Anyone have one of these? It is one of the few "legal" 44's available in my repressive state. Looking for comments as opposed to a classic 629.

Excuse my ignorance, but legal in what sense?

For sale.. IE CA

Again, I'm not following you. I was born and raised in SoCal, and I bought both of my Model 29s there. What constitutes a "legal" .44? I'm not trying to be a wiseass, and since it's getting late, my thought process is getting a bit foggy......

Haven't shot the light hunter, but have used the 629 fairly extensively, and it's a great revolver IMHO. Balances well, and has good weight/feel to it.

For a handgun to be allowed for legal sale in CA it has to tested and approved by a state certified lab. There is a very specific list of approved guns. IE for S&W 629 only the 629-6 models can be legally sold. If one wanted say a 629-1 in 8 3/4" it would not be legal to buy or sell for that matter. It is possible to transfer some "non legal" handguns but it is very restrictive.

This for new guns only. If you see something in a used handgun on some auction site, you can't legally import them. If there're pre-test guns within the state, you can buy them and transfer them.

Thanks for the clarification. When did this ridiculousness go into affect? That's absurd.

This shit been in effect since 01, IIRC. Got terminal CRS, don'tchaknow.

That explains my not knowing about it. Unbelievable. One thing I will say about the People's Republic of California is that there are some really nice ranges in the Southland......can't find a decent range out here past 100 yards......pathetic.....

S&W quality control can be spotty from time to time. BUT they will always make it right if You have a problem. As a Performcance Center gun the Lt Wt Hunter should be pretty straight right out of the box and shoot well.

All of my PC guns are older models, but all three shoot VERY well. My standard hunting bullets are heavyweight LBT cast slugs.
The .44's are also reasonably PLEASANT to shoot. None of the jarring recoil found on other calibers.

For deer or bear at reasonable ranges it's all You need. It's PLACEMENT and not foot pounds of energy that kills game.

FN in MT

quote:

Originally posted by FN in Montana:For deer or bear at reasonable ranges it's all You need. It's PLACEMENT and not foot pounds of energy that kills game.

Agreed. What heavy LBT load do you use if you don't mind me asking?

I use the 275 gr LBT's, Starline case, WW primer, and 20.0 gr of current 2400. I don't recall the velocity , even tried to find a few old targets that would show my data.

LBT has data with the bullets. They showed a load with WW296 that shot well in my PC 629 but I never tried it over the crono or on game.

The old standby #429421 245 gr Keith bullet over 22.0 of 2400 is another good load.

FN in MT

I bought one last spring.It is reasonably accurate,but I thought they would at least Tune the action.About the only thing worthwhile is the nifty Aluminum Gun case that comes with it.Get a stock one and put a Wolfe spring kit in it and you will be lite years ahead of The Custom shop 44. OB

IMO, the PC Lt. Hunter is one of the prettiest handguns out there. Lovely design, great looks. And a heavy pricetag: $1100+

S&W doesn't have the best reputation in the raw durability of their N-Frame handguns in 44 mag. My local indoor range has not had the best of durability in them. They go 8-10k rounds of 240gr. range loads and tend to shoot loose.

Now I'll be the first to note that most owners never put that much ammo downrange ever. Still, it tells me that their raw durability isn't up to the level of abuse I like to put my weapons through.

Durability aside (which is very difficult to measure anyway), the biggest problem I have with the Hunter is what I can get for the same money.

$1100 buys a Magnum Research BFR in .475 Linebaugh...with a Leupold 2x scope. Oh, and dies, brass, bullets, powder, primers and more.

And that's the biggest problem I have with the PC: for the same money I can get a lot more gun.

(PS: yes, the BFR is Ca DOJ approved.)