Posted some of this in an earlier thread. But maybe bears repeating.

2 ¾” S&W M69 (5 shot L Frame .44 Magnum).

The little gun is an absolute delight to shoot with both .44 special equivalent and full mag loads. The lighter loads are obviously more fun for extended shooting sessions.

I have both 4 ¼” and the new 2.75” M69s. My impression is that the 2.75” gun shoots “softer” recoil wise than the 4 ¼” version. I’ve chronographed both with the same loads and the short barrel runs about 100 fps slower than it’s longer brother (except for the big 325gr) – this moderates recoil. Of course, you get a bit of muzzle flash with H110 loads. Both of mine are equipped with the S&W 500 X Frame Hogue grips.

Here are some chronograph results:

Chronoed these from the 2.75” M69. Three rounds at 5 Long paces from muzzle and 68 deg F. Larger sample could change the results a bit. Largest ES was 42 fps.

260 WFNGC w/23.0gr H110 avg 1,125 fps
240 Zero JSP with 23.5gr H110 avg 1,126 fps
240gr Fed Factory avg 1,125 fps
265gr CSWCGC (Lyman Thompson) with 17.5gr A2400 (Deep Seat) 1,119 fps avg
325gr WLNGC (BTB) with 22.0gr H110 avg 1,104 fps

For comparison purposes these were shot a while back from my 4 ¼” M69: Same temp, distance from the muzzle.

260 WFNGC w/23.0gr H110 avg 1,224 fps
240 Zero JSP with 23.5gr H110 avg 1,230 fps
240gr Fed Factory avg 1,220 fps
265gr CSWCGC (Lyman Thompson) with 17.5gr A2400 (deep seat) 1,140 fps avg
325gr WLNGC (BTB) with 22.0gr H110 avg 1,182


Little out of focus cell phone pic of the 2 ¾” with two holster (fit the M69 perfectly) that I bought sometime back for my 396. A Haugen, OWB, dual position thumb snap, and a Milt Sparks, IWB, Versa Max II.

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50 yard target shot over my range bag – 2 ¾” M69, 260gr WFNGC, 23.0gr H110.

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Neat little gun.

Paul