S&W 627 or 629 2.625in Barrel?

[Alaskapopo]

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I like the looks of that revolver. It would be sweet if they could make that in a 45 acp with moon clips or in 45 colt. Nothing wrong with the 44 special that you have it in either.
Pat

[Lost River]

I shoot .44s quite a bit, so here are a few thoughts to consider:

Your are still likely to be carrying the revolver in a holster, so why not carry a 4" gun in a belt rig? It will be much more practical.

Personally I find 5" 44s to be my "sweet spot" of practicality in regards to packing, shooting, getting in and out of vehicles, etc.

While I find I do my best accuracy work with a 6.5" N frame, and prefer to pack a 4" N frame, the 5" does it all "for me". This is what I have found.

A few 5" rigs:











This is after years of experimentation. I know that anything shorter than 4"s for a belt gun, is not really practical. It may look cool, but I know few who shoot them well. I also do not know a single truly accomplished handgunner who regularly carries one.

[Lost River]

Some 4"ers:

[Lost River]

A little .44 variety

[TXBob]

If you want a snubbie , go .357. Get a sturdy heavy one (Which it looks like you have--I lose track of S&W models) like a Ruger SP101 and not an airlight. They really aren't that heavy--its my "Rule 1" gun when its 110 and i am wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt.

A barrel of that length doesn't give you full advantage of .357 or 44 mag, but it does give you some advantage. The disadvantage is the increased recoil, blast, and non-controlability of the firearm. But .357 is much more manageable in a snub that .44mag.

For Hog takedown, you probably want .44 Magnum. DO NOT GET A SNUB NOSE 44 MAG! Yes some guys will macho up and pretend they are all bad and "tier 1". The rest of us like our hands and wrists enough to spare them the damage. A snub nose .44 spec or .45 ACP may be ok, but I don't think that will help with large creatures.

I think 4" is a good starting point, I have a 5 inch full lug S&W that is a sweet shooter and travels to deer hunting with me in case of Hog charging.

For comparison, it is easier on me (recoil management+pain) to shoot .357 Mag from a 2.5 SP101 than 5" 44 Magnum 629. The .357 is sharp recoil., The 44 magnum is a sledgehammer.

[Jitterbug]

I live in the Central Rockies and make it up North to just south of the Canadian border a few times a year, its no doubt rare but, I've seen a 1000 pound Grizz up North and it was an awakening moment if you will...an epiphany of sorts.

My 1911 Commander, 10mm with 200 grain Beartooth Bullets WFNGC, felt really, really inadequate. I've relied on various 10mm formats for woods carry out west for the past 20 years. Glock, S&W 1006 etc.

Initially I drove myself crazy researching which .44 to go and settled on the regular 4" 629 model, I now have about 400+ rounds through it and carry it in a Simply Rugged Pancake.

So far I've run 240 LSCW from 800-900 fps.
250 gr. BTB, WFNGC from 1100-1300 fps
280 gr. BTB, WFNGC up to 1200 fps.

Obviously I reload.

I just received some 250 grain Keith Leadheads and loaded up some test rounds with Unique, 231, 2400 and H-110. But haven't had a chance to get to the range with them yet.

My goal is to run the 250 Keith at about 1300 fps
250 gr. BTB, WFNGC, which really weighs 260 at 1250 fps
280 gr. BTB, WFNGC at 1200 fps.

These velocities seem doable, with H-110 and/or 2400. I'm still playing with powders/chrono and trying to shoot tight groups, so I'm still tweaking loads, the above is just a goal, even if I come in 50-100 fps less with all the loads, it's probably still good to go.

Accuracy and flash are important considerations too.

The heavy loads in the 1150+ range are a bit of a handful and take some getting use too, especially when shooting off a bench for groups.

I'm a skinny, little old guy with girlie wrists so 50 or so hot rounds is enough for me for one day. I use the mild 240's for practice, especially in DA mode.

As far as carry, I can feel the cylinder after awhile, I've found that suspenders really help out. I have CCW'd the gun a few times now and with a loose, unbottoned cover shirt it's tough to tell, the wife can, but she knows what she's looking for. But if dressed right it conceals well enough to go grocery shopping in the big city.

Barrel length. YMMV, but for me the .44 looses too much velocity going from 4" to 3". I may as well stick with the much easier to carry 10mm, in 1911 Commander.

5" is what I'd really like to have, but then I'd loose the conceal-ability factor and inch of leather is going to show below most of my shirts and jackets...so 4" it is.

Overall I'm pleased, although with a 1000 pound Grizz, this will still feel really inadequate too, good thing there are not many that size around in the lower 48.

Most of my concern is Moose while stream fishing, for the most part bears don't want anything to do with people.

If I think I'm going to encounter anything over 250 pounds that can give me trouble in the woods, I now take the .44. May not be as comfortable as the 10mm, but certainly more comforting.

Next up might be a 329, I can really see the purpose of this lightweight, but I'd still keep the 629 for range work.

[Jake'sDad]

I like the looks of that revolver. It would be sweet if they could make that in a 45 acp with moon clips or in 45 colt. Nothing wrong with the 44 special that you have it in either.
Pat

You can get sorta close. The Nightguard 325 in .45 ACP. It's a 2 3/4" barrel though, and there's no pre-lock version. It does have the stainless steel cylinder. I went with the old discontinued 396 to get the L frame instead of N. I'll give up one round to get something that carries better concealed. The old 396 also has a 3 1/8" barrel instead of the 2.5 on the Nightguard. Every little bit helps. It only gives up 30-40 fps over a 4"

Don't know why S&W didn't do the Nightguard series in 4". A .45 Colt version would have been great too, especially in your backyard. Instead they did 10mm and 41 Mag.

[Jake'sDad]

Next up might be a 329, I can really see the purpose of this lightweight, but I'd still keep the 629 for range work.

I like my 329. Not horrible to shoot as long as you don't go crazy with hot loads. Not exactly "fun" to shoot, but it's shootable. It would definitely be a good one to carry fishing in Grizzly/Moose country.