S&W 29-8 or Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 MAG

[j.chappell]

I am trying to decide between a S&W Mountain Gun and a Ruger Super Blackhawk.

I want this hangun for the following reasons:

1. Carry gun for the woods; that’s why I thought this lighter revolver with the 4" barrel would be nice

2. Sidearm for possible close range shots at our whitetail deer. I hunt primarily from a stand be it portable or fixed and have shots as close as 10-15 yards. I currently own a Ruger Blackhawk 5.5" in 45LC. Now don’t anyone rip my head of because I noted it as a LC. That’s how Ruger labeled it so that’s how I describe it. I have no interest in debating the long and short of Colt cartridges.

Anyway, I easily can put all 6 shots in the vitals of a cardboard silhouette target at 25 yards with factory ammunition. With handloads it is really accurate, in my book anyway. I figured that this mountain gun could do the same.

3. I want a .44 Mag

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

J.

 

[Tom C.]

Sounds like you are looking at the S&W 4" Mtn gun in .44 vs. the Ruger SBH with 4 5/8" barrel. They are quite different. Try to atleast handle both to make a decision. One will probably feel more natural to you and will probably work better for you. Both are very good.

 

[P-990]

Tough call. I have a 6" 629-1 I bought as a hiking/woods gun, and it never gets carried anywhere! At about 3 pounds loaded, it can generate a bit of a starboard list after the first couple of miles.

However, I'd say get the S&W only because you already have a Ruger Blackhawk. Diversity is fun, and the DA revolver is perhaps a bit more versatile. Paired with a couple of speedloaders and some 200gr .44 Special ammo, it makes a fine nightstand gun. Stoke it with full-house magnums and it is a fine critter-getter. Load it with Cowboy-type loads and just general putting holes in things will always generate smiles.

About the only thing the 4" N-frame wouldn't be my pick for is as a CCW, and that's mostly because it's just too durn big and I'm too small. YMMV, as always.

Oh, and my experience with the Ruger SBH was that it is definitely more accurate with loads near the heavy-end of Magnum. My Smith is much more forgiving, in that it shoots .44 Special type loads with accuracy nearly equal what it does with the standard 240-gr JHP at 1200-1300 fps.

Good luck, and either is an excellent revolver!

 

[garryc]

If the guns pure purpose was hunting I'd go with the SBH. As a combo/ kick around gun I'd take the 629. That recognizes the possibility of using it in self defense against two and four leg creatures. The SBH handles the heavy bullet loads better, ones that won't fit in an N frames cylinder like many 300 grain cast bullets. 300 grain jacketed bullets would have to be loaded in the front cannilure creating less powder space.

Since you already have a 45 Blackhawk, and that will do anything the 44 can with reloads, the 629 defiantly.

 

[chrisp0410]

I started thinking about this thread as I ate my lunch.

On the one hand, you know the Ruger SA platform and like it so that would make a great choice. You know you can hit with it and you know you can handle the type of recoil the single action grip imparts.

On the other hand, you want to use this revolver as a woods gun as much as a hunting gun. The Double Action S&W would serve in this capacity much better as follow-up shots and reloading are significantly faster.

If the choice were mine, I would go with the S&W. This is what I did as well. I wanted a new woods gun and in my area of southern suburbian Connecticut there have been an increase of bear sightings over the past couple of years. Yes, I did say Bears in Connecticut suburbs. Granted they are black bears but I still wouldn't want to tango with one while hiking in the state forest. I found a Trail Boss variant, it is a 629 with a factory magnaported barrel and a round butt. It wears Houge Round to Sqaure Butt Conversion grips with an attached lanyard (I have since replaced this grip with a standard round butt grip). The 4" you are thinking about will wear just fine in a holster without making your hike uncomfortable.

For me, the bottom line is, I hunt only a couple weeks a year and I hike the rest of the year. For that reason, I would rather choose a handy, lightweight, Double Action revolver. Here is a pic of my Trail Boss prior to replacing the grip.

Chrisp0410

 

[j.chappell]

These are all valid points to consider. It is just a harder decision than I thought it was going to be.

When I was younger I would have bought the S&W as an impulse buy and thought about it later.

J.