[yesterdaysyouth]

i've heard alot about the older 29's falling apart with heavy hunting loads.... im getting ready to load some 44mag, and was wondering how far can i go without damage??

how heavy of a bullet can i use, how hot of a charge??

[stans]

I think if you restrict yourself to bullets weighing no more than 240 to 250 grains and don't try to excede factory ballistics you will be ok. The problems with S&W model 29's occur with heavier bullets driven at high velocity. I recently bought a 29-3 and I plan to use only 240 grain lead bullets at velocities equal to or less than factory ammo. I'll reserve the heavy hitters for my Super Redhawk. Keep you loads reasonable and the gun will probably out last you!

[HSMITH]

When the 29 was designed and first built 44mag ammo was a LOT hotter than it is today in commercial loadings. Take a look at some loading manuals from the 60's. It is gonna take a LOT of nasty loads to hurt the gun, I really would not worry about it unless you plan to shoot thousands of thumpers.

[JohnK]

It's going to depend on the gun but my 29-2 has problems with heavy bullet loads every time. 240-250 up in the 1400+ fps range work fine. Take a 300gr to 1,275 fps and the trigger sticks in the rear position after every shot. Seems like that's a great indicator that heavy bullets are NOT for this gun.

The 29-2 is a terrific revolver but if you want to shoot the big loads I'd get a Ruger.

[WESHOOT2]

Ditto.