First trip with 629

[HannibalMontana]

Shot 56 rounds of Winchester 240 grain today. Gun is hard to shoot compared to what I usually shoot.

Aint gonna lie, I was scared the first time I pulled the trigger. Only put one in the chamber.

30 feet single action:

25 feet double action:

Going to change grips to allow me a shorter reach to the trigger in da mode. Also, da seems really heavy to me, but I'm new at revolvers so maybe it's normal.

So far I like it. When I get 1k or so pieces of brass I'll start loading for it. Probably a hard cast bullet at more tame speeds.

Also need a holster. Going to enjoy this change of pace.

Also put some rounds thru a Springfield 1911. Total is 958.

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[357 shooter]

Nice looking 629. It is definitely a big step up from shooting 357s! I bought one new in 2000 but have not shot it much in the last few years. I always have reloaded for my 44. I also have a Springfield 1911 , mine is a Range Officer and that one is quite a good shooter.

 

[zogger]

Nice shooting for 1st time with a revolver and 44 Mag!

Shoot in single action with 44 Specials to get a better feel for the gun. Then DA with 44 Specials, then go to 44 Mag. 44Mag will really get your attention!

Before I 1st shot my Model 29, I had shot 357 Mag, so I thought no big deal. Boy was I surprised!

 

[HannibalMontana]

Nice shooting for 1st time with a revolver and 44 Mag!



Shoot in single action with 44 Specials to get a better feel for the gun. Then DA with 44 Specials, then go to 44 Mag. 44Mag will really get your attention!



Before I 1st shot my Model 29, I had shot 357 Mag, so I thought no big deal. Boy was I surprised!

Good idea. I just bought a ton of 44 mag instead of special. I figure that way I can load it however I want.


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[M29since14]

Don't fatigue yourself when shooting your new 629. There is no magic number so when you notice you are getting tired or "jumpy," stop and put it away until next time. Don't want to develop a flinching habit.

Good looking .44 you have there. The stocks look good to me, but we are all different in what feels good and works for us. Good idea to do some experimenting. Congrats on your new sixgun. You picked a good one.

 

[muddocktor]

Congrats on your new 629. That looks like a 5" barrel on it to me. I have a 6 1/2" 629 Classic and a 5" 29 Classic and I find the 5" barrel gun to be a bit more "snappy" in recoil.

As for holding off on reloading until you've shot 1000 rounds or so, I would suggest you buy yourself some brass from Starline and start loading for yourself. That way you can save a little money over buying factory ammo and more importantly, tailor your ammo to your needs. You can load up some good shooting ammo at 800-1000 ft/sec and save yourself a bunch of recoil and help you get used to your new gun, then start powering them up from there.

BTW, I have put Culina round to square stocks on both my Classics. I find that they feel better in hand to me than the stock rubber grips and they look loads better.

 

[ExRanger714]

If you are really challenged by the grip size Pachmayr SN-GP gripper pro have an open backstrap so you can get a little closer to the trigger.

And that's pretty good shooting for first time 44 mag.

 

[S&WsRsweet]

I love my 629 .You have a good looking one there .Those groups are very respectable .Mine is a 629-1 I've been shooting since the late 80s bought it used ( still had 40 rounds left in the original box of cartridges ) .It has honestly gotten smoother with time and shooting .I think the 629 series in 44 magnum is the perfect balance of carry,shooting and power for an all around working handgun.Oh that Springfield ain't bad either I would love to have one of those .Keep us updated as to how your action smoothes over time .I would suggest going ahead and getting some empty brass and components and start loading .I like a 240 grain lead bullet at 900 FPS for general draw ,fire ,load practicing and honestly I like lobbing those big ole bullets at steel plates out at 100 yards as I have plenty of time to recover from the mild recoil to hear that clannngggggg .Man all this makes me want to go shooting .In my opinion you have the right idea on getting magnum brass .Nothing wrong with 44 special it is a great cartridge but why limit yourself you may turn out to be one of those rare guys who can shoot full blown mags as good as most of us can shoot milder reloads .As far as grips go I like the plain old factory targets but I went thru most of the different styles thru the years before I came back to them. Just keep experimenting until you find what works for you .Anyway congratulations and welcome to the brotherhood of 629ers.

 

[HannibalMontana]

Thanks for the input guys.

Just looked into some starline brass. Looks like I can buy new brass and load up for about half of new price, maybe less. Of course, subsequent loadings will be cheaper.

I think I can load for about 14 cents per round, not including brass.

Partial to hogue grips like on my 1911s without front strap checkering. They offer some with no rubber on the backstrap which should get me about 1/4 inch closer to the trigger. That's allot.

Before I look into trigger work I'm going to dry fire lots. I do that anyway, and I think it's a good idea to shoot a gun stock for awhile before any mechanical changes are made.

I agree on a 240 at 900 FPS. That will really do anything I need to do. Not planning on hunting with this gun. I won't own a gun that I won't carry though, so I have to get a holster made.


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[muddocktor]

Just for kicks and giggles, here are a couple of pics of my 629 and 29 guns wearing the Culina round to square conversions. These are a "coke" design much like the old legendary S&W grips, but made to fit round butt guns. They aren't cheap, but quality craftsmanship never is.

First my 629-3 Classic. These grips are made of Italian Olive wood and I think they look especially good on a stainless gun.


Next is my 29-6 Classic, which is wearing a set of Bubinga wood Culina grips.

 

[brjr51]

Nice revolver. Be careful, .44 Mag can get addictive. I put the X-frame Hogues on mine and absolutely love them. Never been a fan of finger grooves but these things fit my somewhat large hands perfectly. Really made a difference in shooting.

Also put them on my 69.

 

[HannibalMontana]

Nice revolver. Be careful, .44 Mag can get addictive. I put the X-frame Hogues on mine and absolutely love them. Never been a fan of finger grooves but these things fit my somewhat large hands perfectly. Really made a difference in shooting.



Also put them on my 69.

On your -6 with the red dot and lock filler plug, how did you go about removing the "L" marked near it?

That looks great.


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[brjr51]

On your -6 with the red dot and lock filler plug, how did you go about removing the "L" marked near it?

That looks great.


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It's still there. It was very faint from the factory and you can hardly see it unless you tilt it just right, and that's OK by me.

 

[Narragansett]

Just for kicks and giggles, here are a couple of pics of my 629 and 29 guns wearing the Culina round to square conversions. These are a "coke" design much like the old legendary S&W grips, but made to fit round butt guns. They aren't cheap, but quality craftsmanship never is.

First my 629-3 Classic. These grips are made of Italian Olive wood and I think they look especially good on a stainless gun.


Next is my 29-6 Classic, which is wearing a set of Bubinga wood Culina grips.

Nice looking guns!!! Below are a couple of mine. The 29 Classic DX, can be a bit stout with the factory combats. The 629 is a NIB with Culina black and white ebony. I have a set of K frame olive wood grips on a blue 15-2. I bought them in advance of getting a M66.

To the OP, nice shooting for your first time out. Full house 44's take some getting used to. It did for me as I remember. Had to work up to a full box, but being a handloader, I toned the load down a bit. Something between 44SPL, and 44Mag works best for me. I think you are right on with a good 240 gr hard cast bullet. I also think, the sooner you start handloading, the quicker you will enjoy that fine looking 629

 

[Univibe]

I have a 6.5" 629. I've never fired factory ammo through it. I load a 240 grain hardcast SWC at about 1000 or 1050 fps (published) with AA5 powder. You know you're not shooting .44 spl, but it's also not punishing like a full house magnum load. Quite accurate and fun to shoot. I can load a box of these for about $8.00, which is a lot cheaper than those $30 boxes of factory fodder. Start loading now.

 

[HannibalMontana]

10-4 on that. Got some brass on the way and need to pick up some dies for my single stage.

Eventually I'll set up another tool head for the 650, but not in a hurry.


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[Mike_Fontenot]

I second the recommendation to get the X500 grips. I've put them on all my L-Frames, as well as my 5" 629 Classic. They ARE made by Hogue, but you can only buy them from S&W.

 

[SLT223]

That 629 5" is a fantastic revolver. .44 Magnum makes reloaders out of people. Keeping the brass is wise. Downloading .44 can add a lot of enjoyment to owning a 29 / 629.

Here's my 5" rig

 

[75Vette]

Good shootin' for a first time out with a new gun, especially 44 mag if you're not familiar with the characteristics of the round. As others have stated, you really need to reload 44 magnum to fully appreciate it. I'm past my recoil junkie days and would much rather shoot my hot 44 spl/ light 44 mag loads and concentrate on accuracy than see how much I and/or the gun can take. I have a 500 for that. With all that being said, I prefer the regular rubber Hogues on my shooters. They fit my large hands well and absorb enough recoil to shoot all day long.

 

[HannibalMontana]

I also have to dial in my grip. The high thumbs forward pistol grip won't work if I want to keep my left thumb on.

Right now every time I pick up the gun I'm just like

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