629 vs 29 - moving to alaska
- Thread starter LoneStarWings
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LoneStarWings
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Finally settled on this:
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Congrats on that one. Good choice! 
If that ammunition is anywhere close to the specs on the box those two will make a mean combination.
If that ammunition is anywhere close to the specs on the box those two will make a mean combination.
Benchrest1
Member
You made a great choice.
Hole I personally detest stainless, in this case it is the right answer. Alaska is very tough on guns. My Niece lived there for some time and between the near constant rain snow humidity etc stainless would be better. She carried a 629 berry picking
629shooter
Member
Good choice.
Congrats!
Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
Congrats!
Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
Good decision. Stainless is a no-brainer for packing around outdoors.
Is that a 4" or 5" barrel?
What is the dash number?
BigBill
Absent Comrade
A 44 mag in grizzly country? I was thinking a 480ruger. Redhawk in stainless.
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HamHands
Member
I'd choose the one with the "Endurance Package" for an Alaskan move for sure... You're going to want to use the toasty hard cast Keith's for sure pushing over 1150fps with the Big Brown Uglies (Moose & Bear) around... and you are going to need to get comfortable with practicing with both aforementioned loads and your particular Revolver. I carry Hard Cast Keith's with hot .44Specials in Appalachia but they would be Hot .44Mags in Alaska.
HamHands
Member
Finally settled on this:
You'll be fine with that little baby. It has the "EP" and will stand up to a lifetime of those lovely warm Underwood Loads. I've shot my share of them and purchase them 5 boxes at a time when I do buy them. Last time I bought them I had to special request them to load those 305's @ 1325fps pressure. I see they are conveniently NOT SHOWN in their product line-up currently. They will run close to their advertised velocity out of that 5" barrel too! I like their hard cast full wad cutters too @ 1300fps that are nasty when they hit bone, sinew, and heavy pelt!
ETA: The Underwood 305's are back in their lineup...
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LoneStarWings
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It's an SKU 163636, my understanding is that it's a 629-6. The barrel is a 5" full lug.
The store I was shopping at didn't have the 4", plus I realized that I already had holster for my 5" N Frame Model 327, so it kind of made sense to stick with that barrel length.
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ShadyDrifter
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Glock 20.
16 rounds of 10mm.
Don't hate me
Edit:
My favorite kind of firearm is the revolver
My fave kind of revolver is S&W
My fave kind of S&W is the 29
So needless to say, my favorite firearm in the planet, is a s&w 29.
But......
If I were in your situation where I might encounter bears, I would carry a g20 with a reload. 31 rounds of
(.357 ballistics) hardcast buffalo bore or Underwood ammo in a package that's smaller, lighter, easier to carry, and who cares if it gets beat up.
16 rounds of 10mm.
Don't hate me
Edit:
My favorite kind of firearm is the revolver
My fave kind of revolver is S&W
My fave kind of S&W is the 29
So needless to say, my favorite firearm in the planet, is a s&w 29.
But......
If I were in your situation where I might encounter bears, I would carry a g20 with a reload. 31 rounds of
(.357 ballistics) hardcast buffalo bore or Underwood ammo in a package that's smaller, lighter, easier to carry, and who cares if it gets beat up.
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BigBill
Absent Comrade
Even though Elmer Keith did kill every North American game with the 357, 41, & 44 mag makes me wonder what caliber his backup guy had? I hunted Blackbear for decades the hunt was more fun than the kill. I'm just too old for the excitement now.
HamHands
Member
Of the two dozen brownie attacks I've read of... nobody got off more than 4-5 shots. YMMV...
kamloops67
Member
Go to the zoo and stand as close as you can to a grizzly or polar bear
Now imagine it hungry/angry ...a 44 wont seem like enough either
OTOH, don't Nordic countries issue 10 mms to their personnel for polar bear defense?
And you run into stories like this (S&W related too)
https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2016/8/10/alaska-outfitter-defends-fishermen-from-raging-grizzly-with-9mm-pistol/
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LoneStarWings
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If S&W made an M&P in 10mm I probably would've gotten that instead. I am a much better marskman with a semi auto, and the volume of fire you can put out with an auto is undeniably better.
However, there is a certain romance to revolvers for me....they're just fun. If movng to Alaska isn't an excuse to get one in .44 or bigger, I don't know what is. I want to use this opportunity to increase my revolver skills. I've probably only fired 1000 or so rounds through revolvers in my lifetime, vs 50,000 or so through SA's. I'll be trying to even that out over the next few years.
For now the 629 is the only firearm I have in my posession, I could not bring my others with me yet. I'm carrying it in town with .44 special 200gr blazer gold dots and keeping a speedloader reload available with the underwood 305's. Obviously when we go on adventures outside of town it'll all be the magnum stuff.
Also I already ordered a plug for the lock I plan to remove, as I did with my 327 and 340.
However, there is a certain romance to revolvers for me....they're just fun. If movng to Alaska isn't an excuse to get one in .44 or bigger, I don't know what is. I want to use this opportunity to increase my revolver skills. I've probably only fired 1000 or so rounds through revolvers in my lifetime, vs 50,000 or so through SA's. I'll be trying to even that out over the next few years.
For now the 629 is the only firearm I have in my posession, I could not bring my others with me yet. I'm carrying it in town with .44 special 200gr blazer gold dots and keeping a speedloader reload available with the underwood 305's. Obviously when we go on adventures outside of town it'll all be the magnum stuff.
Also I already ordered a plug for the lock I plan to remove, as I did with my 327 and 340.
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safearm
US Veteran
Since you already settled on a gun, my answer is somewhat superfluous, but I recently picked up a 629-1 4 inch in a trade. It had been bubba-ized by cutting the square butt into a round butt configuration. Although I cleaned up many of the tool marks, there were some gouges that just couldn't be made to look any better. I decided to have the gun re-finished in matte black Ceracote to match the finish on my 329. I don't have it back yet, but I anticipate that it will turn out great, based on previous experience with this shop. In my case, I get the best of both worlds, a black gun with the durability of stainless.
