S&W 629 4 or 6 inch

R

RevoRick

New member
I have a line on a NIB 629 with a 4 inch barrel. The price seems good, $525, no tax. My question is about accruacy and recoil. I have a 4 inch 686 right now and am very comfortable shooting it and accruacy is not a huge problem. Do you think the extra power of the .44 magnum would be much different? Thanks in advance.
 
I suggest you rent one or try one at a range before you purchase a .44 magnum. Between the .357 and .44 there is no comparison in felt recoil. Big Bore magnum performance with full house loads is a notch above the hotest .357 loads. I'm still debating on whether or not I should actually purchase a .44 yet. I enjoy guns and am not that recoil sensitive but the .44 is a lot different than my .357's. Of course you could always shoot .44spcls out of it so.....yes, yes I think I will get one afterall.
 
i find that a 6 or 8 inch seems better for the 44 mag.
i have a 8 inch anaconda and a frend as a m29 with a full lug barrel.
hes 29 is a well made gun but i find the recoil of the 4 inch a little hard for me.
 
Hi Rick,
The 4" S&W M629 with full power loads is a handfull with sharp recoil. I have owned S&W M629's in 4", 5", 6", 6.5", and 8 3/8" barrels. For ease of carry and general shooting, I like the 5" Classic with open sights. For serious work (hunting deer, wild hogs, and turkey) I prefer the 6.5" Classic gun with 2X Leupold scope. At 66, I can still shoot open sights on targets but have to use a scope in the field to see both target and sights (cross hairs) sharp at same time. The 5 inch Classic with full underlug does tame the recoil noticeably better than original 4" 629 without full underlug. The 6.5" with full underlug tames recoil even better than the 5". I had problems with 8 3/8" barrels shooting free hand but can handle the 6.5" well. From a solid rest or if you can hold them, the 6.5" and 8 3/8" guns with scopes are amazingly accurate.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB (ex 1911 Forum junkie)
 
.44 Mag is a LOT bigger than a .357, and you will feel it in the 4" 629. I was about to buy one, but after shooting it and a Super Blackhawk, there was no comparison in controllability. Only reason to buy a 4" 629 is if you like the feeling of the wild recoil ;)

p.s
The .44 mag is my favorite pistol cartridge :cool:
 
I have been shooting a 4" Model 29 for ages, & the recoil is something you can ease into- and minimize with grips that fit your hands. Shoot moderate .44 Mag loads in it until you get used to it, and then increase throttle until you find a place where you aren't comfortable. Then back off a tad, or practice until you can handle it.

I for one have been glad that more people don't like 4" .44 Mags... there's usually one available for a decent price. FWIW I have sold all my longer .44's because I just don't need them; the 4" 29 will do anything I need to do with a .44 magnum, and it carries like a handgun instead of a tire iron.
 
the 4" 29 will do anything I need to do with a .44 magnum, and it carries like a handgun instead of a tire iron.
Click to expand...

Amen :cool:

What are you going to beat the bad guy with though, when you run out of ammo :D
 
I regulary shoot a 3" Model 29 with smooth wood combat grips using factory magnum rounds and I think it's less punishing to shoot than a 4" Model 19 with magnum rounds and rubber grips.
 
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