.44 Magnum Snubbie - Advice needed

[BBurnley]

I have a 3 inch 29-4 which is unfluted with a round butt, and a 3 inch 29-10 with a square butt. They are both great guns which I shoot often and carry occasionally. The gun with the round butt is more pleasant to shoot and easier to conceal. You really should have a few 3" N frames.

 

[boatswainsmate]

Last time I shot this one it bit me!

 

[Reloader]

I have the 629-3 Lew Horton 3" Backpacker. have replaced the wooden Combat grips with Pachmayr Decelarators. The load is 200 gr. JHP .44 Special Silvertips. Works very well in my Kramer IWB, OWB, Bianchi 5BHL, and the Nevada Gunleather vertical Shoulder Holster (similar to the Bianchi X-15.) Also have 2 other 4" as well.

 

[Pondhill]

I want me one of those.

 

[CH47gunner]

I got me one of them -

Bruce

629-4 3"

 

[Plottman Pops]

I regret selling this one....had a quite a bit of flash and muzzle jump but it was a hoot ta shoot.......

 

[4inch357]

I'm somewhat interested in picking up a roundbutt one myself. A load like the 200gr Gold Dot (1075fps) should be pretty shootable.

 

[Jimmymac46]

Backpacker

I too have a 'Backpacker', purchased new, I don't recall when. Great gun to handle, look at, but not to shoot with heavy weight 44 magnum rounds. I believe the reason for the remarkable difference in noise, muzzle blast, and flash with only a one inch difference from the 4 inch is powder burn. Depending on the load, manufacturer, and the powder they use, it is not completely burned in a 3 inch, where the 4 inch has burned up considerably more.....in just that one inch. Same ammo in a 6 inch, less blast and noise. In a 8 3/8's, even less......in that perhaps all the powder has burned completely. Powder that is still burning is still producing the ignition noise and obviously the muzzle flash, having left the barrel still igniting. JMHO.

 

[landshark81]

http://smith-wessonforum.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=135773810

OK, I'm losing it but lately I've been thinking I might like a short barreled .44 Magnum. (Pre-lock).

I know there is such a thing as a Trail Boss with 3" barrel but are there others such as a standard 29 or 629 with 3" barrels? Anybody own one or have experience with one? Obviously it's going to be a handful with anything approaching full house loads but I just like snubbies.

I realize this is not the wtb section but before I post there I wanted to get a little more knowledge.

Thank you everyone!

Steve

Hi Col,

I picked up a stainless 629 talo off GB. I think they'll be about the cheapest of the 629 snubbies you're going to run into. I've seen them go for as little as $680 on GB.

As far as I know its just a standard 3 inch 629 with a fancy rosewood grip. It doesn't have trailboss or anything written on it, which I like. It does have MIM parts and the lock, neither of which bother me.

I haven't shot it a lot, other than to zero it. All I have on hand are some pretty stout Speer 270gr loads and it shoots them fine.

Even with them I don't think the recoil is unmanageable. Its not pleasant, but not so bad you wouldn't want to keep shooting it. After a few shots the grips rattled loose, and it tore my hand up a little, but it put everything where it was supposed to go.

Shooting it one handed and gripping it low seems to help dissipate some of the kick.

I think it would be pretty heavy for concealed carry, and I don't think the balance is as good as with the 4 inch N frames, but the sight radius seems fine, the fit and finish and trigger are excellent, and it seems to be incredibly accurate.

 

[Mr Pokeyman]

I have a 3" 29 with rosewood grips which I bought LNIB on consignment. I shot it one time, about 20 rounds. I won't shoot it again until I get rubber grips. It hurts to much.