3 Inch 629-4

[AxeHandle]

Three inches and MINE

[AxeHandle]

[weiler]

Sure is clean! Nice find

From what Ive read the -4’s have tighter throats than previous iterations

[gregs]

Picked up a 629-6 a month ago by accident pushing an auction Sunday morning on GB. Yea, learned a lesson.

I figured out why it was for sale, factory installed double action sear was fit too short and the trigger and hammer were binding during operation. A new sear, some Stonington here and there, an 11 lb rebound spring and a Wolff #2 mainspring and were getting there with an 8.5 double action trigger. Need to order some shims for the hammer to prevent it from rubbing the frame in the firing pin recess.

I ran 10 rds of 240 full snort rifle loads through it and have resorted to 44 specials for now until new grips can be procured.

[AxeHandle]

This thing needs a bobbed hammer. Aftermarket hammers for this thing are scarce and expensive! Won't bob the original. Looked at Numrich yesterday. They have what I need.

[Fowler]

My brother has had one of these for a few years, not sure what dash is it but I do like the gun (personally I prefer the 4” in a 44 mag). It needed an action job and it is a marvelous gun once that and a proper set of grips were added. Been a working ranch gun for my brother for a few years. He carried a 329 this season but I don’t think he shoots it quite as well as the 629.

We have shot a heck of a lot of Bradshaw’s target load (we use 6.0gr and the MIHA classic Keith bullet deep seated), mild recoil but enough that my brother killed a coyote at 60 yards a few weeks back. The deep seating also instantly identifies the load as working load tend to get scattered around the bunch house/trucks/side by sides. A very useful detail in everyday life.

[bradshaw]

"We have shot a heck of a lot of Bradshaw’s target load (we use 6.0gr and the MIHA classic Keith bullet deep seated), mild recoil but enough that my brother killed a coyote at 60 yards a few weeks back. The deep seating also instantly identifies the load as working load tend to get scattered around the bunch house/trucks/side by sides. A very useful detail in everyday life”
----Fowler

*****

Bill.... good call... “target load.” Certainly produces target accuracy, as tested at 100 yards and well beyond. its loopy trajectory at extended yardages in no way diminishes consistency----an irrevocable attribute of serious ammunition. You’ll not wear out a Model 29 or 629 from 240 or 250 grain SWC DEEP SEATED over 5.5/Winchester 231 (or self-same HP-38). Nor from your 6 grain load. A proper .44 Mag should delight in this load. Accuracy boils down to 1) the revolver, and 2) the bullet. If the revolver is accurate but the load is not, the actual cast bullet will be at fault. Commercial variations of cast 240 SWC have all been accurate and this includes the ubiquitous use of Bevel Base by commercial casters. Just don’ push bevel base up to the speed of sound.

Low recoil, with equally mild BANG and reliable meat work make this load practical near livestock.
David Bradshaw

[AxeHandle]

Finally hauled this one home yesterday... Shooting report soon.

[bradshaw]

Dec 8, 2022 14:02:35 GMT -5 AxeHandle said:

This one could come to my house...

*****

Stan.... spur appears shorter than standard M-29 hammer spur. Perhaps it just look shorter. As for the trigger, its the Combat Trigger, which may have first appeared in 1980 with introduction of the Model 629. Was told at the time the first 100 or 200 Combat Triggers were serrated, replaced by smooth trigger face foe production. As your 3-inch reflects, all hammers & triggers were drop-forged carbon steel, case hardened after machining. On your stainless revolver, if it is stock, Smith omitted the flash chrome from hammer & trigger, the hard chrome an affectation to make the parts appear stainless. S&W’s foray into a stainless hammer & trigger had none of the toughness and through-hardness of Ruger stainless; couldn’t hold tune.

My introduction to snubnose M-29’s were round-butted gunsmith shorties with 2-1/2” barrels, nasty little belly cannons. The 3” shows better burn than a 2-1/2-inch.
David Bradshaw

[rjm52]

Nice find...as usual...

Have never had one of the 3" 629s but have had two of the 3" 624/.44 Specials and four of the 657/41s...still have one of the 657s left that has been Mag-Na-Ported...excellent shooter.

For the short .44 Magnums, as a CC load, always liked the no longer made Speer 200 grain Gold Dot Short barrel load. It used the 200 grain wide HP .44 Special bullet at 1080 fps from a 3" barrel and opened up every time. When I had a 629/4" Mountain gun it is what I used and duplicated with 10 grains of W-231/HP-38. Friend carried that load in his 629 3" ported Performance Center gun...very low recoil. Short Barrel Loads for the Speer bullet can be found in the #14 Speer Reloading Manual.

GT Bullets has a 190 gr. SWC-HP that when run between 1000-1100 fps should make a dandy load...

Bob

[bigbrowndog]

I’ve got a -4 as well, have owned it since the early 90’s, it will not be leaving my possession while I’m alive. Mine is the full lug iteration 3” which makes it heavy but very easy to shoot. Alex Hamilton bobbed the hammer and did an action job, the gun shoots so well I had Tony Kidd of 22 fame, cut 15 LPI notches across the top of the hammer for SA shooting when desired. It used to get carried a lot when dealing with feral hogs, now it is a house gun. Accuracy has been excellent with 240 SWC at 980FPS and holding 6 o’clock on an IPSC head at 100 produces a high chest hit every time you do your part. The wife carried it afield last as a bear gun in a chest rig, when we were in Montana, I was afraid I’d never get it back. I bought her a little 69 as ransom payment.

Trapr

[AxeHandle]

First five shots off hand DAO at 75 feet on standard Q target. Whoever owned this creature looked at sights like I look at sights.

[AxeHandle]

Second five offhand DAO on Q target at 25 feet..

[rjm52]

..they are shooters....Bob

[cdf41]

Nice one!