Help with my over thinking revolver decision!
- Thread starter Nathan
- Start date
I dyed in the wool S&W fan. I can tell you one thing right off. If you are planning on using magnum loadings you don’t want a S&W. Ruger has the market cornered on 44mg DAs.
They are built like tanks. I have 5 S&W m29s, 4 of the old 29-2s and a NIB 29-10. I had 3 others that I just sold. I shoot cast only and mostly WCs. There is no Ruger out of the box slicker than a S&W but will take those magnum loads.
I have a Ruger SBH bought new in 64, it’s my official deer gun and only revolver I load hot with JHPs. I did shoot dear with S&W 25-5, 45 Colt with both standard RNFP 250 cast at
800fps. & killed one with same gun with 242 WC at 650fps. Thick cover in SE Ohio the shots were 30-40yds. I wouldn’t hesitate to use S&W 29 with cast 240 and fps of 800 to
1000.
They are built like tanks. I have 5 S&W m29s, 4 of the old 29-2s and a NIB 29-10. I had 3 others that I just sold. I shoot cast only and mostly WCs. There is no Ruger out of the box slicker than a S&W but will take those magnum loads.
I have a Ruger SBH bought new in 64, it’s my official deer gun and only revolver I load hot with JHPs. I did shoot dear with S&W 25-5, 45 Colt with both standard RNFP 250 cast at
800fps. & killed one with same gun with 242 WC at 650fps. Thick cover in SE Ohio the shots were 30-40yds. I wouldn’t hesitate to use S&W 29 with cast 240 and fps of 800 to
1000.
Nathan, it's not clear from your post if you still have access to the Ruger SBH .44 but you'll be hard pressed to beat it.
If you're seriously considering a DA/SA I shot a Redhawk more than most people will dream of, and while insanely strong, IMO their trigger is abysmal and nowhere near as suitable as a 629 or SBH for accuracy. To me, while the SRH has a much better trigger than the RH, it's just bulky.
Despite my recent issue with my Anaconda, if possible you may also want to handle one of the 2023 models before making a decision.
If you're in or near south east Florida you're welcome to test drive mine.
If you're seriously considering a DA/SA I shot a Redhawk more than most people will dream of, and while insanely strong, IMO their trigger is abysmal and nowhere near as suitable as a 629 or SBH for accuracy. To me, while the SRH has a much better trigger than the RH, it's just bulky.
Despite my recent issue with my Anaconda, if possible you may also want to handle one of the 2023 models before making a decision.
If you're in or near south east Florida you're welcome to test drive mine.
gnappi said:
I have a Ruger SBH Bisley in 45 Colt. It is from the 2000’s. Trigger was horrible. I fixed that, but at a cost. It is truely a modified trigger. Ruger SA is lighter now, but have they fixed the 2 mi of sear engagement on the new guns? I cut a mile of it off and it still has just a touch of creep with a neutral angle.
I think you answered my Redhawk or not question. I don’t need the strength and I want the best trigger I can afford.
For one good all around 44 Magnum, I have two suggestions. For double action, get a S&W 5" 629, don't bother with the 69 as it's just not the gun the 629 is, I've had them both. For single action, consider a 5.5" Ruger Super Blackhawk. That is all, can't go wrong with either.
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Nate....The 629, five incher you bought should work out well for you. It has the weight to make it comfortable with hunting level loads and the accuracy should be there as well. Just a few thoughts below on it.
Good sights...S&W factory types on mine hold their adjustments through heavy recoil with no problem and are good for me out to 50 yds with my eyes. I'm not an optical sight user as I feel they add too much bulk and weight to a handgun, but may extend your useful range.
YMMv of course but...find a good holster that allows you to get to the gun quickly, and is comfortable in use. For me, my 629, also with a 5" bbl., like yours, carries well in a tanker rig across my chest, but is just too heavy for belt carry. You said you had a Ruger RH, so you should be aware of weight issues.
In my use, the old military type of 'tanker' works well, is adjustable for most any type of outer garment and gives good access to the gun, though not particularly fast, especially when worn under a jacket. There are a number of makers now that incorporate Kydex into their rigs, that cut down on weight and offer some latitude in carry positions...
My 629 has the usual S&W superb SA trigger, but is a good bit heavier in DA than I would like...tho for hunting purposes, where the DA mode is seldom if ever used, it's OK. While I'm not a fan of the the S&W internal (infernal) lock, it has not interfered with my use of the gun. Truth be told, I don't even notice that it's there any more.
Grips...I have size L hands and find the factory supplied rubber monstrosities do a good job handling recoil...much better in fact than any wood grips I've tried. I love the look and feel of wood, but with heavy loads it just doesn't work out for me. Hogue Monogrips work well on it too, a bit better than the supplied factory offerings in fact.
Accuracy...I'm a handloader exclusively in my .44 magnums. Best loads with carefully inspected home cast LSWC's (Lyman's 429215 gc, 429244 gc, & the venerated 429421) all work well with 2400, Accurate #9, H-110, & Win 296. Loads a bit below max consistently give me sub-2" groups at 25 yds, with iron sights. A personal favorite is 21 gr of 2400 with 429421, sized to 0.430".
For deer hunting, I don't think there's a better choice than Hornady's excellent 240 gr XTP...again with loads that are a bit below max. The same powders listed above work well and with equal or better accuracy. I've used this bullet in my Marlin .44 Magnum on KY deer with success out to 110 yards, and with complete through and through penetration plus nickel + size expansion on deer shot through the rib cage. It's my go to bullet for woods hunting here. In the 629, we've used it to finish two friend's poorly hit deer as well as one of our horses that needed to be put down.
All in all, I think you made a good choice with your 629, and hope that it's as good as mine in use. Here's mine with a pair of Altamont "Roper" target grips installed...pretty as a picture but only usable for loads under 1000 fps. That's a belt holster I cooked up for it...a BBQ rig as pic'd. For real use, the factories and my 'tanker' rig work better in all day hunting etc. Best Regards, Rod
Good sights...S&W factory types on mine hold their adjustments through heavy recoil with no problem and are good for me out to 50 yds with my eyes. I'm not an optical sight user as I feel they add too much bulk and weight to a handgun, but may extend your useful range.
YMMv of course but...find a good holster that allows you to get to the gun quickly, and is comfortable in use. For me, my 629, also with a 5" bbl., like yours, carries well in a tanker rig across my chest, but is just too heavy for belt carry. You said you had a Ruger RH, so you should be aware of weight issues.
In my use, the old military type of 'tanker' works well, is adjustable for most any type of outer garment and gives good access to the gun, though not particularly fast, especially when worn under a jacket. There are a number of makers now that incorporate Kydex into their rigs, that cut down on weight and offer some latitude in carry positions...
My 629 has the usual S&W superb SA trigger, but is a good bit heavier in DA than I would like...tho for hunting purposes, where the DA mode is seldom if ever used, it's OK. While I'm not a fan of the the S&W internal (infernal) lock, it has not interfered with my use of the gun. Truth be told, I don't even notice that it's there any more.
Grips...I have size L hands and find the factory supplied rubber monstrosities do a good job handling recoil...much better in fact than any wood grips I've tried. I love the look and feel of wood, but with heavy loads it just doesn't work out for me. Hogue Monogrips work well on it too, a bit better than the supplied factory offerings in fact.
Accuracy...I'm a handloader exclusively in my .44 magnums. Best loads with carefully inspected home cast LSWC's (Lyman's 429215 gc, 429244 gc, & the venerated 429421) all work well with 2400, Accurate #9, H-110, & Win 296. Loads a bit below max consistently give me sub-2" groups at 25 yds, with iron sights. A personal favorite is 21 gr of 2400 with 429421, sized to 0.430".
For deer hunting, I don't think there's a better choice than Hornady's excellent 240 gr XTP...again with loads that are a bit below max. The same powders listed above work well and with equal or better accuracy. I've used this bullet in my Marlin .44 Magnum on KY deer with success out to 110 yards, and with complete through and through penetration plus nickel + size expansion on deer shot through the rib cage. It's my go to bullet for woods hunting here. In the 629, we've used it to finish two friend's poorly hit deer as well as one of our horses that needed to be put down.
All in all, I think you made a good choice with your 629, and hope that it's as good as mine in use. Here's mine with a pair of Altamont "Roper" target grips installed...pretty as a picture but only usable for loads under 1000 fps. That's a belt holster I cooked up for it...a BBQ rig as pic'd. For real use, the factories and my 'tanker' rig work better in all day hunting etc. Best Regards, Rod
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