Colt Anaconda

[pbearperry]

Outside of looking good,can the Colt Anaconda 44 mag compete with the S&W 44 mag?

 

[f4t9r]

I have nothing other then I have shot both and I am going to say yes it can, it is a Colt.
I had a older S&W and a buddy had the Colt. I liked the Colt better

 

[swampshooter]

anaconda

the anaconda is a beefier frame and will hold up better than a model 29, which is known to be a little light for repeated firing of full power .44 mag. loads. All the colt revolvers are known to be very accurate. IMHO i would rate it superior unless the weight would bother you. it is heavier.

 

[john44402]

Have a look at this-

http://john-ross.net/pdfs/mags.pdf

 

[Hawk]

Outside of looking good,can the Colt Anaconda 44 mag compete with the S&W 44 mag?

Which model 29? The pre-enhanced version or the current version? Different birds.

The good Mr. Ross notwithstanding, I'd take an Anaconda for longevity over an early 29. Against a current 29 or 629 the issue is unclear. The 329 is a Bane gun and labors under an albatross of sorts.

If I might borrow from one of my favorite gun gurus from another forum on the matter of old S&W vs new S&W:

I own a Smith or two, and consider myself at least somewhat qualified to comment on the topic.

As far as fit and finish goes? There is no doubt, a pre-'57 (or better yet, pre-War) Smith is vastly superior in fit, finish, and polish; the cosmetic characteristics that catch the eye.

As far as mechanical tolerances and measurable characteristics like mechanical accuracy or metallurgical strength? It is no contest; an ugly modern 29 dash-whatever-number-they're-on-now is ten times the gun that a beautiful '60 Model 29 no-dash is. It is more accurate, the chamber throats are more consistent, the b/c gap is much more likely to be spot on, and the insides of the lockwork (under the side panel where a lot of people never look) won't look like it was whittled with a flint axe. Seriously, I have a pre-25 that is maybe the prettiest gun I own, but if you pulled off the sideplate and dragged a phonograph needle around in there backwards, it would probably say "I buried Paul..."

This is completely ignoring the better heat treating and metallurgy. A new 29-9 will swallow loads that would leave a Bangor Punta gun a frame-stretched, backwards-cylinder-spinning wreck. Don't believe me? Go get an old 29 and a few boxes of Cor-Bon or Buffalo Bore and try it yourself.

That's quite a range to be comparing an Anaconda to. Anacondas were generally not that divergent one from the other over the course of their production. Mine strikes me as a great, huge kerlumfing thing that I could probably use for removing lug nuts. I believe Fuff mentioned something about firing pins going south but this was rare.

Though I would consider Mr. Ross's remarks snarky, it's a good sort of snark - gave me a chuckle at any rate.

The Anaconda won't "turn into a frame-stretched, backwards-cylinder-spinning wreck." S&Ws prior to the "ENH" mod have been known to do that. But that goes back a ways.

 

[Majic]

Even against the enhanced M29/629 (which just have modified parts installed) the Anaconda is still a beefier, more durable revolver.

 

[john44402]

I had an Anaconda and shoot the poor thing loose. It was the first firearm I owned and I couldn't get enough of it.

It wasn't a big deal for me to put 3 boxes or WWB downrange in a session. And I shot a lot. Then I took up handloading...

Needless to say, it had a ton of heavy magnum loads through it.

The big Colt developed dreadful end shake and the timing was hammered. The timing was remedied, but I sold it to a friend who understood the end shake issue.

Out of the few 44 mags I've had, I'm left with a Ruger SRH and a Smith 629PP. I'm never concerned about any loads I put through SRH. The accuracy might not be on par with the big Colt, but it's surprisingly good. The 629 (pre lock) is semi-retired, but still strong and tight after quite a few full magnum loads.

 

[john44402]

Well, count me among the unlearned of the crowd.

http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/colt_python_delicate.html

Now I know.

 

[Hawk]

That Grant Cunningham posting turns up with some regularity in Python threads (sometimes cited by both sides of the "delicate" argument).

I could be wrong but I believe the Anaconda is a totally different lockwork that didn't rely on hand-fitting and didn't exhibit the Python's lock-up. On a happy note, getting the Anaconda worked on doesn't seem to be the epic undertaking that the Python can present.

Not to say that your volume wouldn't shoot an Anaconda loose. I tend to think the Anaconda would hang in longer than a "no dash" 29 but neither would hang with a SRH based on what I've read.