Smith & Wesson’s Performance Center M629 Stealth Hunter Part II

Yesterday, while inside and working on handloads, rounding up factory ammo and planning a shooting schedule, the sun was shinning and the outside temperatures was 50°F. Today, when the Stealth Hunter was laid on the bench, the ambient temperature was 11°F and falling with heavy snow soon to follow. Point? None. Just bitching about the cold.

The Model 629 was shot with metallic sights, a red dot sight and a handgun scope. The revolver was shot one handed bullseye stance, two handed sort of like Weaver stance and from a rest with sandbag support. The shooting aids helped to assess the Stealth Hunter’s accuracy potential by minimizing the influences of human eyesight and focusing more on mechanical precision. That said, using a pie tin size target to approximate a deer’s kill zone and shooting from support, 100 yard deer hunting would seem quite reasonable with the right ammunition.

It was clearly postulated in Part I that the Stealth Hunter’s long barrel, Mag-na-port slots and full length underlug would reduce recoil substantially. They did. However, the Model 629 is still a 44 Mag and, while very controllable, it will remind you with every trigger squeeze. Shooting 44 Special ammunition is very soft, not unlike shooting 38 Special ammo in a 357 Mag.

Bullets…

Four bullets I load frequently for the 44 Mag were selected, mostly because I am familiar with them and they are known to perform well. The cast bullets offer deep penetration but little in the way of expansion, the jacketed bullets also offer good penetration and a bit of expansion when driven to a reasonably high velocity. They are identified on the table below, top to bottom, as they appear here left to right.

Within my experience, only one bullet, the jacketed 270 grain assembles within the SAAMI overall cartridge length specification of 1.610″. None as assembled had a problem when loaded into the Smith and Wesson’s cylinder, 1.790″ from breech face to cylinder face.

The loads listed below are a combination of moderate and maximum velocity, but none should be viewed as start loads. Ramshot peaked about the same as Lil’ Gun, but with less persistence for lower velocity. Win 296 may be a better overall powder for the Model 629, but I didn’t want to start from scratch for this segment. No popped primers, no split or sticking cases, no lead splatter.

For a relaxing range day and lighter trail duty….

One of the nicer aspects of this 44 Mag revolver is its ability to consume more moderate 44 Special ammunition, like the four below that can be shot all afternoon, eyes open on target, without physical consequence.

Left to right, the Hornady Critical Defense with 165 grain FTX bullet has a measured muzzle velocity of 1046 fps from the Stealth Hunter and is intended for personal defense applications. PMC Bronze 200 grain JHP clocked 854 fps and is a good round for self defense and hog hunting.Federal’s 200 grain  SWC HP checked 880 fps muzzle velocity and is recommended for recreational target practice. Winchester’s 240 grain Cowboy Action target ammo moseys along at 715 fps and is really soft shooting in the subject Model 629.

Summary

I think my first acknowledgement is that is that the Smith and Wesson Performance Center’s M629 Stealth Hunter lives up to its name; it would be a terrific firearm for New England deer and black bear seasons and it is easy to shoot well. The Stealth Hunter is not a handgun to fear shooting. Its weight takes the edge off of magnum recoil and practice shooting with 44 Special ammo is comfortable for even developing shooters. Finally, the Stealth Hunter is made from quality materials, well finished and assembled with attention to detail by the Performance Center right here in the U.S.A. Nice revolver.