S&W 629-10 Performance Center Light Hunter Part II

[Dale53]

I have taken a leaf from Ed Harris' notebook, and am starting to "use up" those partial cans of powder that have been sitting on my shelf for "eons". I ran some .44 Special Target loads with balloon head cases - 6.0 grs of 7625 behind Elmer's Lyman 429421 with Federal 150 primers. After I get through the 7625, I will start on Red Dot next. I'm not going to order more powder until I go through all of my partial cans (as much as is practical, that is - will NOT be using 4350 in my .44, etc):roll:.

Went to the range this morning - got there before 9:30 A.M. due to the heat (we set a record for the hottest day, ever in October at 92 with LOTS of humidity).

Shooting standing at 25 yards as "is my want" my first target was 100x100 with the "Light Hunter". The load works well, recoil is light and accuracy is quite good.

Revolver handles well. Trigger is a "soft" trigger (I prefer crisp triggers). This one is smooth, but soft. This piece was furnished with a set of beautiful Rosewood grips and also the Smith logo Hogue grips. Hogue's are on the gun. I have large hands and the open back strap does not give me optimum reach to the trigger. I have ordered a pair of the "new' Packmayr Decelerator Grippers with the covered back strap (for those with small hands, you can get Pro Decelerators with open back strap). Frankly, with full .44 magnum loads, I need the extra cushion that the Decelerator's provide. I also look for a better trigger position with the extra length of the grips with covered back strap.

All in all, I am very pleased with the new Light Hunter. However, I will be going "inside" and see what things look like and will clean and lube with appropriate lubrication. I am hopeful that the trigger will improve with a bit of shooting and cleaning.

I have NEVER had a problem with leading in a revolver (except a .32 mag Ruger Single Six that leaded the chamber throats) so while I can report "no leading" to me that is not very significant. After shooting, the barrel is "slick as snot" and only requires a wiping in and out.

Dale53

[HCL]

Dale
I have been eyeballing one of those light hunters for a while now, currently have a 629 6 1/2" ported and love it.
Keep us posted on the progress, this may be the push I need to pick one up.
Thanks
Mike

[Dale53]

Mike;
I, probably due to my "money scarce" early years[smilie=1:, tend to look at expensive custom arms with some degree of cynicism. I am not opposed to them in any way, but they had better offer a bit more than "pretty" for me to be interested.

Since we are talking about revolvers, here, I'll confine my comments to those. First of all, I am a "form FOLLOWS function" kind of guy as most on here knows. So, I examine my "options" pretty carefully with that in mind.

The "Light Hunter" has several rather practical features. Of course, the smooth action is a plus (I've done quite a bit of double action work in my time and I appreciate a good, smooth action).

Perhaps one of the most liked features of the Light Hunter is the scope mountingsystem. You have available the typical Smith drilling and tapping of the top strap for a scope base. This is a good system and is what I am using (and loving) on my 625-8. The Light Hunter has a 7.5" barrel and offers a second option. The barrel rib is machined to accept a supplied base. That base, machined of solid stainless steel and finished to match the gun, utilizes the solid rib as a recoil lug (no scope moving on this outfit!). So, depending on what scope you have you can place it at the most desired location. That is a BIG plus.

I prefer the scope or Red Dot between the sights. Years ago, I saw a Bill Wilson scope installation on a Smith 29 and I copied that on my 8 3/8" 29 using a blank Warne Base and Warne rings. It is not only a handsome set up but it works extremely well. With the scope between the sights, the balance of the revolver is somewhat weight forward, which I prefer for steady holding. and it also has the side benefit of reducing muzzle lift when using full loads.

Using the forward mounting area, you have the option of using quick detachable rings with the iron sights available should you want/need that option. That is a "biggy" for serious, all-weather hunters.

Smith revolvers have been prone to having the ejector rod unscrewing and tying the gun up (won't allow you to open it). This has happened twice to me in fifty years of serious shooting, so it is not a big thing with me. It is easy to correct BEFORE it happens by the careful application of a VERY small amount of thread locking compound. However, if your Light Hunter does come loose, the ejector rod shroud is milled clear through so you can get to it somewhat easier to tighten that ejector rod. I guess that is also lightens the revolver a tiny bit, also. However, I must mention, that the Light Hunter utilizes a "ball detent" to lock the front of the crane - there is no ejector rod front lock, so I have doubts that an ejector rod coming loose would tie this gun up.

The revolver has a machined in set of ports at the muzzle that DO work in seriously reducing muzzle flip. It does nothing for the straight back recoil, which is heavy but not to the point of causing damage (like most .44 magnums).

Finally, lets talk about "pretty". The original full underlug barrel is milled to a very pleasing contour that also lightens this revolver by several ounces. It is quite distinctive and all in all, I LIKE It!!:-D:-D The finish is a bead blast finish that is attractive and also very practical for field use (no reflections scaring the game away, etc).

Yeah, I like pretty just as much as the next guy, but it has to be pretty AFTER function has been taken care of. Remember the old saying about picking a wife (Pretty is good but cooking lasts:mrgreen: - for what it is worth, next June my wife and I will be celebrating our fiftieth wedding anniversary - she is a Home Ec major who taught at the college level and SHE CAN COOK![smilie=1:

I will be running some accuracy tests at longer ranges (up to a hundred yards) in the weeks to come, but I expect this revolver to be a good performer in that regard. If it passes these tests, then I could recommend it without qualification. It IS a bit pricey, but is DOES have plenty of FUNCTION to go with its good looks.

Dale53

[HCL]

Dale;
Thanks, I know what you are saying about functionality over pretty or gee wiz type things, I am the same way, expecially when it come to a big chunck of change.
The scope mount has really caught my attention, though I have pondered setting up my 629, the only problem with that, the 629 is more of a carry in the woods all the time rather than hunting. And hunting (big critters) with a handgun is something I want to do.
I cant count the times I have held the Light Hunter and almost brought it home, and I am sure at some point I will, but along with the functionality I like to get opinons from folks who actual use them, like yourself.
I did not notice the change in the ejector rod not having the the front detent, that would be a huge plus, as this one had me locked up one time at the range and it sure made me think, "what if", that wont happen again, a good degreasing and loc-tite fixed that right quick. Funny how heavy boolits/ loads make things come loose.
I know the porting on this one really helps the flip, I am not unacustom to heavy recoil, but the porting sure helps get back on target that much faster.
Again thanks, will be looking forward to the range reports.
Mike

[HCL]

Dale;
Any news from the range?
Still drooling over one of those.
Mike

[Dale53]

Mike;
I have been waiting for my vision to stabilize after eye surgery. I see the Dr. tomorrow for glasses that should have me 20/20. So, I have been dogging it for couple of weeks.

I did have the Light Hunter out for some 200 gr wadcutter tests and it chronographs just a bit faster than my 624 (6.5" barrel). I'm talking about 20-25 fps (not at all important but kind of interesting). This was at the target velocity of around 750 fps with a test load.

At any rate, the only shooting that I have done is the chronograph tests. I will make one observation, though. The double action pull is nice and smooth and about 9 lbs (tested with the Lyman digital trigger pull weight gauge). However, I have one complaint. The single action pull has a yard of creep. It is very smooth but entirely too much creep for me. I, over the years, have had dozens of Smiths at various levels of expense and I have NEVER had a Smith with a poor single action pull (even my snubbies, for goodness sake)!! It is intolerable in a PC revolver!! To make matters worse, my local pistolsmith is backed up (he's had a couple of my guns for twice the normal return time). I think he can solve this (I've had it apart and cleaned and lubed it, so that is not the problem). It seems to be a trigger problem (not a hammer problem) and I would rather he work on it. It costs too dern much to send it back to Smith and frankly, they have already done their thing and that is what is wrong with it:confused:.

That trigger problem is solvable and NOT a deal breaker. Just disappointing.

It does appear to be shooting well but that cannot be confirmed until I have some eyes to see with. That should happen just about the time that the weather is getting stinko (or course, what else with Murphy in charge:roll:).

Dale53