New 629 Mountain Gun, pros & cons

[ArmedBear]

I'm looking for a gun for the trail.

Smith has released a .44 Mountain Gun again, and it looks attractive.

Prices on used revolvers I've been seeing reflect collector value, so I could get a NIB gun in the same ballpark as a lot of used guns. So, while I've been buying everything else used lately, it seems that used guns aren't the best choice unless I can get lucky.

To clear a few things up right away:

1. I don't want a blue gun to scratch up. I want a tool I can use without babying it.
2. I don't care about the internal lock -- Loc Tite is fine with me. I care about price/performance.

So....

What about the Mountain Gun?

Is the tapered barrel as durable as a regular 629 barrel would be? Or does it get shot out too soon if the gun is used much?

Is the additional snap to the recoil worth the few ounces of weight savings?

Is there a better choice?

I have no objections to the Ruger Redhawk; it's a more durable gun. But the new 4" is a half-pound heavier. That's a lot, for a gun that fills the same niche, I think.

Thoughts?

 

[rcmodel]

There is no better trail packing pistol then any of the Mountain Gun series.

Barrel weight has no effect whatsoever on barrel life.

Yes, they kick a little more then a pound heavier .44 Mag.

But they don't pull your pants down and give you a backache from carrying them all day either.

If you want a range gun you can put 200 rounds of full-bore Magnums through at a setting, better get something else.

If you want the most power you can put on your belt and carry comfortably all day, the 629 Mountain Gun is about a good as it gets.

rc

 

[Guillermo]

For a host of reasons, I would opt for the Ruger.

1-if it is not something that you are comfortable practicing with due to recoil, why carry it?

2-a pound is a lot of weight extra for the Ruger, but in a good chest pull holster, you won't notice it too much.

3- the Ruger is more versatile and more fun to shoot so you will enjoy it more (and be better with it)

4- You won't have to trust your life to locktite

The only drawback that I see to buying the Ruger is that you will have to drop a Wolf Spring kit in to improve the trigger. (I find Ruger's refusal to put out a revolver with a decent trigger pull to be ridiculous)

Enjoy

 

[rodell]

The mountain guns are just fine for durability. As rcmodel points out, you certainly wouldn't want to shot a bunch of 300 gr hot loads through it at a range session.

You also can load specials in it for practice. In a situation where you need the full loads, you will be practiced and you won't even notice the recoil!

Bob

 

[rcmodel]

A buddy just bought a very nice pre-lock 629 for $550 bucks at a gun show about two weeks ago.

They are still a few out there at normal prices!

rc

 

[Master Blaster]

I have one, a 629 mountain gun made in 2004 I like it alot, and the rifling wont wear out any faster on a light barrel than on a heavy one.

I also have a redhawk, which isnt even close to being as nice or as accurate as my 629 mountain gun.The redhawk has a wonderful 10lb single action trigger pull, about 22lb DA.
I tried reduced springs and polishing, but the gun will missfire 2 or 3 rounds per cylinder in da WITH ANYTHING LESS THAN THE FACTORY SPRING.
It went back to Ruger, and ITS ALL GOOD according to them. ALL is in spec.:banghead:

If the lock worries you its no problem to take it out. I removed the lock flag from mine in under 5 minutes.

And yes a pound does make a big difference when you are carrying the gun on the trail all day.

 

[ArmedBear]

The only drawback that I see to buying the Ruger is that you will have to drop a Wolf Spring kit in to improve the trigger. (I find Ruger's refusal to put out a revolver with a decent trigger pull to be ridiculous)

I've shot an old Redhawk. I didn't know what I was shooting, we were shooting knockdown plate targets and passing guns around. I thought it was a Smith when I pulled the trigger. Apparently, Ruger's design CAN feel great, and this one had not been 'smithed. It just hadn't been lawyered.

WRT "pleasant to shoot", I have toys. This wouldn't, primarily, be a toy. Between this and a 329, I'd think the Mountain Gun IS pleasant to shoot.

I also reload .44 and, borrowing powder and spec's from the CAS crowd, I've recently worked up a nice fun load, 180 grain plated lead bullets at about 950 fps. It's no problem to shoot it until I'm out of ammo. Accurate, too.

One of these days I'll probably also have a Redhawk; I just keep my eyes open for the rare really cheap deal on a used Ruger. So far, I've been lucky on several.

 

[jglcolosprgs]

OH GOOD LORD!!!

DON'T BUY ONE OF THOSE!!!!!

You will wind up with a whole safe of N frames that way!! They are evil!!

My first large frame was the 629 Mountain gun... now I have 7 other big frame Smiths in various calibers and configurations. It's like smoking crack!!

 

[ArmedBear]

Thanks, all.

I can't help thinking that a lock might actually come in handy on a camping trip, but then again, it might be a very bad thing.

Certainly, every one of us trusts our lives to Loc-Tite every day we drive to work. But removing the flag sounds like the best thing to do.

How do you do it?

 

[20nickels]

I see absolutely no drawbacks with the mountain gun series. In fact I much prefer the tapered barrel over the lug and you reload so ammo costs are not an issue, only lead. Whatever you get just figure a trigger job into the price.

 

[20nickels]

As far as lock removal. It comes out easily once you are inside and have the hammer out. Just pick it right out and don't look back. Too much is made of the lock in my opinion, mine never failed before I took them out.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

Most all the anecdotal & unconfirmed reports concerned the very light hard kickers, like the Ti J-Frames, or the big behemoth hard kickers like the X-Frame .460 & .500.
And that right after the locks first came out years ago.

If I had one, I certainly wouldn't worry about it after I had confirmed it worked right in the first place.

Anyway, I think a lot of it is Internet hysteria!

If it was a legitimate problem, people would be dying in droves in gun fights by now, and S&W would be getting it's azz sued off in a class-action lawsuit.

But people aren't dying in droves, and S&W isn't getting sued, by even one person injured or killed due to a lock failure that I have heard of!

rc

 

[20nickels]

^^ RC, that post had way too much common sense in it.

 

[Guillermo]

But people aren't dying in droves, and S&W isn't getting sued, by even one person injured or killed due to a lock failure that I have heard of!

I don't know anyone who has been struck by lightning but I don't suggest playing golf in a lightning storm.

I don't know anyone who died of AIDS but I am not in the market for a mail order bride from Haiti.

You are within your rights to trust your life to a poor design. You are free to send your money to a company that ignores the opinion of its customers. You can have a tattoo of a Rohm in the act of exploding on your left buttock.

I reserve my right to make a different decision.

 

[batmann]

You won't find a much better trail gun than the S&W Mountain Gun. One tip, I did this to mine, is to order the X frame Hogue's from S&W.
They really help with recoil.
My MG has the IL and I have had no problems at all. It is as much political as mechanical.

 

[Tamlin]

For my first .44, I went looking for a S&W Mountain Gun, but after handling it and a regular S&W 629 (both with 4" bbls), I bought the 629. Yes, it's heavier, but that doesn't bother me. I enjoy shooting it. I can't say I'd say the same about the Mountain Gun. I realized I only wanted the Mountain Gun because it said "Mountain Gun" on the side. To me, after handling them both, the regular 629 was the better gun. At least for my needs.

 

[Gordon]

My 1988 Mountain Revolver is my favorite Bear Country Rig , even over my Ruger Linebaugh 4 5/8th Bisley .454 . The gun is just right in a high and tight Kydex rig on a Liger belt = 3 pounds all up.

 

[Stainz]

The majority of my S&Ws, including my 642 CCW, have the IL. I have owned and shot IL-equipped S&Ws since 9/02 with no problems. I know a guy who was struck by lightning, a friend's son died of AIDS many years ago, and loads of smoker co-workers, friends, and relatives who passed on to lung cancer. Statistics don't lie. The probability of a bad commercial round is orders of magnitude higher than the probability of a defect in the IL... still, I load commercial ammo for protection in my firearms.

Now - to the 4" 629 vs 629MG. I had a 629MG for years - replaced it with a standard 4" 629 (SKU #163603). I don't mind the additional 2 ounces. What you gain is a larger hammer and trigger as well as better sights. The Mountain Guns come with black front blades and a black rear notch, while the regular 4" 629 has an orange ramp front and white outline rear notch. I had bought a 6" 629 (SKU #163606), which differs only in an additional 2" of barrel and 4 oz weight. I liked the larger trigger - and, easier to quickly acquire sights - of my 6" 629, so having them in my 4" was good, too. Another fault with the tapaered Mountain Gun barrels - I still have two 625MGs in .45 Colt - is the laser etched writing on the barrel vs the imprinted version on the regular barrel of the standard 629. You can remove the laser writing with metal polish!

I agree re the S&W .460/.500 Magnum Hogue OEM grips - they are $35 from S&W Accessories - and a bargain. They pad the backstrap, making recoil much more manageable - adding maybe 3/16" to the trigger reach - no problem at all for my medium+ hands. Try the 'feel' of any new S&W .460 or .500 Magnum - they all come with that grip, which is a universal of sorts, fitting K,L,N, & X-frames.

Stainz

 

[steveracer]

Alright. I have the the 29-8 Mountain Gun, and it's a wonderful, light-for-the-size, accurate, reliable revolver that I have found I could CCW at 5'11" and 195 lbs. There are a blue million good accessories out there, to include grips, holster, speedloaders, sights, parts, pieces, etc. The only weak point (since I don't count the lock, as it comes right out, and I have a little baggy full of them) is the rear sight. In my opinion, the Smith rear sight is a little flimsy. Here's the thing, though: I have NEVER seen a broken one. It just bugs me, and I can't put my finger on it. I have a Bowen "rough country" rear on mine, which is much more robust. The Mountain revolvers are wonderful, and I trust my life to mine whenever the mood strikes me to carry a "big one". Mine shoots better, and feels lighter, than my Bountry Hunter (3" barrel full-lug".
Your choice, of course, remains yours, but having owned the new 4" Redhawk, I say buy the lighter, better-fitted, more accurate gun, take off the sideplate, pull the lock, and be done with it.

 

[win308]

I agree with Batmann....get the oversize X frame grip for an extra $35 from Smith.....really soaks up the recoil.