Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W 629 44 mag ---stout?

Thinking about getting one. It is a 629-6. Now my favorite load is 300 gr XTP with 20 gr of H110.

Can this gun survive a steady diet of this load? I already have a 5.5" Ruger redhawk but I always liked the Smith better.


Thanks

Even though S&W has had multiple fixes over the years to toughen up the 629, it would not be my first choice for a steady diet of 300 gr loads.

A friend had a pair of redhawks worked over by Magnaport, not cheap but their action jobs are butter smooth. Might be a better option as you'd be hard pressed to wear out a redhawk with such loads.

If you like the smith, buy the smith and just try to wear it out. They will fix it for free, and even if they don't, you will have to shoot it a ton to wear it out, and it is pretty simple for a smith to tighten up.

Thanks gentlemen

This^^^^^^^^^^^

It will last a long time, and as someone else said, Smith will fix it. However, eventually you will probably have to have it tightened up a bit. I have loosened up a 629 back in the day when all I shot were full power loads. But I'm probably talking 10 to 12 thousand rounds, maybe more. I have never loosened a Redhawk. Just my thoughts.......
Having said all that, I can't imagine you WANTING to shoot enough of those heavy bullet loads that would hurt the gun. They for sure thump on both ends.

For many years I heard the same stuff, Ruger is built tougher. But I never once seen anyone do any testing to put truth to the rumor.

That's why I love cast bullets for revolvers. You don't need to beat yourself up with balls to the walls loads to get good results on anything you shoot at.

I haven't been around heavily used 29/629 Smiths in a while, but in my youth my father and I shot handgun metallic silhouette. Rugers held up better in that duty.

Yep. For the heaviest loads I'll stick with my Redhawk. I don't put too many rounds of those max loads through any on my S&W 29's.

How ironic as I shot silhouettes back in the later part of the 1970's as well. My revolver of choice was a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 mag and I do remember two other shooters who had M29's they ended up shooting loose. Both ended up buying Rugers as a result.
But that was then and this is now. I am not arguing the fact a Ruger might be the heavier built revolver. But the S&W has progressed through the years as well. It would be interesting to see some actual test data to support facts that most shooters think is true.

Bingo. I load no faster than 1100 fps and bullets a bit heavy for cartridge in the 45 Colt and below and a bit light for cartridges in the greater than 45 Colt gang, either one of the various flatbased SWC or one of the LBT designs.

If you shoot a Smith to the point of disrepair, I would suggest hanging it on the wall and just buying another. It will likely be a great reminder of past adventures, as it will take a substantial amount of shooting to get to that point.

I don't shoot a lot of real heavy loads through my Smith .44s, and have Rugers just for that purpose, but with that said, if I want to hunt large animals with one of my Smith .44s, I don't worry about running reasonably heavy loads through the gun.

Given that it is unlikely a 629-6 will ever be collectable, shooting one loose is no great loss to the firearms world. The wear caused by large doses of heavy recoil generally can be repaired.

I bought a new 629 the day I turned 21. For just shy of 10 years, I ran nothing but full power loads thru it. It finally got what I think was enough stretch in the frame to where to get the cylinder to unlatch, you really had to force it. I did send it off to Smith and it came back working good as new. I ended up trading it off for a Super Redhawk.

I do know for a fact, that the 3 years I was at Ft Campbell, I ran more than 3k rounds thru it. Dont know how many before that point.

It was still an accurate shooting gun when I got rid of it, and the trigger was buttery smooth.

There is no question as to which is stouter, just which is a club, heavy and beyond the needs of most pistolero.

The Ruger is a solid frame and is thicker in all areas that matter.

It may not be as strong as the Ruger. I hasn't got anything left to prove. But one cannot deny it has nice lines.

The Redhawk may be a little stronger in the long run, but I will take the Smith 629 any day over it. Keith 250 gr with Unique and you will play hell wearing out the 629. I have a four and six inch 629 sold all my Redhawks.

MUCH stronger, not a little.

This should make it clear how much stronger......



I have a couple of Model 29s still, and while they are great revolvers, they were never meant to contain the likes of a .44 Magnum. Keep loads on the light side and they will serve well for a long time. If you like stepping on the gas more than just occasionally, get a Redhawk.