Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 44 Mag - 2 Questions

There is nothing else on this earth like a Smith N frame.

I would recommend one of these three.

629 or 29 in six inch. 629-3 or -4, 29-5 or -6 (all pre lock with full endurance package)

Same as above in four inch barrels.

A pre lock 29 or 629 classic in the five inch barrel length.

If its to be a hunting revolver look for a 29 or 629 pre lock classic with 6.5 inch barrel.

I have had numerous N-frames, but if you want a piece you can take out to the field and not worry about it shaking loose with upper end loads, look no further than the Redhawk. Yeah, it's a little heavier, but it's a tougher revolver all the way around. So, it just depends on what you are looking for in a .44 Mag. JMHO.

All you have to do is back down a little bit on your loads. Nobody or animal will notice. Been shooting a 629 (no dash) for years doing this. The gun is still tight as hell.


I need a good trigger. Simple as that.

The Redhawks and SRH's are great guns, but I can't get past those heavy triggers and long hammer falls.

This is pretty sound advice from Timberbuck� the big "N" Frame Smiths are in class of their own, IMHO.

You have two choices really.....one is a Lincoln Towne Car, and the other is a F-350 Superduty Diesel.

I love my N-frames, but want the Redhawk for it's ability to handle "Bear" loads when I need them.


As for the Super Redhawk.....you could not GIVE me another one. Just too unwieldy, clunky, and FUGLY in my opinion........ LOL

1] S&W
2] S&W

SRH will rival any S&W for the trigger and accuracy, both capable of 1/2" at 50 yards. I love the 29's but they don't want heavy boolits. 265 max. RH sucks for a trigger, one spring and you need to pay for work. RH is strong and the SRH is stronger.But the SBH Hunter is a wonder too.
The Colt .44 never showed accuracy. I think it faded away.
You shoot 320 gr boolits from a 29 and you WILL get issues.
An out of box SRH is as accurate as you can get. A RH will never match it. Shooting IHMSA, the RH NEVER matched a SBH. Funny grip and bad trigger. Why buy any gun and have to send it off for custom work? Most of us break the bank with a purchase. Then someone that makes $250,000 a year will tell you to send the gun off. Sorry, a box of primers will starve most of us.
You want a DA to do anything, look no farther then a SRH.

I have never once in my life owned a Ruger DA that equaled a S&W trigger out of the box.
All these claims about Ruger handling stiffer loads means nothing to me as S&W warrants their revolvers for life. And I have yet to return any that have "shot loose".

Love all my Rugers and there are many but for DA's S&W's rule.

If you are a fellow that has shot a N frame all your life. You pick up a Redhawk or a SRH. When you pull the trigger on those Rugers, it feels like you have a enough time to light a cigarette before the hammer hits home. It's not just the trigger pull weight, lack of creep, lack of over travel and sharpness of the S&W trigger that sets it apart from the Ruger triggers.

I don't think anyone has claimed the out of the box ruger action is anywhere near as smooth as a smith, but for the price difference of the guns you can send the Ruger to MNP and have a very slick action in a gun that is way, way stronger.

If you spend most of your time dry firing a gun, go with the Smith, if you spend most of your time firing live ammo, go with the Ruger.

Agree!

Dry firing...

That's funny



... but not relevant here.

If you can find a 5" 629 DX it's probably the closest to satisfying both.

Thanks for the thoughts all.

OK, 3rd question.

Can I get a price check for a used 629 w/ a 5.5" to 6" barrel?

and a used Redhawk w/ 5.5"?

Prices in AK tend to be higher than national prices on big bore revolvers, but it depends on how lucky you are on sniffing out a good deal.

Figure $600 +/- on the Ruger, $800+ on the Smith. You might be able to find a Ruger for $500, and a Smith for $700, but with PFD's just out, don't expect to find a bargain.

timing......

Thanks.

Only DA pull in a SRH is stronger but do you all hunt DA? The SA pull will be as good as a S&W out of box. Most I measured run #3 and less.
RH, good luck, needs money to get better.
Yes, I owned six "N" frames, The SA pulls with every SRH will rival them.
But try my SA's once, I get them average 1-1/2# with over power hammer springs of 26#.
Actually, you can only get a S&W so light, reduce the hammer spring (stupid) and the rebound spring, you get failures to fire and the trigger will not reset.
I have an out of box SRH in my hands right now, zero creep and the darn trigger must be 6 oz. My scale will not register before trigger fall. Don't tell me about the SRH, shot too many of them. It is BETTER then any S&W I ever shot.

have had a sample of 1 each of what you speak of Mike,

but my RH was an old early version and even though I stoned it, never could get it as smooth as I like.

the 629 that I got for Tina, has one of the sweetest triggers of any handgun I've ever handled. a smooth trigger sure seems to aid in accuracy for me anyway.

both were in stainless, the RH went down the road, the S&W stayed

still I don't think you can go wrong with either, just depends upon that actual revolver and the deal you happen to find.

smart to have a sidearm on your hip when one of those nags decides to buck you off

then you know which side to pray that you want to land on! (grin)

BS. The S&W trigger is superior in every way, especially double action. Yes, believe it or not, some people actually shoot double action.



BS. No factory Ruger or S&W will shoot a half inch, even at 25yds. Not even with your magic wonderlube. Drive to Tennessee and I'll gladly pay you $100 for every half inch group at 50yds (five consecutive shots, no cherry-picking) you can manage.



Single action is the same, regardless.



BS. ZERO strength difference between them.



No quantifiable difference between the two.



What???



Most new guns can benefit from basic tuning.



If you're breaking the bank buying a gun, you probably shouldn't be buying it. You probably need a better job. Sorry Jim, not everybody is a broke-ass.



BS. I was making ten bucks an hour when I had my first custom built. Like most folks, it was important to me and I saved my money towards it. You're a real good example of proletentiousness. Someone who is a snob about being poor. That it is noble to be without. That someone who may have worked harder, got more education, made wiser decisions or was simply more fortunate in life, is beneath you because of it. It's a bullshit illusion people like you create to not only feel better about yourselves but to place the blame for your situation somewhere other than where it belongs. With you.



Again, if buying a box of primers starves you, you probably should be spending your time getting a better job or acquiring more skill. Pathetic.