Favorite Smith 29 Loads

[birch]

I just picked up a Smith 29-2 and am looking for some favorite loads from experienced Smith 29 shooters/loaders.

I have never really enjoyed shooting full power .44 mag loads, so I am mainly looking for some nice plinking/hunting loads that won't tear apart my gun and wrists. Also, I am researching boolit moulds and am looking for some suggestions on the best mould for my intentions.

[kevmc]

I just picked up a Smith 29-2 and am looking for some favorite loads from experienced Smith 29 shooters/loaders.

I have never really enjoyed shooting full power .44 mag loads, so I am mainly looking for some nice plinking/hunting loads that won't tear apart my gun and wrists. Also, I am researching boolit moulds and am looking for some suggestions on the best mould for my intentions.

Can't go wrong with a good "Keith" boolit!! Load 'em over some Unique for 1100-1200 for hunting and reddot, bullseye or PB for plinking at 800-900 fps.....

[buckwheatpaul]

For plinking I use a Lyman 429421 boolit, wheel weights of course, plus 10 gr. Unique and nonmag primer.....For hunting same basic boolit plus 20 gr of 2400 and nonmagnum primer....you got a great gun....enjoy!

[Airman Basic]

8.5 grains of Unique and RCBS 245 grain SWC is almost my only 44 load nowadays. Or any boolit with that load. #16 Little Dandy rotor, BTW.

[Outpost75]

In the 4" barrel a charge of 8 grains of Bullseye with the 260-grain Saeco #430 gives 900 fps and approximates the old Remington "Medium Velocity" police load they used to make inthe 1980s.

[bobthenailer]

Try 7.0 grs of bullseye or tightgroup powder for around 900 fps pleasant to shoot and accurate. ive shot this load in 6 S&W 44 mags. and a few black hawks.

[birch]

Thanks a bunch for the info everyone. Also, Unique, Titegroup, and Bullseye are my favorite powders, so I will feel right at home. I have a bunch of H110, 1680, and Lil' Gun that I used for my .22 Hornet. Does anyone run these powders for the .44?

[Le Loup Solitaire]

For use with 245-255 grain Keith type bullets such as Lyman 429421, H&G 503, etc I have been using 9.0 grains of 4756 for medium range target loads. Light recoil,accurate, clean burning and you can shoot it all afternoon without battle fatigue. LLS

[kevmc]

H110 can be used for "full House" magnum loads.....

[bhn22]

I have a bunch of H110, 1680, and Lil' Gun that I used for my .22 Hornet. Does anyone run these powders for the .44?

These powders do not work in reduced loadings. You'll want to save them for full power loads.

[Three44s]

My fav. is the RCBS 250K in front of 11.8 gr. of HS-6 and lit off by a magnum primer.

The recoil dwell time is slower than 10 gr. of Unique ...... more work ...... less bite!

Great accuracy!


Three 44s

[Iowa Fox]

I don't have a 29 but I do have two 629-1. I shoot a 429421 bullet over 9 grns of Unique which gives me a nice accurate load with plenty of power that is not tearing me or the Smith apart.

[birch]

Can I realistically shoot out to 100 yards with the Unique 9 and 10gr loads?

[tygar]

Thanks a bunch for the info everyone. Also, Unique, Titegroup, and Bullseye are my favorite powders, so I will feel right at home. I have a bunch of H110, 1680, and Lil' Gun that I used for my .22 Hornet. Does anyone run these powders for the .44?

21.0-24.0 H110 with the 245GC is what I use in my 6" & it is accurate & hard hitting. Don't go with any charge less than minimum in H110.

For very nice target & small game load Unique at 1050 is very good. (can't remember the exact load).

[Airman Basic]

Can I realistically shoot out to 100 yards with the Unique 9 and 10gr loads?
I sure do, with a 629, a 3 in. SBH, and a 94 Marlin. Good stuff. Don't hit every time, but enough to keep it interesting.

[tygar]

Can I realistically shoot out to 100 yards with the Unique 9 and 10gr loads?

No problem. Using my Unique 1050 load, using a 25yd pistol target, sight in at 6 o'c to hit center and it will be 10 ring at 50 & with a 12 o'c hold at 100 you should be in the black.

I'll have to look in my dope book to see what the grains are. I just usually shoot hot loads anymore & forget the easy shooters.

[wcp4570]

I shot IHMSA with a M29 back in the early 80's using 23 gr H110 and the 429421. That load caused the forcing cone to erode so I stopped shooting the hot loads. I started loading 10.0 gr Unique with the same boolit and so pleased with the way it performs, that is all I shoot in all my 44mag guns anymore. Have not shot it over the chronograph but think it must be between 1000 & 1100fps.

wcp

[birch]

I would like to shoot hot stuff on occasion, but from all the research I have done, a 29 can shoot loose in as little as 200 full power factory loaded ammunition. To me, these old guns are important pieces of history and shouldnt be hot rodded.

I did find it interesting that the 29 is such a fragile gun having grown up on the 80's with all the "Dirty Harry" type movies. I was surprised when I realized that they didnt have a cape and mask included in the factory boxes.

[wcp4570]

Yes just find yourself a mid range load and enjoy shooting that. I'm is an 8 3/8 in and is very accurate. I think you have to supply your own cape.

wcp

[Airman Basic]

If I remember right, Clint shot 44 specials in his.

[John Allen]

Birch, I like a 250 grain keith with a light load of unique. You can shoot it all day at not get beat up.

[birch]

Does anyone have a "Keith" boolit mould that they might be willing to part with?

[Iowa Fox]

Can I realistically shoot out to 100 yards with the Unique 9 and 10gr loads?

Yup! You sure can. Like one of the other posters above stated I'm done with hot loads. The biggest thing is cast them yourself and size um to the throat. Give a few a try, I think you will be surprised.

[birddog]

I've been shooting the 200gr RF by Lee with 6.5grs of trailboss and it is a definite powder puff load. The girls love it and want to shoot all afternoon.
Charlie

[JudgeBAC]

http://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/PDF/HL%20241%20Partial%20(LO)%202.pdf this is an article on reloading for the Model 29 by Brian Pearce.

My all around load for my 29 is a Ranch Dog boolit sized to .432 lubed with LLA, it weighs 279 grains, load is 19.9 grains of IMR 4227 for 1147 fps. Recoil is not bad, accuracy is excellent and it will shoot through anything you want to hunt with it. I also avoid the fire and brimstone loads.

[bobthenailer]

Alot of shooters use 20.0 grs of 296/H110 for 44 mag, a load thats a few hundred FPS milder than full power stuff. for magnum loads in the 357 mag/44 mag/454 casull my go to powders are 296/H110,
1680 powder is a little too slow for them but can be used. and lilgun will also work excellent but dont use it in Freedom Arms 454 Casull handgun it can cause serious problems ! not sure about other brands of 454 casull firearms
Also if you can get ahold of WCC surplus 820 at a deceint price ? it also works excellent in all 3 cartradges. as well as many others where 296/H110 are called for. when i bought my current supply years ago it was $7.00 a pound I bought 40 lbs at the time.

[ironhead7544]

10.0 grains Unique with a 200 RNFP cast for the 44 Magnum. Around 1100 fps with light recoil. Very accurate. For full loads a 250 Keith and IMR4227. IMR4227 seems easier on guns. Less leading and heat.

[tygar]

I would like to shoot hot stuff on occasion, but from all the research I have done, a 29 can shoot loose in as little as 200 full power factory loaded ammunition. To me, these old guns are important pieces of history and shouldnt be hot rodded.


Sorry forgot to mention, hot rod loads in Ruger SR & Taurus RB. Yes too many hot loads in a 29/629 will wear them out in short order.

Looked in my dope book & the "good" target, small game load at 1050 with the 245/250 is 9.0gr Unique.

It works great in all my .44s.

[bhn22]

8.0 gr of 231 with a 250 gr cast bullet is almost perfect for everyday use. Around 900 fps from a 6 in barrel.

[30calflash]

Can I realistically shoot out to 100 yards with the Unique 9 and 10gr loads?
Most definitely. I used 10 grains behind the Lyman 429421 for IHMSA silhouettes and it knocked the rams down at 200M every time you hit one. This thru a Ruger SBH 7.5"

In an S&W 7 1/2 to 9 grains behind a 250 gr bullet is fun out to 100 yards and does it on bowling pins too.

[murf205]

birch, I've settled on 16.6 grs of 2400 with a 250 Lyman 429421 Keith and a std CCI primer in Starline 44 mag cases for my favorite load. It's 1015fps out of a 4" 629 and it's as accurate as anything else in this gun. It is also a great shooter in my 9 1/2" SRH Ruger(where it chronos 1225fps!). 2400 is one of the slow powders that you can load down this far safely with a std primer but if I were to go any lower, I would go to Unique. Every one here is right about Unique. That hundred year old powder is still one of the best. A few yrs back I read an article where a gun writer visited the Alliant (then Hercules) plant where they had the original batch of Unique stored under water. They took a lb out and dried it and then loaded it in a cartridge (can't remember which one) but it chronographed within a few fps of a new batch and that powder was over 100 yrs old at the time!! What a testament to the ability to control burn rates! I didn't intend to hijack the thread, but I wanted to pass that along, as it was intriguing to actually shoot 100 yr old powder.
Murf

[birch]

9I love unique! I use it for my Colt SAA, Henry 30-30, Win model 70, .45acp and coming soon to a shooting range near somebody--Smith 29

[Hardcast416taylor]

If I remember right, Clint shot 44 specials in his.

For close ups of the gun muzzle they had him holding a model 25 S&W for a larger hole in the muzzle idea.Robert

[Shooter6br]

250 g Accurate Molds with 8 grains Unique (target) 10-11 grain for hunting

[waco]

I don't have a 29 but I do have two 629-1. I shoot a 429421 bullet over 9 grns of Unique which gives me a nice accurate load with plenty of power that is not tearing me or the Smith apart.

Hard to argue with that.

[rintinglen]

17.5 grains of 2400 under a 429-421 is a favorite of mine. There are no flies on the 9.0 Unique load either. I have used Red Dot, but don't have the data to hand.

[geargnasher]

Unique or 2400 under a 240-260-ish boolit that's not too hard.

The comments about dwell time, or "sharpness" of recoil with the faster pistol powders are spot-on IME. I fooled with WW296 in the 29s, it is death to them and the hand alike. My middle finger knuckle is permanently damaged from a 29-3 and minimum loads of 296. The gun tended to unlock and back up a hole under recoil, and would not eject 6 cases at once. The cylinder walls are strong, but paper-thin and they flex a lot so it's easy to stick the cases in a 29 with hot loads.

Stay happy with the lighter loads mentioned here, they bust milk jugs just fine at 100 yards, shoot easily and accurately at closer ranges, and add more to the fun factor than pain and excessive noise do.

Accurate Molds Dot Com can fix you up with whatever boolit style, mould material, or cavity count you like in just a few weeks.

Gear

[John Allen]

I really like the unique with a 250 grain plain base bullets. I load a medium velocity load it is accurate and does not recoil like the full power loads.

[Dave C.]

I load 9 grains of WW-231 under a 180 grain full wad cutter. Gives me 900 fps and minute of ground hog at 50 yards.

Dave C.

[seaboltm]

9.5 grains of unique, standard primer, 240grain swc. Great for plinking and is more than adequate for short range hunting.

[rockrat]

I shot 7.5gr 231 with the 429421 boolit, for many a year. Finally wore out my 29. Took about 15K rounds,, but had to retire it.

[375supermag]

Hi...

I generally shoot 10.0grs of Unique LP primer with a 240gr LSWC in my Model 29.

I have shot hotter loads in it on occasion, but I think it may last longer if I reserve those type of loads for my heavier framed .44Mags. I shoot the heavy loads in my Virginian Dragoon, Dan Wesson and Ruger SBH.

I have been using W296/H110 with LSWC and Hornady HP/XTPs in my heavy revolver loads for quite a few years. I think I am going to ratchet those heavy loads down a bit by using 2400, if I can get the accuracy I require.

I may also switch to a gas-checked bullet if I can find a reliable supplier at a price point I am willing to meet. Again accuracy will be more important than wringing an extra 50fps out of a load.

I haven't yet been able to acquire the requisite equipment to cast my own bullets, much less a reliable local supply of lead. So commercial cast is how I will roll for the foreseeable future.

I will probably be shooting a lot of .44Mag this upcoming shooting season as I try to find the correct balance between power, accuracy and bullet weight/style. Should be interesting.

I also have a project in mind to test Red Dot and Promo in a few different calibers to find a few good loads using a more economical powder for casual shooting/plinking. Should be able to start that project early in March if the weather cooperates.

I have load development work to do with a few 9mm pistols as well this upcoming spring/summer.

I will be busy this upcoming shooting season.