Am considering these two revolvers for home defense. The 629 would be loaded with 44 specials to make second shots more accurate. Have never shot 44 special, does it have a muzzle flash? Ballistically these two rounds seem comparable. I really like however the moon clips a 625 would allow. Any thoughts?

Unless I reloaded and hunted with 44 magnum and/or had a rifle like the Marlin 1894 44 magnum/44 special or a Ruger bolt 44 magnum, I would prefer the 625 because the 45ACP is more common. You could reload and use 45 AutoRim to get a more powerful load.

Both guns are excellent quality.

Frankly, with gun control issues these days a good full size revolver is a good thing to have in the collection. it won't wear out, kicks little with modest loadings and can be reloaded for.

I would prefer the 625 because I find that they recoil less and there are a LOT of good 45ACP loads. 44 special is pricey and harder to find.

If you are not planning on going medium game hunting or shooting metallic silhouette competitions the 625 is the only way to fly. 45ACP defensive ammo is stocked just about everywhere as is good old 230 grain ball. .44 Special is tough to find and uber expensive. Another plus for the 625, it loads with moon clips. moon clips are nearly as fast and foolproof as changing a semi-auto pistol magazine. The two calibers feel remarkably similar when fired from N frame S&W's or Ruger Blackhawks and are pretty easy to master.

I have a Thunder Ranch revolver in .45ACP and it makes a great bump in the night gun. When I used it in this role, I kept a flashlight and a moon clip reload (bullets facing up) right beside it. Pick up the revolver with your strong hand; grab the flashlight and stab the center of the loaded moon clip with the pinkie of your weak hand. Off you go with gun, light, and reload.

Currently that role is filled at my house by a Glock 21 (.45ACP) with an Insight M6X light/laser on the pic rail, but the TRR was a totally functional wheel gun setup.

Between the two I would go with the 625 unless you plan on hunting. If so then the 629 would be good. If you go that route I would reload .44 Special.

Both are great, it's really six of one and half a dozen of the other. I would choose whichever one I had a better defense load for; which I would guess the .45 would be the easier one to find a good load.

For handloads, the line gets even blurrier.

I have 4" S&W 625 and 629 revolvers, and they are sort of pricey to lose if involved in a shooting, even a righteous self defense shooting. A VGC used LE trade-in is probably a better option. If you want an N frame revolver, look for a decent gun you could stand to lose, like this S&W 57.

In a self defense/home defense situation, putting six .44 Special or .45 ACP HPs on target will be a problem solver very quickly. I had a similar quandary (posted in another thread) and decided to get out of the .45 ACP business and go with the 29/629 platform. I have more options re: which revolvers to shoot, types of ammo, etc. Admittedly, .44 rounds are more expensive than .45s, so that is a consideration. I will also say that one of the deal breakers for me was the weight/manageability of .45s in a moon clip vs. .44s in a speed strip. Carrying a few loaded moon clips to the range was like having a pocket full of rocks. The .44 speed strips were heavy, but as they as flat, were much more carry friendly.

One other issue to consider is barrel length. What options are you looking at? A 629 or 625 in 3" is going to give you considerable more muzzle blast and follow up shot difficulty than a 5" or 6" barrel. I have a 629-1 with a 8-3/8" pipe that shoots like a carbine, but I'm going to have it re-barreled with a factory 4" so that I can carry it. If you're going with a SD revolver that is more of a desk drawer gun, then 4" - 6" should suit those needs. If you're going to carry, 5" or 6" is big to lug around. You might want to give some thought to tracking down a Night Guard in either caliber ... good revolvers, albeit discontinued. NIB models on the auction sites are pretty pricey, and may not be the best values when compared to 29/629s or 25/625s.

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I'm with the banned ...

I cast my own bullets, and load my own ammo, so 44 costs the same as 45. Definitely prefer a 44 Spec or 45 Colt over 45 ACP in a revolver.

If you are ever involved in a shooting that goes to court, the cost of losing a revolver will be inconsequential.

Having both, for me the choice was a no-brainer.
A 45 ACP DA revolver is as good a weapon today as it was in 1917.
My bedside companion:

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

I have a 325NG & really love it, though moon-clips can be a love/hate thing. I also have a 29-2 but I wouldn't consider it for prime home defense use unless necessity dictated it. You didn't indicate what size barrel you wanted? I think 4" or less is best for this use & a 2-1/2" or 3" will perform well at those distances, once you've practiced with it. It doesn't sound like you reload (I do) but if you did you'd have free range on power in either. If you're not going to do alot of target/range shooting, other than to get proficient with it, ammo price probably isn't a big deal & you can find a wide range available in each also. You can find reduced loads in 44Mag/Spcl. or hi-pwr 45 ACP/AR/Super loads. So factor in how much you want to shoot it, what you want to shoot it for, barrel length wanted, ammo demands & if anyone else in the house will use it, but it just might end up boiling down to what you can find available, especially lately.

I own booth and unless you reload or want to shoot some really hot loads stick to the 45. As far as ammo availability right now their is no ammo available in each cartridge, hopefully it will lighten up in the near future. If you do decide to reload than you have more options in the 44, mag or special. If you go 45 make sure you use the moonclips before you use them for self defense. I had one brand new one hang up my gun. Remember with the 44 one less thing to go wrong, no moonclips no way they could tie up your your gun. Also seriously consider reloading, with the prices and availability of ammo these days you could load your own.

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Bodyguard

.45ACP is the least expensive big-bore revolver round, or was, before the present lunacy. .45 hardball, about $20 a box, .44Spl/Mag or .45 LC: $40 and more. More factory loadings available in .45ACP.
Good point made about functioning with moon-clips in the ACP revolver. The old WWI-era half-moon clips were a bear in this regard: jamming was not uncommon. Elmer Keith called them smart emergency engineering, not practical engineering. Make sure your 'moons' work with whatever load you choose. Hope this helps.

Keep in mind that the half-moon clips came about as an expedient measure because not enough pistols could be produced to meet the immediate need for handguns in WWI, and so that revolvers and pistols could use the same ammo. It was not that somebody came up with the idea that using 45 pistol ammo in a revolver was such a great idea. Yes, it works like it always did, but that is not saying all that much.

For best results and greatest reliability (such as when you might be betting you life), a revolver cartridge needs a rim.

Either will do the job, but I am a big fan of the 625. The moon clip IS the rim when using .45 ACP. There is also the .45 Auto Rim available if you feel you must not use moon clips.

.45 ACP was developed to be a man stopper, and that was with ball ammo. Modern ammo makes this gun even more effective. .44 Special can do just about anything a .45 ACP can do, but it will cost you more if you are using factory ammo.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

Lots of people don't like handloads for personal protection ammunition so the .45 might be a better choice than the 44 Magnum. I wouldn't want to fire a 44 Magnum indoors.

Factory 44 Special defense loads are not easy to come by but if you are not averse to handloads, that might change things a bit. As to the clips, the full-moon clips can be a nuisance but you can always use half-moon clips. My guns have always worked better with half-moon clips and they are pretty handy once you practice a bit with them.

For me, either one would do fine. I would buy the one I wanted based on the particular model I preferred and other uses I might have for it, but if it was to be just for home defense I would lean toward the .45 with a 4-inch barrel.

I currently have a Glock 31 in LE custody 35 miles from home. The gun was stolen from my home during a burglary on 2/23/11, recovered on Thanksgiving 2011 after a home invasion, and is evidence until that case is done. That case has had two continuances, and I must appear on 3/4/13 for the third time.

I do not like losing my stuff, period. I want it back. I want the illegitimate children of female dogs in this case sent to prison and I want my Glock back. I would not want to lose a H&R or Iver Johnson top break revolver either.

ColbyBruce, I do not want to lose any guns either, but my gun's value is a matter of perspective. A gun (at least for now) can easily be replaced while it waits in police custody.

I haven't seen this addressed so far, so I'll do it...

44Spl vs 45acp

Similar weights offered, similar velocities - so which to choose?

At close distances like you'd find in a SD situation, the bigger the hole(s), the better.

The 45 is bigger than the 44.

As a handloader/bullet caster, I can manipulate the variables and eliminate all cost consideration because there basically isn't any difference.

I can get the 44Spl to do more than the 45acp is capable of, so I would probably choose it, but for off the shelf - go with the bigger diameter bullet.

At @ 7 yards, there isn't a warm cup of spit's difference, but as we learned from the Civil War, bigger IS better if velocity is limited.

I did replace the Glock 31. But I intend to get it back. The legal system does not favor the victim at all.


To the OP, if you are near northeast Georgia I have a few N frames I would gladly let you shoot. Or you can buy the perfect one, the S&W 58.

If you already own the two guns I don’t think it matters.
I’ve never owned a .45 acp revolver.
I do own a couple of 4” .44 Magnums. I load them with Corbon .44 Magnum 160 Grn Jhp’s at 1300 fps. It’s a very mild load but much more powerful than either a 45 acp or 44 Special.

If you are buying a new gun for home defense I have no idea why anyone would choose a revolver over a Glock/XD/M&P in any caliber of 9MM or more with weapon mounted light.

Emory

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Hard To Kill

Any pistol is a compromise choice. I'll opt for a 12 gauge or rifle if I have an option. I'm not worried about "over-penetration" either. That being said, there is nothing wrong with a revolver, especially a DA revolver. No slides to rack, safeties to manipulate, etc., and you can get a weapon light on one as well.

There is nothing wrong with a revolver for home defense. Especially if the person is unwilling or unable to train with a semi auto pistol. Revolvers for the most part are far more reliable than even the newer plastic fantastic pistols. They are far easier to manipulate as well. If you have a misfire just pull the trigger again, no rack-tap-bang.

I have a 40 cal glock as my downstairs gun. Have always enjoyed shooting revolvers over semi-autos, at least my model 17 and 15 as well as Ruger Vaqueros. First time buying an N frame but looking for one as a bedside defense. Just a hard decision, seems I can't go wrong with either. Thanks folks.

On the 45 revolver's side, I keep my 325NG loaded with 185/200gr. JHPs loaded to 45 Super level (+700 ft/lbs) in S-L Auto Rims cases, eliminating the moon-clips, but keep a fully loaded spare moon-clip nearby, if called for. Don't short change the 45 revolver.

The .45 is the way to go if you don't reload as .44 Spl rounds are not easy to find and are not as nearly as good.
Many .45ACP loads to find & try.

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

Then I’d definitely put another Glock 17 at the top of the list to consider.

There are just too many good reasons.
Commonality of training for you and others in the house, commonality of ammo, mags, the gun itself if lost or seized. Higher capacity (wolves travel in packs), easier to reload/load. Night sights.

Midway USA has TRL-1 300 lumen weapon mounted lights on sale for about $100 at this time. They also have holsters (Blackhawk?) that will accommodate a G17 with weapon mounted light.

If your looking for a new toy that’s different. If you want a pistol to defend yourself you are definitely better off with the G17.

My go to guns for home defense are Noveske AR’s with weapon mounted lights and Aimpoint Micro Dots. Followed by Glocks with night sights and weapon mounted lights..

If you have ever trained in low, altered or failing light you would never consider anything that didn’t have night sights/red dot, and weapon mounted light.

Emory

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Hard To Kill

A .40 S&W Glock is a decent choice. A Glock 22 in .40 is my issue sidearm, and it always seems to work. My wife has an issued 9mm Glock 17. I usually carry a .45 ACP Glock 21 as my EDC, as it is on the "approved" list. Each of these allow the use of a weapon mounted light. I also keep a flashlight or two handy. But, one of my first actions if I'm concerned about intruders is to get the house lights on (and a 911 call)! If you've ever cleared a building in the dark with just a weapon light or flashlight, you soon realize it is NOT an easy task.

I've got a pile of N-Frames in all sorts of calibers, and would feel just fine armed with one of them....IF I couldn't get my rifle or shotgun.

As I've been taught over the past 17 years on the job, a handgun is good forone thing, fighting your way to a Long gun. I do own two revolvers, both j frames, one in 9mm, the other .357. For home defense my Mossberg 590A1 sits next to my bed. 8 rounds of 12 guage is just comforting I guess. Lees penetration through walls makes me feel good, and knowing what a hunting load of #6 shot from across the room will do to the bg does too. I keep mine loaded a follows, #6 high brass, 3x#4 buck, 3x 000 buck, slug. Don't forget something a firearms instructor taught me years ago "EVERYONE SPEAKS 12 GUAGE". Good luck, just my .02. Revolvers are great as well.

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Still got the shovel

I would not worry about a weapon light. Once you start shooting that magnum revolver in a dark home you will have plenty of light.

I'm going to suggest that something capable of shooting moonclipped .45 ACPs would be better. Ammo availability is far better, as is the speed of a reload. As to the firearm, I'm going to suggest something different... my choice for a bedside protector - the Governor. When the similarly constructed 325 Night Guard was available, it was over $300 more than the Governor locally. Both have an Al/Sc frame, SS barrel and cylinder, fixed rear and tritium Night Sight front sight, and ~2.75" barrel. The Governor is 7/8" OAL longer and 1.8 oz heavier (Still <30 oz empty.). Of course, you also gain the capability of shooting .45 Schofield, .45 Colt, and 2.5" .410 shotgun shells, too. Just a thought.

Stainz