627 vs 929 revolver for Steel Challenge and ICORE?
- Thread starter Demus319
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The 6 round capacity puts a premium in your marksmanship skills. They MUST be good shots or you are done!
I shoot Steel Challenge with my Model 15 for center fire and my Model 17-6 for rimfire....once in a while my Model 41 will show up and using that is almost like cheating.........
For ICORE I use my Dad's Service Revolver...a K-38 that is from 1947 and still shoots incredibly well and is SO smooth....again almost like cheating....
Randy
I shoot Steel Challenge with my Model 15 for center fire and my Model 17-6 for rimfire....once in a while my Model 41 will show up and using that is almost like cheating.........
For ICORE I use my Dad's Service Revolver...a K-38 that is from 1947 and still shoots incredibly well and is SO smooth....again almost like cheating....
Randy
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TAROMAN
US Veteran
I regularly shoot steel challenge.
Tried my 8-shot 327 TRR8 loaded with 38 Mid.
Have had much better results with my 986 7 shooter.
Just quicker and handier for me.
Tried my 8-shot 327 TRR8 loaded with 38 Mid.
Have had much better results with my 986 7 shooter.
Just quicker and handier for me.
nachogrande
Member
HIGH CAP NO ADVANTAGE FOR STEEL CHALLENGE.IMO
There are only 5 targets for steel challenge, there is no power factor, they are pretty big & close. If you don't/can't hit 5 in a row, you will likely lose anyway. IMO. Nothing very special needed. A 38 model 10 or 681 work fine for me.
There are only 5 targets for steel challenge, there is no power factor, they are pretty big & close. If you don't/can't hit 5 in a row, you will likely lose anyway. IMO. Nothing very special needed. A 38 model 10 or 681 work fine for me.
old&slow
Member
I have a 8 shot 627 Pro that I'm using for the local steel challenge and other pistol matches. The 8 shooter is a real game changer IMO.
I like the balance of the 4". I usually use 38 special for the matches. But like the fact I can use full blown .357 Mag.
I had a 929, but a friend was wanting one really bad, and I had the hots for the 627. So, I sold it to him.
IMO, the 929 may be a better competition revolver. The longer sight radius and total lack of recoil ( kicks like a .22) makes moving from target to target very fast.
Personally I think the 929 has a few 'bugs' that need to be worked out. Do a search on this forum about the 929. But they are mostly minor and can be worked out.
Probably shouldn't have sold the 929 and one of these days I'll probably get another one.
Both are nice..
I like the balance of the 4". I usually use 38 special for the matches. But like the fact I can use full blown .357 Mag.
I had a 929, but a friend was wanting one really bad, and I had the hots for the 627. So, I sold it to him.
IMO, the 929 may be a better competition revolver. The longer sight radius and total lack of recoil ( kicks like a .22) makes moving from target to target very fast.
Personally I think the 929 has a few 'bugs' that need to be worked out. Do a search on this forum about the 929. But they are mostly minor and can be worked out.
Probably shouldn't have sold the 929 and one of these days I'll probably get another one.
Both are nice..
Pizza Bob
SWCA Member
If you handload, and use .38 Short or Long Colt in the 627 - it is pretty much a toss-up as far as speed of the reload. Secondary decision criteria would be cost of ammo reloading and barrel length.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Adios,
Pizza Bob
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Adios,
Pizza Bob
S&WIowegan
US Veteran
I have a 929 that I don't shoot much...the barrel is too darn long(FYI 929s will chamber 38 Short Colt). I know a local shooter who regularly shoots 929 in steel matches; he cut most of the front of his holster away to prevent drag of the long barrel. I much prefer 627-4 or dash 5 with Short Colt handloads.
MWC2068
Member
I have and use both. The 627 5inch is a bit faster handling, but the 929 with the 6.5 barrel is more accurate for longer shots. With either one to have a good smooth trigger you will probably have to reload your ammo and run federal primers after you work the action over for a lighter pull. Something on the plus side for the 929 is that federal has a commercial 147 grain coated ammo available that will work really well with light triggers if you do not reload.
A fellow shooter (female) just bought a 929 as an upgrade to her 686-4 AFS. She had extreme difficulty with the trigger out of the box.
I changed the factory trigger rebound spring to a 14 Ib spare I had in my shooting box. The result was a much smoother and lighter trigger with no alteration to the mainspring impact force, therefore no lightening of primer impact.
The 929 came with a factory fitted ribbed power mainspring which was the only other alteration I would have made.
One drawback with the 929 is that some moon clips do not go all the way in without a forceful push, and sometimes when they do go in easily they are hard to extract. I’m not sure if that is due to some bending of the clip through inexperienced use or not.
old&slow
Member
When I had my 929, had a few sticky extracts at first. I started using all Winchester brass and never noticed the problem after that.
( I'm not sure why
? but it seemed to solve the problem.)I also noticed a bit of bullet 'jump' with plated bullets. Increased the taper crimp by .001 -.002 and also started using coated bullets and noticed less or no bullet jump.
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MWC2068
Member
One thing that I found was until I had tried and used all of the brass I was reloading for the 929 and kept them separate I would notice that sticky case ,hard to insert/hard to extract problem and I found that the major reason for it in my experience was for a lack of a better term "glock bulged" brass. Once all swelled brass was replaced I no longer had that problem
S&WIowegan
US Veteran
Just a quick comment on Federal factory fresh ammo. Several of us in our steel shooting group have experienced "no bangs" with Federal ammo. Of course the guns have lightened actions but are totally reliable with handloads made with Federal primers. Some Federal factory primers are not set as deeply as handloaders normally do. Not a knock on Federal, but if you're shooting an important match it might be worthwhile to hand set the factory primers.
Which 627 are you looking at? I was deciding between the 929 and the 5" 627 PC and chose the 929. I chose the 929 because I already have a variety of older 6 shot 38 Specials and .357 Magnums and wanted something different.
Another consideration for me was that the 5" 627 isn't cut for moonclips anymore and I wanted something I could easily reload at the range.
The guns are very similar with more similarities than differences. It kind of comes down to what exactly you are looking for.
FWIW if you reload the cost between the 2 rounds is pretty much the same. If you don't reload the cost favors 9mm, however there is a much more diverse selection of .38 Special and .357 Magnum rounds out there where 9mm is much more limited. Light .38 loads will be lighter than the lightest 9mm loads out there and hot .357 Magnum loads will be hotter than the hottest 9mm out there.
Another consideration for me was that the 5" 627 isn't cut for moonclips anymore and I wanted something I could easily reload at the range.
The guns are very similar with more similarities than differences. It kind of comes down to what exactly you are looking for.
FWIW if you reload the cost between the 2 rounds is pretty much the same. If you don't reload the cost favors 9mm, however there is a much more diverse selection of .38 Special and .357 Magnum rounds out there where 9mm is much more limited. Light .38 loads will be lighter than the lightest 9mm loads out there and hot .357 Magnum loads will be hotter than the hottest 9mm out there.
There are only 5 targets for steel challenge, there is no power factor, they are pretty big & close. If you don't/can't hit 5 in a row, you will likely lose anyway. IMO. Nothing very special needed. A 38 model 10 or 681 work fine for me.
Since speed is the most important factor in Steel Challenge, you'd better be prepared for a super fast reload when you miss shot #6 or have the extra 2 shots in the cylinder.
Years ago I use to shoot a S&W 625 and almost never missed. I love the full moon clips just in case I needed to reload. Nothing loads faster than the 625.
I agree that the goal is to shoot 5 for 5 but with old age, bad eyesight and Parkinsons I no longer expect to shoot that well and take any advantage I can get.
MWC2068
Member
The only 627s that I know of that are NOT cut for moonclips are the early 6 shot ones, and there may be others I'm not aware of, but I think that any recent 627 8 shot is cut for moons.
S&W's website shows otherwise. I was looking yesterday and I'm pretty sure there's even fewer models with moonclips then there were at the end of last year.
It's still possible to find the 5" 627 on Gunbroker with moonclips and being sold as NIB, but most of the models mention chamfered charge holes with no mention of moonclips and no moonclips pictured
When I had my 929, had a few sticky extracts at first. I started using all Winchester brass and never noticed the problem after that.
( I'm not sure why
I also noticed a bit of bullet 'jump' with plated bullets. Increased the taper crimp by .001 -.002 and also started using coated bullets and noticed less or no bullet jump.
Funnily enoughnthe ammo in use was Winchester 124 gn JRN.
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