Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Can you use full loads in a S&W 44 mountain gun ?

The barrels a much thinner dimension, I can't find anywhere that says to limit loads...

Full Magnum loads, yes, according to SAAMI specs, but not the super Magnums that are available out there, such as from Buffalo Bore.

I shoot full-house .44 mags in my mountain gun (629-2). Not a real pleasant sensation by round number 5 or six....

The thinner barrel is not an issue regarding pressure.

Pressure has peaked and is dropping, before the bullet base has departed the cylinder.

K thnx

I've shot 50 plus out of mine with heavy loads. Garrett's ammo

It's a handful, not sure what would give first the gun or my wrist. It has handled the loads but it can't be good for the gun.

Now why would that be trh...give me the actual technical facts...not your opinion.

I had a Ruger Redhawk which I enjoyed shooting hot loads out of. I know not the brightest thing I've ever done... but I tried a cylinder full of 280 hardcast Redhawk loads in my S&W Mountain gun, after bullet number three I quit.

Jerry

As far as I know, the top end Garrett 330gr Hammerhead loads do not work in the Smith because the cylinder is too short, whereas they fit in the longer cylinder of the Ruger. As for their standard length 310gr Hammerhead loads, they give their full blessings to fire away out of the 44 Mountain Gun. That's a full load IMO. Don't know how fast the Smith will wear out shooting such a load on a regular basis though.

The thinner barrel doesn't limit the gun from from safely firing the full load, but it may effect your ability to shoot the full load. Easy to carry a lot, but hard to shoot much.

Best

The one I had I shot full loads or 22gr of H110 and240 gr jacketed Speer. The only problem I had was the N frame is way to big for my hand and it tore up the web of my hand between the index finger and thumb.I even had it ported which helped the flip ,but not the web o fmy hand. It actaully tore tehe skin off.

Yeah, they can do that. Back in the old days, when I used to qualify on the old PPC combat course, the brass would put me six stations away from the rest of the guys due to complaints about muzzle blast. They also would let me start at 25 yds. and work up to the fast reload/hip shooting, 7 yd. target. That's because the full power, .44 magnum ammo would split the webbing between the thumb and fore finger on my gun hand.
I could have used different stocks to avoid that, but, with them, the gun would twist in my hand during rapid
DA shooting which could throw a round or two off.
Those 4 inch Smith 29's are really wonderfully accurate and very powerful guns. But shooting them can be a bit of a strain. E

I didn't think you could answer

I think silhouette shooters demonstrated the weaknesses of the Model 29 design in the �80s. S&W then undertook a redesign/upgrade to eliminate or mitigate those weak areas. Today I think the design is recognized as being suitable for any SAAMI loads, but the light weight of a Mountain Gun certainly has an effect on the shooter. Loads that beat me unmercifully in my 40 oz. Mountain Gun are just fun in my 56 oz. Dan Wesson 744.

My "Bear Loads" are not that much fun to shoot out of my 629 Moutnain Gun, but then again I don't shoot them all that often. A 300 gr WFNGC will definitely give you muzzle flip! LOL

This is one of those rare cases where The Real Weasel could answer if he was paying attention.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=54

.44 magnum +P+ - the advisory says not for S&W revolvers. Looks good for a Sharps, though.

That is the only one out of many that BB produces for the 44 mag.

Strange that JWP found an article about the stupid Marlin twist that I have posted about a thousand times.
But you need to understand the S&W revolvers. Some very heavy boolit loads do NOT exceed the pressure limits but there might be a few so I do not recommend them anyway.
The S&W can not take recoil over it's design. The center, unlocking pin in the cylinder will peen over. The cylinder stop will pull from the cylinder and let it turn backwards from torque. This is from inertia. The cylinder can slam too hard and the crane can bend. I have found the heaviest safe boolit is 265 gr. Use the heavy boolits in Rugers.

The "actual technical facts" are that there is no such animal as a +P .44 Mag and no such animal as +P+ in any cartridge. Buffalo Bore isn't even a SAAMI member and as such is not bound to SAAMI specs - unless you pressure test the stuff you're on your own.

I'm with Hawk - I'd never use it in an N-frame.

From the link to Buffalo Bore:



I won't argue with it. When I get time later, I'm going to read up on the dangerous pure lead cowboy bullets.

I think this is the current SAAMI list:

http://www.saami.org/PubResources/CC_Drawings/C%20and%20C%20Dwgs%20-%20TOC%20-%20Pistol.pdf

I had thought the ammo manufacturers were required to label +P for loads above SAAMI standard pressure specs, and to label +P+ for loads above SAAMI +P pressure specs, even though the particular +P or +P+ load was not a SAAMI spec load. So if SAAMI has a specification for +P, but the manufacturer makes a load above those limits, it is required to be labeled +P+.

As for this thread in terms of full loads in a S&W mountain gun, I took it to mean a maximum pressure SAAMI 44 magnum load.

Best