoff for lightning quick handling.

Lots of big black bears that are not shy around humans, in my local mountains! These days, I have settled on a Ruger Alaskan when camping off of vehicles, and a 329NG for hiking/backpacking (a full pound lighter than the Ruger!). In the desert and foothills where there are no bears but there are cats, I think I may eventually end up carrying a .357, 386NG.

Personally...I have the 4" M629 and for what you suggest I wouldnt have anything else. Now...if I intended on HUNTING with it...or course for many reasons a 6" would be better ( more velocity; longer sight radius...etc) But any REAL difference between a 4" and a 5" velocity-wise is hogwash. Of course there actually IS...but the target sure isnt going to know it.

Federal has some premium ammo that one or another of their loads will do what you need. I practice with handloads ( 240 gr LSWC over Unique....about the same speed, etc as a factory 45 ACP ammo) and then switch ( in my case) to some factory Hornady's.

Go with the 4"

I toted a 4" and 6.5" M29 around Alaska when I lived there (no .454, .460, or .500 yet in those days). Been there, done that, learned my lesson!

The 4" barrel comes out of the holster quicker and that could make all the difference in the world. I'm actually very fond of 3" N Frames for concealed carry, as they come out of the holster even more quickly. A 3" full lug barrel balances nicely and is very fast out of the holster. If you look hard enough you can find a 3" .44 Magnum. There isn't a bear out there that can withstand proper bullet placement out of a 3" .44 Magnum.

Dave Sinko

Here is an article regarding an actual bear attack posted by one of our members in November 2009, and how the bear was killed. Several pictures.
Thought all you "bear guy" might like to read this one.
Carl

BEAR ATTACK (PHOTO'S)

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Retired FBI Agent

At the range you will be shooting, it only matters what feels and points good for you, I don't like the longer barrels, have a 2 5/8ths 629, a 4" 29, and a 4" 500, I like shooting all of them better than my 6.5 29. No differance at point blanc range!!!

I prefer my 5" 629 since I got this one I have shot a 3" and a 6" 629 full lug just at the indoor range... I love my 5" but I'm thinking I may need to look at getting a 6" it sure was smooth it had a Pachmayr Decelerator grip on it, I just got one for my 5" I can't wait to get mine back from S&W put the new grip on and head to the range

Little 2.5" Ruger Alaskan .454!