44 mag barrel length

rjc

What is the best barrel length for a S&W 629 44 mag that will be used for Boar and other types of hunting? I would also like the option of using open sights or optics. Thanks.

William81

I have used a 6" barrel on my hunting .44 Mag revolvers over the years. I also like to use a red dot sight. On target fast and easy follow up shot when necessary.

Laredo Lefty

I have hunted with a couple of my Smith .44 Mags and IMO the 6" or 6 1/2" barrels are best suited for that. The longer the barrel the more velocity you get and the longer the sight radius, but for carrying in the field the 8 inchers are just too long.

I prefer open sights for shots out to about 40 yds, beyond that optics are a good idea.

mbsams

Lefty is on target

beantownshootah

There is no "best". Its largely a matter of personal preference. In other words the one YOU like best is the best choice.

Basically the shorter the gun, the better its going to handle in terms of draw speed, getting it on target, and moving around with it. Its also going to be a little easier to store and give you a bit more flexibility in how you carry it. Shorter barrel might also make the gun handier for things OTHER than hunting (ie defense, etc).

Longer barrels will give you more velocity and for iron sights, more sight radius, which could potentially make aiming easier at distance. Longer barrel might also reduce muzzle flip a bit, though I don't think this is really significant.

To get to specifics, taking a quick look at the Smith catalog, right now they offer variants of the 29 in 2-5/8", 3", 4", 5", 6", 6.5" and 7.5" barrels. Historically, they've also offered 8-3/8" and 12" and if you want a REALLY long barrel, these are still available used.

I'd suggest for a pure hunting piece something between 5" and 8-3/8". Less that that isn't going to give you the sight radius and velocity you'd like to take a long shot with iron sights.

The 12" barrel makes the gun sort of unwieldy, and unless you ALSO wanted to use the same gun for shooting silhouettes, I'd pass.

Personally, I like a 7.5" tube, and if I were after a hunting .44, that's what I'd pick. 6" and 6.5" could also work well.

Edit. Responding to below:
quote:I am a true smith and wesson fan however and in this case the super redhawk is far the superior weapon. Especially if you shoot high power loads. I have the 8 inch version. The super redhawk is built like a tank. I doubt you could blow it up under normal wear. Would be excellent for hog hunting.
Hopefully, you're not going to "blow up" *ANY* gun under normal use!

Since the question was specifically about the Smith 29 revolver, I'm won't get into comparing one gun to another, but relevant to the asked question, I think its worth mentioning that both the Ruger Super Redhawk and Super Blackhawk come standard with 7.5" barrels.

Super Blackhawk:

rjc

Thanks everyone. I was leaning toward a standard 6 inch 629 before your replies and probably still am. I am also giving the 7.5 inch Performance Center model consideration. I already have a nice red-dot sight I'm sure will top it off well.

dcs shooters

I always carried a 8 3/8" or 7 1/2"

cpermd

My favorite deer and pig killer is a 5.5" 44 Redhawk.

CP

grizzclaw

I liked the 6 1/2 inch barrel on the 629, but I now use a contender with a ten inch barrel.

44shotdoctor

I am a true smith and wesson fan however and in this case the super redhawk is far the superior weapon. Especially if you shoot high power loads. I have the 8 inch version. The super redhawk is built like a tank. I doubt you could blow it up under normal wear. Would be excellent for hog hunting.