model 629 groups

[johnnyappleseed]

Shot the 44 mag today from 75 yards with a rest.
Best 3 shots were 3.75 inches.
Kinda windy blowing from right to left. The other day I shot from 62 yards with the best 3 measuring 1.87 inches.
Target is 2 inches square.
Pretty satisfied.
Looks like I'm minute of antelope so far at 75 yards.

 

[jdlii]

Looks like it will do the job even at "minute of antelope!"

 

[C J]

Mine will knock a gallon jug around at 175 yards if I lean against a post. Every 629 I've been around is plenty accurate. I'd say your will do 175 yards easy enough with the right ammo. IMO gallon jug size is minute of antelope but some may argue that point.

 

[Mr.Harry]

Mine will knock a gallon jug around at 175 yards if I lean against a post. Every 629 I've been around is plenty accurate. I'd say your will do 175 yards easy enough with the right ammo. IMO gallon jug size is minute of antelope but some may argue that point.

175? Holy crikey! What kind of optics? Tell me optics. I'm just trying to do that at 75 yards.

 

[Tom Kent]

Those 629s and 29s will do the job! I used to shoot my 6" 629 at 100yds with 3" groups at POA. The gun still can but not the shooter.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

It's not uncommon for revolvers shot a long range to show certain chambers more accurate than others. Or, conversely, certain chambers consistently producing flyers. Something you may want to investigate as you work on your long range shooting skills.

 

[xuout1]

I have a 25 yard range at my house and every time I get a new gun the first thing I do is shoot it off a bench rest and see what it can do with a 5 shot group with different loads. If im not happy with it then it gose down the road. I have found a good shooting smith revolver will do a 1.5" group most of the time at 25 yards. Average smiths are in the 2.5" area. So I could tell you about shooting a 1" group at 400 yards in the dark wile having a sneezing fit with no proof but I'm not. I have found my top end auto pistols will out shoot a revolver probably due to the fact all chambers on a revolver are not perfectly in time with each other. Interesting Thing I have also noticed is the revolvers with just a little bit of cylinder timing play tend to shoot better. I think the little bit of cylinder play lets the bullet line up with the barrel as it jumps over. Just my observations right or wrong and I shoot around 4000 rounds per year if not more.

 

[zogger]

I have found my top end auto pistols will out shoot a revolver ...

Interesting. By "top end auto pistols" what guns are you referring to?

 

[glenwolde]

I have a 25 yard range at my house and every time I get a new gun the first thing I do is shoot it off a bench rest and see what it can do with a 5 shot group with different loads. If im not happy with it then it gose down the road. I have found a good shooting smith revolver will do a 1.5" group most of the time at 25 yards. Average smiths are in the 2.5" area. So I could tell you about shooting a 1" group at 400 yards in the dark wile having a sneezing fit with no proof but I'm not. I have found my top end auto pistols will out shoot a revolver probably due to the fact all chambers on a revolver are not perfectly in time with each other. Interesting Thing I have also noticed is the revolvers with just a little bit of cylinder timing play tend to shoot better. I think the little bit of cylinder play lets the bullet line up with the barrel as it jumps over. Just my observations right or wrong and I shoot around 4000 rounds per year if not more.

I wouldn't disagree, but I'd note it generally takes a top-end auto to beat a standard production S&W revolver. Also, at ranges past 50 yards most autos have the trajectory of a mortar due to cartridge limitations. Only single shots and revolvers chambered in high performance cartridges are useful at 100 yards plus (with a few exceptions of some odd-ball autos maybe).

 

[xuout1]

When I say top end auto pistols I'm referring to $1000 and up guns. Like my HK usp expert or my Mac 3011 SSD bull barrel 1911. And for shooting long rang autos it's hard to beat a STI long slide 10mm. Wish I had one.

 

[sw282]

I wouldn't disagree, but I'd note it generally takes a top-end auto to beat a standard production S&W revolver. Also, at ranges past 50 yards most autos have the trajectory of a mortar due to cartridge limitations. Only single shots and revolvers chambered in high performance cartridges are useful at 100 yards plus (with a few exceptions of some odd-ball autos maybe).

l shoot IHMSA silhouettes @200meters... Never SEEN an auto on the line.

High End or Low End.. Why?? Because they DONT have the long

range accuracy capable of taking down a 55lb Ram @200meters.

l've had Colt Gold Cups. Browning Hi-Power Comps. Even a 44AMP

Pasadena AUTO MAG.. Want LONG range accuracy in a handgun?

Revolvers RULE

 

[amazingflapjack]

That result sounds sub par to me-either need more practice/instruction or a good look at the gun.

 

[xuout1]

From what I have read the 44 mag desert eagle is a superior long range hand gun. Don't get me wrong I love revolvers but technology moves forward.

 

[jaymoore]

l shoot IHMSA silhouettes @200meters... Never SEEN an auto on the line.

Revolvers RULE

I don't think that's right, as I had an artillery Luger out on the Big Bore line earlier this year. Unless you weren't there; maybe you had left earlier??? I think Charles was there, too.

Not that I had great success with it, but that was mostly because it was shooting rather surprisingly left that day. At 200m I was having to hold almost on the next Ram over!

However, artillery Lugers ARE generally over $1000....

 

[C J]

175? Holy crikey! What kind of optics? Tell me optics. I'm just trying to do that at 75 yards.

No optics. Not really needed at 175 yards as long as your eyesight is good. I've done the vast amount of shooting in my life with iron sights. I do have scopes but I learned from a WWII sharpshooter that you can hit the target at distance with iron sights. I saw him knock a hawk out of a tree at 300 yards with iron sights. It was the 60's when hunters thought hawks cut down the rabbit population not to mention chickens on the farm. Times have changed but it doesn't change what I saw.

Semi-auto against a revolver - I've seen both shoot very well at 50 yards. My best shooting pistol is a Sig P220 that will shoot tight groups at 50 yards but past about maybe 75 yards it loses accuracy. I have another semi-auto that shoots great at 25 yards but not at 35 yards. I went toe to toe with a guy shooting a 629 at the gun range. In fact some people went to find him when they saw how I was shooting with my Sig at 25 yards. We matched each other until I ran out of ammo. Then I got my 629 out of the truck and he decided it was time to turn the range lights off - he was the range master. He wanted no part of trying to match up with 629's. He should have though because I had just bought that revolver and wasn't good with it yet.

But there's no way my Sig shoots even 100 yards. For one thing my Smith has a 8" barrel. The Sig has like a 4.5" barrel. The other semi I mentioned has a 3" barrel. It seems to me that barrel length matters when shooting distances. That's been my experience anyway. Could just be luck of the draw I guess.

I will say that anyone that doesn't believe in the ability of a revolver to shoot long distances should watch this video. Jerry Miculek can shoot one of those things pretty well.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIwVK_FxGZk[/ame]

 

[Mr.Harry]

No optics. Not really needed at 175 yards as long as your eyesight is good. I've done the vast amount of shooting in my life with iron sights. I do have scopes but I learned from a WWII sharpshooter that you can hit the target at distance with iron sights. I saw him knock a hawk out of a tree at 300 yards with iron sights. It was the 60's when hunters thought hawks cut down the rabbit population not to mention chickens on the farm. Times have changed but it doesn't change what I saw.

Semi-auto against a revolver - I've seen both shoot very well at 50 yards. My best shooting pistol is a Sig P220 that will shoot tight groups at 50 yards but past about maybe 75 yards it loses accuracy. I have another semi-auto that shoots great at 25 yards but not at 35 yards. I went toe to toe with a guy shooting a 629 at the gun range. In fact some people went to find him when they saw how I was shooting with my Sig at 25 yards. We matched each other until I ran out of ammo. Then I got my 629 out of the truck and he decided it was time to turn the range lights off - he was the range master. He wanted no part of trying to match up with 629's. He should have though because I had just bought that revolver and wasn't good with it yet.

But there's no way my Sig shoots even 100 yards. For one thing my Smith has a 8" barrel. The Sig has like a 4.5" barrel. The other semi I mentioned has a 3" barrel. It seems to me that barrel length matters when shooting distances. That's been my experience anyway. Could just be luck of the draw I guess.

I will say that anyone that doesn't believe in the ability of a revolver to shoot long distances should watch this video. Jerry Miculek can shoot one of those things pretty well.

IMPOSSIBLE 200 yard snub nose revolver shot- upside down, one handed, with pinky finger - YouTube

Yep, looks like I got more shooting to do. Lol. What is your preference for front sight type, in the distances 100 yards and more? 6 1/2" 629

 

[xuout1]

The longer sight raidius is probably the biggest advantage with a long barrel gun but the extra velocity helps to make up for the loss from the cylinder gap in a revolver. If u really just want to do long rang pistol shooting then you should get a single shot tompson contender or a bolt action pistol. They are what rules in long range.

 

[MJFlores]

I love my 629...and the .44 magnum is such a fun cartridge to reload and shoot. It's what got me into shooting some 28 years ago. Here's me having fun at 100 yards...nothing special or earth shattering, just siting in a lawn chair in the side yard and lobbing 240 grain slugs at a 100 yard steel plate. I laugh hysterically the whole time. My revolvers give me so much joy. Congrats on your small groups. I'd say those antelope better watch out!

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woz80E6Fm84&t=41s[/ame]

 

[C J]

What is your preference for front sight type, in the distances 100 yards and more? 6 1/2" 629

I've only used the red ramp sight that came mounted on my 629. I never had any issues with it so I didn't try to change it. I can certainly see that some other type sights may do better but I haven't tried them. I'm thinking about mounting a red dot on it but that would mean not being able to use my holster. Yes mine is drilled and tapped for mounting a scope. The holes are under the rear sight.

 

[Qc Pistolero]

Most of my 4'' revolvers will shoot on par or better than my 5'' autos...and there is a Gold Cup amongst them.While it doesn't go as to proof that it is a general rule,when it comes to precision,I always tell young shooters that they'll have to spend aprox $2000 for an auto to equal a $1000 revolver.Of course,there are exceptions but it is my rule of thumb.
And after many years,nobody came back to me to tell me that I was dead wrong(or some other kind of nasty words)!
Qc

 

[xuout1]

I think at 25 yards the average revolver will definitely out shoot a auto pistol. Like I mentioned earlier you have to spend some money to get a auto pistol that shoots better then a revolver.

 

[ultratec00]

My goal when working up a load for my 44s is 1.5"@50 yards. That's off sandbags with a scope . My 629s have been able to do that or better.

 

[xuout1]

My dad had a average shooting Ruger super black hawk 44 mag. He eventually put a scope on it and was shocking how much smaller his groups shrank. Even the red dot type optics seem to help me out quite a lot on my grouping. Sucks getting old.

 

[C J]

Like I mentioned earlier you have to spend some money to get a auto pistol that shoots better then a revolver.

I paid $230 for a Taurus PT-145. It will knock down empty .45 casings at 20 yards. At 25 yards it runs very close to hitting them. I'd say that counts as a pretty good shooting auto for not a lot of money. But I have one even better than that. A Raven P25 I bought for $70 when I was broke in college would shoot a 12" group at 75 yards. My dad was laughing at me for shooting at a leaf in his pond behind his house which was about 75 yards away. I sank that leaf on the next shot. Dad like to had a heart attack. BTW there was nothing on the other side of that pond for well over a mile across several hills.

Then there's the Browning Buckmark I have. It will shoot a 3"-4" group at 25 yards all day. So will the Ruger MkII my friend owns. It was a bit more expensive though. But that pistol is about the best shooter I ever picked up. And it didn't cost all that much. Not like some of the revolvers I see mentioned on this forum.

 

[Dennis]

I used to shoot my 6.5" 29-2 and later my current 6" 29-3 standing, 2-hands at gallon milk jugs at 100paces. Back in the late 70's and 80's. Best I ever did was 6 for 6. Usually 5 for 6.
22 grs 2400, 240 hardcast swc lead.
Could I do it now?
No.
LOL
The revolvers are usually capable. YMMV