S&W 8-3/8" question

[Tom Bullweed]

I picked a beautiful 629-1 with a 8-3/8" barrel.  Shooting CAS loads (.44 Mag, 200 grain SWC over 5.0 gr of Reddot) had large groups.  

I shot a 686-3 with the same barrel length and had no issues with anything that I shot.

My question is: does S&W use different twists for barrels lengths?  My thinking is that this longer barrel may require true magnum loads.

[Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life]

I use mine for Elk and deer hunting

 I get super Good groups at 100 Yards.. IT has been.my big game weapon for many decades. I even carried one in the Marine Corps in the 50s and 60s.

Pehaps your ammo sucks

 

 

!

:-)

 

 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

21 minutes ago, Tom Bullweed said:

I picked a beautiful 629-1 with a 8-3/8" barrel.  Shooting CAS loads (.44 Mag, 200 grain SWC over 5.0 gr of Reddot) had large groups.  

I shot a 686-3 with the same barrel length and had no issues with anything that I shot.

My question is: does S&W use different twists for barrels lengths?  My thinking is that this longer barrel may require true magnum loads.

Do the same thing you'd do with a Cowboy gun. Have the chambers and the forcing cone measured. 

[Pat Riot]

It just could be that this gun isn’t accurate with that load. 
Along the same lines I have a hand load of .357 Magnum ammo that is really accurate from my Ruger GP100 but only so-so from my S&W 327 and my model 19. 
I have a 9mm load that is really accurate from 4 of my Glocks and in one Glock it’s just not accurate at all. 
 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

I had to go through a number of powders and bullets to find what my scoped S&W model 28 liked, many years ago. (6" barrel)

It LOVED 2400 powder and almost any 158 grain half jacketed bullet.

 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

From my experience, your bullet needs to be heavier and the SWC might be slightly tooooo soft.

 

Try a hard cast bullet, maybe with a gas check.   And change powders to up your velocity.

And there are some good 240 grain Jacketed bullets available also.

 

Remember, its a .44 Magnum,  not a .44 plinker.

 

Those 629's are made to perform with magnum performance.

 

 

..........Widder