M29 for plinking? Yes!

J

jwise

New member
I have really enjoyed shooting the 6" 586 I bought this summer. It has been very enjoyable getting back into handgun shooting via its silky-smooth DA trigger shooting .38spls.

However, something about those 4" N frames called to me! Originally my thoughts turned to the model 28 or 27, which I would still shoot .38s out of. I'm not trying to prove anything to anybody. I don't like shooting magnums.

The local shop had a new 4" M29 in stock, so I handled it as a good representative of the smaller caliber siblings I was looking for. While the 29 is iconic, I don't have ANY desire to regularly shoot the heavy .44 magnum, and always found .44spl to still be a handful and very expensive to boot. And with my indoor range'a prohibition on exposed lead bullets, finding ammo to shoot was going to be a problem.

Well, I got turned on to Ventura Munitions and the .44 Russian round. I've heard of the cartridge, but never knew you could shoot it out of a revolver chambered in .44 magnum.

Ventura had bulk pricing on TMJ .44 Russian for a very decent price, so now I've got a brand new M29 in the safe and 500 rounds to be delivered on Friday!

I can't wait to take my M29 'plinker' to the range!
 
Ventura Munitions makes some great ammo. I have been shooting their 200 grain .45 ACP moly coated SWC rounds for awhile now, and am impressed.
 
I can still load 44 mag plinking loads a lot cheaper. Just bought another 500 240 gr JSP bullets for 12.5 cents each. Add 13 grains of Blue Dot for a light load. Or use the TMJ's for the indoor range, I bought 500 of these for about the same price. The TMJ's unfortunately don't have a crimp groove and tend to move and bind up the cylinder, may have to keep them for the Desert Eagle..
 
"...always found .44 Sp. to still be a handful..." .44 Special can be loaded down. A prohibition on exposed lead means using plated bullets. No big deal.
 
4" 29

I traded mine off to a buddy who needed a bear gun. I sure liked shooting DA with that small cannon. I would buy it back if I could. Very accurate for a 4 inch gun. All I ever shot was reloads with cast bullets and 13-15 grains of Bludot.
 
The model 29 is very versatile as a plinker.
Take a good look at Unique or Trail Boss handload data.

I love taking newer shooters out to run rounds though my 44 mags, downloaded to 44 special power. They still get the grins and giggles of shooting an iconic handgun, without getting beaten up doing it.
 
They still get the grins and giggles of shooting an iconic handgun
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They get the grins and giggles from shooting the bigbore...not from the iconic firearm.:)

Bigbore's will do that to ya'...been doing it to me for 40yrs.
 
I love taking newer shooters out to run rounds though my 44 mags, downloaded to 44 special power.
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You DO at least show them what the .44 Magnum sounds and recoils like when fired, don't you??

because if you don't, you are actually doing them a bit of a disservice. You shouldn't let them leave the range thinking your downloaded handloads are what the .44 Mag is all about.

Personally, I also down load for my Model 29 a little bit. (240gr and 10gr Unique). Still a good stout load, but not painful to shoot like full bore magnum loads. I shoot the full house stuff from a Super Blackhawk or the Desert Eagle.

I don't usually shoot .44 Specials, I find them to be little more than a "pop" and almost no recoil. I suspect the .44 Russian will be about the same, with even less recoil. Should make a dandy load for bustin' sage rats, though.
 
44 AMP, I usually bring three tiers of ammo with me when I introduce a newer shooter to big bores like the 44 mag - a light trail boss load, a mid range 44 special power load with Unique or win 231, and a full power load with 2400 or 286,

Almost everyone runs at least a cylinder full of full power loads by the end of the day.
 
I shoot a lot of 44 special. It's fun. My FiL reloads mild target ammo for us and the recoil is very easy on our hands.
 
Took these two out for a spin today.



The M29 (even with just shooting .44 Russians) tore up the web of my right hand. The recoil was fine, but the wood grip stuck out just right to bloody my hand.

I'll bring shooting gloves next time. :(

Accuracy was excellent, but I'll confess to stacking the trigger. I wasn't shooting truly double-action like I do with my 586.

 
We have a nice, overcast day today. Perfect lighting for pictures, so after giving her a good cleaning I took her outside for a quick snap.

 
got away

I had a chance to buy a very poor looking 4" M29 once upon a time. Mechanically it was tight and timing was good, but it looked like it had spent it's life under a truck seat, which it probably had.

I was gonna have the thing parkerized, but drug my heels on the buy. The mortgage thing ya'know. When I went back, it was gone.....

Jwise that is indeed a nice pic and revolver.
 
The M29 (even with just shooting .44 Russians) tore up the web of my right hand. The recoil was fine, but the wood grip stuck out just right to bloody my hand.
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Get rid of those grips! Seriously.

It has long been suspected that the people who make the grips at S&W have stock in Pachmayr and Hogue.

If you want some nice looking grips for display, fine. If you want to shoot and enjoy it, get some rubber on that gun!



Get something like the grip on this 29 and you'll find it much more pleasant to shoot, at all power levels.
 
Get a pair of Pachmeyer Decelerators for it and you will no longer have that stinging feeling from the wood grips. They are rubber and metal lined.

.44 Russian will be light ammo. You will also be able to handle the .44 Magnum rounds with the Pachmeyers.

Good luck.
 
For the .44 mag Ruger owners ...

I'm looking at two models for an Xmas gift to fill that gaping "revolver gap" in my collection. Can't decide which:

The 5.5" Model 5004 ... or the 4.2" Model 5026.

I know they wear different grips, but don't care about that. Uses would be range time, and possibly as a woods companion. Recommendations? Thanks.
 
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