How strong are S&W revolvers when it comes to hunting loads?
I have always heard if you want a strong revolver get a Ruger.
OK but I am not a huge handgun hunter mostly just shoot handguns for fun.
That said I have wondered how strong not only the S&W's were but also my Colt Mk3 Trooper when it comes to full power hunting loads.

Which "full power" hunting load are you thinking on using?

S&W revolvers are strong enough for hunting and or a reasonable amount of full power ammo

It depends on the specific cartridge and load.

Sheriffjoe
Right now I have nothing special in mind.
I probably won't even go to what many call full power as I am only going to be hunting whitetail.
Shots will be under 50 yards. The 44 mag will probably be the only one I use. Maybe the 22 Rem Jet for vermin in the yard.

They are strong enough for any load within SAAMI specs and some above

jwp475,
Thank you I will not be going over book loads.
And I will not be feeding them a steady diet of max loads.
I guess I am not worried about them handling my needs as
much as just wondering relative strength compared to other revolvers.
I don't want to beat these guns up basically just to practice with heavy loads
so I can get ready to hunt with them.

What chambering and what frame. I assume 357 since you mention the Colt Trooper. You’ll shoot a lot of buckets full of “full” power 357 through an N frame before it ever shows any sign of it. The same loads through a K frame may show some wear sooner.

Realistically most revolver shooters shoot far more mid level or light loads regardless of the brand of revolver and save the heavy loads for their intended purpose. I’m sure I shoot 100 to one, light and mid level loads to heavy loads. If that’s your plan, to shoot a lot of light loads and a few heavy loads, then good luck wearing out any frame Smith.

Well of course that’s right.

The big question is sustained use (which the OP has now clarified). A K frame .357 won’t stand up to a steady diet of magnum loads as well as an L or N frame would; the Model 29 won’t stand up to heavy loads as would a Ruger Redhawk or a Freedom Arms 83. A Model 57 will stand up to sustained magnum loads much long than a 29.

JWP has it right. I've got a 1967 purchased 29 Smith that has between 8-10,000 rds. of full power .44 Mag ammo through it. "Full power meaning 22 grs. of old style 2400 powder and a 250 gr. Keith SWC bullet. It passed factory inspection and had but one part replaced. That was the part that held the cylinder in place. It was worn from firing most of those rounds double action.
I understand the X frame guns in 460 and 500 S&W were tested with a solid, no bore, barrel in place. When fired with factory ammo, those guns held together..... E

I remember all the oldtimers coming into the shop and saying "I use a Ruger because a Smith will never stand up to my .44 loads". I always thought two things--1-One day your Ruger won't, either, and two-if you're so manly, why are you only shooting a .44 and not a .454 Casull or more.

Yes but a normal shooter will have no.problems

Evan competitive shooter would need a sh!.t ton of rounds to have problems

I.love my M19's and they see nothing but 158 grain bullets near 1400 FPS

I don’t doubt that, but will add that in the late 70s on a steady diet (about 20,000 rounds) of 22/2400, 250 gr Lyman 429421s I effectively wore out a Model 29-2. I am sure it could have been rebuilt, but accuracy fell off pretty badly. While I haven’t quite approached that level with my Model 57s, it seems like they take that level of punishment somewhat better than their big brother.

I suspect this is true of other models as well; the Model 25s in .45 LC come to mind.

The 41 mag in a Nframe S&W is perfection

Agree 100%

I don't shoot max loads in either Smith's or Rugers. Specifically in the 357, I don't like J frame Smith's. I have pretty much eschewed the K frames since the L frames came out. The MkIII is similar to an L frame IME, as far as strength. Do what I do with either your MkIII or an L or N frame and you will be fine, with a long-lived revolver. Either the old Security Six or newer GP100 is in the same category as these guns. I have no experience with the SP101 and so make no comment. The Redhawk in 357 is off-the-hook strong.

I will admit I am not up on frame size nomenclature.
The Smiths are my wife's uncles but will become mine.
The Colt is mine and so far I only have shot mild target loads in it.
Only one of the Smiths I know details about is the 44mag.
It is a Model 29 with 8 3/8 inch barrel. That is what is on the box.
Last time I hunted with a handgun it was a Contender in 45-70.
I killed one deer with it then sold it. I believe the 22 Rem Jet was made in the Model 35.
I know this one has an 8 3/8 inch barrel as I saw it once.
Thanks for the answers. I am confident that for all the shooting I plan to do I will not cause excessive wear,

GF1, the 57 is a 41 magnum, lot different than a 44 magnum

I am very much aware of that. I’m referring to maximum loads in each, appropriate to the cartridge. If you measure the outside of the Model 29 and Model 57 you will find those dimensions are the same; hence, my comments about the Model 57’s strength. More steel in them.

The model 29 is a good gun and strong enough for factory type loadings...all of them you can stand to shoot. Again, don't go overboard reloading and you'll be fine. IMO max loads are never a good idea in any gun.

Selling a Contender in 45-70 is always a good thing. The 45-70 is a great cartridge...in an 1886 Winchester or Marlin Cowboy. I have NO hankering to touch one off in a handgun of any sort.

The Mark III Colt is a great gun.

I think reasonable care applies to certain things.

Tires with good tread shouldn't lead the user to over looking side wall condition and date codes.

I have two model 19 S&W's. They're cherished revolvers. They have weaknesses. A thin spot on the forcing cone, cylinder lock notches at thinnest part of the cylinder wall, and hammer mounted firing pin. They can and have handled heavy loads. I also have a Ruger GP100 stainless. It was bought used and is so used that the rifling at the forcing cone shows obvious wear. Thick forcing cone, one piece frame, off set lock notches, frame mounted pin. I choose the Ruger for heavy loads and hard use whenever possible. Reasonable care.

I have a model 29 S&W. Bought used, its seen better days. It can handle heavy loads, but I reserve such loads for a newer gun with more mass, and sturdier design. A brand new 29 might see more hard use if I had one. I don't. So the old one gets reasonable care.

I also periodically inspect guns. Gas cutting at the top strap on 357's, lock up, sight screws, end shake, cylinder rotation, ejector rods. All easy to do. If these guns can survive my ham handed care, they're probly good for a few life times of service.

I have been using S&W revolvers to kill game since the early 70s. Are they as strong as Rugers or Freedom arms revolvers? No, but so what?

I'd ask this question:
What animal would you hunt where a bullet exiting the gun at 1350 FPS is just not enough but one coming out at 1450 is completely fine? You see that animal and that scenario never existed and never will. So hot loading to a point that the gun may be damaged serves no purpose at all. If you need more power than what your guns gives you with safe and reasonable loads GET A MORE POWERFUL GUN, but don't try to make the existing cartridge 'more powerful" It's not wise and has no purpose.

Look at a ballistic table and see the difference between a handgun bullet with a muzzle velocity of let say 1400 FPS and one at 1325 FPS and see at what distance the 1400 FPS load is down to 1375 You'll find such hot loads are the same speed as normal loads at usually around 20 to 30 years. So the real truth is that your hot load don't really kill better and even if it did, it would only do it for an additional; 20 yards of so.

There is no good reason to load hot enough to work about one gun being stronger than another

Again some good and appreciated words guys.
I know I will be fine now as I will not be hot rodding these handguns.
That is not my style. I just was making sure I was not making a mistake wanting to load the 44 mainly, for hunting.
I doubt I will ever use the .357's hunting.

Well said Szihn. Elmer Keith found as did many of his followers, aka the "44 Associates", that a 250 gr. hard cast keith bullet at 1200 fps. would do anything that the vast majority needed. All he wanted in the .44 Magnum was that in a factory round. E

.22 Remington Jet was chambered in the Model 53; the Model 35 was a 6" version of the Model 34 .22 "Kit Gun" called the "Kit Target." Neither is an easy revolver to find at reasonable prices.

My 35 has done a great job for me since 1975! The Jet is too much for yard work unless your yard is 10 acres, IMO. Get a .22 WRM.

Yes Mesa you are correct Model 53 I was having a dyslexic moment.
I can shoot anything where I live so no problem.

I once saw a Model 29 with 5 bullets lodged in the barrel. The first a squib that was followed by 4 full power loads. The barrel being pulled forward by each bullet coming to a sudden stop that it stretched the frame to the point that it bound up the action.

That indicated to me that the gun was engineered extremely well, the correct steel was chosen & the proper heat treat was applied. Had there been one little weak link in the entire system, this episode would have found it.

Yeah, it gave up, but only after extreme misuse.

This.

Indeed.

More recently, John Linebaugh has opined that a 260 gr 45 Colt bullet with a MV of 900 FPS or so will get the job done for hunting any deer sized game you care to hunt. You don’t need magnum velocities to kill deer. A warm 44 Special load will do it, as will a SAAMI 357 Magnum, 41 Magnum, or others. Heck, I’ve killed deer with a 9mm 115 gr factory load.

The S&W N Frame is strong enough that ( I can personally attest to the fact) a 300 grain cast bullet will go completely through a bull elk standing broadside and not be recovered. I would say that is more than sufficiently strong.

Earlier versions of the 29 developed problems after sustained use of heavy loads. S&W made some changes to the lockwork and lengthened the cylinder notches to address that. The WWW experts don’t seem to agree on exactly when the changes began, but by 29-5, they appear to all be in place. It’s known as the Endurance Package. My brother had an early 629 and it would sometimes let the cylinder rotate a bit under recoil which led to skipping a chamber now and again. 29-5s and later are much more durable than the early ones. Don’t know if any of the changes made it to other N-frames.

A hot .357 or standard .45 Colt is about all the fun I want to have in my old age. I killed a doe once with the 629, but any future ones will get it from of the milder ones. Should be fine as far as I can hit well with irons or a red dot. My .44 s a rifle these days.

Writer Brian Pearce has taken deer, elk, and bear with standard-pressure .45 Colt loads from SAAs and probably others. One advantage is that they are much easier on the ears than the magnums if you don’t have time to slip in plugs before the shot.

The Endurance Package came into production on the 29 some time during the dash three period.

My brother sent his to a smith who installed a ball detent in the crane and fiddled the DA. Whatever else he did fixed the skipping problem.

Yesterday the LGS had a 6" M629-4 on consignment for $699. Damn tempting.

I would have a hard time walking out of that shop without that revolver in my hands.

This is true and by the -4's they all had it. Conventional wisdom is to buy a -4 or newer and you've got the strongest 29/629 made.

Heading back tomorrow.

I would. Never lose a dime on that gun.

My favorites are the no dash through M29-2

The pre-82 models. In 1982, they dropped the pinned barrel and recessed cylinder chambers. Otherwise, they are identical, though, and neither of those two features serves any real practical function. I've not heard about barrels unscrewing themselves, and modern rims need no additional support from a recessed chamber.

I understand liking them, though, just because they are indicators of greater effort in going above and beyond in the manufacturing process.

Craftsmanship has its fans. I'm one of them. In fact, you could probably call me a groupie.

They were all superbly accurate, that can't be said for all dash 3's

Pre-3 29s also had a slightly better polish and blue job, on average.

I used to think nickel was a weak finish, until I got this 29-2.

Never understood the desire to shoot above book max loads in a 29, I acquired my first 29 at the height of the Dirty Harry days. Sure I shot some heavy loads thru it, but after a while my go to load was the Skeeter Skelton load of 7.5gr. of Unique. I used a 200gr. RNFP bullet for most of my shooting over the last 40 + years occasionally increasing the charge to 9.0 grains.

I think it depends on what you mean by "strong". Strong enough to take a few heavy loads and not have a structural failure that could hurt the shooter? Or robustness to handle numerous rounds and not exhibit accelerated wear?

I believe John Linebaugh has written that the S&W N-frame cylinder, in .44 Magnum, is plenty strong enough to handle some serious overloads. But, the rest of the revolver may exhibit accelerated wear. Brian Pearce has a good article on the 29/629 that covers the various endurance packages, dash numbers, and appropriate loads for each. You can probably find the Linebaugh and Pearce articles online.

I had a 629-6 that started to get "loose" with 300gr XTP at 1200+ FPS. Obviously strong enough to handle the load in terms of containing pressure, but maybe not the best for high round counts at that level.

They are strong enough.there will allways be guys trying to flog them for another 50 feet a second. Just like 4 th point then wonder why their revolver is loose or needs repair after 600 rds. Mb

4th points M 629-6 wasn't in need of repair because of pressure but bolt thrust of the 300 grain bullet. Smith's don't hold up well with 300 grain bullets.

Old 'Smith back in the day told me my M-29 44 was plenty strong enough for those plated 300gr Speer Uni-Cors at 1100 fps, said do your damn part putting them where they go and keep your skinner sharp and dont worry about the Bullshlt!

No bone to pick with anyone. 4 th point stated his 29-6 was getting loose at 600 rds of 300 gr full throttle 1200+ fps loads. The 10 th ed'n of Hornady reloading manuals shows 2 loads that will hit 1200 fps in a 7.5 " Redhawk ( h110 & ww 296) with 300 gr bullets. That 's fine in a redhawk but overloaded in the 29 which lacks the Ruger's mass and chamber thickness. As gunner said if you can't do it with the same weight bullet at 1100 fps at lower pressure no extra will help. There is a point of pushing your luck on all things mechanical . You push it your the one who will lose. Mb

My recollection of the load was wrong, after looking at my notes. It was 1133 FPS with the 300gr XTP, and not 1200+ FPS. From a 4" 629-6 using 19.0gr of H110 and CCI 350. That is the max charge weight listed by Hodgdon. Hornday lists 20.1gr of H110 as max.

It was much less than 600 rounds I don't think that I stated a round count. And it was a 629-6.

300 GR. HDY XTP
GRS. VEL.(FT/S) PRESS.
18.0 1,266 35,100 CUP
MAXIMUM LOADS
GRS. VEL.(FT/S) PRESS.
19.0 1325 38,800 CUP

Mistakes made by both of us your wrong , I'm wrong and shooting repeated hot loads in a 44 N frame plain not good for it and out of Hornady's manual 10th ed'n they used a 7.5" Redhawk to get 1200 fps. Jwp what gun gave you those results? Mb

That is load data from the Hogdon online load data.

I don't think I will need 300 grain bullets for my hunting needs.
I also won't be shooting a regular diet of my hunting loads.
I think all will be fine. Thanks guys. Carry on if you like but my question has been answered.

Same in their 2021 manual in the pistol sec. Same loads different velocities in the rifle section. 18.0 at 1393fps and 19.0 at 1473fps in a 20 " barrel. Still seems to hot for an N frame 44 for me.

Within SAAMI pressure specs. Pressure isn't what gets a S&W 45 mag it is the battering especially with 300 & heavier bullets.
I run 240's to near 1400 FPS out of my M29-2's with no ill effects. But I don't shoot thousands of rounds yearly ether.

Jack Huntington told me years ago to avoid 300 gainers in M29's and 629's

S&W's are realitively soft and that allows stretching

Also S&W's have a side plate which is weaker than a solid frame and the top strap isn't as thick as Rugers.

Good info on the 300 gr bullets, jwp475. Thanks.

Think my coworker had 10K through his 29-2 before it got rebarreled. Forcing cone was trashed, he shot a lot of screamer 180gr .

N frame .44 mag w endurance package if wanting to run a lot of loads over 240gr.

Pre endurance package are nice. Had a clean but used 629-1. Couple cylinders of thumper 300s broke it. Smith had it fixed and back in 4 weeks

For whitetail deer and as a range toy, Id get a Smith.
Have shot deer w a couple 629s, SBH, and one w a Python and one w a SRH.

The Super Redhawk 9.5 was cool, but not handy.

For a hip holster rig the Smiths are the winners.

You can drop any whitetail on the planet with 45 ACP +P ballistics, and a Model 29 will handle that until the cows come home.


Okie John

Although I do not think S&W revolvers are weak, they can be shot out of time if you work them hard enough. I have only had it happen to one of my revolvers, a police-surplus M65 that had been shot quite a bit before I got it, and then I proceeded to fire a lot of full power 357 Mag loads through it. When it started skipping/missing, I took it to my local smith, who sent it to S&W for repair. The Performance Center retimed it and sent it back, total cost $35. This was about 2002, it’s probably a bit pricier now, but not much. S&W stands behind their products.

As for killing game, I agree you don’t need a magnum. I have killed deer and hogs with .44 Special and .45 Colt loads at modest velocities, well within SAAMI standard pressures. John Linebaugh has also written of his experience hunting with standard pressure 45 Colt loads. Personally, I rarely hunt with anything stronger than a 260 gr .45 bullet stepping out at 900-950 FPS. It will get the job done on any small or medium game.