I have always wanted a double action in 41 Magnum.

I have not seen one for sale in a while and have settled on a 44 Magnum because I can get one and they are stainless (which I like a lot).

My local gunshop has four 629's in various form from about 4 inch barrels to 6.5 inch barrels.

I am considering this as an solution, since I don't see any 41 Magnum caliber stainless options.

I have owned multiple 44 Magnum and 41 Magnum single action Rugers, so I am familar with both cartridges.

I will say that I prefer the look and feel of the full underlug models more than the half underlug models. Though I do realize that is more weight to pack.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/f...ms/model-629-classic

https://www.smith-wesson.com/f...s/model-629-4-barrel

https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/model-629-0

https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/model-629


I also think I prefer the 5 inch barreled model over the other ones. This is link 629-0.

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Any of them will work just decide what one you like the best.

657's are out there just harder to find.

Found a couple, they are about $1500-1750.

The same gun in 44 Magnum NIB for $850.

Easy decision.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
Found a couple, they are about $1500-1750.

The same gun in 44 Magnum NIB for $850.

Easy decision.

Well it is only money.

The 5" would be it for me. I don't like the look of the full length barrel lug, just my opinion though.

We might have a 629 for sale. I will check. The price of a new one for a belt gun is hard to beat.

I like half under lugs, but that is just me. I would go with the 6 inch Half underlug. I do not know the load, but I saw an old timer spine, drop, and count out a 6x6 bull elk with a 6 inch 44 629, half underlug.

I wish they had a 5 inch half underlug.

Nothing wrong with a .41, but ammo is so much more readily available for the .44 - it just makes more sense.

I've carried various 29's, 629's and a 329 a lot. From 3" to 8 3/8" barrels. They're amazing guns. Great triggers and super accurate.

You didn't mention your purpose. Is it a back-up where you'll be carrying it a lot and shooting it a little? Or will it be your primary firearm - where you need to reach out for a bit of distance? I think that makes the bulk of the difference on choosing the barrel length (unless you're going with a red dot - then you can also get decent accuracy out of a short barrel).

In my experience barrels longer than 4" are a hassle to carry and aren't worth the trouble unless it might be the primary gun and then a 6" or longer sight radius is worth transporting.

I've typically carried one as back-up so I've spent most of the time carrying 3" or 4" .44's. I shot the 8 3/8", much better at distance, but it was a pain to carry. If you might be crawling in tight cover to do follow-ups then in my experience it's really difficult to palm a revolver and keep the muzzle out of the dirt if the barrel is longer than 4".

If it's just going to be a Range Queen then definitely go for the longer barrel.

I'm finally getting with modern times and playing with the red dots. I still don't like the idea of a battery in a true self defense gun, but with my aging eyes I'm sure impressed with the accuracy gained at distance with a red dot.

Another bit of advice: For a hunting gun I can't recommend highly enough getting the cylinder machined for moon clips. In my experience it has no disadvantages - only advantages(other than costing about $125). Moon clips make loading and unloading the gun so easy. No fumbling with or losing rounds. Quick and quiet to load and unload, carry extra rounds, switch loads, etc. Yet you can still single load or use speed loaders if you'd rather. I've had it done to most of the revolvers I've carried over the past 20 years. The clips are a little bit of a hassle to load and unload, but you don't need to use the clips for range work so if you're only carrying your hunting rounds in clips it will be very little clip loading and unloading.

Hope that helps.

Well, you are correct on your opening statement if you are tied to factory ammo (if you can find any of anything) but if one reloads it's a moot point. I have a model 57 8 3/8" bbl. in Nickel that I MIGHT be interested in trading for an early model 29-2 or earlier in a 6" bbl. If one has a 5" bbl. I will definitely consider a trade. They did make them.

When you get that 41 mag revolver, you will need a 41 caliber rifle.
I just happen to have a spare Winchester 1895 deluxe .405 ! You can handload the 210 grain Hornady pistol bullets for plinking and small game.

well. ...
what you are looking for is a 657 - which is the 41

the 629 is literally only in 44 mag

Sorry I can't agree that the difference in availability between .41 Mag & .44 Mag is moot if a person reloads.

I've reloaded for the .41 Mag. for about 40 years and have reloaded for the .44 Mag for around 36 years. Yet the amount of brass and bullets I've accumulated from sales, down-sizing clients or other great deals over the years favors the .44 about 20 to 1. There just aren't that many choices for .41 bullets and brass out there and even fewer sources to get good deals.

And for those of us stuck in a Regime where we can only hunt with nonlead there are only two bullets available for the .41 that I can think of. There aren't a lot for the .44, but at least 8 or 9 options.

Again, nothing against the .41 Mag as a cartridge, but there have never been many options or significant availability for components.

It is a moot point if one DOES NOT reload. Perhaps you misunderstood my statement.

"but if one reloads it's a moot point"
Now it's a moot point if one Does Not reload.

Someone might have misunderstood???

Forget the S&W and get a Ruger Redhawk. Better, faster, cheaper. If you really have to have an underlug, just weld on on.

I dont think this message made it through

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
well. ...
what you are looking for is a 657- which is the 41

the 629 is literally only in 44 mag

Obviously you want a .41 magnum in a model 657 so buy it and enjoy. Whats "better" is highly subjective anyway. I had one years ago in a Redhawk and while the caliber was fine I just can't stand any Ruger double action big or small. But that's just me. Now hand me a Ruger single action and I'm all for it.

I still have a S&W model 29 that's about 30 years old. So same platform different metal and caliber. It's not going anywhere.

There’s ~20 657’s currently on Gunbroker.

To answer your question about the 629, I agree with Kyler and would add that I have had several of them. I prefer the full underlug in a gun I will shoot a lot. For a carry gun for backup, I prefer the standard 4-inch barrel or the Mountain Gun which has a light contour 4-inch barrel, either of which are quite shootable and carryable. For a shooter/hunter/range gun, I prefer the 8-3/8-inch full underlug. For a compromise, I would choose the 5-inch full underlug.

Found a new 5 inch 629, and it came home with me with 100 rounds of 44 mag ammo.

The 240 Grain is fine to shoot, the 320 Keith hard cast has hard recoil but I can manage it.

I am enjoying it to say the least.

Need to find good leather for it.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
Found a new 5 inch 629, and it came home with me with 100 rounds of 44 mag ammo.

The 240 Grain is fine to shoot, the 320 Keith hard cast has hard recoil but I can manage it.

I am enjoying it to say the least.

Need to find good leather for it.

Enjoy I also find my 315gr WFN hand loads at 1300fps a bit stiffer in the recoil department.

Have you guys ever shot Hornady LeverEvolution out of a 29?

What about the new Federal hammer down?

I am not going to get set up to handload pistols for a while.

I can run a single stage press my bolt rifles, and deal with it but until we move I am not getting into mass ammo loading until we have a better place to do it.

Still have my mint 29-2 3Ts with the 8 3/8" barrel. can you say Dirty Harry? :-)

I have owned 7 44mag handguns I do not think I have ever shot a factory round through any of them.

You might also want to consider the S&W Model 69. It is a 5-shot .44 Magnum on the L frame (same as the 686 in .357) with a 4-1/4 inch underlug barrel. I really like the one I have.

Thank's Dale,

I'll see if I can find one to handle.

I seem to remember a scandium 44 Magnum from Smith that was really light weight too.

I saw one of them at the S+W booth at the SHOT show several years ago + the factory rep. said even though he worked for Smith he did not recommend it. He said he never wanted to fire a full cylinder due to the recoil.

The Model 69 is nothing like the Scandium gun. It is more like the Mountain Gun, but 2 or 3 ounces lighter and on a slightly smaller frame. The Model 69 is not too bad for a couple of cylinders of full loads. I enjoy shooting a medium cast bullet load (240 gr. bullet at 1000-1100 fps).

Dale, the scandium was the one I was referring to.

Norman Conquest: Sorry for the misunderstanding. I think the scandium version would be great to carry, but not much fun to shoot.

I have a 629 - 5" with full under lug and rounded butt with Hogue grips. It is very pleasant to shoot and I shoot it better than my 1911 Gold Cup. I sometimes shoot ground squirrels with it for practice. I carry it in a Bianchi holster with high carry when in serious bear country.

Since the mid 1970's bet I owned about 25 different .44 mags. Killed deer with a few, and carried many on a daily basis when we lived in Alaska. The only one I would never own again is the 329. It was simply brutal to shoot.
Currently own a 69, and a 629 with the 6.5 inch barrel. These both fit my present needs perfectly. Reasonable weight and compact size.
If I were to buy one strictly for hunting big game it would be a BFR with a 6.5 or 7.5 inch barrel. Before buying the 69 one of my favorites for carrying was a Ruger single action with a barrel that was about 3 3/4 long.
The 629’s with a 5 to 6.5 inch barrel are about the most versatile 44 on the market today and triggers are usually top rate right out of the box.

Dale, how well I know. I have no problem carrying a very light rifle for D.G. when walking will be an issue as the rounds fired will be minimal + much more important to weight V/S recoil issues. With a lightweight handgun however that doesn't apply for a regular use piece. And although I sometimes wonder, we're not out there to punish ourselves, are we?

I've owned and carried more than my share of different S&W .44's (629's and 29's from 3" to 8 3/8"). No question that the 329 (Scandium/Titanium) is my favorite. Yes, it's brutal to shoot... but really accurate and about half the weight of the stainless or steel versions. I'll put up with a bit of pain when I need it because I've found I can still shoot it accurately (killed a ground squirrel digging in my shotgun range with it a couple months ago) and it can handle full-house loads. Yet it's light enough that you can forget you're carrying a full-sized six-shot .44 Mag.

A person should definitely shoot one before they buy one - because they're not for everyone - but I've carried and shot mine for about 12 or so years and I'm really glad they offer that model.

Damn it! BWW, got me wanting a 657. I had never owned a 41 Mag.

We took a trip to a collector friend and made a real deal on a clean 657 without box and papers he had buried under a mattress.

This revolver is pre lock and pre mim. I will look up the hard date later. It is a no dash model.

Found 5 boxes of ammo Hornady 190 not my favorite and 175 Silvertips.

You will love it. Let me know if you need some 210 G. cast bullets to try out. Best, R.

I am stuck in Louisville until Monday. So, I can’t fire it this weekend. The single action trigger pull feels like 3-3.5 pounds. I do not know that it is that light, but it feels that light.

Deer season is this weekend.

Thank you NC. I appreciate the offer. You may need your ammo with the local shortage we have.

There is no doubt about shortages but casting bullets with an unlimited lead supply is no biggie. It's the lack of primers that's the problem.