Smith N frame for hunting. either will wear a red dot. I'm trying to make the choice between a 7.5 inch Bisley blackhawk 45 Colt, a SBH hunter Bisley in 44, or a 629 deluxe 6.5 inch bbl.

Definitely the S&W 629 w/6.5 inch bbl. It has a higher CDI factor.

If by 629 deluxe you mean a Classic DX that would be my choice, especially in 6.5 length. I have a 629 Classic DX 8 3/8” and it’s a great shooting revolver.

You could choose any and it would be a good choice.There are shorter barrel lengths that are very accurate (and a bit lighter).

.480 Rugers are a great alternative. With the correct load, one does not need as much velocity as...you used to think.

Owning plenty of double actions, the only thing that is mildly annoying (to me) is that slight delay as the cylinder turns and locks up.

Care is needed when wearing cold weather gloves to avoid inadvertantly touching the trigger to cause a double detonation with the next cylinder bore after sending the first round. My 629 and a friend's 629 have surprised both of us without consequences, thankfully.

i'm mistaken, it's just the 629 classic with wood grips

if you're going to mount a sight Ruger super Redhawk

Man, Ruger, Smith, single action, double action, what's a guy to do.

Of those 3, it's an easy pick for me; the Smith.

That's mostly because I dislike Bisley grips. When it comes to a Ruger, give me a plow handle, better yet a Dragoon SBH grip.

The Bisley is okay in a shorter 4-5" barrel, but any longer and the balance feels off. I feel like I'm holdin' a banana.

An N frame Smith, any of 'em, always feels good in the hand.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

I don't like the wood grips on the Ruger single actions. Full power loads are not pleasant. Of the ones you listed, I'd take the SW unless you really want to push limits with hot reloads then I'd go with the Ruger in 44. I'm also not a huge fan of 45 Colt, while it can do everything the 44 mag can, it takes reloading to get it there and with a 44 mag you can use 44 special rounds for small game/target/plinking. Might be worth looking at the new Colt Anaconda's, the reviews are very good so far.

What he said.

I would go with a Model 29 Classic or 629 Classic in whichever barrel length you find suits your needs best. 5", 6" or 6.5" would be about right.

They are absolute tackdrivers with proper ammunition.

Here is a 25 yard group to demonstrate. 240 grain hard cast SWCs.



And a 100 yard group:




Those were with .44 Magnum ammo.


The 240 grain SWC .44 Special ammo is pretty darn accurate out of Smiths as well:

I made my choice.
25yds offhand. I’m not as good a shot as Mr. Sagebrush by any stretch of my imagination, but this will do for me.

Everyone will go Smith.
Typically better craftsmanship.
Snob factor.


I own more Rugers than any other brand. No idea how that happened,
I'm NOT a fan boy. Ruger usually drops the ball on anything they make.

That said, you are comparing apples and oranges.
Do you want a single action gun or a double action?
The answer answers your question.


Maybe a better question would be, Smith vs Redhawk vs Super Redhawk?
Still not quite equal, but at least you are pulling from the same basket.

since we hunt some in big bear country and carry 44 Mag. revolvers ,i have always liked Smith and Wesson best ,sometimes i carry my Taurus 44 mag . never did carry a Ruger but own a few of all brands. i have purchased ammo from 2 different ammo manufactures that have the better more powerful 44 mag ammo for bear country ,here is what i learned and was surprise to find out . both Manufactures say to use only a Ruger Black Hawk , Red Hawk and other Ruger revolvers , these ammo manufactures said Taurus and Smith Wesson revolvers were not strong enough . i did see in the Mountains at a camp site a nice gentleman with a Smith and Wesson 44 mag that had a twisted frame from shooting his revolver. some i purchased my son a Ruger Red Hawk 44 mag. for him to carry now and i will be now looking for a Ruger 44 mag. to carry now in bear country. don`t feel butt hurt what i posted i was very surprised too ,if you don`t believe me call around .Pete53

they are hunting guns, both will be fired in single action at game. i dislike the redhawk grip and feel, i've had a Super redhawk and found the damned thing cumbersome at best

Any of the ones listed above, as long as it has bisley grips and is chambered in 45 colt

I like the S&W more than the Ruger. Although the S&W is heavier than the Ruger, the recoil of the S&W is much more pleasant than the Ruger, it doesn't hurt my middle finger like the Ruger does. I had a Redhawk years ago with pachmayr grips, it was much easier on the hands.

none of that is pertinent to my decision, but thank you.

what mount did you use for hyour red dot?

I like the Smith better.

Personally do not like shooting Double Action guns as well.


Agree on the D/A Rugers, a Smith is not as comfortable as a Super Blackhawk.
To be fair, I easily have 10s of times the rounds through single actions.
Having shot a SBH enough to need internal work.

School me on how you get a double detonation. I heard of a guy that smacked himself in the forehead repeatedly with a big double action revolver because he kept grabbing the trigger after the first round surprised the crap out of him.

I own plenty of both and without a doubt I’d do a S&W 629 5, 6 or 6.5”. You can also send it back to S&W and have them do an action job and minimize the b/c gap. Having a stack of Rugers, it’s now on to FA 83s and 97s. A 6” 44 mag in an 83 gets going.

Allchin Mini STS Scope Mount.
It works great, about as low as you can get on the revolver. Three screws hold in the rear sight channel after you take the rear sight off. Have one on 2 different S&W’s Great product I think.

Here are a couple of .45 Colt Rugers.

First one is an old style, 3 screw .44 SBH that was line bored by Jim Stroh to .45 Colt, fitted with a Shilen barrel. Jim made the front sight, fitted a long steel ejector. It has a steel aftermarket rear sight.

I did the trigger job, put a piece of a nail, cut to length, inside the trigger plunger spring to act as a trigger stop. I fitted the stag grips, installed the Ruger medallions. It's a shooter.

Second is a .45 Bisley customized by Jim Stroh. It's accurate, but can't keep up with the .45 Colt SBH. I did the stag grips/Ruger medallions on that one, too. It's a nice gun, but I like the Stroh SBH better.

DF





Penn Thunderhead 270 gr. bullets put the whack on hogs.

Jim Stroh made an elegant front sight.

op: Whichever gun you shoot the best.

my .02, dvnv

Agree.

The SBH .45 groups tighter and is my fav.

In a strong gun, the .45 Colt will do about anything I want a handgun to do. I can load some fearsome rounds without exceeding the design limits of the gun.

I don’t need or want a more powerful round in a handgun.

DF

School you?????

Try reading instead of eh holing.