Smith 29-3

[x101airborne]

May 12, 2023 12:38:01 GMT -5 Burnston said:

I am no authority on the gun itself, but I’ve carried more than most for ranch/non-military/Leo purposes. That said, be careful with heavy bullets. That may seem obvious to most, but it wasn’t to me. I loaded up a moderate load with a 300gr LSWC Hammer for my 4in 29-3 and ended up splitting both the forcing cone and the frame at the threads. An ignorant, avoidable mistake. I was later harshly educated by a few S&W mentors who put it something like this; “Save your #**@$& heavy load for your Rugers. 300 grainers have no place in a @**&&#**@*!! N frame.”

While I do not express this opinion as an absolute in all cases, I developed it through personal, ignorant experience.

Isn't that how most of us learn? 

[bradshaw]

Reckon most of us don’t treat our sixguns like a supercharged Nitro Funny Car, which motor, clutch, and blower gets rebuilt after each 4-second blast down the strip.

My M-29’s are all of the 29-2 permutation, predating the so-called “enhancement” caper, which was S&W’s belated answer to CYLINDER FLOAT. MY 29’s include barrel set-backs at the factory to eliminate barrel face erosion. These guns never tried to reinvent the V-2 rocket or mess with bullets overweight for the frame. Nor did my 29’s try out my early Super Blackhawk ram load: Hornady 265 Flat point over 23.2/H110 in Winchester brass with CCI 350 primer. That’s not a hot load, yet it accumulates more thump on the gun than a 240 over 21/Hercules 2400, 24/IMR 4227, or 24/296. Whereas the Ruger doesn’t notice it, I suspect a Smith would.

To launch howitzer shells from a double action, we have the Redhawk. As for a 4-inch 29, a good 240 SWC loads in the 900-1,000 fps zone is a sleeper, which counts Big Time near livestock.
David Bradshaw

[boolitdesigner]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Very good advice!

[x101airborne]

I have 2, 44 Mag Redhawks and 3, 44 Mag Super Blackhawks. No need to hot-rod.