Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W Model 69 44 Mag.

Looks like a stainless, L-frame 44 Mag with a 4.25” barrel and adjustable sights.

Any info on how they shoot?

I like the way it felt in my hand.

Haven’t heard a cross word about them. Most reviews have been quite positive.

Would love one in blue and walnut.

Been enjoying one for a while. Probably six or seven thousand rounds into it by now. It is a very accurate hammer and ready to carry all the time. I did fire lap ten rounds to smooth the EDM cut rifling and added the wonderful Hogue X frame grips.
I use it as an understudy for a four inch 500 and really like it LOTS. considering getting another as a spare in case this one fails. One heck of a ground squirrel and rock chuck killer.

I like the idea of it. I've never played with one either. I would also be curious as to how many people actually shoot stout 44 mag rounds through it. My impression is that most people just shoot 44 specials. Because of that I went with the GP100 3" 44 Special and I really like it FWIW.

I have two 4 1/4" and one 2 3/4" M69s. The handle recoil very well with the Hogue 500 X Frame grips and the low (vs N Frame) bore to grip axis. I have close to 9,000 rounds thru the two 4 1/4" guns and another 1,500 + thru the 2 3/4 incher. Over half of those thru the 4 1/4" guns are either full house 240gr .44 mags or 265gr SWCGCs at a chronographed 1,140 fps (recoil is the same as factory 240gr .44 Mags which chrono 1,220 fps from the 4 1/4"). In the 2 3/4" gun ninety plus percent have been 24.0gr H110 under 240gr JFPs. Only mentioned the loads to show these guns can handle continuous use of upper end .44 Mags (or at least mine have so far).
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I mounted a 4x Leupold on one of the 4 1/4" to do load development. It turned out to be an accurate, portable, easy to hit with package (if inclined to use a scope) -- scoped, it weighs less than an iron sighted 629.
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I modified a mostly worn out set of Hogue 500 X Frame grips by sanding off the finger groves and rounding the butt. This little gun is a great shooter, handles recoil amazingly well and is a favorite. I've stuck it in my back pocket for walks on several different occasions.
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Paul

Keep the comments coming!

What did you pay for them?

Favorite 44 special load or reduced load 44 Mag?

I’d look at a 250ish grain cast bullet with a big flat nose, a WFN or full wadcutter, and load it to about 1k fps.

Bet it’d be comfortable to shoot and pretty hard to stop.

Hard to add much after Paul has filed a report. But I have one & have other Smith 4" 44's to compare, love the 69. If I were to thin the herd, others would leave. The 69 stays. Think I notice Bud's having them for about $710 shipped. Payed 650 for mine but have had it a couple years.

i would like to have one but my mountain gun may get jealous. i'll probably end up with one in the future. my lgs has them for around 7 bills. i've heard nothing but good things about them.

The exchange on base has them for $620. I think that’s a deal.

yep

I’ve had mine for a couple of years and shoot mostly 44 Special/44 Mag “tweener” loads and love it. It’s probably a more accurate than I can hold
with 68 year old eyeballs.

I'd like to get the Combat Magnum version of it, with the 2 3/4" barrel.

Be almost perfect if it came in .41 mag.

Might even be able to fit six in that cylinder in that caliber. But I would much prefer it in .44 Magnum, and would think of it as a .44 Special that can handle the hottest .44 Special loads available, light .44 Magnum loads, or even, if you were a masochist, standard .44 Magnum loads.

No brainer.

Buy.

I have a 4” 629, I reload for it. It is OK, fun to shoot, fairly heavy as pistols go.

And, I just found out they are having a Father’s Day sale.

If you are buying one, I don’t think you’ll beat that price.