So I bought a model 29

BCRider said:

Try some loads of H110 and 2400. Depending on the bullet weight one or the other will deliver the BIGGEST AND BADDEST fireballs and flame wings....

The 2400 will produce SLIGHTLY less recoil than the H110 while producing the flame show. When shot at dusk the show will be so awesome that you won't even care if you hit your target or not...

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I don't love indoor ranges, but 2400 really shines there, too. A cheap 240 grain bullet and 19 grains of 2400; roll out all six with a stately DA cadence of about 40 beats per minute. Much more entertaining music than practicing double-taps with tactical Tupperware, and makes it's own light show!

Yeah, just try to find some ammo for it! I was at Georgia Arms and they have almost nothing. How much longer is this shortage going to last?

For many years I used a M29-2. My favorite load was the proverbial Lyman 429421 over 22 grains of 2400. Current thinking is that load is a bit warm. It worked for me. That M29-2 has gone on down the road. I do have a 29-3 with a 3" barrel but haven't shot it in decades. I have gone to 45s for most of my shooting enjoyment.

Your 29 should be a good shooter. I recommend you learn to reload.

The 5" M29 is the one for me. Throw in original factory cokes" and near perfection.

The model 29 is an all-around fun gun! The recoil is manageable even with full house loads, and it is easy to load for. There are many powder/bullet combos that work well in it. I use mine for everything from plinking with reduced loads to deer hunting with 240 grn. JHP's.

You will enjoy it!

Treat it nicely. I wish I had held out instead of buying my 6" Tracker. It is decent, but no 29. Congrats

RSWARTSELL - " "Are you talking to me? No. I mean are you talking to me, punk? (Taxi driver, not Dirty Harry). Thats where the posing in the mirror noise comes from."

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Yeah, and long before Taxi Driver, there was........

In Grafton's saloon...

Shane - "Are you speakin' to me?"

Chris Calloway - "I don't see no one else a'standin' there."

Shane - " Don't push it, cowboy."



L.W.

One of the prettiest things made in metal, ever.

My old shooting buddy (also a hand loader) used to only shoot full power loads through his 29. I'd look over at him and he'd have a big smile on his face... he'd say, "Boy, I love those loads that just make my teeth itch!"

Model 29s are the sports cars of .44 magnums in my opinion. Great trigger, great handling, they are not a Ruger. Almost any common factory .44 magnum load will be safe in them because they are so weak compared to a true load (240 grain SWC at 1400 fps out of a 6 inch barrel). I passed on one and I regret it. Yeah I have Blackhawks and Redhawks but the 29 has its own soul.

Oh look at Lee Loaders for the caliber. The ammo is expensive and rare at this point. Good shooting and stay safe.

Many years ago I had a burning desire for a .44 mag. In the days before Forrest Gore invented the internet, the only way to do research was to read every gun magazine you could, try to make an informed decision by what the "experts" said. Well, every "expert" said that the only way to go was to get a Ruger Super Blackhawk because they were as strong as an anvil.

So....I saved my money and bought a new SBH, a box of 240 grain hollowpoints and I headed off to the range. Half a box later I had had all of that Ruger I ever wanted. While others seem to like them I hated that gun and the way it felt under recoil. I sold it to a friend of mine and went looking for another solution to ,44 mag itch.

Stumbled on a used 4" S&W Model 29 for what I had sold the Ruger for and I found .44 mag nirvana. No longer was my hand being beaten to a pulp by the grips, I found that second shots were relatively fast even using it in the single action mode. And accurate, oh my was that gun accurate. It seemed to put the shots where I was thinking they should go.

Yes I like the model 29. I still have that first one and a couple of years ago I added a 6 1/2" 29-2.

MagnumDweeb said:

Model 29s are the sports cars of .44 magnums in my opinion. Great trigger, great handling, they are not a Ruger. Almost any common factory .44 magnum load will be safe in them because they are so weak compared to a true load (240 grain SWC at 1400 fps out of a 6 inch barrel). I passed on one and I regret it. Yeah I have Blackhawks and Redhawks but the 29 has its own soul.

Oh look at Lee Loaders for the caliber. The ammo is expensive and rare at this point. Good shooting and stay safe.

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I shoot full power 280s and 300s in my 629s a lot.I had to replace the hammer/trigger group in one of them once, when it started ratcheting back one when firing, years ago. I also enjoy just shooting specials in them.

Good choice! I used mine for hunting, with the loads I mentioned earlier. I found other loads that worked better for my style of hunting and have enjoyed them.

Congrats. Have fun. Most find that .44 Specials (or downloaded Magnums) are a lot more pleasant to shoot.