I've probably had more than 100 S&W handguns since getting my first Model 18 and 19 back in 1970 but the S&W line that has impressed me the most has been the Mountain Guns. Apparently from the prices some people are willing to pay I'm not the only one who thinks highly of them...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=383290735

The pre-IL .45 Colt 625s seem to be the heavy hitter right now. In the past the 657 .41 Magnum and 625 .45 ACP brought the most money.

In the past month I seen three 657 MGs sell on GunBroker for $805, $995 and $1100...all were in excellent condition in the box. Have not seen a .45 ACP for a while but the last one I saw was over a grand.

Too bad someone like TALO wouldn't contact for a 1000 WITHOUT THE IL in various calibers...

Who else shoots a MG??

Bob

I carry a 45 Colt Mtn Gun when hunting loaded with mild 265 Gr LBT loads. Love to shoot it.

I've had a couple - a 44 mag and a 45 colt. I traded the 45 colt for a leupold spotter several years ago and thought I was getting a fair deal. The spotter is still worth what I paid for it, but the Smith would have gone up by 50-80% by now. Shows what I know....
I'd buy another 44 mag if I found one at the right price....

Here is a .45 ACP that sold a few weeks ago....

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=373997744

Big bullet moving slowly is all you really need for most situations. I think the .45 ACP is the most practical of all the MG calibers...that said I do love my .41s....

Bob

41, 44, and 45. Love 'em all.

The prices on all the smith's seem to be going into nosebleed territory.
I stopped by a gunstore yesterday to buy some casey's truoil, and saw a model 25 six inch in .45acp for 895 dollars.
No box, no nothing, and while a nice revolver it had been used for sure.

I have been approached by a few people wanting to know if I'd sell my pre-lock 625 Mountain Gun......





Not at this time I told them! Gun is soooo accurate, and extremely smooth.

I would fall into the category of liking the mountain guns. Right now I have only one a 629-4 in 44 Mag. What's not to like?

I really like all the 29/629 family, especially the pre-lock models. I have never owned a Mountain Gun, but it is definitely on my "want" list. Some day I may try a 45 Colt model.

Around here the 45 ACP MG's are common at gunshows.



.44

Mountain Guns show up periodically at the local shops I frequent. Most of the time they sell for $699-799. Gunbroker.com prices are out of this world for pre-lock S&W's, though that likely reflects regional scarcity and the fact that auctions tend to drive prices up.

I like the MG's and I've got my eye's peeled for 625's in 45 Colt and 45 ACP.

i have the 29-8 blued MG that Cabelas commissioned a few years ago. they call it the Outfitter. other than the kinda cheesy laser etching, i love it. it does have the lock, but the gun itself is a beauty. real nice blue, nice grips, etc. and it shoots like a dream too. trigger is not bad but a little stiffer than my vintage guns. it does kick a bit but with the hogues on it, it is not bad. rides nice in a chest holster too. don't even know its there all day.

Carried this .44 mag the other day, hunting in Hurricane Bay Swamp, north of town.
Had a nice MG in .45 Colt, but traded it off for nice Browning A5. Never have used the shotgun, wish I had the MG back.

I got a pre-lock 625-6 from somebody on this forum last year in August. Everybody ignored the for sale post and I ended up getting it for a measly $725 HA HA!

So far, I have put Grashorn grips on it, had the cylinders opened up AND cut to take .45 ACP moon clips. Yup, I shoot BOTH .45 Colt and .45 ACP

This gun is easy to shoot well and gets carried a lot. I will never part with it.

Unfortunately, I don't have a mountain gun though I covet my buddy's prelock 625 MG. I make due with a Model 58 and a Model 57 with 4-inch barrels. I wish I had never traded my M-29 4-inch for a 6-inch 629 Classic version. To slightly compensate, I recently bought a Ruger stainless flat top convertible .45 Colt/.45 ACP with 4.6 inch barrel.

The one I have is a Cabela's Outfitter, but in stainless. Truth-be-told, I'd have opted for a regular Mountain Gun, but they were scarce at the time and Cabela's had these on sale. It has grown on me and I actually kinda like the etching. If I need a 45 Colt/45 ACP MG, I just reach for this...

I'm not sure the MG offers an appreciable advantage over a plain 4" model 57 or the like.

Had a 44 and sold it preferring the standard 4" barrel.

I just love my 629-4, which I got from a great member of the Fire. It's my favorite companion around the farm and in the woods.

Now that 625 .45 Colt cut for .45 ACP Moon Clips...WOW...

.45 Colt
.45 Colt +P
.45 ACP
.45 ACP +P
.45 Super

Will it run .45 Auto Rim also????

I had three 629s, two -2 Mountain Revolvers with the bead blasted finish and one -6. Traded one -2 to a friend and sold the other one. Kept the -6 as it matched the 657 and 625/.45 ACP MGs that I have.

Also had one of the Springfield Armory ARMS FOR THE NATION Commemorative but sold that and another 625 .45 ACP and bought a second 657/.41 Mag.

The only reason I bough and keep the 629/.44 is Speer several years ago came out with the .44 Magnum 200 grain Gold Dot HP Short Barrel Load. I was so impressed with the performance of the made for the .44 Special 200 grain DEEP HP bullet that would expand EVERY time at 1080 fps from a 4" I just had to have a gun to shoot it in....and the MG was the perfect vehicle. Berry's Bullets used to have a 200 grain plated bullet and I bough a couple thousand and have a practice load that matches the factory load. Speer also has load data for the bullet in the #14 Manual.

Funny story on the 629. I bought it off GunBroker and when it arrived it was like new. When I wrote and thanked the Seller for a quick smooth transaction I asked why he had sold it. He said he had fired six rounds of factory 240s through it and that was enough for him.... I have 20 rounds of Gold Dots and probably 30 rounds of the practice load through the gun and that is it...just sits in the safe....

Bob

I carry mine all the time on the farm.

629 no dashes.

Bought it new in the late 70's or early 80's. Whenever they came out. Saw it in the gun magazines for almost a year before I saw one to buy. My local gun shop called me when it came in. I said I'll take it. Didn't even ask the price. No regrets!

...look close as it has to have a -.... The 629 came out in 1980 and was only out a year Pinned and Recesed before going to the -1. The first round butt 629 with a tapered barrel was a -2 what was called a Mountain Revolver in I believe 1989.
If it is a no- 629 4" then it would not be a MG.

Bob

Yea, I have a 8 3/8 no dash pinned and recessed presentation box.

The Mountain 629 no dash, 44 special barrel, radiused cylinder round butt and bead blasted. It is the real deal.

I really like my 657 version but did not and would not pay the Gunbroker prices listed.
Appearance-wise I think the slimmer barrel looks good on a 4inch N-Frame.

Does it have a pinned barrel and recessed chambers? And was wondering what the first three letters are in the serial number...



Bob

Mine in .44 has saved me from certainly bring bitten several times. The worst and most likely serious situation was on my mountain bike pulling my 4 year old son in a trailer on a long trail. A crazed white pit bull came boiling out of the reservation right at us.

Alone I might have turned the bike and blew him off, with the trailer I could not escape. At about 15 feet I shot him in the top of the head. Rolled the worthless pos off the side of the road and continued on my way. Can't imagine the kind of struggle that would have come about without the revolver with me.

I called the county sheriff, who said " nothing I can do on reservation property. Thanks for taking care of it for me"

That Sheriff gave me a chuckle. My kinda guy.

My 625 is the only gun that I've sold that I really regret. I still have no real use for it, but I wish that I still had it...:(

I have two S&W MGs, a 625 and a 629. I think that they are OK, but for a handgun that I'm going to carry a lot and only shoot a little, I like the 329PD better. I also have a 4" 624 and a 5" 629 parts gun, a 629 frame with a cut back 624 barrel, that are MGs in all but name.

I paid $550 for the 625 MG back in 2007, bought it here on 24HCF, and I'd say that it is my favorite 45 LC, but it is still heavier/bulkier than the 329PD for an everyday belt gun. I'm thinking about buying a S&W 69 to fill the MG role.

Jeff

Nobody here likes the Governor, but it's worth a shot if you want a light 45 Colt with 45 ACP capability. The 410 is an added benefit if you're not looking for it specifically.

I don't care for the Taurus Judge or S&W Governor. I have smaller .44s, a couple of Rossi 720s, that work quite well, even though many people are contemptuous of them.

The S&W 69 is a 4.25" stainless 5-shot L-frame, what the 696 always should have been.

Jeff

The single best additional feature on a MG is the rubber crimson trace grips.

It lets you make a big hole wherever you see the red spot. No aiming, just a great accurate hole maker.

I added trijicon night sights too, day or night it's a great well made hole maker. After Alexander Hamilton did the action work, the trigger is flawless, and the dark bead blasted finish makes the gun look like pewter now.

Gonna need pics of that blaster JJHACK

Here is a picture, not sure it helps? Looks mostly like other MG's

It's dull flat pewter finish is nicer to me then polished stainless, just my taste though.

The CT grips are not the best option for recoil control or comfort, but handy for their intended priority of shooting easily in low light, panic, and from awkward positions where aligning sights is not good, like crawling or lying under a canopy of thick blackberries.

JJ...did you have to send the gun to Trijicon to have the sights done? I had some Meprolight (I think) on mine but the front sight height was too low. Transferred them over to a 357PD and they were perfect. I think XS is also now doing night sights for MGs...

Bob

I've got the 41Mag Mountain Gun back before the lock was added to Smiths. Nice gun, but, as another here commented, I'm not sure it has much advantage over a regular 657. Officially, as I recall, Smith claimed about a 3 ounce difference.

Funny no one has mentioned the Mountain Gun in 357??

Yes I had to send them the whole gun. Kind of a PITA but worth it in the long run.

I guess, they cannot be custom fitted by any old Gunsmith because of the nuke hazards? They said they have to be licensed to work with that stuff where custom fitting is involved.

The sights they created, were an identical match to the originals, but these have the night sight inserts. It's actually kind of unique I suppose, at least it was 10-15 years ago when I had it done.

When I packed with goats into the remote cascade mountains, it was nice to be able to see the sights in a pitch black tent, when looking out into the moon lit forest where the goats were tied up. It made finding the gun in the dark easy as well. Those green night sights really show up well in the total black dark inside a tent.

However, not much beats the red spot on the thing you wanna perforate like the Crimson trace grips. The only thing better would be my Hogue wood grips with a laser built into them. Those grips made that gun so easy to shoot accurately and they removed all pain and recoil from the shot. I loved those big hogue grips, but the laser trumps them!

That looks to be supremely confidence inspiring - awesome !

I like the sights JJ....the front is now more of a Patridge than the original ramp that came on them. May have to give them a call one day and have one of the 657s done.

R Walter
Maybe the reason that no one has mentioned the 686 MG is that there were not a lot of them made. They are also very pricy when and if they come up for sale. There has been a second edition but it has the IL and I believe the two piece barrel...

As to the differences between Mountain Gun and a standard Magnum...for me it is balance. For whatever reason the combination of slim barrel and rounded butt just comes out of the holster faster for me than a standard Magnum with square butt.

A few years ago I took three guns and tested them on a shot timer...they were all equipped with the same Hogue grips...

657 4"
657 4" MG
357PD 4" AirLite

As said all had Hogue grips, all drawn from the same DeSantis Speed scabbard holster and shooting the same 210 grain Berry's plated bullet with 8.0 grains of Unique/950 fps load.

Five singles, five doubles and five triples were fired from 5 yards at 9" paper plates. A shot (or all shots) had to hit the plate to score the round.

After all the shooting was done, the MG came out just ahead of the others and was the most consistent round to round. Because of its light weight the 357PD would often come in first for the fastest first round fired but splits were slower due to its light weight.

The difference between the two all steel guns would not even be noticed by most shooters and the only way to tell what is best for you and your shooting style is to be able to fairly test them over a period of time.

Bob

I like the sound of that set of upgrades!!

My 625 Mountain Gun with S&W target grips on it:



I bought this revolver about 5 years ago and have carried it quite a bit as my sidearm while rifle hunting, but have shot it little. It's currently at Sandburr Gun Ranch in Indiana getting an action job and the internal lock disabled. I've considered Trijicons for it, and may do so... I'm a big believer in night sights.

I've tried Pachmayr's on this gun, as well as a beefy Miculak-type grip set, but nothing I've put on it so far is as good as the factory grips, and they're not perfect by any means. I'm going to order a pair of Hogue grips when it comes back from the 'smith, and see what that will do for me. Dunno that I could go with the CTC grips, though... I far prefer wood grips on my big revolvers, so I can shape them to fit my hand exactly right.

+1 on the Rossi 720's in 44 special. I sold mine but not because there was a darn thing wrong with it. Wish I had it back.

I love the modification Alukban, that you did with your Mountain Gun.
I thought I was the only one around that had an N Frame .45 Colt that also handles .45 ACP.
Had this one built years ago, and it is still a solid performer.
Campfire member Tim Olt (Michiganroadkill) made the chopper in the picture.

Just tossing out this, I have a set of brand new Crimson Trace grips for the Mountain guns. I ended up with an extra set and no longer have the intended gun they were going on.

Guys wanting to see how they work, could try them to see it they like them? Or take them off my hands.

Proud owner of a 629-4 MG. $500 about 10 years ago.
Have not seen another since then.

I like smooth Eagle finger groove stocks on my S&W revolvers. The checkered stocks look good, but the checkering is rough on your hand if you're shooting anything with more recoil than a 38 Special and you aren't wearing a glove.

www.eaglegrips.com

Jeff

Doc,

You might try a pair of Herrett's that CDNN has been selling for some time. Smooth and just enough leaner than the factory stocks to just work in my large hand. They are cheap too so whittling away is easy. I probably have a half dozen N-frames wearing them. I canlt do finger grips on anything.

You have a link to them??

Bob

Go to www.cdnninvestments.com and click on the catalog. The grips are on pages 117 thru 123, with the Hogue exotic wood close-outs on page 123.

Jeff

PS - Good deal on extra/spare earplug on page 81.

Thanks..I have been wanting to try a pair of the Herrett Detective stocks but it looks like they only have them for Colt revolvers at this time...

Bob

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=385921120

wow. that auction STARTED at $1200. Insane.

I can't open Gun sites while here at work, what is the auction for Sam?

Another 625 MG in .45 Colt...LNIB..BuyNow of $1500 and someone took the BuyNow...

Bob

WOW, might have to consider letting mine fly for that kind of money!

It's pre-lock, hammer mounted firing pin, XS front night sight, and somebody that really knows what they are doing has smoothed the action/trigger up slicker than I've ever felt on ANY revolver!

Is it .45 Colt or .44 Magnum?

My first MG was a .41 Magnum and then I picked up an early .45 Colt, last to enter my collection is this .357. This one on the L frame works best for me. I sold off the .41 and the .45.

That is NUTS!!

It surprises me, some of the prices people ask for (And Get) on some of the sites.

Who woulda ever thought there would be a thread this long for the mountain gun.

It's not even semi auto or metric, or plastic, tactical, or black!

Surprised no one has put a bid in on this one yet just to make sure it doesn't get pulled....

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=387036756

If one didn't reload the .45 ACP is probably the best MG caliber as one can run everything from .45 ACP target loads to .45 Super...

Bob

Funny, but I've come across more than a couple of gun shop owners/employees who carry an N-frame .44 on their belt for repelling boarders. And they're in the business of selling tactical.

tjm,

Quite a telling data point!

...and a .41 Magnum!

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=389158671

Glad I have mine....

Bob

Cool thread....I just picked one of these up in .45 colt and am amazed at the accuracy - at 25yds I was putting the bullets in one ragged hole (factory 250 lead). Are they all this accurate? If so I may want to find one in .41 magnum (my favorite handgun caliber), but until then this .45 will do just nicely

Also any recommendations for loads for the .45 in this gun - I do not have a ton of experience with this cartridge or this handgun - I will mostly carry it while hunting whitetails and blackbear.

Thanks in advanced!
PennDog

...yes, they are all that accurate...

This was in 2004, DA at 50'. The one out was the first shot and aiming point for the others..



The round butt combined with the slim barrel just give MGs a balance like no other..at least to me.

Now a question...why do the .44s bring so little money compared to the rest of the calibers? A -2 Mountain Revolver in mint condition with a beautiful bead blasted finish just sold for $789.00 with just one bid... Most any of the 629 MG line hardly bring $900...some exceptions but not many...

That .41 above sold for $1400, just about as high as I've seen one go.

As to .45 Colt loads...I've never gotten into the caliber either. If I was going to have a caliber other than .41 it would be .45 ACP first and .44 second...

Depending on what you want for velocity and what you have for powder a 250-280 Keith or LBT with 9-10 grain of Unique will get about 1000 fps...about all one needs in a .45 for most shooting.

Bob

I don't hunt any mountains so I carry my S&W 25-7 5" 45 Colt.

They could call it a moon gun and it still wouldn't matter, the slim barrel and round but makes it handle better than any other I've tried.

This thread makes me want to cry - trading off my 625 for something I thought I had to have rates up there with one of the dumbest things I've ever done.

Thanks Bob for the information....I can't wait to try some loads out when it gets warmer here and see what this revolver will do - hopefully something like your .41 does?!!!

A 250-270 grain lead bullets at 950-1000 fps is where I would like to be so we will see.

Don't want to get rid of that .41 do ya , since it does not shoot very well (they were not ALL in the SAME hole)

PennDog

They do handle and shoot as good as a handgun can feel. After a trigger tuning by a great smith like Alex Hamilton it becomes astonishing!

Add Crimson trace grips, and there is nothing it cannot comfortably handle. With the bonus of being nice to carry

My .45 MG is in need of new grips.....just because

I like the thought of CT grips and like the looks of the JM grips on RJM's. Anyone try the VZs on a MG yet?

George

your MG IS DA' [bleep] GEORGE

Brother, you can't even begin to guess how many offers I've got....

She deserves a better set of grips.

George

....George...like these....




Bob

I think this is an all-time high....

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=390828093

I think I saw one 657/.41 go fo more. Too bad S&W wouldn't bring this model back as was without the IL. The IL guns don't bring near this...

Even .44s are brining over a grand right now...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=390833756

As Mac said.."nutz..."

Bob