Opinions on S&W 629 "Mountain Gun" 44 mag?
Jeff Olsen
OK.... so I bought the .357 (Model 66) a few months ago on the advice of
the group as my first handgun, and I've been really enjoying it. Well
over 1K rounds through is so far, mostly +P .38 handloads. I can keep the
beer cans dancin'.
I own a .44 mag carbine, and all the reloading dies and so on, so the
thought of a 44 mag pistol has been interesting to me. A local gun shop
has a nice, smooth tight used 629 in right now, and it's got me very
interested...
I'd guess I'd mostly be shooting 44 Special or mild 44 mag through it for
practicing. I am told that the recoil of this relatively light 44 mag can
be pretty stiff with hot loads. Since I handload, the extra coast of 44
special rounds won't be a problem; in fact they'll be much cheaper to load
up.
The primary purposes would be for fun, and as a carry pistol for out in
the woods. Bascially the same things I bought the Model 66 for, but
dino-sized. I may be going pig hunting in California this winter, and if
I don't buy this one, I'll just about certainly buy a 44 mag of some
stripe to carry on that adventure. So I might as well just get one sooner
rather than later <g>...
What's a fair price for a used one, in excellent condition?
-jeff
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Ian Kerfoot
little 4" barrel. My inclination would be to go with the 6" barrel. The short
barreled guns recoil excessively and balance poorly. Get rubber grips with
rubber along the back of the frame to absorb recoil, if the revolver does not
come that way. The .44 magnum is one of the better calibers to reload, since
the commercial ammo is quite expensive and the straight case make it very
simple to reload.
Ian Kerfoot
The Banyan Tree Homepage
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/4287
Bill Barott
it would be my primary weapon for chasing pigs. Might be a pretty good
backup though.
I picked up one in the condition you describe (used, tight, pretty much
excellent) in .45 Colt for $300 about a year ago, but I got a great
deal. Anything under $400 would be a good price IMO, assuming the
weapon is as described.
B.
Jeff Olsen wrote:
> ...
Don or Lola
has an excellant trigger pull. I don`t use hot loads in it they do tend
to kick. You said you reload ,so just keep it down in the 1000-1100 fps
category. I have no idea what a used one costs. Hope this helps you out.
Don
Jeff Edwards
# OK.... so I bought the .357 (Model 66) a few months ago on the advice of
# the group as my first handgun, and I've been really enjoying it. Well
# over 1K rounds through is so far, mostly +P .38 handloads. I can keep the
# beer cans dancin'.
#
# I own a .44 mag carbine, and all the reloading dies and so on, so the
# thought of a 44 mag pistol has been interesting to me. A local gun shop
# has a nice, smooth tight used 629 in right now, and it's got me very
# interested...
I'm still on the learning curve with mine. So far I'm having trouble
getting it to group up to my standards, but through load development
and a change of grips, it's improving and will probably be a keeper
once I have it figured out. But right now it won't do as well as my 6
1/2" Model 29 or my 3 1/2" Model 27.
I agree the full magnum loads that do well in the 6 1/2" gun are a bit
much in the lighter Mountain Gun. But that's no problem; I'm working
toward lead bullet loads in the 900 - 1000 fps range.
All Hogue Monogrips are not the same. I replaced the rubber ones with
wood - same model, different material, and find the wood grips a bit
wider and distinctly easier on the hand as a result. Better looking,
too.
Buy the Mountain Gun if you can, but don't trade a great shooting gun
to get it.
In case you don't like it once you have it.
Jeff Edwards
Dale Anderson
wrote:
#The S&W 629 is a fine revolver. I think the "Montain Gun" version comes with a
#little 4" barrel. My inclination would be to go with the 6" barrel. The short
#barreled guns recoil excessively and balance poorly. Get rubber grips with
#rubber along the back of the frame to absorb recoil, if the revolver does not
#come that way. The .44 magnum is one of the better calibers to reload, since
#the commercial ammo is quite expensive and the straight case make it very
#simple to reload.
I have a 629 Classic with the 5" barrel and feel that is the best
compromise between the lighter Mountain Gun and the more full size 6".
They are a little harder to find, but I think worth the effort.
Dale Anderson
spec...@frontier.net
Durango, Colorado
Bu...@wheat.net
my duty gun was just that. The rubber grips helped immensely with
felt recoil. Keeping tight groups was no problem. The .44 mag
hollowpoints would have stopped almost anything that I might have
needed to stop. Thank goodness it didn't get fired anywhere but on
the range. With the shorter barrel, it's not as hard to get it from
your holster in a hurry. At night quals, the huge flame from the
muzzle was really something. If I didn't blast a hole in a bad guy,
I'd have fried him from the muzzle blast. :-) Also, your biggest
mammal worries out hiking/camping are mountain lions and human
whackos. The .44 mag can handle both. Buy it now for a good price.
Firearms are usually a good investment.
mrus...@ix.netcom.com
# I have a 629 Classic with the 5" barrel and feel that is the best
# compromise between the lighter Mountain Gun and the more full size 6".
# They are a little harder to find, but I think worth the effort.
I agree the 5" 629 Classic is an excellent version. Barrel is long
enough for a good sight picture with out a muzzle velocity loss, but not
as unwieldy as a 6-8"; it is drilled & tapped for a scope; full underlug
helps balance; and with laser grips, it is a blast to shoot.
Doug R
David Steuber
' I agree the 5" 629 Classic is an excellent version. Barrel is long
' enough for a good sight picture with out a muzzle velocity loss, but not
' as unwieldy as a 6-8"; it is drilled & tapped for a scope; full underlug
' helps balance; and with laser grips, it is a blast to shoot.
If you want a blast, the 3" Magnaport version will give you that! ;-)
After my first few shots with the thing, I had to rethink my grip.
I'm used to a high grip on autos. With the .44 Mag revolver, that
caused the backstrap above the wood grips to slam into the web of my
hand on recoil. Lowering my grip made shooting comfortable.
I agree about reloading the .44 Mag. I size just enough of the neck
of the brass so that the bullet won't fall in. I give it the
appropriate roll crimp below the drive band provided on the 240gr SWC
lead bullets that I bought locally at a very nice price. Very fun to
shoot. Not so much fun to clean afterwards! ;-)
--
David Steuber
When you live in a state where the police are allowed to employ
weapons that the citizens are prohibited from carrying, then you live
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