Buying a model 69 combat

[Paul105]

They are the same. I keep one on my key chain.

 

[Bald1]

If you're concerned about recoil HSM Cowboy loads I believe are 200gr at 1000fps. That's still a pretty potent load. And cheap.

 

[smoothshooter]

I have the 2 3/4 version great carry revolver they are actually 44 magnum capable 44 specials you will find its a handfull with full house 44 magnums but with specials its great the accuracy is going to surprise you they are really accurate

The period key on your electronic device isn't working.

 

[PHS327]

Are all the trigger lock keys alike? Mine did not come with keys and I would like to have them for a extra precaution.

A couple, three years ago I sent S&W an email saying I got two keys with my revolver but that I would like another one. That's all I said. I didn't ask them to send me one. I was expecting them to reply how I could order one along with the price.

A couple weeks later, I got one in the mail, no charge. I carry it on my key ring but I have never used it.

 

[bronco45]

I have had the same model 69 since 2015. Brian Pearce put 5,000 full bore 44 Magnums through his without any signs of weakness or fatigue. I shoot a 245 gr Keith over 10.0 grains of Unique or Universal for 1150fps measured. Accuracy is superb. Those VZ grips are identical to mine, do yourself a favor, put on a mask and sand down those sharp diamonds a bit and your hand really appreciate it. My 69 is used for woods carry and I want a grip I can hang onto if my hand is bloody, muddy or just coming out of water. It's a great design, carrying a L frame Smith 44 Mag. I shoot mine better than my pre29 5 inch. The gun fits my hand better.

 

[stansdds]

9.0 to 10.0 grains of Unique under a 240 grain hard cast LSWC in 44 Magnum brass has long been known as a sweet spot recipe for lower recoil and superb accuracy with the 44 Magnum.

 

[oink]

As others have said; Carry with specials. If you're going to shoot some hot magnums with those grips I'll suggest some light gloves. I have the 2.75" version and I qualified with it (HR218) with hot magnums (hand rolled) shortly after I purchased it but after putting on some nice looking Hogue Bantam checkered wood grips. I think the qualification was 40 rounds. I qualified without issue but there was blood on my pretty wood grips. The grips tore my skin. I'm an older guy now and grow older guy skin so that may have played a part but I'd suggest some light shooting gloves.

I have a pic I posted previously if I can find it:

 

[bulletslap]

As a senior citizen, I attribute a considerable part of the arthritis in my hands and wrists to various 4 inch model 29s, and TC Contenders in my halcyon days.

 

[Yendor357]

If the S&W spec sheet and my scale are correct, the 4.25 inch M69 weighs 2.1 ounces less than my 4 inch 629 Mountain gun.
Two loaded 240 grain 44 weigh about 1.7 ounces.

I fired a 69 a long time ago; probably a 429420 with a lot of 2400 under it. I don't remember much about it. It had rubber grips on it tho. That makes a difference.

They're lively. But I don't think gloves and goggles are necessary.

What fun would shooting be if there wasn't a little noise and recoil?

Good luck. If you don't like shooting it, You can surly enjoy looking at that beauty!

 

[sandog]

Those G-10 grips look really nice on your Model 69, but I don't think that you would enjoy shooting it with those installed. The 4" L-frame 69 is a bit lighter (8-9 oz) than a comparable 4" N-frame (e.g. 629) and will have quite a bit more felt recoil. As others have suggested, you might want to change the stocks to rubber recoil tamer stocks (Hogue, etc.), and plan on shooting .44 Specials. With my vintage 4" Model 29-2, I change the GA target stocks to Hogues or Pachys whenever it goes to the range, and .44 Magnum loads are still a handful. For most purposes, .44 Special ammo can perform as well as .44 Magnum without the pain. Just some food for thought. Enjoy!

This has not been my experience with the M69.
Do you have a 69 or just the M29 ?

The M69 has a slightly lower bore to hand ratio and this makes a lot of difference.
All .44 magnums I've ever owned and shot (quite a few) twist back when fired and slam into the web of your hand.
The Redhawk, M629 and 629 Mountain Gun, and all the .44 SA's I'd had do this.
The M69 doesn't twist back and slam against your web,it just lifts my arms up. The revolver recoils up a lot and back very little.

All the talk about recoil and you have to have rubber tamer grips with the M69 ?
I use hard wood grips and they are fine, no need for ugly rubbers.
I am pushing 70 and no longer a fan of hard kicking guns, but the Model 69 was a pleasant surprise.
The OP has made a good choice.

 

[tylerlayne]

Well tomorrow my son and I are going to the gun range. I will finally get to shoot my 69. This will be my first time firing a large bore pistol. I have 100 rounds of 240gr 44 mags (I had to do it). Ready to have some fun!

 

[tylerlayne]

My model 69's serial number is DPE1925. Anyone have a idea what year it may be?

 

[stansdds]

Well tomorrow my son and I are going to the gun range. I will finally get to shoot my 69. This will be my first time firing a large bore pistol. I have 100 rounds of 240gr 44 mags (I had to do it). Ready to have some fun!

100 rounds of full power .44 Magnum is probably quite a bit more than the two of you will want to fire in one range session, but please give us a range report.

 

[tylerlayne]

100 rounds of full power .44 Magnum is probably quite a bit more than the two of you will want to fire in one range session, but please give us a range report.

Yes, Neither one of us has ever fired a 44 magnum. The largest we have shot is a 45 auto. Will follow up tomorrow.

 

[oink]

I carried a 44 mag on duty for many years and fired 60 or 120 magnum rounds per session many times. When I first got it I fired gobs of fairly hot hand rolled 44 mags just to get to where the 44 felt natural and normal to me. Granted it was a 6" 629 and I did have Pacs on it. I'm not intimidated by 44 mags. However, my skin on my hands does not like the recoil with the small checkered Bantam wood grips. A few is ok but a 40 round qualification was too much for my skin. Not a big deal for a carry gun. I'm never going to fire 40 rounds fairly rapid fire out of it in anger. For one thing I never carry 40 rounds when I'm out and about.

 

[tylerlayne]

Only managed to fire 35 rounds out of the 100 rounds of 240 gr 44 magnums we took with us. I have got to get some new grips before I shoot it again. The grips that are on it are uneven cut on the sides. They are hard plastic or wood one. Every time I fired a round the grips would dig into the palm of my hand. I have done and still do auto paint and body work for the past 40 years so my hands are pretty callosed. The back of the grips stick out from the frame on the 69. They do not fit well at all. The protruding grip on the back took a big chunk of skin out of my sons hand between his thumb and fore finger the last time he fired it. With a new set of softer grips I could handle the recoil. You can see how badly the grips fit the frame in the picture.

 

[tylerlayne]

Think I will do as others here have suggested and get Houge grips.

 

[oink]

I wonder if those are N frame grips.

 

[stansdds]

As much as I like wood stocks, rubber does soften the felt recoil of the big magnum caliber revolvers.

 

[stansdds]

I wonder if those are N frame grips.

That or just poorly fitted to that revolver. What am I saying? S&W does not seem to fit anything these days, they just put parts together to form a firearm.

Edit: I have been advised that the pictured stocks are NOT factory S&W stocks.

 

[tylerlayne]

Will these fit my model 69?

 

[Hawg Rider]

My model 69's serial number is DPE1925. Anyone have a idea what year it may be?

The best I can tell from the "SCSW 5th Ed." is that your triple-alpha s/n "DPE1925" would equate to a manufacture date sometime 2020-2021.

 

[Dave Lively]

That or just poorly fitted to that revolver. What am I saying? S&W does not seem to fit anything these days, they just put parts together to form a firearm.

The grips are aftermarket, don't blame S&W for this one.

With modern manufacturing there should be no need for hand fitting. If I was buying a new car or power tool and learned the manufacturer had to file to fit and paint to match to make the parts fit to together I would run from that brand as fast as I can. Which at my age isn't very fast but still, I would be running.

Give me a gun where the parts are mass produced with enough precision to be interchangeable any day over one that has to be assembled by a skilled craftsmen that assembles the gun from sloppily produced parts.

S&W needs to improve their quality, I had a couple of problems with the Shield Plus I purchased a couple of years ago that should have been caught by the factory. But S&W needs to fix those sort of issues without going back to manufacturing techniques from 100 years ago.

Note to the OP: When I owned a S&W 69 I put S&W 500 grips on it and they really helped by both being wider so the recoil was more spread out and putting some rubber between the metal backstrap and my hand. I think those were rebranded Hogue grips that others have recommended.

 

[Paul105]

Will these fit my model 69?

.
Yes, those will work on the M69.
.
Also available from Hogue - they are called Tamers
.
OverMolded(R) Rubber Grip (Tamer™ Conversion) - Black
.
on My M69s
.

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And a set modified (removed finger groves and rounded butt) with a belt sander or dremel sanding drum (can't remember). Take your time and a more aesthetic outcome can be achieved. I'm impatient and heavy handed with tools at times LOL.
.

 

[tylerlayne]

The best I can tell from the "SCSW 5th Ed." is that your triple-alpha s/n "DPE1925" would equate to a manufacture date sometime 2020-2021.

Awesome! Thanks. On the box it has the numbers 111721. I was wondering if that was the date. There is no seperation between any of the numbers.

 

[stansdds]

The grips are aftermarket, don't blame S&W for this one.

With modern manufacturing there should be no need for hand fitting. If I was buying a new car or power tool and learned the manufacturer had to file to fit and paint to match to make the parts fit to together I would run from that brand as fast as I can. Which at my age isn't very fast but still, I would be running.

Give me a gun where the parts are mass produced with enough precision to be interchangeable any day over one that has to be assembled by a skilled craftsmen that assembles the gun from sloppily produced parts.

S&W needs to improve their quality, I had a couple of problems with the Shield Plus I purchased a couple of years ago that should have been caught by the factory. But S&W needs to fix those sort of issues without going back to manufacturing techniques from 100 years ago.

Note to the OP: When I owned a S&W 69 I put S&W 500 grips on it and they really helped by both being wider so the recoil was more spread out and putting some rubber between the metal backstrap and my hand. I think those were rebranded Hogue grips that others have recommended.

Thank you, I will add an edit to my post.

 

[bronco45]

VZ Grips for an N frame.

 

[tylerlayne]

Got my Hogue Tammers yesterday and installed them. I like the way they look and feel comfortable in my hand. Now I need to head back to the range. The grips I took off said they were for a N frame. I like the Hogue grip much better.

 

[stansdds]

Got my Hogue Tammers yesterday and installed them. I like the way they look and feel comfortable in my hand. Now I need to head back to the range. The grips I took off said they were for a N frame. I like the Hogue grip much better.

That would certainly explain the poor fit on your Model 69 as it uses the K/L-frame size stocks.

 

[TAROMAN]

My most accurate 44. Offhand @ 15 yards with my 44 Special handload: