Need help with ammo for 629

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DaddyzCrazy

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Hey guys. I want to seldomly shoot the hotest damn magnum load this weapon will handle SAFELY! Was looking at the Buffalo Bore +P+ 340 gr at 1600+ FPS. Would my gun disineagrate into a million pieces???

Can someone suggest a brand with a box of 20 - 25 shells that I can pop a round in her once in awhile for the "heart pump". I love this gun but have yet to shoot her. Picked up a half case of Specials in 240Gr SWC to break it in....

What would you guys feed her for a regular diet??? I do wanna keep her forever and not have to send it off to a smith every time I shoot it due to too hot a loads!!!!

TIA, DC.
 
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I don't have the answer you are looking for but will say plain old factory 44 mag is plenty powerful enough for me and my M629. If I just had to have a power fix I'd save up and buy a 460 or 500.
But different strokes for different folks.
 
Thanks BamaBiker. I got 500 rounds of .44 Spcl to break her in. I'm lookin around for some Mag loads but they Range from around 700LBS to the badass 1600+ Foot LBS Muzzle energy. I'd have to say thats some smoking ammo. I'm just trying to find out the hottest loads one should use "Safely" in this weapon. I don't know much about the 44 mag from S&W but I've read some were weak and can't handle heavy pressures. Just trying to define my limits is all.

AFJ....Maybe you'd consider the same???? I gotta momma by the way. Didn't listen to her much either.. I made out ok!!!!!

Daddyz Still Crazy!!!!
 
Are you using it for hunting, self defense, or target shooting? For target practice, good 240 grain or less ammo is fine as is .44 special. I shoot the PMC "green" eRange in magnum and it shoots accurately and is the cleanest ammo I have ever seen. For hunting anything in N. America (minus grizzlies), 240 gr is all you need. Anything else is overkill. For self defense, I would go pretty low on the grain with the Hornady's 180 or so.
Now if you are just wanting to thrill shoot in high quantity, the powerhouse loads will wear out your 629 much faster.
 
First, I'm a bit recoil sensitive and 357 Magnums in a 38 ounce model 620 is all I care to take on. Not only would I NOT attempt shooting that Buffalo bore load, I won't even attempt trying a run of the mill 44 Magnum. Once you reach a certain age you come to realize that some things are best left to the young and foolish.

However, something to consider. The N frames are based on a design that was originally intended for use with the 44 special. While modern metallurgy has permitted this frame size to be safe with 44 Magnums IMO the 44 Magnum should be considered the UPPER limit for what you shoot. Quite simply, I think that a +P 44 Magnum won't be "good" for the 629 and a +P+ load that heavy and hot might lead to a bulged cylinder. Not saying that it will bulge the cylinder, just that I don't think it's worth the risk. That is a massively hot load for a 44 Magnum.
 
I would not shoot +P+ 44 Mag ammo in my S&W's.

I have shot Garrett's loads that he says are safe in the S&W's, I carry them when I am in Griz country.

Also, Randy Garrett himself, told me IF I cannot get his ammo, in toime for a trip, to just get some Federal 300gr Cast Core. It is good stuff and not too much for casual use in a S&W.

I do know for a fact, that Garrett 310gr hard cast 44 Mag ammo will shoot throught the skull, into the brain, on a side brain shot on a cow elephant from a 4" S&W, at 6 yards or so...

I also know that at @4 yards it will pentrate through the skull, throught the brain, down into the spine on a cape buffalo...
 
That BB +P+ ammo is not needed with a hard cast bullet, IMO, and will not do any .44 Smith any good, IMO....

I load a 300 gr. LBT Cast Performance over VV-110 to 1250 fps in my Mountain Gun....never (and will not) shot it in my 329....the load is wickedly accurate and all I'll ever need against something that wants to take a chunk or three out of me....

Just my two cents....
 
re: " Buffalo Bore +P+ 340 gr at 1600+ FPS."
40 years ago I would have been striving to shoot those every day...

30 years ago I would have been wanting some of those for 'now & then' special use;

20 years ago I would have had 1 or 2 out of that 20 round box sent down range;

10 years ago I would have been reminiscing about the effect on me, the gun, my target, those 1 or 2 rounds had produced.....

today I would be looking at the 18 remaining rounds and wondering how to find someone that was looking for such a load....

OP: We all have periods of exploration into the realm of hot loads. Having survived my own journey into that land of excessive, expensive, unnecessary and verging on insane mode of self-abuse, my note to self: Just because it's possible doesn't make it desirable.

After exploring what the hot end of the 240s have to offer for your needs, you will likely have all the answers you seek.

Personally, if I need to upgrade my ballistic performance, there are better calibers/guns/wheel mounted field artillery pieces to accomplish such.

That said, I know of some who look for hot loads in 454 Casuls and 460 and 500 S&W.

...so many guns.....so little time....
 
Not for use in S&W .44 Mags per BB website as follows:

Heavy .44 Magnum +P+ Ammo - 340 gr. L.F.N. - G.C. (1,478 fps/M.E. 1,649 ft. lbs.) - 20 Round Box

NEW HEAVY 44 MAGNUM +P+

This new load is designed ONLY for certain firearms. They are as follows; Ruger Red Hawk, Ruger Super Red Hawk, Ruger Super Blackhawk or Vaquero, Freedom Arms Model 83, Taurus Raging Bull, Colt Anaconda and Dan Wesson Revolvers. Suitable rifles include T/C Encore, "modified" Marlin 1894 (see next paragraph), Winchester 1894, any rifle with a falling block action and the Handi Rifle. 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

Heavy .44 Magnum +P+ Pistol & Handgun Ammunition
 
If you can't do it with 250 at 1300 you need a rifle. Preferably one that is humped up,shiny and shoots a weatherby magnum
 
Thanks guys. I'll heed your valuable experiences. I'll stick to the factory loads and 240 grains as my upper limits. I guess I was just wishing here. i like to think I could produce a S&W .500 experience out of this firearm but finally come to realize if I want this type of experience it is safer to just buy the big boys toy and go for it. I love this and all my weapons and will continue to treat em as I have previously and preserve their excellent crafstmanship and keep em in the family for generations to come.

THANK YOU all...

Darrell.
 
You do not have to stay with 240gr bullets.
I do use them most of all.

However when I go to Griz country I have been known to carry Speer 270gr SP, Federal 300gr Cast Core, or Buffalo Bore's or Garrett's 44 Mag ammo suitable for a S&W.

The key is to be sure to pick ammo that the maker states is safe for use in a S&W.

However, truth is a hard cast 240 or 250 gr bullet loaded with 21 gr of [the old] 2400, will do most anything that needs to be done.
 
Buffalo Bore makes a 255 gr. "reduced recoil" load that will work in ALL .44 magnums. You can read all the details on this web page. That's what I carry in my 629 to protect myself and my family from the bears that frequent my yard and the hill across from my yard (maybe 60 yards away). It will do well on a black bear. Not so sure about a brown bear but there aren't any of those for 1000 miles from where I live. I believe they made this load (called the Keith for obvious reasons - it's basically the same power level as the original) specifically for the 29 series of S&W's. Anything more than these bullets will likely shake your 629 apart pretty quickly. Timing issues come along and also the cylinder is liable to jump backwards leaving you smacking a spent cartridge with the firing pin for up to two tries before one goes bang. 1350 fps and about 1100 ft./lbs. is plenty for anything but a brown bear or maybe a polar bear especially with that hard cast slug blasting into a bear's skull.

If you want to fire those heavy duty BB cartridges you'll need to get a gun that's made to take the abuse. There are many of them. They may not be as refined as a Smith (IMO) but they are certainly stronger. That's just the difference between them.
 
C J said:
Buffalo Bore makes a 255 gr. "reduced recoil" load that will work in ALL .44 magnums. You can read all the details on this web page. That's what I carry in my 629 to protect myself and my family from the bears that frequent my yard and the hill across from my yard (maybe 60 yards away). It will do well on a black bear. Not so sure about a brown bear but there aren't any of those for 1000 miles from where I live. I believe they made this load (called the Keith for obvious reasons - it's basically the same power level as the original) specifically for the 29 series of S&W's. Anything more than these bullets will likely shake your 629 apart pretty quickly. Timing issues come along and also the cylinder is liable to jump backwards leaving you smacking a spent cartridge with the firing pin for up to two tries before one goes bang. 1350 fps and about 1100 ft./lbs. is plenty for anything but a brown bear or maybe a polar bear especially with that hard cast slug blasting into a bear's skull.

If you want to fire those heavy duty BB cartridges you'll need to get a gun that's made to take the abuse. There are many of them. They may not be as refined as a Smith (IMO) but they are certainly stronger. That's just the difference between them.
Click to expand...

That "Reduced Recoil" Buffalo Bore is a good load. I would not be afraid to carry it even in BIG bear country.
 
I've heard that it's ok but I'm no expert on brown bears or polar bears so I defer to the people who are on such things. But I am sure they will do the job on black bears. That's good enough for me. If I was going to brown bear country I might think about carrying a 300 gr. BB cartridge just in case. One shot is usually all you will get anyway and I think my Smith might survive one shot with a bigger load. But shooting it on a regular basis with those loads is totally asking for problems.
 
I have shot the older 285gr SWC Garrett Loads and the newer 310's that are suitable for a S&W. You might not want to shoot a thousand of them, but a few for zero and function check will not hurt your gun.

Randy Garrett told me personally if I am running low on his ammo, and cannot get any in time for a trip just get some Federal Cast Core. he said they are good loads. The Cast Core are milder than you might think, but they still give good penetration. They are more comfortble to shoot than the standard full power 240gr 44Mag loads.

I have not shot any of the Buffalo Bore 44 Mag heavy loads.
I have shot their "Low Recoil" load and their 45 ACP loaes and a bunch of their 475L loads. They make good ammo as well.

I would not be afraid to carry my hard cast 240gr Keith SWC, that I cast over 20 to 22.5 gr of 2400 in BIG bear country or in Africa.

I can say that Garretts bullets are the hardest/toughest cast bullets I have fired.

If you are sensitive to heavy recoil, worried about the life of your gun, but want the best load under those conditions, but you like your OWN life too, try the Federal 300 gr Cast Core.

Also the Cast Core is one of the best shooting loads in my Winchester Trapper 44 Mag at 100 yards.

They feed and function in the Winchester great.
 
NE450No2 said:
You do not have to stay with 240gr bullets.
I do use them most of all.

However when I go to Griz country I have been known to carry Speer 270gr SP, Federal 300gr Cast Core, or Buffalo Bore's or Garrett's 44 Mag ammo suitable for a S&W.

The key is to be sure to pick ammo that the maker states is safe for use in a S&W.

However, truth is a hard cast 240 or 250 gr bullet loaded with 21 gr of [the old] 2400, will do most anything that needs to be done.
Click to expand...

All excellent advice.
 
The Garrett ammo, as well as Buffalo Bore and others mentioned are "good stuff." However, I think the highest I would go in a nice Smith 44 n-frame would be the Garret "Defender" load, or one of the other heavy reduced loads from another company. I think the Speer 270 gr. SP load is also enticing. wyatte
 
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