Friday, October 16, 2009

Friday Gun Pr0n #133

Is there anything that provokes a gunnie's hindbrain like the immortal lines from Harry Callahan?

I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?
The .44 Magnum wouldn't remain the most powerful handgun in the world for long, replaced almost immediately by the .454 Casull and then later on by other, even larger and more powerful rounds like the .475 Linebaugh and the .480 Ruger. Of course, the half-inch 500 S&W Magnum came along and put all other handgun rounds in the dirt, and the .44 Magnum was relegated to more middle-of-the-road status.

Today's gun pr0n is the descendant of the model 29, the stainless model 629:

629 right

629 left

(I liked both of these shots so much I had to use 'em both!)

It's got a 6½" barrel and Smith & Wesson's proprietary Power Port porting system which tames the .44 Magnum down to .44 Special levels as far as recoil. The Hogue monogrips also take a significant amount of sting out, too. This is an insanely accurate gun, with an adjustable rear sight and the patridge front sight. The biggest problem I have with it is that the last shot always goes low - the darn thing's so heavy I can't hold 'er steady that long!

It's always a hoot to bring out the big Magnum at the range...

That is all.

14 comments:

Brad_in_IL said...

Jay,

Can you mount a bayonette on it? If not, put a scope on it & go hunting !!

-- Brad

Jay G said...

It's a .44 Magnum. It doesn't need a bayonet... ;)

Weer'd Beard said...

And no internal lock! When will Smith learn WE DON'T WANT THAT SUCKY FEATURE???!

BTW in enlarging the photo I noticed you have a cloths pin spring in the background! Best pick that up before somebody gets cut!

Jay G said...

Heh. Yeah, I noticed that as I was going through the pictures trying to decide which one to post...

The spring is long gone, but thanks. Fortunately the kids are (mostly) beyond the "what does it taste like" phase...

ASM826 said...

Middle of the road? Heh.

Mikee said...

When powerful handguns are mentioned, I am usually amused that the single shot Thompson Contenders and other rifle caliber handy cannons are not mentioned.

I have shot a 45-70 rifle. Shooting a handgun in that round would be a hoot. Once, and then not again for a while, I think. It would really blow your head clean off.

Borepatch said...

.44 Mag "middle of the road"?

My wrist is already throbbing just thinking about it.

And yeah, ASM826 beat me to it. But it needs to be said.

Caleb said...

So an amazingly accurate gun in your hands shoots what, minute of tree trunk instead of minute of berm?

:-p

Jay G said...

/me grumbles...

One off day and you're branded for life...

;)

Brad_in_IL said...

BP,

I've shot this beast . . . and while stout, the sheer mass of the piece makes the recoil tolerable. I'd rather shoot 100 rounds of 44 mag through the 629 than 5 rounds of 357 through TSFH (The Snubbie From Hell).

- Brad

Heath J said...

My identical Smith (except for the serial number, obviously), is good for 400 yards.

Ask the bear target at Buckskin Hills range, in Utah ;)

dr mac said...

Great post, great pic's.

Its on my wish list.

Michael in CT said...

That tiny little thing? I have a 10 1/2" Super Blackhawk, I don't even have to bring ammo with me, I just kind of poke the target with the barrel. And neither of them are that heavy compared to the bleeping Walker replica I bought on a whim. It makes the Ruger look like a K Frame.
As for the Contenter in 45-70, I fired a friend's with some heavy hand loads and it was definitely less then fun.

SteveA said...

no, no, no. We need a derringer in .500 smith & wesson!
Just a wee little recoil!:)