S&W 629 Classic DX..

[Blacky Montana]

Hey guys,
Can anyone tell me how strong of a load my S&W 629 CDX in 44 mag is rated..

Blacky

[Potsy]

It's my understanding that around 1990, Smith changed the heat treatment on the yokes, lengthened the cylinder notches, and a few other "simple fixes" to beef up their .44 Mags.

That said, were it mine, I'd likely not push it past book loads (36kpsi), simply because I can't think of a reason to do so.

There's some fairly hot .44 data floating around (Brian Peirce published some in Handloader a while back, he used a Redhawk), but nothing I'd want to run in an N Frame. Regardless of vintage.

Someone with way more experience than I with N Frames may feel differently.

[Shuz]

I have a couple of 5" Classic 629DX's and I do not push mine past the advertised book loads because I see no need to. IMHO, a .44 magnum pushing a cast boolit of 250g at 1000 to 1100 fps is about all anyone would need unless slaying dragons.

[Blacky Montana]

Wasnt trying to push it or go hot. Was only asking cause i didnt know..lol. Full on 44 mag is enough in the 629..

[Mr_Sheesh]

Uh... If slaying dragons I'd want a nice M1 Abrams tank to be enclosing me. Call me paranoid if you want :P

[Blacky Montana]

Lol.. or at least a 600 Nitro Express. A 900 grain hard cast should put a dragon down.

[dubber123]

That should be an Endurance Package gun with the above mentioned upgrades, and should handle a steady diet of full power loads well if properly maintained. Those DXs are really nice revolvers.

[Forrest r]

A link to an article by John Taffin on the s&w 44mag. It has the:
Model #'s with the abbreviations
Serial # ranges
The changes made to the 29/629's that made the abbreviation changes (hence on the 629-4 they did xxx & on the 629-5 they did yyy)
http://www.sixguns.com/range/SmithWesson44Mag.htm

FWIW:
15 years ago??? I bought a used 629-4 at a gunshow. I have no idea what was used in it before I bought it, it was selling dirt cheap. It was tight so I bought it for $400 with a reddot on it. Really didn't need it & it ended up rolling around in the toolbox of the back of my truck for years. If it was in the reloading manual with 2400/h110 that 629 shot it. Same with home swaged bullets, that 629 got beat on/was nothing more than a test bed/truck gun. Don't know how many 1000's of hot loads I ran thru that 629 over the years or what was ran thru it before I got it. A couple years ago I decided to work up some plinking loads for that 629 using coated bullets. was looking for 1 1/2" 6-shot groups @ 25yds. Feed that 629 a good wc and you get this.
https://i.imgur.com/Odat3uD.jpg
Quit testing after I found 13 loads that would do 1 1/2" 6-shot groups @ 25yds.
https://i.imgur.com/BAyAIIY.jpg

Shoot the heck out of that 629 and enjoy.

[Blacky Montana]

Havent looked at it for years and still have it somewhere. But the test target that came with my 629 DX, put 12 rounds in .75". Of course that was through a ransom rest, and i dont rememer if it was marked t 25 or 50 yards. Either way, 12 rounds in 3/4" that looks like a clover leaf is pretty **** accurate. Definitely more accurate than i am..lol

[osteodoc08]

Any load in a reputable loading manual (not bubba joes recommended load) for 44 mag will be safe in your 629. As usual, start at the starting load and work up. Usual safety precautions always apply.