I am about to buy my first revolver at 66 years old. More than likely buying for my son to inherit. I think I have narrowed my choices to a S&W 629 and a Colt Anaconda. Will be used for deer here in WV. Which way would you go?

629 hands down as the saying goes. The Ando is not a 44 on a Python frame, it is proportionally larger and heavier.
The single action hammer cock is awkward and the hammer fall seems to take for ever. I never could get use to the grip angle.

I have a 629 power port and like it. That said, I haven't handled the new Anacondas, but the older ones fit my hand better. I suggest handling both and see which one feels best to you.
Dave

I have a 29-2 and have enjoyed it for a quarter century. That would seal the deal for me for the 629. My three screw Super Blackhawk is a close second.

629 between those two. No question

Absolutely. I have two model 629s and one 29 and I love them.

I bought a new Anaconda last year when Colt came out with a 4.2" version. It's heavy, it's trigger is heavy and not easy to adjust, and it would shoot 240 grn bullets 3-5" high at 15 yards with the rear site screwed all the way down. And Colt doesn't make taller replacement rear sites. I've already sold it.

I have some 629ss (and some 657s which are essentially the same gun in .41 magnum) and that would be my vote. My N-frame Smiths are all accurate revolvers with great triggers. In my opinion, the N-frame S&W is about as nice-handling and elegant double action revolver possible for .44 magnum use.

You'll probably hear from the Ruger fans shortly, recommending that you should get a Redhawk or a Blackhawk because those S&W's won't hold up to the long-term abuse of unnecessarily high-pressure loads with heavy bullets and they may be right. There is no deer in West Virginia that you can't kill deader than dead with the kind of loads that your Smith will put downrange thousands and thousands of times without loosening up, falling apart or blowing up. Also, if your hands have been through anything like mine have for more years than I care to count, your wrists and joints will thank you for avoiding over-the-top loads.

Do something really special for him and find a pristine, or near pristine, pre-82 S&W Model 29.

I love mine.

Pick the one that feels best in your hands. Both are plenty accurate. The 629 costs about $500 less. I currently own both and like the Anaconda more simply because I had Heffron do a action job on it. After the action job I am comparing a $1700 revolver to one costing about $1000.
Buy both:) And give you son the one you like less

Hard to beat a M29.

I have an older Anaconda and the trigger is by far the best out of my smith or rugers. The smith seems the weakest and never found comfortable for me. The Rugers which I have a few are robust decent trigger. The colt is just so smooth compared to the others. Ruger is my pick assuming it could be a choice for you. Otherwise I would chose the Colt over the Smith, I just never liked the grips of the Smiths.

Kevinpauley: Go with the Smith & Wesson Model 629.
Best of luck to you and the son with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

For the OP. Are your intentions to buy new in box unfired?

If I get the 629 or Anaconda, it will be new. Have spent the last hour trying to find an M29 no dash online. No luck yet.

Be prepared to spend enough to buy multiple 629s if you want a nice No dash M29. Watch the classifieds at the S&W forum, some very nice revolvers pass through there.

I like everything you’ve listed but the utilitarian in me means that I own/owned 629s. They’re lighter than the Anaconda and I like the lockwork better. They’re also easy to come by and the least expensive of the three you’ve mentioned. I also do not require the additional strength afforded by the Anaconda for how I load and use my 44s.

You say you intend to hunt with it, are you going to scope it? 629s starting at -4s and 29s beginning at -5 are factory drilled and tapped under the rear sight. I’m unsure what mount options are out there for the Colt. A Redhawk with integral mounts might also be an option if a scope is on the agenda.

Don’t be afraid to buy the new ones. I have new and old and DX. Great pistols. 5” is a great balance between packability and velocity.

.

Get an older 629 for the win!...

Two of those are pre-82s.

Nice!

Choice... ? How about "Choice C", as the road unconsidered."
My specimen (not for sale), reflecting a sweet spot early Model 29, the "pre N Frame" as "pre Dirty Harry" Sn S148xxx vintage Model 29. (My 'catch' of some long decades ago as "unfired". Dried factory lube as yet "patina". Bowing to all the postulations here are great. But "vintage Smith" is somehow "special"!

Just my take!
Good Luck!
John

Good advice as well. I have a 4" and a 6 1/2" P&R'd M629 no dash. Great guns.

I have several smith's and a 6" new model anaconda I bought used. I think the Anaconda had had an action job as it has the best trigger of any revolver I own (which includes a performance center smith that had an action job).

Obviously, budget matters; but if not seriously limited and if choosing for hunting, I'd handle both the Anaconda and the s&w hunters (both magnum and stealth) if you can. Then I'd go with whichever felt best... and I'd probably plan on having a really good action job done on whichever one I bought. It might seem superfluous at the time; but you'll appreciate it as long as you have the gun and your son will after you pass it on.

Another vote for the smith and Wesson 629. A pre-lock mountain gun is a great .44

I've got a pre-lock Mountain Gun, but in .45 ACP. .45 ACP can be loaded to be about the equal of what most people shoot in their .44 Magnum Mountain Guns, i.e., toned down .44 Magnum, or hot .44 Special. 185 grain .45 ACP bullets, for example, can be pushed past 1,100 fps safely in an N-Frame revolver (20,000 psi). Their .45 ACP cylinders are rated to 30,000 psi, and the 625 Mountain Gun's frames are rated to 40,000 psi.

For safety's sake, however, if you own a .45 ACP auto pistol, you should only load the above pressures in .45 Auto Rim cases, so as to avoid inadvertently loading them into an auto pistol.

Of the given choices, I agree with Hawkeye, as the older ones have the pinned barrel. The new ones have the screwed on barrel and I’ve seen more barrels clocked a few degrees off than I’ve seen properly aligned.

If you choose to go with new, ensure you are satisfied with the barrel orientation. S&W actually has a tolerance of so many degrees off top dead center that they consider within standards and not requiring correction.

I have had the S&W Mountain gun and a few Ruger SBH. I prefer the Rugers. Shooting a 44mag double action isn't some thing one does regularly. Also the Smith gouged my hand web between finger and thumb in about 6 rounds and I had it ported,

Go with the 629 and invest in an inexpensive reloading outfit to feed it. You won’t always need full power loads and practice ammo will be much cheaper loading your own.

after seeing a twisted frame S.W. 44 mag. 629 and i do own 2 - 629 S.W. and reading on the site Buffalo bullet ammo company ,i am done buying any S.W. revolvers anymore ,i will buy only Colt ,Ruger or maybe a couple of others.i also talked on the phone with a ammo manufacture about revolvers he no longer used S.W. revolvers either. i did last summer 2023 buy a Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag. for my son`s birthday 4 inch barrel so he can use the high pressure hard lead bear bullets he also got from me.

Of the two choices I’d probably go with the Smith. Truth is I believe very few people shoot their 44’s enough to wear them out. I assume that your son doesn’t already have a 44 that gets carried regularly or semi-regularly. It should serve him well.

I have always owned P & R Smith & Wessons, M/29-2 and M/629 no dash have been my choice. My current S & W is a 4" M/629 no dash which has been Magna-ported. For practice and plinking my go to load for years has been 7.5gr. of Unique with a 200gr. RNFP bullet, occasionally increase the charge to 9.0gr.

Son is an Army captain. They keep him a fairly steady supply of arms. He has a safe full of guns but I have never seen a 44 in it

629-4

FFS, get the Colt. Buy once, cry once.

629

I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk 7.5" in 44 Mag. I'd trade it for a nice 629 6" or 8 3/8" in a hot minute.

I have both the original Colt Anaconda and several S&W’s. I have a performance Center 629 and a 29-2 pre 82 with a pinned barrel and recessed cylinder. I love the Performance Center 629 from a fit/finish/trigger feel. If I were to look at getting a 44 and would weigh heavily on the fact that it will be passed down the family line, I’d get a pre lock model 29 in the barrel length you love. I lean 4”.

Out of the two choices I’d go with the smith. I would also take a hard look at the ruger 44’s.

Do right by him, get the S&W. It's a true classic, attractive and is everything a revolver should be, a colt just doesn't have it.

One other point I read long ago that is even more true today... If you can afford enough ammo to wear out a modern revolver, you can also afford to fix or replace it.

I got a buddy that had a 629, him and i were out shooting and he wanted to borrow some ammo And I told him all I had were hot loads and told him he can't put them through the Smith and he would'nt listen saying that the Smith was a stronger gun than the Ruger. after a couple of cylinders it was real hard to cock it back all the way.


Lol, Guess what he shoots now!! And he really likes it.

If I felt the need to push a .44 hard enough it was ‘twisting’ the frame of a 29/629, I think I’d just step up to a heavier caliber.

Your first revolver should be a 22LR.

Personally I would opt for the S&W between the Colt and Smith, having owned multiple examples of both, as well as Rugers. Most of the stories of how weak the S&Ws are are quite overblown, and get repeated, a retold, over and over. But when you ask to see a gun that is truly worn out from excessive firing, all you will hear is crickets. Or someone, who knows someone.

I have put literally tens of thousands of rounds through various Model 29s, mostly when I was younger. I just don't shoot like that anymore. Most the time a little maintenance and a simple parts replacement, and you are good. If I actually shoot one to the point that the frame is completely beyond repair, I will hang it on the wall, look at it and remember all the good times and adventures I had with it and continue on shooting with another. The ammo to get to that point will cost far more than the price of the gun.

I can tell you that a tall Folgers can will hold 550 rounds of 240 grain .44 Magnums, and after you shoot all those, your typical Model 29, just needs cleaned, that is all.




And when you shoot everything from ground squirrels to rabbits, 500 rounds does not really last that long..









So the punchline is, most the talk about how weak the S&Ws are is talk. Most owners don't ever shoot them enough to wear one out anyways. That majority of used Model 29s I have seen look like they have hardly seen a box or two of ammo fired through them.

^^^This^^^

629 4 or 5 inch

For hunting I prefer single action revolvers. That means Ruger or Freedom Arms.

I have 2 Ruger 7 1/2" Super Blackhawks. I carried the blued one so many years that much of the blueing has worn off. A few years ago I bought a stainless 4" S&W 629, that is now my carry gun in the woods.

I also started feeding it .44 Spl loads that are much easier to shoot, and yes I have to clean out the carbon ring in the cylinders so .44 mag cases will chamber easily.

JFC, never fails.

I had the ultimate .44, although it was a .44 Special not a Magnum. I had Hamilton Bowen build me a .44 Special on a pre'27 5", it featured a Cliff LaBounty rebore and all the options that Bowen offered. Keith Brown grips completed the package, it was a sweet shooting S & W !

Neither, if you do not have arthritis or other hand problems check out S&W Model 69 (5-shot L-frame .44 Magnum). No need to throw money away on "Mountain Gun" gimmiks. These are factory tapped for rail/scope mounting which is big plus in hunting gun. Used samples can be found for around $700. These will be practically unfired. Ole' pistolero fire cylinder with .44 Mag loads 4 out of 5 shots missing target and quickly sells gun ("....can i please make trade for 10mm pistola?")at a loss, their loss your gain.

You have listed some good candidates, and either will do what you want for a lifetime of shooting. However, I’m sticking with my Ruger Redhawks. They have, and will continue to serve me well!