New Revolver Decesion Time

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ramair2k

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Ok, I am in the market for a new revolver. Its between the S&W model 629 or the S&W 686 Plus. Both revolvers would be stainless and barrel length would be 4 or 5 inch.

Intended use:

Home Defense
Family and I go to NH a lot, and recently while visting storyland, a black bear ran by my wife and I at night. Freaked me the f*ck out. So being able to take down a beast is key.
Ammo affordability is a +
I already own a .38spl snubby
Range. This will not be a safe queen. I intend to take it to the range quite often to get familiar with the weapon and shoot it accurately.

Thanks in advance for your oppinions.
 
Here's what you need:

S&W 629 Mountain Gun. 42 ounces of .44 Magnum power.

DSC00260.jpg


It is no longer in production, but gunbroker.com has several newer 29 Mountain Guns and a several 57 Mountain Guns (.41 Magnum).

BTW, mine's not for sale....[wink]
 
there is just something special about a 629, I lost one in a fire in 87

oh a the punishment for shooting a bear in NH is way worse tha shooting a BG
 
I wouldn't recommend a 357mag or a 44mag as a home defense gun. Too much danger of going thru walls and getting your own kids or your neighbors.

The 38 spl you've got now will do what you want for home defense.

If you want the 357 or 44, keep it for range carry or bear proofing yourself.
 
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Pilgrim said:
I wouldn't recommend a 357mag or a 44mag as a home defense gun. Too much danger of going thru walls and getting your own kids or your neighbors.
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I sleep with a .357 Magnum by my side and worry not one bit about your concerns.

In fact, an AR15 with 30 rounds of Hornady 55 grain TAP sits in the closet. The pistol is for when I don't have time to grab the rifle.

You should read the boxotruth.com.
 
Jose said:
I sleep with a .357 Magnum by my side and worry not one bit about your concerns.

In fact, an AR15 with 30 rounds of Hornady 55 grain TAP sits in the closet. The pistol is for when I don't have time to grab the rifle.

You should read the boxotruth.com.
Click to expand...

Hey let me know if you need a sheetrocker!
 
I have read the box of truth. I've also seen what happens to sheetrock and thin plywood which is in most houses. Yeah, if you hit the perp in a solid part you might not be risking much over penetration, but if you miss......oops.

And in the heat of a home invasion, it's very possible to miss.
 
Ramair said:

Home Defense
Family and I go to NH a lot, and recently while visting storyland, a black bear ran by my wife and I at night. Freaked me the f*ck out. So being able to take down a beast is key.

You really need two different guns here. Anything that will stop a bear may injure a family member one, two, or even three rooms away.
At close range, you can't beat a shotgun for the bear, and you probably already have one.

I always carried my .44 Mag on my property, as I have several bears hanging out most of the late spring and summer. This year, a 7-foot boar (45" high at the shoulder) has joined the mix. Now I carry either my .375 H&H or my .300 WBY. as they aren't very shy. One tried dragging off a trash can from my porch. I keep them chained to the rail, so he didn't get far. When I went out and yelled at him, he just stayed there and tried reaching back under the railing to snag the trash barrel. I ran at him, banging two pans together and he left. I did stay close enough to the door to jump inside in case he didn't leave. The .375 would have been the next action.
 
Bears, ha. They WILL freak you out until you get used to them. Then you realize they won't hurt you. Seriously, when was the last time you heard of a black bear taking on an adult human? Chowing on someone's leg? Those movies we all watched when we were little didn't do us any favors when it comes to bears.
A little kid alone may be a different story, especially in the spring when they are really hungry, after emerging from hibernation. The bears, not the kids. But they won't otherwise bother you any. I live with bears all around here, west of Concord NH, and I run into them on a fairly regular basis, once or twice a month anyway. My deer sightings usually last longer, because those bears-even the BIG ones-run away quickly. Like the one you saw did. They don't want anything to do with people, not the wild ones. The ones that get fed, that are used to people, they can make trouble, which is why no matter how tempting it is, you shouldn't ever offer a handout to a wild bear, period.
Once in a while, you'll hear about a bear following some hikers, but they just want the food they can smell (even though the hikers always say otherwise while changing their shorts), so its really about forest smarts and having some. If you're camping up over the top of Cranmore or other such place, you keep your food away from your tent, I mean 25 yards or more away, preferably hoisted up high about 15 or 20 feet overhead. Dangling from a limb, not against a tree trunk.
They won't bother you. You are more likely to need a woods gun because of a rabid animal, or maybe an aggressive moose, than you will need it for a bear here in NH. I carry a 4 or 6 inch 686 in the forests, and the only animal I ever drew on was a raccoon. I didn't shoot it. I've had a couple of other times my hand was on it, ready to pull it, but didn't have to. Not for any bear, which is the way I expect things to stay. Relax and enjoy them.
Btw, a 357 on a typical 250-300 pound bruin will be more than enough gun, if your loaded with the right bullets. HPs are not the answer, you want something that'll penetrate deep. Shot placement is key always. I carry 173 grain Keith's in front of 14.5 grains of 2400, in any L frame I own. Any Ruger will handle this load too, but I wouldn't use it routinely in any K frame Smith. or any Colt. My preference. The 357 is a great woods gun for this part of the world, it'll do anything you need it to do.

I can tell you, I am sure happy we don't have grizzly's around here though! Even that 629 would feel awfully small in 'griz country.
 
You can't go wrong with a .357. If you don't have one, you should get one - and S&W makes a great gun. If you are concerned about over-penetration indoors, you can load it up with .38spl HPs, which will slow it down some. Some hot .357s would be okay for bear - I think .357 magnum is the minimum many places will let you hunt with.

.44 mag would be better vs bear. If you are careful, you shouldn't have too much bear concerns, especially black bears. Do some reading around the internet, learn how to avoid bears. You are another large predator, they want as much to do with you as you do with them. Watch out for babies, mama bear plays rough.

Of course, one must not discount the bear-eviscerating power of the 9mm Parabellum.

Either gun would be a fine choice, check availability, what feels better, and what you can afford to feed (.44mag is pricey)
 
Thanks for all the input guys. All very good points. Still have a lot to think about. Decesions....Decesions....
 
I can't remember EVER hearing of any kind of black bear attack in New England.
I prefer .357 over .44 Mag.
 
Pilgrim said:
I wouldn't recommend a 357mag or a 44mag as a home defense gun. Too much danger of going thru walls and getting your own kids or your neighbors.

The 38 spl you've got now will do what you want for home defense.

If you want the 357 or 44, keep it for range carry or bear proofing yourself.
Click to expand...

Why not have both, by far my favorite handgun is my S&W 627-5. It's an eight shot .357 that also shoots .38 Special. It's probably had 50 rds of .357 & 2000 rds of .38 Special put through it since I've owned it. Mostly M&M Wad Cutter Relaods.

I've probably put 500 rds through it. Mostly my wife and daughters monopolize it or anyone at the range. I'll hand over a box of reloads (50) and before I know it, they're gone.

I saw it at FS one Thursday night and I thought it was new. I got a good deal from Carl, as always.

It's not really a carry gun, but if I know I'm going to the range after work, I'll leave the Glock home and carry the 627 ( in colder weather ). It kinda sucks at work, catching on stuff, but out in public with a coat it's fine. I even got a wicked nice Leather DeSanits Holster that set me back $109.00.

If you don't want to shoot pricey caliber ammo all the time, get a S&W 617, to compliment your 627. The 617 is a ten shot .22 and it's just a little lighter that the 627 and has a very similar feel. I love mine.

I saw it at FS one Thursday night and it definitely wasn't new, but I got a good deal from Carl, as always [grin].
 
ramair2k said:
Ok, I am in the market for a new revolver. Its between the S&W model 629 or the S&W 686 Plus. Both revolvers would be stainless and barrel length would be 4 or 5 inch.

Intended use:

Home Defense: You already have a 38.
Family and I go to NH a lot, and recently while visting storyland, a black bear ran by my wife and I at night. Freaked me the f*ck out. So being able to take down a beast is key: 44 would be better but 357 should be sufficent in N.H., short of a moose, which I wouldn't want to piss off anyway.
Ammo affordability is a +: 357 using 38 specials or you may want to get into reloading.
I already own a .38spl snubby: You can share the bullets between the 2.
Range. This will not be a safe queen. I intend to take it to the range quite often to get familiar with the weapon and shoot it accurately: After a box of 44's, you'll want to call it a day also there is again the cost issue. Not much price difference in 44 special vs. 44 magnums as much as .44 mag vs 38 specials, and you can get range ammo fairly cheap.

Thanks in advance for your oppinions.
Click to expand...

I have both, sans the plus in 686. When you add it all up, the 686 seems to come out on top. If you were out in an area with more aggresive critters then sure, a .44, but it's N.H., not Alaska.
 
rudiewhitebwoy said:
W

If you don't want to shoot pricey caliber ammo all the time, get a S&W 617, to compliment your 627. The 617 is a ten shot .22 and it's just a little lighter that the 627 and has a very similar feel. I love mine.
Click to expand...

Not to deviate the thread: I do the same. I use a 617 as a practice/warm up for the 686 and 629. I snipped some of the quote to keep it short but I will not use someone else's reloads. You can get into it fairly cheaply going with lee products. Read up on it a bit and you'll see what I mean. Once your set up, cost is really only time. I use a Galco Vertical Shoulder system for all 3. They are all 4" models and if you get the one for the 4" 629 it'll work fine for all 3. Price is a bit more but you can score it well under msrp at optics planet.
 
I love my 629 and 686 and yes, do shoot 38SPL quite a bit out of my 686. But here is the shitter, I also have a Taurus 65 ( 357 ) in 4" and it shoots damn nice, in fact it is my carry gun, don't mind it getting every day use of carrying as opposed to the every day use of my 686 , NOT.
And yes Jose, same nighttime setup, 357 and a AR with 30 rds. of HP, but I also have a Mav 88 with those alternating buck/slug nighttime giveaway if needed.
 
The 686 plus looks like it may come out on top. Mainly because you can shoot 38spl out of it and I already have a snubby so ammo compatability is always a plus.
 
The 686+ has seven holes.

Good: One more round of ammo before you have to reload.

Bad: When you have to reload in a hurry, HKS speedloaders are your only option. Safariland Comp II speedloaders are light years better, but they are only available for the 6-shot 686/586/681/581.

I'll gladly trade one round for much faster and easier reloading.
 

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