Reality and my new 629-6 6" half lug...

[Stainz]

Buying this neat half-lug 6" .44 Magnum just made great sense... I could hunt with it. Of course, stomping through the woods of Alabama with a handgun is a great way to get ventilated by the latest fad-rifle-rounds from a one-weekend-a-year shooter in a tree-stand. No thanks. Besides, my meat-harvesting is best done amongst the blue-hairs at the local grocer's.

Maybe it's a HD piece... yeah, that's it... Harry Callahan would be proud, despite it's utilitarian SS. I know, I tried those .500 Magnum backstrap-enclosing Hogue's on my 629MG and some 'real' .44 Magnums - what a recoil eater! Next, I needed a gun to use those grips on... what a great reason to buy a new .44 Magnum. Besides, my previous shooter with 'emphasis', my beloved .454 SRH, was traded away last fall due to my worsening CTS... I needed more 'emphasis'.

Well, after most of a month back at S&W for what I thought was a cosmetic fault, I got it back Friday - and shot it for the first time yesterday. My rounds included 240gr & 280gr Berry's FP's over 6.5 & 6.8gr Titegroup for ~1,000 fps, some 240gr LSWC over 5.9gr Titegroup (930 fps), some 240gr LRNFP/LSWC over 4.6gr Titegroup in .44 Special cases, and some 200gr GDJHP Blazers in .44 Special (~875fps) - totalling over 200 rounds. I had to re-adjust the elevation, of course, but it became quite predictable with the FP rounds from 12-110yd. The only 'real' .44 Magnum round I fired was a ftf Winchester round from a range-mate's Redhawk (Yes, my .45 Colt Redhawk will produce those, too, with Win primers!), and it went bang in a big way. The recoil was well-contained, although some muzzle rise was noted. Yeah, my lite loads were more 'fun'.

So... I guess I have another .44 Magnum-cased at best Elmer Keith level .44 Special launcher. But - I like that - my wrist likes that - I can still type the morning after - I really like that. Reality... and a neat new 629-6 with a new home.

What would/do you use a half-lug 6" 629 for today?

Stainz

 

[ThreadKiller]

The closest I could come to a legitimate reason to own that one is for knocking down bowling pins. When I hunt, it's with a rifle of some kind. For SD purposes, it's a Sig 220.

However, I would like to have a 44 like yours just because the half lug barrel (ala' the Mountain Gun) is a good lookin' piece. And I would shoot only 44 special level ammo through it.

I got nuthin' to prove.

Tim

 

[jdkelly]

I don't see hunting with a 44 Mag as trying to prove anything. Hunting with a handgun is just a more challenging way to hunt, as opposed to a long gun.


Respectfully,

jdkelly

 

[P. Plainsman]

I went with the 4" half-lug 629-6 over the 6" because it makes a handier home D/car D gun/woods companion, but to heck with it, the 6" is a sweet piece. Bet it would protect you against a home invader (or rather, help you get across the room to the Rem 870) as well as any handgun.

I agree that the half-lug 629's true center of gravity is not .44 Mag, but heavy .44 Special. This is more so with Hogue wooden grips like the ones I just put on mine. When I want a full-time .44 Mag. I will get a Super Redhawk.

My 629 will, though, pour six of those nifty 200 gr Speer GD "flying ashtray" JHPs into the 10-ring as easy as making coffee. It's an accurate, nice-handling, finely finished, versatile full-sized revolver. Couldn't be happier with it.

I tried those .500 Magnum backstrap-enclosing Hogue's on my 629MG and some 'real' .44 Magnums - what a recoil eater! Next, I needed a gun to use those grips on... what a great reason to buy a new .44 Magnum.

I applaud this reasoning, which seems to me faultless.

EDIT TO ADD: Hey, on the Revolver forum is there a special landmark for post # 454?

 

[Standing Wolf]

What would/do you use a half-lug 6" 629 for today?

I'd use one for home defense and open carry, although I'll be the first to admit my three-inch pre-agreement model 629 is easier to carry.

 

[BluesBear]

Hmmm, The only 200gr Speer "Flying Ashtray" bullets I have ever seen were .451". And they were pre-gold dot.

 

[Stainz]

I call the Speer 200gr GDJHP bullets, Speer #4427, 'flying ashtrays', too. They really have thin sidewalls as they were designed to open up by 800fps - and to not be used at high velocities. They offer them in loaded brass, Al (The CCI Blazer variants available at Academy Sports chains for $12.86/50!), and from Georgia Arms in new Starline brass. I loaded a couple hundred in Starline brass over a Speer mid-line level of 5.7gr Titegroup. They have all chrono-ed from 843-881 fps from my 4" 629MG. My main use is for my PD 296, from which they just eclipse 805fps.

Stainz

 

[BluesBear]

Well you can call them flying fish feet if you want to.
But they still don't have the almost straight walls and large flat bottom that actually looked like an ashtray that the old style Speer .451 bullets did.


At least your not as bad as the well know gun writer who, while not exactly knowing what he was talking about, but still attempting to be "hip", kept called them "flying ashcans". :banghead:

We used to call .41/.44/.45 full wadcutters "Flying Trash Cans".



At least no one has yelled "Puppy Feed"

 

[P. Plainsman]

But of course not all ashtrays look the same either.