Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

Short barrel Magnum revolvers????

jeronimo
Looking at several short barrels Mags, 657 pc, 629,lew horton 629??? 41 mag,44mag Any imput from those who have them would be great help. Thanks, Jeronimo

I had own a trail boss 629 with oval magnaports, didnt like it and sold it, I think I would have like it without the magnaporting? A case of not shooting one before I purchased!
0

Comments

11 comments

Date Votes
  • dfletcher
    I have older 3" Model 657 and 3" Model 29 each with wood combat grips. They function fine, kick a bit especially the 29 firing 300 grain bullets. I don't think they're a great choice for CCW because they are pretty heavy, I've tended to use mine (aside from just fun) when I'm walking about in bear country, but not hunting.
    0
  • charliemeyer007
    They are not fun to shoot but are ok to carry. If you can try one first. If you reload you can tone them down so that you can get some skill with a handgun first then step up to the full power stuff. A less potent handgun with a longer bbl is easier to learn on and way cheaper to acquire the trigger time. 41 stuff is way less common to find than the 44's which can also be had in special.

    Edit. I hate magna-porting. The straight back recoil is way more punishing to my wrist than haveing some muzzle flip.
    0
  • b0400879
    Per above, it's a great trail rig in bruin country.
    Still keep & shoot a mid-80's Lew Horton special: the round-butt M29-3 w/ 3" full-dia bbl. Only 5000 were made, & that was for a reason. (This is not the later "Mountain Gun" variation w/ tapered bbl).

    I quickly ditched the useless factory GA RB-config grips & threw-on some Hogue's. The result? MUCH better control. Especially w/ sweaty hands.

    Some sage advice: Use lighter loads made of low-flash propellants, & pray that ya don't have to use it in self-defense @ night. If so, don some dark glasses, 'cuz the muzzle flash is epic - even in broad daylight.
    0
  • CapnMidnight
    I've got a 4" 29 no dash because I collect Smiths and cause Elmer carried one. It is not alot of fun to shoot, noise and muzzel flash are bad. The difference between the 4" and 6" in the 44 is very noticeable.
    W.D.
    0
  • He Dog
    4" barrel Ruger GP100 in .357 is fine, but I would not go with a shorter barrel.
    0
  • tsr1965
    These are at best, a carry gun in unhospitable bear or cat country, carried only when going into this type of country. They are definately not a range gun where you are going to want to shoot 300-500 rounds thru per session.

    One pervious poster made mention of the Hogue Mono-grips in the recoil absorbing rubber. That is the best idea. like the Captain, I have a 4" 629, and it is all I want to play with. I do practice every now and again with mid-range lead loads, and the heavy 300 grainer's I use for big animal protection.

    Best
    0
  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by jeronimo
    Looking at several short barrels Mags, 657 pc, 629,lew horton 629??? 41 mag,44mag Any imput from those who have them would be great help. Thanks, Jeronimo

    I had own a trail boss 629 with oval magnaports, didnt like it and sold it, I think I would have like it without the magnaporting? A case of not shooting one before I purchased!

    I think the other posters have this well-covered already.

    In terms of caliber, unless you want to reload for it, I'd skip the .41 magnum. On its own merits the .41 is an outstanding caliber, but the .44 can do anything a .41 can do, the .44 ammo is cheaper, far more readily available, and available in a wider selection of loads. For example, so far as I know there is no commercially available ".41 special" load that can act as a light practice load. You can usually find .44 magnum loads anywhere handgun ammo is sold, but that isn't true of .41 magnum.

    The real issue is what do you want to do with it?

    Despite the shorter barrel, these guns are still fairly bulky and heavy, and IMO don't make a good conventional concealed carry gun.

    The short barrels also make them sub-optimal for hunting, competitive or informal target shooting.

    As mentioned, the only "conventional" use I see for a short barreled magnum is for combined defense against wild animals of the four or two-legged variety when outdoors. If that's what you're after, then this is one of those "carry a lot and shoot a little" guns, and issues of carry comfort probably trump those of recoil.

    So long as you're getting something double-action and stainless (which I think you are), and so long as it has visible sights and good grips, then I think you're good to go. The other bells and whistles on the gun probably won't matter much. Personally, I'm not a big fan of magnaporting either. IMO, disadvantages of increased flash and cost outweigh the advantage of less flip.
    0
  • Riomouse911
    IMO, short-barrel revolvers require more prectice to shoot accurately beyond a few yards. (yeah, I know, I'm lumping 3" 629's in that same category as a 2" .38 J frame.) The short barrel length and sight radius shortys have just aren't as easy to shoot as a 6" gun...and all the power in the world is useless if you can't hit what you need to when you need to. They're certainly handier to carry, and I really, REALLY like the look of the Lew Horton-style 3" .44's, but they're a bear to shoot well, ported or not.

    My only advice to add to the good stuff here is shoot LIGHT loads for practice, either home-rolled .44 Specials or factory 246 gr LRN Special loads. Unless, of course, you want to dedicate youself full-time to curing the inevitable flinch that comes with lots of range time with full-power magnum ammo in a shorty. You can carry heavier loads for bear/cougar encounters if you want. But on the range keep the majority of your loads light and work on the sight picture, trigger pull, and follow-through. Good luck with your search!
    0
  • md1634
    I've got a S&W Lew Horton special 44 mag with a 3" barrel. The Smith is not too bad when it comes to recoil due to it's weight, but the muzzel flash and noise are truly impressive!
    0
  • dfletcher
    quote:Originally posted by b0400879
    Per above, it's a great trail rig in bruin country.
    Still keep & shoot a mid-80's Lew Horton special: the round-butt M29-3 w/ 3" full-dia bbl. Only 5000 were made, & that was for a reason. (This is not the later "Mountain Gun" variation w/ tapered bbl).

    I quickly ditched the useless factory GA RB-config grips & threw-on some Hogue's. The result? MUCH better control. Especially w/ sweaty hands.

    Some sage advice: Use lighter loads made of low-flash propellants, & pray that ya don't have to use it in self-defense @ night. If so, don some dark glasses, 'cuz the muzzle flash is epic - even in broad daylight.


    That's true, all around better for shooting no doubt - but those GA round butt grips cost about $200.00 a pop now. Now that makes me say "ouch" ...[;)]
    0
  • b0400879
    quote:Originally posted by dfletcher
    [/those GA round butt grips cost about $200.00 a pop now. Now that makes me say "ouch" ...[;)]

    The OEM BR grips were moderately beat-up, & they fetched $65 in 2001
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity

Didn’t find what you’re looking for?