What Is Your Favorite Self Defense Revolver? S&W629

44 mag is great, With cast bullets and wheel weights I powder coat… plus a lbs of unique, you can do a lot of shooting. 357 brass is cheaper if training and gets left on the floor or ground.

A 44 special is spectacular to start with

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[QUOTE="westernrover, post: 12131199, member: 250596"It seems to me that Keith's ego, fame, and wealth were primarily built on an exploitation of macho American braggodocio. If he had any character weakness.[/QUOTE]

I know this: 44 Spl and 44 Magnum can be used for defense. Both work just fine. Modern bullet technology meshed with the correct velocity on the upper end of 44 Special and on the lower end for 44 Magnum are great manstoppers. With 44 Magnum, the point of diminishing returns in speed of shooting versus terminal ballistics is easily reached. Even my favorite load, Federal 44A at 1,240 FPS out of my 629 4”, slows my followup shots such that I cannot make standard in the “Five yard Roundup” drill. The load would work just fine; I simply refuse to limit myself to slow fire when the situation may call for more speed (look at the 9mm guys…they’re shooting fast bursts). It is a cinch with hot 44 Special and Georgia Arms 44 Magnum 240 grain at 1,000 FPS. My personal velocity limit for speed shooting with a revolver is about 1,100 FPS for a 240 grain bullet. This is 45 Super territory and performs well for personal defense.

It’s easy to tell a story about people who are long dead. Elmer Keith got his fame and money. Whether or not people liked how he did it is just interpersonal drama. Ackley had an agenda too, so I hesitate to believe any of anyone’s story without video.

I just look at their writings. Sometimes I find the information useful, or just entertaining. Perhaps something in there will be of use someday.

I really liked Ed McGivern’s book “Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting”, but not for the writing. His writing is painful to experience. But, there are many lessons in that book, not the least of which are “Things are still the same”, “Gunwriters and gun company markets are still full of sh*t” and “Bureaucrats and their budgets suck.” McGivern seems to be one of the true great shooters and teachers. I have no idea if his life was a mess, but his writing certainly seems honest.

“Anyone” who “Needs” a 458 win mag for Mule deer, Needs to be Looked at with Questions, as that’s a bit odd. If someone thinks that’s perfectly normal… ok???




With a 240-250gr , I prefer Skeeter’s 7.5 of Unique in a Spl or Taffins 10 in mag brass…….. Then 18.8-19 gr of 2400 is nice for Hunting with flatter trajectory….It’s also about where diminished returns happen.

Ymmv

To the OP
I treat my old 29-2 and other 629-4 as a K frame 357.

I shoot Hotter spls or Lower power magnums most of the time. With occasional cylinders of mid level Power magnums. I rarely take it above that with the 629-4. The 29-2 is from 1979, just got a action job and had the forcing cone cut with rear cylinder shimmed. It’s a Gem

At a time I had a 629 6.5” ,mountain gun, 2 rifles that are a Jm marlin and 788 Remington… tho I sold the mountain gun as I usually just shot my 624 spl … or 696 or 296

I agree with the OP as it definitely is the most versatile cartridge. It can do so very much.

Needless to say, I’m a fan of the versatility of the 44 spl/magnum

You know it man.
I’m literally hunting with the 29 rite now, and the 788 yesterday.

I've carried this a lot since 1989.

My favorite self-defense revolver is a S&W 442. I have other revolvers that I like more, but that’s the only one that’s ever carried for potential self-defense.

Mr.Revolverguy said:

You guys and these mountain guns just make me want to puke because I can't have one.

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I'm really sorry, Friend. But mine is a Mountain Revolver, not a Mountain Gun. First run and I did drop a deer with it once. I remember really scraping to come up with the $355.00 because I was building us a new house at the time.

It’s a tie 442 and bobbed 37.

357 mountain gun , 7shot pre lock

Or my favorite, 44 spls
A 624 and 696 no dash with extra barrel and cylinder… just incase

Lnf Crzr said:

Ya, Yet ya need a wheel barrel to haul it around. Had one

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Doesn’t bother me to carry it with the right holster. I’ve carried it all day on a hunt with no discomfort. Murph’s Custom Leather in Mooresville, NC made this holster, and I’ve worn this rig to church several times, and no one was the wiser. Also have a holster from him for my 5” Kimber 1911 that carries just as well.

Nice- True, A good holster and belt can make the heavy guns “Bear Able”

tomrkba said:

It’s easy to tell a story about people who are long dead. Ackley had an agenda too, so I hesitate to believe any of anyone’s story without video.

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By the time Ackley talked about Keith to me, (mid 70's) Ackley was waaaaaay past worrying about an "agenda", in fact he never promoted anything he had wrote or had done, not even one time.

In all the subjects we had covered, I found him to be open and honest.

DM

Lnf Crzr said:

Nice- True, A good holster and belt can make the heavy guns “Bear Able”

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When I carry my 44 mag... (M-29) I always carry it in a Safariland shoulder holster.

I've always liked their shoulder holsters, they just keep the gun out of the way...

DM

How about a 625 in .45 acp.

Lnf Crzr said:

I treat my old 29-2 and other 629-4 as a K frame 357.

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I get it with the 29-2, but why the 629-4? Shouldn’t that stand up ok to hotter loads? I thought (from reading, not personal experience) that 629 -3 onward with the endurance package were pretty robust.

Trips to town...it's a Smith M-60 with a 3" bbl. High and tight, it rides at my 4 o'clock position, OWB. For back country trout fishing and some of our western trips in the summer, it's a Smith M-69; the 4.25" bbl'd. model with 200 grain XTP's over a healthy dose of Acc #9 doing the pushing. YMMv Rod Here's the .357 rig.