I'm considering purchasing either a 629 Classic or PC Hunter. I haven't shot a 44 Magnum since my early teens (pushing 80 now). I would like to have the opportunity to shoot one to see how the recoil feels (only have a 686 now). If there is anyone in the central Missouri area that would allow me to shoot theirs I would really appreciate and gladly pay for ammunition and time.

If you have no luck here you might contact some local shooting ranges,
My local range has rental guns in assorted calibers.

I've tried that route with no success. Also talked to all the local gun shops.

Are you a reloader? If so a 44mag can be loaded down to a very manageable level. Shooting 50 rounds of 240gr LSWC ammo @ 1000 fps is a lot of fun. 50 rounds of hot reloads or factory rounds - not so much.

I do reload and have picked up some .44 Mag. brass at the range just in case.

Excellent. 7gr of Titegroup under a 240gr LSWC (Missouri Bullet Co. 44 Elmer K are what I use) That load should net you around 1000fps, be very accurate and put a big smile on your face.

If an 629-1 6" interests you, I have one I'm considering selling. Very nice shape, tight, Bianchi holster. PM me.

The old Sheriff Wilson load of 7 grains of 231 and a 250 grain lead SWC will serve you well. That should give you 950-1000 fps. Hard on steel, easy on gun and shooter.

A better idea is to shoot your 686 and forget about .44 Magnum.

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Come and take it!!

I hope you find the person close by to help you out, and I hope this thread stays on topic, and it sounds like this would be a whole lot of fun for you, and get you hooked again!!

And for whatever it is worth, if we were close Id let you shoot as much as you wanted!

Gotta be someone near you that can indulge you!

BTW- the recoil feels exhilarating to ME!

If you find that .44 mag is too stout, try 44 special ?

I shot a .44 Magnum (for the very first time)-----once------one round of factory ammo----seated (back up against a tree), knees drawn up, two hand hold----hands resting on knees.

KABLAM!!!!

It was quite possibly the most shattering experience of my life! Right then and there I decided to pack up, go home, and come up with a civilized load. That civilized load turned out to be 18.5 grains of 2400 behind a 205 grain gas checked SWC---which I was later told was a hot load for a .44 Special---but nothing approaching a magnum. That was fine by me!!

That load made for 6 round groups of 4" at 100 yards---from two different guns (6 1/2" Ruger Blackhawk & an 8 3/8" S&W)---from the same set-up as my one and only round of factory fodder-------and it was civilized!!

I decided the folks who seemingly enjoyed shooting full house magnum loads were quite possibly in need of some sort of additional therapy in addition to whatever they were getting out of their shooting.

Then again, that old saying about different strokes for different folks pretty much explains any and everything----even the folks who get their kicks by making the earth spin backwards.

Ralph Tremaine

44 Mag out if an N frame is no worse than 357 from a steel J. And since you reload, go for it! 44 Specials are fun.

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Uvidíme se později, aligátore.

^^^^^^^^ what he said. A 629 Classic Hunter is both beautiful and heavy. If 44 mag is to much shoot specials or handload something a little less stout.

Then I'm just going to take a wild guess that shooting my 45-70 Derringer would be out of the question for you?

Start with 44 Special Ammo, like Cowboy Loads.
Install some Rubber Grips.
Stand up and shoot Both Hands.
Piece of Cake!

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

If you want to drive to Memphis, TN (a few hours) I can accommodate your request.

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SWCA #3929

I haven't been to Memphis in quite a few years. Can't think of anything I need to make worth the 5-1/2 hour drive each way.

Wish I was closer to you. I’d gladly let you shoot 44 from wheel guns and lever. If you ended up liking 44 in an N frame, you’ll love it from a lever gun!

ETA - my 240 grain SWC reloads clock in at 1060fps from a 4 inch. My chest doesn’t like “barn burners” anymore so I keep them midrange. Out of the 3 inch they are doable, but I usually shoot hot 44 Special out of that one.

There seem to be a lot of 3 and 4 inch 629s in the used section of Cabelas. Wanna' know why? It gets fun after about a dozen rounds. By then your shooting hand will have lost all feeling. I've fired a hundred or so full power loads through my 3", but outside of brown bear country, I carry it with .44 Special gummy tips. FWIW, the .44M is one of the most accurate revolver rounds, rivaling a .45 ACP Model 25.

Mid Mo is a pretty large area!! I'm in Warrensburg.

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

I'm in Fulton, Warrensburg is not that far away.

I sent you a personal message.

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

I'm 80+ and still enjoy shooting ALL my 44 mags! You are a reloader so you will have no problems. Look at one of your reloading manuals for 44 Special and 44 Mag loads! All of the loadings will work in any 44 Mag you buy! Also you will note there is a gap between the highest 44 Spl load and the min 44 mag load. You can load in this gap area if you use Mag brass! Pick a powder that fills the case at least halfway and you will be safe. Now you test loads until you find a combination that works best for you, in all aspects! Plus, you get to spend some time with your new toy!

This is my favorite 44 to shoot! It put a lot of venison on the table over the years.
jcelect

OP whatever you do don’t let your first 44 shot be out of a 329PD.

in my younger days (58 now) I was a keen .44 target shooter with my M29 6". Won several championships (one national) with downloaded ammo to .44 Special levels, but also one second winner national with .44 Magnum. Those were 60 rounds target programms

Sold the gun regrettably some years later and got myself a 624 4" about 15 years ago - .44 Special standard loads are all I need for fun. 215 grs cast SWC and about 5.5 grs Vectan A1, very nice and comparable to the .44 Special of the old days.

A buddy has a 629 3" and used to put 6 rounds of magnum ammo in the cylinder, but only fired 5. "My hand hurts" Loaded him some .44 Specials and now he ist happy

If you are ok with .357 Magnum from a 686 6", than .44 Special is the sunday afternoon coffeetable round. .44 Magnum is more like spicey tabasco on your breakfast eggs.

Nevertheless: Don't miss to try it.

regards from Germany
Ulrich

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Life is too short to own a bad gun

Thanks Ulrich, I spent a year in your beautiful country. I was stationed in Kornwestheim and spent most weekends traveling around the southern part of the country. Great beer too.

I live in Augusta, MO... Probably about the same distance as Warrenton. I have a Ported Colt Anaconda in .44 you're welcome to try. I also have a 686 in .357 Magnum as someone else suggested. Might have a Model 57 in .41 Magnum you could try as well if it doesn't sell on the forum. I am typically home on Fri-Sun, no range required...

Which Cabelas ? Or are you referring to online ?

If you were a little closer to Canada I'd be happy to take you out. Others have suggested medium loads for a .44 mag and that's the way to go. We could be twins by different mothers age wise and the last .44 mag. I bought is a 3" model 29-3. Fun to shoot with these loads and little difference to a .44 Spl.. Proper grips can also make quite a difference.

Happy shopping for what ever you decide on,

Al

Very good advice...I did that (329PD), with facory wood stocks. Yikes!!

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SWCA 3749 SWHF 867

If your not reloading, I've found recoil for .44 magnum (I own a 629-6 4" and 629-6 Classic Deluxe 6.5") to be very ammo manufacturer dependent. Shooting Magtech .44 magnum 240 gr FMJ is a completely different experience recoil wise than shooting WWB Winchester .44 magnum 240 gr JSP. The Magtechs are relatively mild, easy to shoot a box and the Winchesters hurt after a 5-10 rounds.

...I didn't enjoy the full magnums as much as I used to. I used to enjoy getting the **** knocked out of me, but lately, not so much. I haven't shot a .44 mag in a good while.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

If you lived near me,I would be glad to let you shoot mine I have. 4 or five of them in my safe.

I've been shooting a .44 Magnum for nearly 50 years, since you reload you may want to try the load that I most often shoot, it is 7.5gr. of Unique with a 200gr. RNFP Cowboy bullet. A mild load it is very pleasant to shoot, if you want a little more power you can step it up to 9.0gr. of Unique. I've shot it in S&W's of all kinds, my current .44 Magnum is a M/629 no dash 4" that has been Magna-ported.

Alot of very mild loads for the 44 magnum. Alot of very mild loads for the 44 magnum are still HUNTING loads.

Id suggest looking for at a 4 or 5 inche 29/629. The balance is very very nice. And is actually better then a 6" 357

A big THANK YOU to Richard (Nightowl) for bring his gun out to the range and letting me shoot it. Also Richard, tell Jim it was great meeting him. Now I need to decide which model I need.

I love it when a plan comes together!

Glad you got to shoot one. Grips also make a big difference as you probably know. The Altamont factory grips on my Model 29-10 look great, but even with 44 Special loads, hurt. They're too narrow for my taste, so I swapped them out for a set of Hogue's. They're not pretty, but they work.

I also stick pretty much to 44 Special loads. I fired a cylinder full of factory 44 mag ammo when I got this gun and that was enough. The rest of the box is still on the shelf.

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John 3:16 .

Full-house .44 Magnum loads in a revolver will definitely get your attention and the muzzle flash, especially at an indoor range, is hard to miss. But I own several S&W 629s and with the right handloads, they are very comfortable for my 77-year-old arthritic hands and wrists. The revolver I primarily use for target shooting is a six-inch 629-1 in which I load 240-grain Missouri cast semi-wadcutters over 10.0 grains of SR4756.

Don't give up on your thoughts of getting a .44 - they are fun, even enjoyable, to shoot with humane loads.

Ed

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Believe me, Teep has no trouble shooting full factory .44 Magnum loads! He shot my 629-5 7 1/2 inch HunterPlus with full loads like it was a .38 Special with target loads!

We had a great time and of course, lunch!

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

I've made my decision. I would really like a 629 Stealth Hunter but the price is just to high. Therefore, I have decided to go with a BFR in .44 Magnum with a 7-1/2" barrel. This will be a hunting revolver so the extra weight should not be an issue and will help with recoil of heavy loads. Thanks everyone for you input.

Great choice. I'm sure you will enjoy that BFR. I recently picked up a 629-6 Classic 6.5" - I put a red dot sight on it and shooting tennis ball sized groups at 50 yards off a rest is very common. Love the 44mag.

I look forward to seeing pictures of your new .44 magnum when you get it!
Larry

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Miss My Buddy crsides!!

My new BFR: