My Alaska carry gun is a 629 an it is a late model with the Hillary hole. Any 629-3 or later will have the Endurance Package with deeper cylinder stop notches to help stop the backwards rotation of the cylinder that was problematic with some REALLY heavy loads in 29's as well as some other internal strengthening. I have a 629-6 and it is one tough revolver that comes with Hogue grips that really help with recoil. It rains on the Kenai a lot, normally, where I go and the stainless is a must IMHO. My 629 has been in the Kenai River 2 times courtesy of me slipping on rocks while fishing and I dried it out nest to the stove in the cabin, shot a cylinder full through it and had no problems. I added a green fiber optic front sight that really stands out against a dark hide, if you have time to use it, which I haven't-thankfully. My gun loves 310 gr cast bullets from a Lee mold but I use 270 gr SWC cast and powder coated. You really don't need to load your ammo to the absolute max, reliability and shootability are more important. These bullets penetrate into the next county and that's what you want for protection against big critters that bite and claw. I highly recommend the 4" 629.
Last edited by dmurf205; 08/28/22.
