Just bought two nice S&W revolvers. 629-1 & 15-3.

[586L-Frame]

Just bought two nice S&W revolvers. 629-1 & 15-3.

On Saturday went cruising to LGS's in search for some Glock 19 10rd mags. No luck.
Ended-up purchasing two nice S&W revolvers that were on consignment
at a new LGS in Elk Grove. Oh, my pocketbook!

A unfired S&W 629-1 6" .44 magnum, and a S&W Mdl 15-3 4" .38spc. Nice friendly staff and nice selections.
Anticipating pick-up on the 15th!

This is my first .44 magnum. Any recommendations on .44 special & .44 magnum ammo for Target shooting and SD much appreciated.
Thanks!
586L-Frame/Dlcchp

DLC's S&W Mdl 15-3 4inch .38spc & S&W 629-1 6inch .44magnum.

x

 

[AveragEd]

Very nice find!

Ed

 

[586L-Frame]

Hi Ed,
Thanks! The LGS also has a nice S&W 629 4" .44magnum Mountain Gun for $750. Are these nice to have as well? It felt so light I was afraid of the recoil when firing magnum loads. So I purchased the 629-1 6" .44 magnum for $795 + tax & $25 dros.
586L-Frame

 

[AveragEd]

You're wise to consider recoil when purchasing a firearm. The lighter the gun, the heavier the projectile and the higher the muzzle velocity, the higher the level of felt recoil (and subsequent shot controllability). For me, a lightweight .44 Magnum would be desirable only if I did a lot of woods hiking and wanted a powerful but easily carried handgun.

The vast majority of times you fire your 629, the target will be a piece of paper. Paper does not require "magnum" loads to penetrate and a lot of shooting with those loads can and in most people does instill a habit of flinching. If you don't handload, .44 Special factory loads are your friend. If you do handload, a 240-grain lead semi-wadcutter over 5.0 grains of Clays powder will give you a very clean-burning and fun load to shoot in any .44 Magnum. My three, including a 6" 629-1 like yours, shoot it with very good accuracy.

As a bonus, the 5" 629-3 Classic DX that is the revolver I take hunting shoots both that load and Hornady 240-grain XTP hollow-point factory loads to the same POI at 25 yards! The other two 629s shoot both loads within an inch of each other at that yardage and in woodsy Pennsylvania, 50 yards is about the longest shot I can see myself taking with open sights.

The .44 Magnum can be a very flexible and enjoyable round to shoot. Just don't let yourself be carried away by "magnumitis."

Ed

 

[series guy]

Time to start loading your own ammo. It takes the worry out of recoil and makes it affordable to shoot those beauties on a regular basis. The key to loading on the cheap is to buy all the necessary equipment used. When I started loading I was up and running for less than $200. A press, dies, scale and digital caliper will get the ball rolling.

 

[10-shooter]

I really like that 15.... nice finds...

 

[Recruit]

You guys really need to reconsider posting such pictures. It has alot of us salivating

 

[586L-Frame]

Thanks guys for comments and greatly appreciated advice.
I do reload for other calibers, so after purchasing some initial factory rounds I'll begin reloading.
Thanks AveragEd, I'll heed your advice on magnum rounds and go with lighter loads.
Have a nice day everyone!
586L-Frame

 

[CWH44300]

That 629 is a darling, treat it right and it will treat you to a long life, I'm a big fan of mid range loads for high volume practice, I reserve the full bore loads for hunting, the books are full of reduced loads for you 44, I like a medium speed powder like unique and 250gr Keith at around 950-1000 for every day use and the same bullet on top of a powder like 2400 for 1250-1300 for a full power load, enjoy your new sixguns and let use know how they shoot