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Post by bigbrowndog on Apr 12, 2021 19:57:15 GMT -5
I would say bullet choice will do more for your performance than pressure level. A 250-280 grain bullet of proper construction can and will do everything you should want a 44 to do. A softer or lighter constructed one for medium game and a stout premium for back 454 duties. You won’t be gaining anything significant in trajectories by pushing it hard, considering handgun hunting distances.
I would love to see what a PC gun could do for accuracy beyond 100 yards. All the S&W’s I’ve owned have all been regular factory 29/629’s, but they have been accurate. Trapr
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Post by tonyrumore on Apr 15, 2021 17:05:04 GMT -5
I bought a pair of 629's when they first came out. Both had serious problems with the cylinders backing up during cocking after a couple shots were fired. That was only after about 500-1000 full power loads. I think that issue got fixed with the "dash-2" models, but my early guns were pretty much useless.
Tony
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Post by bradshaw on Apr 15, 2021 19:00:54 GMT -5
I bought a pair of 629's when they first came out. Both had serious problems with the cylinders backing up during cocking after a couple shots were fired. That was only after about 500-1000 full power loads. I think that issue got fixed with the "dash-2" models, but my early guns were pretty much useless. Tony ***** Tony.... by “backing up,” I think you mean the STOP drops or bounces as the revolver rises in recoil. I called the condition CYLINDER FLOAT and detailed the process to Smith & Wesson. As the revolver rises on recoil it rotates counterclockwise. As recoil unlocks the cylinder, rifling with RIGHT HAND TWIST torques revolver away from the bullet. Symptomatic of the condition, the FIRING PIN strikes a SECOND INDENT. The second indent lands to the left of the fired cartridge----anywhere from beside the IGNITION INDENT to the case head, the extractor, or the cartridge to the left. If the hammer discharges the cartridge to the left, you have a DOUBLE. Sounds like one loud shot. The second shot may very well be airborne. I have no idea how many silhouette shooters experienced cylinder float with discharge, but I have seen it live on the Firing Line. Elongated STOP NOTCHES prevent the billiard ball effect of the the stop notch batting the lightly sprung S&W. But this doesn’t prevent the CYLINDER PIN from retracting from the STANDING BREECH on recoil. ENDSHAKE aggravates cylinder float. David Bradshaw
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dmize
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 2,825
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Post by dmize on Apr 16, 2021 10:04:39 GMT -5
FWIW I asked this very question to Randy Garrett when I bought my 29 a couple years ago. His straight forward no non-sense answer was keep it at 30k and lower and never worry about anything.
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Post by Big Bore on Apr 16, 2021 10:42:07 GMT -5
FWIW I asked this very question to Randy Garrett when I bought my 29 a couple years ago. His straight forward no non-sense answer was keep it at 30k and lower and never worry about anything. How do you know if a load is 30K or below? Is there a formula?
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Fowler
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 3,554
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Post by Fowler on Apr 16, 2021 14:27:29 GMT -5
Please correct me if I'm wrong but I thought it was less the Smith wont handle the same pressures (within SAAMI specs of course) but that the Smiths would wear lose much faster.
The Redhawks will take a steady diet of brutal loads and not blink. That said, especially for heavies the Redhawks are far happier, Garrett loads their heavies longer than the Smith cylinders will allow and mandate them be shot in just Redhawks and a handful of other over built guns.
Naturally these loads are all at recoil levels that are just not a lot of fun to shoot...
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Post by rjm52 on Apr 16, 2021 16:02:40 GMT -5
"The second indent lands to the left of the fired cartridge----anywhere from beside the IGNITION INDENT to the case head, the extractor, or the cartridge to the left. If the hammer discharges the cartridge to the left, you have a DOUBLE. Sounds like one loud shot. The second shot may very well be airborne."
Peter Pi Jr. of CorBon gave me a tour of the factory in 2003. When he showed me the test tunnel range he pointed out TWO dings in the overhead concrete pipe from .500 S&Ws doing the same thing during their load development...
Bob
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Post by bradshaw on Apr 17, 2021 6:36:52 GMT -5
"The second indent lands to the left of the fired cartridge----anywhere from beside the IGNITION INDENT to the case head, the extractor, or the cartridge to the left. If the hammer discharges the cartridge to the left, you have a DOUBLE. Sounds like one loud shot. The second shot may very well be airborne." Peter Pi Jr. of CorBon gave me a tour of the factory in 2003. When he showed me the test tunnel range he pointed out TWO dings in the overhead concrete pipe from .500 S&Ws doing the same thing during their load development... Bob ***** Bob.... the S&W X-frame shoots well. I might get along with it, were there some overpowering need to be so armed. I come in at well under 200 pounds, and have made it this far without living in a gym. While John Linebaught diverged from Dick Casull’s velocity ticket, both adventured into REVOLVER POWER in mind of pursuing their goal in a 3-pound revolver. Give or take a few ounces, to up the ante within packable weight & bulk. The idea of running a chainsaw, or equipment, or hiking with a 4-lbs plus revolver runs into the wall of discomfort and aggravation. Within the confines of sideplate revolver design, especially with the lightly-sprung S&W CYLINDER STOP, and failure to borrow vault lockup principles from the Ruger Redhawk, obliges an increase in bulk----to insure the gun works, as much auto render all that power shootable. (Now it appears Colt borrowed S&W’s weaker stop for the new model Python!). Ruger hit the ball out of the park with the Redhawk bolt, aka cylinder stop. Smith & Wesson may have proffered the X-frame as a whole new gun, but we know it is not. Had S&W borrowed essential strengths from Ruger’s Redhawk, the X-frame could be lighter and stronger. The point is to recognize the limitations of an instrument, and to play to its attributes. David Bradshaw
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Post by rjm52 on Apr 17, 2021 6:43:40 GMT -5
When the .500 came out a friend bought the first compensated 8 3/8" version... It was MUCH more pleasant to shoot than my FA .454...but I didn't want the long barrel. As soon as the 4" came out I bought one...it was "used"..one round fired by the first owner...and it has been a fun revolver... That said I have standardized on 350 grain bullets that run from 1050-1250 fps... Since I am not into hunting freight trains the 350s do just fine...
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WARDOG
.30 Stingray
Retired.....mostly.
Posts: 199
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Post by WARDOG on Apr 18, 2021 18:05:47 GMT -5
My Hot Limit was the Buffalo Bore .44 mag, 305 grn @ 1325 fps, in a S&W 629 Mountain Gun and even more brutal in a S&W 69. I would rather shoot my .475 420 grn @ 1350fps or the .500 JRH 440 grn @ 1400 fps than that load in the Smith.
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