S&W Model 629 Competitor

I’ve been having some words with my fitness gizmo. What I categorize as exercise, it defines and logs as naps and lunch. What I call long strides of enthusiastic walking, it categorizes as fifteen minutes of… ambling back and forth to the shop. So today, I left it on my wrist while putting in a few hours of 44 Mag range time and now it seems to be coming around to my way of thinking. Apparently, I jogged one hundred and twenty miles just this afternoon.

The S&W Performance Center Model 629 Competitor was introduced in 2007, so it has been around long enough to have seen a good deal of customer use and to earn its reputation. Yes, I am aware of its origin associated with NRA Police Pistol Combat competition, but that in itself is not of consequence to me, as it is not part of my handgun shooting regimen. For me, handgun interests fall into the categories of recreational target shooting, hunting, self defense and handload development. In those areas, the S&W Model 629 Competitor looms large.

The S&W Model 629 Competitor is the type of 44 Magnum most people should buy, but don’t. It is soft shooting even with magnum ammo, it is steady on target and it is accurate. Could it be carried as a concealed weapon? Could it be used for home defense? Sure, but it is really too big to conceal and the round is too powerful to contain in a home defense situation.

There are places the Competitor shines, beyond competitive shooting events. As an example, it is great for recreational target shooting and it has mechanical accuracy that responds to quality handloads. There is real satisfaction in mastering a 44 Magnum. It is a deer slayer, it is a hog slayer, it is a bear slayer. It is what I like best, a truly useful firearm that is fun to shoot.

Beyond performance, beyond potential, the S&W 629 Competitor is a well built, well finished quality firearm that will provide many years of service and enjoyment, backed by Smith and Wesson’s life time warranty. It is what I like to call, a good handgun.

If we get this done quickly, I can shoot some more…

When you find a revolver with micro adjustable metallic sights and a rail to mount electronic and optical sights, chances are it was built to be shot a great deal in both near and far settings. Mounting any of the preceding is fast and easy.

The metallic sights are very good, adjustment is positive and everything stays put as set. The rear face of the sight has surface striations to kill glare and the front sight is matte black for the same reason. LPA makes sight sets also in three dot, white frames aperture and in fiber optic.

The S&W 629 Competitor is supplied with 4 metal weights that adds two ounces to the underside of the barrel and four plastic spacers that combined weigh two tenths of an ounce. The two can be mixed and match as under barrel weights to suit the shooter. The weights are secured with a bushing and an Allen head fastener.

The front of the cylinder is beveled to slick up holster entry and chambers are chamfered for easy loading. The glass beaded finish does not scuff or scratch easily and it wipes clean with a touch of solvent. The cylinder face wipes clean with a lead removal, and there is no bluing to damage.

Shooting personality….

The Competitor was shot with three 44 Magnum factory loads and a number of 44 Special handloads. None were unpleasant to shoot and none were headache inducing. While the weight of the 6″ barrel and weights softened recoil and cut muzzle jump, it also boosted velocity over the typical 4″ barrel guns I more routinely shoot. The long sight radius made a significant contribution to my metallic sight shooting.

The S&W is represented in the 6.0″ column. The others are from different revolvers shot with ammo from the same lot. The 44 Special loads all ran between 940 and 1110 fps, propelled with either Unique or Power Pistol utilizing jacketed bullets and were also soft in report.

From a rest, 25 yards with metallic sights, yielded groups between 1.5″ and barely a nudge beyond 2″. Shooting at 50 yards, 4″ to 5″ was the norm. I’m sure better eyes would have done better, but I felt the groups were good enough for any game and range I might hunt with a handgun.

The S&W Model 629 Competitor N Frame is what I think most 44 Magnum revolvers should be, large enough and heavy enough to make the cartridge totally manageable by an experienced shooter. I think this is one for me to consider for deer season and perhaps one to have around for big bore proficiency training and for handload development.

If there is something to squeak about, it might be price; more than $500 higher in MSRP than the standard Model 629 6″, but in addition to the weight system and overall mass, there is the hand work of the Performance Shop packaged with this model. Very nice firearm.