Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 44 Magnum pic and discussion thread.

My "play money" comes in october.

I'm leaning towards either a 586 4 inch classic, or a 5 inch 629 and some swanky grips

I won't need any hot rod loads something that will cleanly take a whitetail at 25-30 yards yet is mild enough to spend an afternoon plinking with

A 5" 629, and 240/250 Cast SWC with 10 grains Unique is your pot of gold then!

Pretty much perfection in handgunning.

From what I've been researching that seems to be the consensus

I guess I'm different in that I like the looks of the full underlug guns


A 41 is also in consideration....just too many choices

Mac,

That's a great load. Honestly 10 grains of Unique behind a 250 grain SWC in a 44 mag would do 90% of the work most of us ever require of a revolver. Might be boring but it is effective.

I don't like the weight of the lugged barrels though I do own one 5" 29-2 "Classic". Give me a 4" or 5" lug-less and I am good. Always a P'd and R'd fan.

Full underlugs suck.

I need a MG.





Dave

I had a 629 MG and traded it like a moron. A local shop has a 657 MG that is tempting.

You mean MR (Mountain Revolver)? As S&W coined the 629-2, although only making 5,000 of them. Far left in the picture; ignore those HEAVY weight 629s littering this photo.

Full lug 5" N frame .44 mag=PERFECTION!

EdM,
I didn't think they started making the full under lug Classic's until after they eliminated the P&R Smiths. My memory is not what it once was, but I thought the 629-2 was the first full lugged guns. Am I wrong, or was your 29-2 a barrel change?

This weekend my sidearm of choice was a 29-2 loaded with 240 grain cast SWCs pushed by 10 grains Unique. Lots of wildflowers blooming in the high mountains.

Sharp 44.

This thread makes me want to go watch Dirty Harry.
I have some powder I bought from Accurate Arms which is similar to #9.
I use enough to get 1,200 fps from a 4" barrel.
I cast my own Lyman 429421 from linotype.
I think I should try to get a deer with it this year.
whelennut

Beautiful pic.

....might be wrong but I think Ed's 29-2 "Classic" is a custom.

According to "The Book" 29s with a 5" Classic barrel didn't come out till 1991. The 29-2 P&R ended in 1982 with the introduction of the -3. The only 5" 29-2s were of the standard underlug design.

A friend has a 629 no- P&R gun with a 5" Classic barrel...that configuration didn't exist when the gun was purchased new in 1981 but was put on in 2005 by the factory. So he had the only no- P&R Classic out there.

Bob

I need a bib...droooool...

there is hope given the path people on this thread are walking, that is smith N frames. You can only hope with time and enlightenment they will come to see the best version, one in 41mag, and forget that overhyped 429 version.

I have 6½" and 5" Classic 629's, pre-lock, pre-MIM, full lug. Both are quite accurate. The 5" is not excessively heavy on the belt, and is about the lightest gun I want to shoot with full-house .44 mag loads. Wish I'd grabbed one of the DX models, they are fairly rare to find now.

I like my .44's, but I have to agree.....41 mag rocks.

I'll stick with my 44.

I almost ventured into the 41 magnum once with a really slick S&W. I went to try it out and there was no ammo in town. Looked online and no brass available, even bullets were scarce at the time. I keep hearing how nice they are but I will never know.