Home | Ezine | Forums | Links | Contact
NitroExpress.com: Ammo for S & W 629 .44 Mag?

View recent messages : 24 hours | 48 hours | 7 days | 14 days | 30 days | 60 days | More Smilies


*** Enjoy NitroExpress.com? Participate and join in. ***

Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Handguns

Pages: 1
Eland_Slayer
.224 member


Reged: 04/10/05
Posts: 3
Ammo for S & W 629 .44 Mag?
      #43718 - 11/12/05 01:46 PM

I just got a S & W 629 .44 Mag 6 1/2 inch barrel with HI-VIZ sight. I am trying to find an affordable accurate jacketed hollowpoint round to use for hunting. I am looking at the CCI Blazer 240 gr. JHP or maybe the American Eagle 240 gr. JHP. Which of these two do you think would perform better in my gun? Can anyone recommend other brands in this price range that would be more accurate? I would really appreciate some help.


Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
NCSHOOTER
.224 member


Reged: 23/02/06
Posts: 7
Re: Ammo for S & W 629 .44 Mag? [Re: Eland_Slayer]
      #51705 - 07/03/06 01:23 PM

Anything with rifling has a mind of its own. Personally I shoot most all brands and choose the ones that shoot the bestin that pistol. I also shoot 10 rounds of 44 special for every 44 mag. it is a lot of fun,low recoil, cheaper,more manageable to name a few plus it does not hurt to learn the trigger pull of each gun intimately.

Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
Marrakai
.416 member


Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 3475
Loc: Darwin, Top End of Australia
Re: Ammo for S & W 629 .44 Mag? [Re: Eland_Slayer]
      #51727 - 07/03/06 11:13 PM

What do you intend to hunt? Big difference between a whitetail doe and a boar brownie! Personally I wouldn't use a hollow-point pistol-bullet on game, preferring the heaviest JSP available for the calibre, within reason. In the .44 Magnum, this means 260 to 300 gr Soft-point bullets designed mainly for the .444 Marlin.

In your 629, 265gr or 270gr SP bullets are probably the best choice, leaving the heavier 300-grainers for the long-barrel Black-hawks. Slower powder will be needed in either case.

If you still prefer the 240-grainer, take a look at the Nosler SP offering. I really like that bullet in the .44 but we don't see it much in Australia anymore. Bit light for big hogs anyway.

Sierra's 300gr offering by way of example:


BTW, where do you live Eland Slayer? I'm assuming the US. If you update your personal profile to show country, these types of questions may be better answered for you.


--------------------
Marrakai
When the bull drops, the bullshit stops!
--------------------------------
www.marrakai-adventure.com.au


Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26413
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: Ammo for S & W 629 .44 Mag? [Re: Eland_Slayer]
      #51753 - 08/03/06 05:34 AM

My preference is for a 275gr. FN or SWC-type bullet for both 4" and 6" barrels in .44 mag. I've found this bullet to be very accurate and gives respectable velocity as well. Jacketed bullets will generally run 100fps below what the same load gives in a cast bullet.
: While I cannot legally hunt with my m29 here, that is my preference. I would not feel undergunned with a good Keith-type 245 or 250gr. SWC. Elmer's old load using 2400 powder has shown remarkable accurcy to 300 meters for me in the 4" bl. Today, with powder changes, 21gr. is considered maximum, apparently. 22 gr. still shoots well for me on a limited basis.
: My favourite mould is an old 4 cavity Ohaus mould, listed as 250gr. that runs the SWC's at 275gr. in straight WW metal. Sized .430, they shoot bug-hole groups at 25yards (1" or under) and 1-1/2" at 50 meters off the bags.
: I would never consider a light jacketed bullet for hunting. The 300gr. plated Speer FN shoots well in my revelover & would be the jacketed bullet choice.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
NE450No2
.375 member


Reged: 10/01/03
Posts: 942
Re: Ammo for S & W 629 .44 Mag? [Re: DarylS]
      #54675 - 13/04/06 07:00 AM

I have shot a lot of the American Eagle 240gr HP. On deer sized game it will work just fine. If you want something for big pigs or maybe black bear try some Speer 270 gr Gold Dot Soft point.
For protection against bears where head shots are the rule try Federal 300gr Cast Core.


Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
Gustavo
.224 member


Reged: 01/02/07
Posts: 14
Loc: Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Re: Ammo for S & W 629 .44 Mag? [Re: Marrakai]
      #79844 - 03/06/07 03:59 PM

My personal experience while hunting big game ( goats and blackbuck antelope ) with my 629 Classic with a Leupold 2x, was with the Nosler Partition Handgun of 250gr.

Not a bad killer, but not a stopper for sure, and all shots were well placed in the heart/lung area.

On the other hand accuracy is exceptional.

--------------------
Best regards, Gus
--------------------------------------------------
ColdBore 1.0 - the ballistics/reloading software solution
http://www.patagoniaballistics.com


Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
Kalunga
.333 member


Reged: 16/06/06
Posts: 328
Loc: Germany
Re: Ammo for S & W 629 .44 Mag? [Re: Gustavo]
      #79887 - 04/06/07 05:09 AM

I agree with Daryl_s. For serious hunting use cast bullets in the 250 to 300 grain range.
I did a lot of handloading to find the most accurate load for my M29 and the very best load was with Sierra 250 grain "Tournament Master" softpoints: 5 shot-group 21mm at 25 meters.
Sorry I cannot tell anything about hunting with that load, but it is illegal to use handguns for hunting here in bloody Germany so I better keep quiet on that.

Kalunga


Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
9.3x57
.450 member


Reged: 22/04/07
Posts: 5500
Loc: United States
Re: Ammo for S & W 629 .44 Mag? [Re: Kalunga]
      #80262 - 09/06/07 10:06 PM

A few questions:

Do you have any hunting experience with a handgun? How about pistol shooting in general? Also, what are you intending to hunt with your .44?

Remember that .44 Magnum in a revolver is nowhere near as powerful as a typical deer rifle of the .30-06 class, so shot placement is the key {of course it is with rifles, too!!}. Even critters shot well with a handgun will often run and require tracking. As Gustavo says, don't expect a handgun to be a stopper. Treat it like you would a bow and wait for the perfect shot. And heavy sixguns take quite a bit of shooting practice to develop skill guaranteeing adequate shot placement.

I found the AE 240 to be a very accurate factory load in my Ruger Blackhawk. I chronographed it at 1350 fps.

The trouble is that with HP's or JSP's you may experience poor expansion. Several years ago I had a bad experience with 240 Noslers HP's {not Partition} for just that reason. That bullet failed to expand at all in one bear I shot with it. Performed like a FMJ. Subsequent testing in my bullet media produced bullets looking identical to the one I was able to recover from the bear, and showed almost no deformation of the bullet.

I got better results with the Remington 240 in a handload at 1100 fps so there is a difference. Note that the strike speed of 1100 is not a full-house load. I never tested any at 1300+ in my media as I was shooting it in a very light 6.5 inch barrelled S&W Heritage revolver, so there is always the chance that the extra 200 fps would cause the bullet to come apart but for deer I wouldn't worry about that too much.

At typical .44 Mag velocities it is pretty hard to argue with the recommendation for a Keith type bullet in the 240-300 grain range. Such bullets offer an edge in tissue disruption that you may not get with round-meplat jacketed bullets and the Keith bullets typically also provide deep penetration.

It is reasonably easy to test your prospective jacketed bullets to determine if you will get any expansion in game. Many jacketed bullets don't expand reliably and due to their somewhat rounded configurations may not give you the terminal effect you want and you may be better off with a big flat-nosed Keith bullet.

--------------------
What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

Edited by 9ThreeXFifty7 (10/06/07 08:57 AM)


Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
Tatume
.400 member


Reged: 09/06/07
Posts: 1091
Loc: Gloucester, Va USA
Re: Ammo for S & W 629 .44 Mag? [Re: 9.3x57]
      #80291 - 10/06/07 09:24 PM

Gustavo and 9ThreeXFifty7 give good advice when they say "... don't expect a handgun to be a stopper. Treat it like you would a bow and wait for the perfect shot." Yesterday I shot a groundhog square in the chest with a 357 Mag 158 gr JHP. It took me several minutes to get to it, and then I had to shoot it again! It surely would have died from the first shot, but I cannot let an animal suffer if I can help it. The point is, if the 357 Mag won't "stop" a groundhog, how much more can you expect from your 44 Mag? Take care, Tom

Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
bigmaxx
.375 member


Reged: 13/06/07
Posts: 660
Loc: Bowling Green KY U.S.A.
Re: Ammo for S & W 629 .44 Mag? [Re: Tatume]
      #91545 - 14/12/07 04:12 PM

PMC 240 grain JHP perform well at reasonable cost.

--------------------
One day at a time...


Post Extras: Print Post   Remind Me!   Notify Moderator  
Pages: 1



Extra information
0 registered and 13 anonymous users are browsing this forum.

Moderator:  NitroX 

Print Topic

Forum Permissions
      You cannot start new topics
      You cannot reply to topics
      HTML is disabled
      UBBCode is enabled

Rating:
Topic views: 3146

Rate this topic

Jump to

Contact Us NitroExpress.com

Powered by UBB.threads™ 6.5.5


Home | Ezine | Forums | Links | Contact


Copyright 2003 to 2011 - all rights reserved