629 6.5" or 5" which to buy ?

[trapshooter870]

I'm in the market for a 629 in either the 5" or 6.5". Originally had my mind set on a 6.5" but went to the LGS yesterday and they had both available. So I held both and the 5" seemed a little better balanced, but I want the accuracy of the 6.5". My use is only for casual target shooting, not carrying or protection. Which do you prefer and why?

 

[Shuz]

I prefer the 5" because it seems to have better balance for me.
Don't worry about accuracy. My 5" Classic DX has shot many groups of 5 shots into less than 1" at 25 yards.

 

[Valmet]

+1 for the 5.” Hard to beat any 5” N-frame.

 

[rbmac52]

The only reason to get a 6-1/2" is because you already have the 5-incher...

 

[CH4]

I have both and prefer the balance of the 5”.

 

[mod29]

Both are excellent.
The 5" is a great all-around barrel length, the 6.5 dampens recoil a bit better.

If you are only going to buy one, I would probably recommend the 5".
I have both barrel lengths and it's usually the 5" that I take with me.

If you're like many of us here, however, you'll probably end up with both eventually!

 

[Invictus357]

I love my 6.5"

 

[DR505]

I would go for the 5"....perfect length for an N Frame.

 

[k22fan]

[...] My use is only for casual target shooting, not carrying or protection. [...]

For your use, assuming you will not be mounting optics, 6 1/2. It will kick less. Its longer sight radius will enable you to see a smaller amount of aiming error. Absent human error a 5" should be just as accurate but we are all human.

If the 6 1/2" is too muzzle heavy for your arm strength than a 629 with Invictus357's non-full lug 6" barrel would be a great choice.

All three are great choices. It's just a matter of preference. There is a better answer than buy both. Buy all three.

 

[lkabug]

As noted several times above, the 5" seems to balance better. Less arm fatigue at the end of a range session..

 

[JohnRoc65]

I have the full underlug 6.5" classic and I gotta tell ya, it's pretty darn nose heavy.

Do I regret buying it? Nope.

 

[Paul105]

I have a 6.5" Classic DX (full under lug). It is more front weight than I want to deal with for a range gun -- It's a struggle for me to keep the barrel elevated - results in vertical stringing for me shooting offhand -- I'm in my 70s, so that might not be a problem for you younger guys.

I had the left gun (M69 2.75") and the right gun (629 6" half lug) at the range today. I've been shooting the 2.75" M69 quite bit and haven't shot the 629 in several years. I was conscious of the extra effort needed to keep the 6" barrel elevated.

Bottom line -- I'd go with the 5" barrel. If you decide to go with optics, the 5" barrel will not be a disadvantage in any way.

Inherent accuracy isn't barrel length dependent -- sight radius might help sight alignment, but added barrel time might offset sight radius advantage -- everything is a bit of a trade off.

FWIW,

Paul

 

[629shooter]

Another vote for the 5", if you're only going to buy one.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[Benchrest1]

A 5" barrel always hits the sweet spot for me.

 

[BC38]

One more vote for the 5".
But I'm not one to really go for the longer barrels.

 

[oink]

I do like the balance of a 5", plus it's a good handy size. I do not like the 6 or 6.5 full lug. I do very much like a 6" half lug and carried one for many years. Of the 2 you mentioned I go for the 5". A 6" half lug would be ideal for your purposes.

 

[ultratec00]

If you can only afford one, comes down to your intended use. I have three variants of the 6.5" and typically will take my 629-5 w/ power port when hunting. The extra 1.5" adds to the overall sight radius and some velocity.

For every day carry and/or hiking, the 5" winds hands down. Best balancing of them all. Pretty much all my 629s shoot well, but my 5" 629-5 puts 10 rounds of 210 Sierra JHCs over a dose of Enforcer into 1.5" @ 50 yards

 

[Jon651]

I'm in the market for a 629 in either the 5" or 6.5". Originally had my mind set on a 6.5" but went to the LGS yesterday and they had both available. So I held both and the 5" seemed a little better balanced, but I want the accuracy of the 6.5". My use is only for casual target shooting, not carrying or protection. Which do you prefer and why?

I own a 629x5” With the full underlug and love it. I don’t know the exact specs, but the 5” with the full underlug seems to me right at the same overall weight as the 6.5” with the partial underlug barrel. Maybe somebody here can come up with the numbers.

While the 6.5” will give you a better/longer sight radius, I personally feel that the 5” is easier to handle. But that’s just me.

 

[Mike_Fontenot]

My EDC (from pajamas-off until pajamas-on) is a 5" 629 Classic (full-underlug) .44mag. In a homemade under-the-shirt vertical cloth shoulder holster. Very comfortable and well concealed. I shoot it (ALWAYS SA) better than any other handgun I own. (I've got a light trigger on it).

 

[sparkyvega]

I have the 629 6.5" full underlug. I really enjoy shooting it. If I had my druthers, I'd rather have the 5". My X-frame is 5", and it's just about right for me,