Range report: S&W 629 magnum 44

[Savago]

Dear friends

Before the plague times and the 'curfew' stablished in SF Bay Area, I used to visit the range once a week to do some 'shooting therapy'.
 

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was considering buying a revolver (undecided between the S&W 686 and the Ruger GP100).

What I forgot to mention is the reason to buy a 357 magnum revolver: I wanna work my way up to the 'big boys' cartridges like the magnum 44 and the S&W 500.

When I did the 'Basic handguns course' almost 1 year ago I had the opportunity to shoot a Ruger Super Redhawk chambered in 44 magnum. The thing felt like a hand cannon and back then, I knew I couldn't really shoot it.

Fast forward 10 months and a few thousand rounds of 9mm and 45 acp, I thought it was worthwhile to give the 44 magnum a second chance.

I decided to rent a S&W 629 SS Classic 6in at the range and oh boy! This thing is really fun to shoot!

My impressions: recoil is hard but manageable. The double action (DA) trigger is a bit heavy, but pretty good (*way* better than the DA in my HK USP). But the single action (SA) is scary smooth and light.
 

I noticed that I'm shooting a bit low/left, but those were DA pulls and I know that got work on my revolver skills.

I wonder if it is really needed to practice with a 357 magnum before making the jump to the 44 magnum?

So far, I had lots of fun and I'm seeing in the near future adding a S&W 629 to my small collection.

[Savago]

A few photos (target at 10yd, DA shots):

[Psychotic Bovine]

When I did the 'Basic handguns course' almost 1 year ago I had the opportunity to shoot a Ruger Super Redhawk chambered in 44 magnum. The thing felt like a hand cannon and back then, I knew I couldn't really shoot it.

Funny you say that.  There is a pic my dad took of me shooting his Ruger.44 Magnum Super Blackhawk.  I was age 10.  And dad never loaded his reloads mild.  They were always full power magnum hunting loads.

[Savago]

Funny you say that.  There is a pic my dad took of me shooting his Ruger.44 Magnum Super Blackhawk.  I was age 10.  And dad never loaded his reloads mild.  They were always full power magnum hunting loads.

Some people are more gifted than others, that is a fact of life.
 

You should also consider yourself pretty blessed by having a father teaching you the first steps on marksmanship/guns since a young age.
 

In my case, I had to learn it by myself at an older age (with extreme opposition of my wife/daughter, must add...).

[Psychotic Bovine]

Here is a (very cute) friend of mine being taught by my brother how to shoot the Desert Eagle .44 Mag.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUBIBVUH48Q

[Psychotic Bovine]

Funny you say that.  There is a pic my dad took of me shooting his Ruger.44 Magnum Super Blackhawk.  I was age 10.  And dad never loaded his reloads mild.  They were always full power magnum hunting loads.

Some people are more gifted than others, that is a fact of life.
 

You should also consider yourself pretty blessed by having a father teaching you the first steps on marksmanship/guns since a young age.
 

In my case, I had to learn it by myself at an older age (with extreme opposition of my wife/daughter, must add...).

Oh, I consider myself very blessed to have a father who taught me to shoot at age 5.  I wasn't trying to show off (well, maybe a little).  Just that when one is immersed in anything for most of their life, they get more comfortable with it.  I love the .44 Mag. 

[Savago]

Oh, I consider myself very blessed to have a father who taught me to shoot at age 5.  I wasn't trying to show off (well, maybe a little).  Just that when one is immersed in anything for most of their life, they get more comfortable with it.  I love the .44 Mag.  

It is all good, my friend.
 

The Desert Eagle is a pretty iconic gun (looks pretty bad ass), but I never shot one (and they are not available for rental in the range I visit).

I have the impression just by handling one that the ergonomics are a bit lacking and also heard that it is a bit picky on the kind of ammo you can run reliably.

That being said, I think is an amazing feature of engineering to have a pistol shooting .50 cal.

So many cool guns, not enough money.
 

[Savago]

Speaking of the DEagle, there is this video of Jerry Miculek that is pretty amazing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULysvxSYfoU

I really like Jerry's videos, this guy skills are truly amazing.

[Gavin_Sons]

44 mag is my favorite round to shoot. Wish someone would make one in an AR platform.

[Psychotic Bovine]

Oh, I consider myself very blessed to have a father who taught me to shoot at age 5.  I wasn't trying to show off (well, maybe a little).  Just that when one is immersed in anything for most of their life, they get more comfortable with it.  I love the .44 Mag. 

It all good, my friend.
 

The Desert Eagle is a pretty iconic gun (looks pretty bad ass), but I never shot one (and they are not available for rental in the range I visit).

I have the impression just by handling one that the ergonomics are a bit lacking and also heard that it is a bit picky on the kind of ammo you can run reliably.

That being said, I think is an amazing feature of engineering to have a pistol shooting .50 cal.

So many cool guns, not enough money.
 

Well, the Israeli's designed the .50 AE for the Desert Eagle.  I have shot one, it's not horrid, but is a bit more recoil than the .44.  Ergonomics are not bad, if you are blessed with bigger hands.  A not-so-firm grip will reward the shooter with the empty case hitting you between the eyes.
Not sure on the .50, but the .44 needs full power loads.  The loading I use for it is a 200 to 240 grn bullet with 20.5 grns of Accurate #9.  So far, neither my brother's or my DE has failed to function reliably. 
They are expensive, but they are wicked accurate, and a serious crowd pleaser when we do our firearms safety courses.  Ours are Israeli Mark VII's, a couple of the last ones made there before moving production to the US with the Mark XIX's. 

[Psychotic Bovine]

44 mag is my favorite round to shoot. Wish someone would make one in an AR platform.

That would be pretty awesome.  No reason they couldn't make it, since the .50 AE and .44 mag have the same rim size (the .44 is rimmed, the .50 is rebated rim, but the rim is the same diameter which is why the .50 AE Desert Eagle and .44 use the same bolt).

[Jess from VA]

The .357/.38 is so much more useful, and reasonable for ammo than the big .44s, and easier to be good with.  And you certainly aren't under-gunned with them.

The .44 mag is really a hunting cartridge, and there is really no good reason to double action one, unless you just enjoy it (and the loss of accuracy).  Shooting the .44 Special through them is more economical, with easier recoil, and with similar ballistics to the the .45acp.

All my Smith revolvers are .38/.357 or .45acp.  Both my .44s are Rugers; Redhawk (which I like better than the Super Redhawk), and an older 3-screw single action (only) Super Blackhawk.  I like the stoutness of Rugers for the .44 mag.  My redhawk has a 2X leupold, and does forehead shots at 50 yards, but only single action (never double, which Is kind of a waste of good ammo, to me).  Both with 7 1/2" bbls.




(If you ever wanted one of these, the older three screw flattop models are really much nicer guns than the newer model transfer-bar ones)

If you really enjoy punishing yourself and noise, look at the new Magnum Research BFR (big foking revover) 45-70 snub nose.  I don't want one. 

[Psychotic Bovine]

I have a BFR in .45-70.  The 7.5 inch one.  Scoped with a Nikon 2x and 4 (yes, 4!) steel scope rings.  I had heard that using 2 rings can cause the scope to break.  

Off topic, but in the original Dirty Harry, did everyone else cringe when Scorpio makes Harry throw his blued model 29 away and you hear it hit the concrete?  Or was it just me?

[Savago]

@Jess: I agree the 44 magnum is not much practical (even though really fun!).

I was thinking about pairing a S&W 686 (357 magnum) with a Marlin 1894 (same caliber).

It seems that the 357 magnum has *huge* gains with a longer barrel:
http://ballisticsbytheinch.com/357mag.html

Aside, it yields 'cowboy' points having both a revolver and a carbine using the same cartridge. Even better if it is a lever gun!
:-)

I got a few questions on your comment: "... Both my .44s are Rugers; Redhawk (which I like better than the Super Redhawk)...".

How would you compare the Redhawk vs Super Redhawk? Which one has the better trigger? How they handle the recoil?

[Jess from VA]

I like your thinking.  

I got the (cowboy) Marlin 1894 .44 mag, to go with my (cowboy) Ruger Super Blackhawk (and a full buscadero tie down gun belt with loops).   (But that's the only cowboy stuff I have, except for the hat and boots.)

You get a decent bump with the .44 in a 20' carbine too.





I've shot the Super Redhawk but not much experience with it, other than it is very heavy.  The regular Redhawk is still built like a tank and will handle any loads you can find, so it is more to my liking weight wise.  I also think it looks better than the Super.  And my (used) Redhawk came with a tremendously smooth trigger job, though I only single action it anyway.  I would assume the triggers on both when new would be nearly identical.

You're not going to carry either one (with a scope), except like this. (I just carry it in my hands)



Now with your auto pistols likely serving as primary self defense firearms, and maybe revolvers not at all, then skipping the 38/357 for the 44 Mag/Special for fun and target shooting would be a fine route to travel.  With the weight of the large frame 44s, shooting Specials with lighter bullets will be less recoil than powerhouse .357s in medium frames (though 44s cost more).  

Or you can always get everything you want, which has always been my plan.  

Sorry to hear about the family resistance/objection to your new (and fun) hobby.  That sucks.  I married a fierce patriot Turkish woman (as a serving Air Force officer), and that got transferred to the US with her citizenship (30 years ago).  I taught her to shoot, and she has carried daily for her job for over 20 years (Sigs and Glocks) (and she regularly out shoots most of her coworkers, who are mostly ex Corps and Army males).  However, over the years, the ever expanding arsenal did cause some criticism on the financial front..... which I politely ignored.    

The nice thing about a good collection is, at some point they can't tell if you are adding new stuff every few months or not (assuming you balance your own checkbook, and don't give them the combination to the safe).  




 

[Pappy!]

Savago - While the .44 Mag may not be the most practical gun out there I would venture a guess that if confronted, all you would have to do is let one loose anywhere in the vicinity and all you would see is a$$holes and elbows!
Any gun you put in your hand that produces a grin on your face is a good gun and a good time! Enjoy!

[Chrisj CMA]

This was a while ago. But a bowling pin at 15 yards is no match for the S&W 500



Exit wounds

[Jess from VA]

Before I scrolled down to see the exit wounds, I was wondering how you found it after blowing it into the next county?    

[Savago]

@Chris: Awesome!
 

How is the recoil compared to say, a 44 magnum?

[Gavin_Sons]

@Chris: Awesome!
 

How is the recoil compared to say, a 44 magnum?

  twice the recoil shoot some 700 grain bullets and get 4-5 times the recoil of a 44 mag. I had one several years ago. It is not fun to shoot. And this comes from a guy that loves recoil.

[Chrisj CMA]

@Chris: Awesome!
 

How is the recoil compared to say, a 44 magnum?

  twice the recoil shoot some 700 grain bullets and get 4-5 times the recoil of a 44 mag. I had one several years ago. It is not fun to shoot. And this comes from a guy that loves recoil.

I bought a box of those 700 grn bullets just to feel the recoil. Was a little more  than my 375 grain hunting rounds but not bad. I truly enjoy shooting this gun. But, I like recoil. Some don’t.

[Psychotic Bovine]

Ok, I figure I will post a pic of my BFR in .45-70.  Technically, it's not a magnum.
I have yet to shoot it in this configuration.  I am also thinking of changing the grips back to the original black rubber ones, since these wood ones are a little too slippery.

[Jess from VA]

Wood vs rubber (and composite) grips is the age old decision/choice with handguns.

I've always preferred (soft) rubber in actual shooting nearly everything, but there's no denying that the wood (and composites, or stag or horn) look so much better than rubber, especially matched up with finer looking full-size handguns like that BFR.  Over the years, I've ordered many fine wood (and composite) grips for various pistols and revolvers and love how they look, but plain black rubber always works better for me at the range.

Then you discover that rubber has a tendency to grab clothing and/or print more than wood (or composites) on smaller concealment handguns, so you order some custom Craig Spegel wood boot grips.  And then you decide you want a grip laser, so it's back to rubber because lasers mostly only come in rubber (which are not shaped as well as other rubber grips without lasers in them).

So I have a big box of all kinds of nice grips.  And it's kind of like the Ken and Barbie dress up collection for handgun owners.

Mother of pearl polymer on a Super Blackhawk.


Spegel J frame boot grips.


Full checkered walnut on the Hi Power.


Stag on the venerable 1911.


VZ aliens on 1911.


VZ on stainless.




Fortunately, changing them out is somewhat easier than bike rear-end maintenance.





 

[Psychotic Bovine]

I know what you are saying about rubber tends to snag on clothing.  I put rosewood on my Kimber.
The problem with the BFR is that there is no one making grips for it, except magnum research.  And their prices are pretty up there compared to others.

[Jess from VA]

Yes, some of the more unique pistols have few aftermarket grips available.

And I forgot grip tape in my discussion.  I never did that on a pistol, but recently got one that came with it. The Talon tape is skinny, and better than the stock Kahr polymer frame stippling, but does not grab like rubber.



And I run a Hogue handall rubber sleeve on a P220.

(Not a 220 but couldn't find a pic)


But on full size, go-to guns, pretty never enters the consideration.

[Savago]

@Jess: all gun threads become so much better thanks to the photos you post.

@Chris: aside bowling pins, did you ever shot anything interesting with that cannon? (e.g. a watermelon would be fun...)
 

Like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOz3qyiuCoA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsOJr9RHlh8

[Jess from VA]

Thanks.  Hey I'm retired and a hermit, and even more of a hermit than usual these days.

And I'd rather talk about guns than virus doom and gloom. 

[Savago]

Or you can always get everything you want, which has always been my plan.  

Sorry to hear about the family resistance/objection to your new (and fun) hobby.  That sucks.

The nice thing about a good collection is, at some point they can't tell if you are adding new stuff every few months or not (assuming you balance your own checkbook, and don't give them the combination to the safe).

Yeah, initially my wife and daughter really opposed the idea... I had the cold shoulder treatment for like 2-3 weeks and they still don't like the idea at all.

I blame that to misinformation spread by the media and gun-paranoia common within people with more liberal tendencies.

Guns are safe, if you follow the basic safety rules and keep in mind that is a serious matter.

It is also an awesome hobby with lots of technical depth to study.

Concerning the costs, I manage it by explaining to my wife that is still cheaper than buying more motorcycles or swiss vintage mechanical watches (my other hobby).
 

[Psychotic Bovine]

Or you can always get everything you want, which has always been my plan.  

Sorry to hear about the family resistance/objection to your new (and fun) hobby.  That sucks.

The nice thing about a good collection is, at some point they can't tell if you are adding new stuff every few months or not (assuming you balance your own checkbook, and don't give them the combination to the safe).

Yeah, initially my wife and daughter really opposed the idea... I had the cold shoulder treatment for like 2-3 weeks and they still don't like the idea at all.

I blame that to misinformation spread by the media and gun-paranoia common within people with more liberal tendencies.

Guns are safe, if you follow the basic safety rules and keep in mind that is a serious matter.

It is also an awesome hobby with lots of technical depth to study.

Concerning the costs, I manage it by explaining to my wife that is still cheaper than buying more motorcycles or swiss vintage mechanical watches (my other hobby).
 

Combine the two and get a Swiss made mini revolver.  Yes, it fires real ammo. 2.34 mm bullet.

http://www.swissminigun.ch/home.html

[MAD6Gun]

 All of my 44 mags. First is a Ruger "three screw" Super Blackhawk. Next is a Derringer. Then my Magnum Research Mark VII. Last is a Henry Golden Big Boy..

[Savago]

@MAD6gun: wow.... that is a dream collection you got there!
:-)

From what I've researched, it seems the Henry Big Boy features both a better finish as also smoother action than the Marlin 1894.

[Gavin_Sons]

@MAD6gun: wow.... that is a dream collection you got there!
:-)

From what I've researched, it seems the Henry Big Boy features both a better finish as also smoother action than the Marlin 1894.

Yes, go for the henry over the marlin. You will get a much better quality rifle. My brother has the same rifle as mad6gun (Mark) and have witnessed him drop a deer at 150 yards with it. Very smooth action. I have a puma model 94 and it took lots of polishing internal parts to get it anywhere close to what the henry is out of the box. As you use it it will get even better. My other brother has a marlin 30-30 and i hate that gun.

[Jess from VA]

Except for the newest Henry Big Boy X models, all Henry lever rifles lacked a side loading gate, and had an unfortunate tube feed (I don't like).

The lever action is a nostalgic firearm, but I'm also not a fan of brass (though brass is gone on the Big Boy X).

I like my Marlin and micro groove rifling.

Some say the current Winchesters (all from Japan) are the best, but they are spendy.

Marlin wins on ease of cleaning and take down against Wincehster (don't know about Henry).

There's a lot of reading to be done comparing lever guns. (but I'm not doing it) (and I would try to find articles on pistol calibers, not the 30-30 round rifles) 

https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/285466-marlin-or-henry-or-shot-the-marlin-at-a-match-today/


 

[Savago]

MAD6Gun: Mandatory big bore revolver/pistol memes:

[MAD6Gun]

MAD6Gun: Mandatory big bore revolver/pistol memes:

 Yep. My brother and I had our DE nickel plated. Mine is polished my brothers is not. When we went to the gunsmith to pick them up after he was done my brother asked him "what would it take wear the gun out" he said "you couldn't afford the ammo it would take wear this gun out".  The Desert Eagle is built like a tank. Rotating locking bolt like an AR. It is gas operated,and has four recoil springs. Two inside two more.

 Note: NEVER shoot bare lead (non clad) bullets in a Desert Eagle. Lead can plug the gas system. And since the Eagle also has "Polygonal"  rifling it can cause lead biuldup in the rifling that could result in damage to the gun due to overpressure.

 

[Jess from VA]

Here is a bit of an upgrade from a lever action pistol caliber carbine.

Aero Precision complete rifle M4E1 (16" mid length carbine, w. Mlock forend), with Trijicon MRO (miniature reflex optic).  A very nice package.