First is a S&w 629-6 in 44mag with 6.5” barrel like new

Second one is a BFR 475 linebaugh with 6.5” barrel like new also.

Prices on both are the same at $850.


Question to you guys is which one would you pick ? I can only get one and it’s a tough decision, help me decide. Thanks

44 mag all day long. If you reload it might not be as big an issue, but I would stick with the tried and true 44 mag.

I don't own a .44 Mag, but that would be the way I'd go, given that choice.

44 mag, just make sure the barrel is screwed on correctly. I’ve seen a custom shop Smith with the front sight canted.

44 Mag for me.

44 Mag for me.

I wouldnt buy the BFR unless it is one of the newer models with the Bisley handle. Plenty of shooters are dumping 475's and 500's with the plow handles to replace them with Bisleys.
If the BFR is a Bisley I would jump on it. You can load it down and it would be a super deer slayer. The quality and strength of a BFR is well above a Ruger.

I think it is a newer model. It’s a newer model but has the rubber grip on it. Also I reload for both so ammo isn’t a concern for me.

Get the ,475 Linebaugh...you can shoot .480Ruger through it. Would be a moderate recoil increase, but a huge performance improvement on the .44mag.

BFR is NOT stronger than Ruger. Propaganda.

The 629 is great if you plan on shooting lighter weight ordnance through it on a regular basis.

Get both. Little high priced, but we ARE now in the Harris Dark Age.

I have no idea about the price on the BFR. The Smith is a pretty decent price given the current climate. I'd jump on that if I needed it.

The BFR isn't necessarily stronger than the Ruger, but it is higher quality.

I agree that at that price, both should be snatched up!

Chances are if it has a rubber grip it is a plow handle. The Bisleys come with a white grip, seems like a hard plastic of sorts.

I’m about ready to buy both but unfortunately I can only swing one at the moment.


Which one will hold its value the best?

The BFR

I'd get the BiiFFeR.

Might want to answer the question "What am I going to use it for"? The .475 is quite a step up from the .44 Mag. If you are going to load it down to .44 Mag levels, why put up with the extra size/weight of the BFR and extra cost of ammo/components? If you just want a Big Bore (been there done that with both .475 LB and .500 JRH) then get the BFR.

FWIW,

Paul

Get the 629, 44mag. You will be very happy with it. If you don’t reload it is the only answer. If you reload, well it is still more versatile.

My choice would be the 629 if you want a versatile, practical revolver. If you already have enough practical revolvers and just want something to play with, get the BFR.

They'll both hold their value. If you have no big bores, get the 629. If you have had and like big bores, by all means, get the BFR. 475's are supreme for any utility for which you would want a big bore handgun.

Assuming that you don't currently have another in either caliber, get the .44 S&W. That is unless you are planning on using it as your primary elephant, or such, gun. If you really want something bigger, then go for it. But seriously, why would you want anything more than a heavy loaded .44? It can shoot bigger and badder loads than I care to. A 240-250 or so grain .44 slug loaded to 1100-1200 FPS is plenty for anything I would want to shoot. Call me a wuss, but anything much more than that is just painful to me. That is not the max load for a .44, so you have plenty more to go if you want. What I like about the .44 is that I can shoot .44 Russian, what I call my ".44 Russian +P", .44 Special, what I call my ".44 Special +P", and all of the various .44 Magnum loads up to "T-Rex killers". It's a pretty darn versatile caliber. I don't think you will have that much versatility with the other, but in fairness, I am really not that familiar with it. Nor, do I see any reason to be. JMHO,YMMV.

The .44 mag would be my choice as well.

I would also not pat too much attention to people who make comments about only using S&W N Frames for light loads. Internet Parrots have been reading and repeating this internet nonsense for many years. It shows an obvious lack of actual experience. They read it from someone who did not have actual experience, then repeat it. over and over... I have shot many thousands of 300 grain loads through various N frames. A good 300 grain load @ 1100-1200 FPS will handle anything you are ever likely to use a handgun on, and the N Frame will handle that with ease.

Henry's comments about being able to use .44 Russian and Special are notable too. The .44 Russian are like shooting a .45 ACP through your revolver. 180-200 grain Full wadcutters in a .44 case (Mag, special, whatever) make for a pretty stellar HD or game load.





These 200 grain wadcutters are loaded to about 1350 (off top of my head, I'd have to check my notes) in magnum cases, and they are pretty effective on smacking things down.





The .44 N Frame is quite versatile. Load it to match your use. That can be paper punching, game of all sizes, home defense, etc. Pretty hard to beat.

Straight-walled revolver cartridges are ALL "pretty darn versatile", and the 475 is no exception. Just take a look at the Hodgdon data. A guy can load 325 grain jacketed bullets at 800 or so out of a 6.5" barrel with 8 grains of Titegroup, or the same bullet can be pushed close to double that speed with 32 grains Lil Gun.

Lee makes a 325gr cast GC. Western bullets sells them if you don't cast.

Hodgdon's data includes a 370 grain cast bullet loaded down close to 650 FPS, or 1500 FPS, depending on what you need.

Bullet weights above 400 grains are standard. Hodgdon lists both cast and jacketed bullets at that weight, with velocities from 600 to 1400 FPS.

All this just to give you an idea how versatile ANY straight-walled revolver cartridge can be, even the big ones, with the 475 being far more versatile than the 44, because its pressure window is far larger.

i would go 475 all day long but not a huge 44 fan not that it don/t work it's just everyone i buy i convert anyway

44

.44 Mag.

I would prefer the DA 629 for defense against bears or whatever.

I would prefer the BFR for hunting.

Exactly my thoughts. I think I might just buy both 😁
One can never have to many guns 😆

Get the one that fits your hand the best.

Those are beautiful grips on the short-barrelled 29.

When considering any two firearms...ALWAYS buy both! You can come up with the cash. "C'MON MAN! You know the government will help you!

You don't say how much experience with the 44 mag or what you are planning on using them for. If you haven't shot a 44 mag quite a bit, stick with the 44. That's plenty for most people.

I have owned all of the mentioned several times but have traded/sold to get something else and usually end up missing them to much 😆 and when I get the cash I usually look for the same revolver or a different one. I have owned a 500 s&w,460,454 casull, 44mag & the 475 linebaugh. I also currently own a 10mm. I just couldn’t figure out which one to stick with . Primary use is for hiking/hunting /camping

Well I bought a 10 mm for a hiking/camping gun. But having said that, for what you want it for. 44 smith would be a bit lighter general woods carry, hiking , hunter..

If you plan on carrying the revolver all over kingdom come then I recommend you take a hard look at a S&W 69

I actually had a S&w 69 with a 4” barrel but traded it for a BFR 475linebaugh and I miss that puppy a lot. I have a Glock 20 that I carry backwoods so I figured I wasn’t gaining much by carrying a 69 but I actually want to get another 69 but they have shot up big time $$ wise.

The 44 mag is about as much handgun as I want to shoot at this time in my life. I own an older 629 8 3/8 inch full rib and it's pretty comfortable to shoot for a 44 mag. It sounds like you're going to buy both of them so good for you. Have fun finding ammo for them. :-)

I like my 629. I have a couple other 44's, molds etc. For me it would be an easy decision. I find that 320 grain cast loads in my 44 to be all the fun I cold have in a revolver.

I guess the decision is what are you going to shoot with your new revolver?

If you plan on something that might eat you, that would be one thing...

I have -6. Same configuration. Great gun and shooter despite the myriad reports of clocked barrels etc. But I got to give mine a real thorough look-over before I laid down my $. Which was 850.$ NIB, about 5 years ago. I would buy it again between these two choices, hands down. .44 mag is a lot of fun and a lot of gun. Extremely versatile as others have said.

44 for sure bias as hell had n frame SW revolvers since 1979 " their the best f uck the rest"

I am a huge fan of 44 mag so that’s my vote unless you need more horsepower for really big game. Components for 44 mag should be more economical.

Yeah, if you ALREADY own those components!

Tough choice. An honest 475 or a poser 42.9 claiming to be a 44.

42.9" gun?

Even this one was only about 36": https://interestingengineering.com/schwerer-gustav-the-biggest-cannon-during-wwii

I’ve been caught by the decimal point police.

Based on your experience and purported uses, I'd get the BFR 475.

Shooting the 475 Linebaugh requires a great deal of skill/ability. It would be a real asset if hunting very large game or for protection from large predators pushing a 410 HC at close to 1,400 fps. You could also back down to a more manageable 480 Ruger shooting same bullet at close to 1,200 fps for same use. Still very potent.

44 Rem Mag is a pussycat compared to the 475. Much more dedicated to everyday use with a much wider range of bullet weights for a wider range of purposes. It can produce big punch on game with 300 gr-340 gr HC. It can also be loaded down with 180 gr - 280 gr with JHP and HC.

Pretty much depends on your intended use. The 475 Linebaugh is so specialized loaded to higher pressures compared to the 480 Ruger, which is kinda like a 416 Rigby philosophy, lower pressures and lower recoil with big punch. I see the 475 Linebaugh being more of a conversation piece, it’s not a lot of fun to shoot.

BTW as someone else stated the rubber grip was used on the BFR for standard non Bisley. You can obviously tell the difference between a standard vs a Bisley grip BFR or any Bisley grip revolver in one quick glance of the firearm.

If thinking of retaining value and wanting that, skip both and buy a Freedom Arms. There are quite a few used ones out there in 454 Casull in the $1,700 plus or minus range. Folks who bought em shot em once or twice and found out what recoil was all about. Great for killing anything massive, but how often do you really do that with a revolver.

Second the FA comment. Just bought my first and was ok spending that kind of money because of the relative value retention.

And regarding the bolded text, this brings out the importance of handloading. You can make perfectly nice plinking loads with a ~280gr cast, take deer with mid-range loads and shoot a mean-nasty with full loads.

You can load a 475 down to 45 Colt power levels, but you need a 475 to get 475 power.

I like my FA M83 in .454. It can shoot low-recoiling .45 Colt rounds, but FA strongly recommends sending in the revolver to have a second custom-fitted .45C cylinder made for the gun. They say something along the lines that, because of the tight tolerances, shooting a 45C out of your FA .454 cylinder can lead to fouling that can make the pressures rise to an unsafe level. Some say it’s BS, some say it isn’t. Don’t know who is correct.

But, in any event, even with .454 loads, you can shooting anything from the equivalent of a modestly-loaded .44 Mag (https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2900213587?pid=213587) to full-bore antitank rounds: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1021047880?pid=566326

Beautiful gun too:

For OPs understanding, Marine’s FA 454 Casull is sporting a Bisley grip. That grip is undoubtedly the best for heavy recoiling wheel-guns.

Firing 45 Colt soft lead through the 454 will leave a distinguishable lead ring in the cylinder. Build up and without proper cleaning prior to shooting a JHP, JSP or harder HC 454 will damage the cylinders. The advice of interchangeable cylinder is a good one.

BTW nice looking revolver. Nothing like a Freedom Arms wheel-gun. Actually they are quite a bargain compared to paying for a Linebaugh custom revolver as they run plus or minus $5K. Bowen Classic Arms run in the same neighborhood as Linebaugh, awesome revolvers.

44

I tend to agree. My DA Ruger Toklat is a lot more punishing when shooting the same loads.

BFR because I refuse to buy Smiths with the Clinton lock