NEW .44! Hooray!

[ricebasher302]

Well, sometimes you just want something. I've been wanting this gun since I first saw it, and a small timer local FFL was able to get one at a great price for me, so I went for it. S&W Performance Center model 629. I shot it yesterday a bit out in the hills. I was rushed and didn't even have a target, but was hitting stuff with it pretty quickly. .44 spl's aren't bad at all. Magnums are cool, easy to control, but a little tiresome after about 25 rounds. Trigger is fantastic. Overall, I'm thrilled. What do you all think?

 

[goodtime]

Nice gun! I love unfluted cylinders.

I shoot my 4 5/8" super blackhawk 44 mag with my pinky finger underneath the grip, too.

 

[capbuster]

Sweet!!!!!

 

[mesinge2]

Absolutely beautiful.

I just bought the 3" barrel 629 Deluxe Talo Edition and it is great.
I was surprised that the recoil was so controllable as well. I was expecting more.
You have got to try some 300 grainers just for kicks.

Again beautiful gun.

 

[josephbw]

I think you pretty much pegged my jealousy meter. Be very careful with it, someday you may want to sell it to me.

 

[JEB]

very nice!

in a .44mag it looks like it would be a WHOLE LOT of gun in a pretty small package!

out of curiosity what are your plans for it? ccw, woods gun, camp gun, etc.?

 

[ricebasher302]

Well, I just got back from shooting it again tonight. I had a little more time. I was able to shoot 6 shots of full power loads into about a 6" circle with 3 shots touching from 15 yards. That was single action, but I was happy with that as a starting point. I did some double action shooting at an old 55 gal. barrel from about 12 yards. All six shots hit the barrel, and I was shooting as fast as I could. So that was pretty good too (for me).

JEB, as far as uses, it'll probably tag along on camping/hunting trips. Probably not backpacking though because of the weight and the fact that most bad things over 9,000 ft. in elevation can be handled with a much smaller caliber.

My wife's family owns a cabin in Cooke City, MT which was the sight of a tragic grizzly bear killing/mauling this summer, so it'll definately tag along on those trips.

One of the more noteworthy occurences while shooting it was that after a session with the .44, I'd pick up my FNP-45, and felt more capable with it than ever before. Perhaps it only seemed that way, but I hammered out some full mags very quickly and very accurately, so maybe this big 'ol .44 will make a better shooter out of me.

Also of note is that this gun loaded with 240 grainers weighs one quarter of an ounce less than my FNP-45 loaded with 14 rounds of 200 grainers. 2 lbs, 10.5 oz, vs 2 lbs 10.75 oz. I found that interesting.

Thanks for all the compliments though! Glad to hear y'all like it.

 

[ricebasher302]

You have got to try some 300 grainers just for kicks

Pun intended, right?

Yes, heavy loads will be next - right after my hand recovers from the box of 240s.

 

[springmom]

You'll definitely get more practice with the specials. The magnums are, however, more fun than anything to shoot. Practice, practice, practice. Good catch on that gun.

Jan

 

[Marshall]

Very, very nice!

Glad to hear you're enjoying it! Congrats!

 

[GreenMTNLife]

Awesome! A 629 is next on my list wends the funds allow it.

 

[mesinge2]

A 300 grainer in action in my 3" talo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLtMj-yxBwk - 17yards


Click Image to Enlarge

 

[Tequila Mockingbird]

I like mine...



I replaced the factory grips with Craig Spegel boot grips. They're a bit wider than the factory grips so they're more comfortable with heavy loads. Carries easily in a Simply Rugged holster. The holster converts to an IWB, so you can conceal it with no problem under an untucked shirt.

 

[ricebasher302]

^^^I like those grips a lot. A wider grip wouldn't be a bad thing.

Besides that, my only complaint is that I generally do not like finger grooves. They look great, but generall do not fit me well. I wonder if anyone makes a grip/grips that are compact but smooth...? Anyone know?

 

[loadedround]

It's a crying shame that S&W has to spoil a beautiful custom shop revolver with that d----d lock!

 

[Legionnaire]

VERY nice! I just put a set of Hogue bantam grips on my 3-inch 629-1, and am looking forward to trying them out. It's a gun like that, though, that makes reloading so worthwhile. Easy to build all manner of loads from light .44 specials up through full-power .44 mags to find the optimal loads for plinking and serious work. Nice pickup; enjoy!

 

[bang_bang]

Dirty Harry would be pleased.

Nice gun!!

 

[Heavies]

I like that...alot! I need one like that too.

 

[Nushif]

I love unfluted cylinders.

And I thought I was the only one!
BIG! +1!

 

[mesinge2]

^^^I like those grips a lot. A wider grip wouldn't be a bad thing.

Besides that, my only complaint is that I generally do not like finger grooves. They look great, but generall do not fit me well. I wonder if anyone makes a grip/grips that are compact but smooth...? Anyone know?

The only ones I found are Rubber Pachmayr's. All the smooth wood grips that are two fingers that I have seen have finger grooves.

The Pach's:


Click Image to Enlarge
http://www.pachmayr.com/revolver-grip-details.php

Smooth wood Hogue's with no finger grooves, but larger:


Click Image to Enlarge
http://www.hoguestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22_37_92_521_263&products_id=1367

 

[Stainz]

Here is my 2 5/8" PC627 UDR from earlier in the year sporting Ahrends retro targets in cocobolo:



Hey - at >2.5 lb loaded and an N-frame, these revolvers are out of the pocket realm to begin with. And - some of the remaining stock of the neat OEM boots, by Eagle, I think, were made for the earlier (c. '99) N-frames - and thus have a smaller radii at the front and top edges, making them not meet at the front and top. The Ahrends have the wider radii there - and fit all RB N-frames. The OEMs, and replacements, fit my '96 vintage (hammer-mounted fp) 625-6 MG perfectly.

I sent the OEMs back using the FEDEX Ground prepaid label - and had a replacement set most of a month later. Handsome, but identical to the first set, save they came with a 1/4" too long screw. Another call - and an e-mail - and another FEDEX Ground for the replacement grips ... and... a few days later - a FEDEX Overnite for the whole gun! I ordered the retro targets and they fit like a glove. The aggravating part was asking them, in the original correspondence and the letter with the returned OEM grips, to test fit them on any current N-frame for fit - they declined and said they wanted my revolver!

The first three 2 5/8" PC627's my pusher got had ill-fitted grips - their current one on display is properly fitted - hope the OP here got a good set, although I sure wouldn't want to make a habit of shooting .44 Magnums with them. Besides the Ahrends wood grips, I have a Hogue made-for-S&W .500 Magnum monogrip for each of my 629's - great recoil aid. They would look out of scale with the short barrel, but who cares - they work. Somehow, I let my pusher sell his one PC 629 like that to someone else... nice revolver - congratulations!

Stainz

PS I visited my pusher yesterday... the latest 2 5/8" PC627 like mine is really like mine - same ill-fitting Eagle boots! A kilobuck for a PC Shop revolver and they put poorly fitting grips on it - good grief!

 

[Tequila Mockingbird]

Stainz:

I like those Ahrends grips. I've got the same ones on my Mountain Gun:

 

[Legionnaire]

629-1 with Hogue Bantam grips. Like 'em a lot so far ...

 

[mesinge2]

This thread and specifically Stainz beautiful 627 PC got me thinking.

If an N frame holds 6 large bore rounds and 8 357/38 rounds could the N frame conceviably hold 9 327 Federal Magnum rounds without increasing the exterior dimensions?

Because I could go for a 2 inch barrel N frame 9 shot 327 magnum.

 

[Gripmaker]

Check out Blue Magnum Grips out of Colorado Springs. Tedd Adamovich makes some of the best custom wood grips out there. He can fit a pair that will meld to your hand.