Need help selecting the right DA "mountain" gun

[Rodfac]

Buy a 4" Smith .4 Magnum and be done with it. It's accurate out of the box, will do for anything on the lower 48. Allows a 2nd shot quickly without the practice a Single Action would take, and you can buy ammunition anywhere. For practice you can load or buy .44 spl velocity fodder, leaving the full house loads for business.

And no it won't wear out...Smiths are strong as they are unless you pound 100 rnd a day forever shooting long rang steel. I've owned 'em since 1970, shot literally thousands through them and have yet to have a maintenance problem.

They weigh a lot, as much as any Ruger in actual lug it around terms so for me that's not a consideration. Where bears or cats are a problem, the full house stuff is the choice. If a 2nd or 3rd shot is necessary, you're giving up some speed though. If you're worried about two legged varmints, 1000 fps is all you need and it will allow that 2nd or 3rd attempt at "scaring" them off.

JMHO, Rodfac

 

[WESHOOT2]

My easy answer for myself was to keep my 5.5" stainless steel 44 Redhawk, worn strong-side (or sometimes when concealed weak-side butt forward) in a Sparks HSR.

Ain't THAT heavy......


(The gun wears Pach Decelerator stocks and an orange-ramp Millett front ramp.)

 

[Three44s]

At the time when I was ramping up in the .44 caliber ......... the four inch RH was not even a dream ........

And in the west, we have a different play ground.

So ..... at that time ....... if I had encountered a 5.5" RH knowing what I know now ..........

I probably would have been ............. One44's

But I didn't ........ I bought a SS 7.5" integral as my first ....... still have it ............ A GEM!

But I bought that gun thinking it was for defense ....... silly me .......

And from that mistake ....... my path led me to the Smith MG ........

But something was lacking ....... I THOUGHT ......... and then I bought a SRH 9.5 figuring on a barrel chop ..........

The RH was to be sold ........ the SRH was to be chopped.

AND along the way I discovered what FINE weapons those Rugers were in their original form ........ (with trigger jobs, another kettle of fish however)

The critter that lead me to Rugers has not yet materialized ...... though they are within walking distance (for them) ......... so my Smith is "it".

And I like Weshoot2's point .......... a holster makes a weapon carry easy.

And if those critters do finally walk over here (that led me to the .44) ..........

............ another big Ruger DA may just have to come live with me.

............... A Ruger DA in .45 LC ............. for that combo ......... trumps the .44

But it's all about need ....... or not .........

Three 44s

 

[WESHOOT2]

I rid meself of my 45 5.5" because all the dinosaurs around the house were dead.

(Plus 44 ammo --although I 'reload'-- is readily available on EVERY gunshop's shelf.)

(I rid meself of my 41 5.5" for similar reasons. But I kept my 7.5" 357 because I like using it, too, for USPSA, along with the 44. AND it fits the HSR, although the barrel extends unprotected a bit....)

 

[Mark McWillis]

My answer to that question was a 329PD. I sat on the fence for a long time and then one walked into a gunshow I snapped it up. I like it. If you plan to shoot a lot of full power ammo it might not be the first choice. YMMV.

 

[Old Judge Creek]

I must agree... if you choose a S & W the "Trail Boss" is another really great choice.

... you should be aware that S & W fans are >>>>> NOT <<<<< fans of the internal locking mechanisms on Smith & Wesson revolvers... you might want to look into a pre-lock model... I would.

Yo... K-nuckles... This Trail Boss, my Trail Boss is pre-lock

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

The fact is I do have a (as in "one") Smith with the cursed lock in the sideplate :x

In spite of all the vitriol over it, aside from being uglier than a rusted out '49 Studebaker pick-up truck, there's nothing wrong with my little 642.

 

[rug357]

My choice for "woods" handgun down here in Florida is a 4" S&W 66.
It is light compared to others, SS requires less maintnance and 357 Mag caliber is sufficient for everything except maybe trophy hog.

 

[batmann]

Late to the party, as usual, but I will throw in a couple of my favorites.
My personal favorite is my SRH Alaskan in .44M, it is my carry almost every where sidearm. i see where you ruled it out, but it is still a fine carry piece for outdoors.
My second favorite is my S&W 629 Mountain Gun. It offers a slightly longer barrel and is legal to hunt with in IN, although I don't use it for that.
After I bought my Alaskan, I sort of retired the Smith and carry the Alaskan in the Fall/Winter time. FWIW, i have found the Alsakan to be more comfortable to shoot, especially with heavier loads and it balances much better for me, but you mileage may vary.
Nothing wrong with the 4" Redhawk, I have just never fired one.

 

[Flashman]

One other matter to consider is the size of your hands and how you intend to shoot the revolver. Single-actions seem to be more forgiving of hand size but N-frames and Redhawks are not. I have struggled with this for years and finally converted to shooting my double-actions with the pad of the finger rather than the first joint because my hands/fingers are simply not big or long enough (there are many opinions on this issue). Grips can be changed but trigger reach cannot. That said, the Mountain Gun is tops in my view if you want double-action. I would suggest .45 Colt (assuming you reload, if not the .44 would be best), it is lighter and a lower pressure round and little softer shooting.

 

[sebtool]

Just to reiterate a couple of points vaguely touched on by a few others -

The ease of carry depends on the holster/rig. I've got a Simply Rugged for my SP101(not advocating for your intended uses, but many say they're too heavy to carry) that is extremely comfortable in either strong side or cross draw positions. Rob Leahy makes several styles, including the chest carry you mentioned.

You probably ought to talk to Earl Southard at Trailmaster holsters too- he's a member on here, look up Trailmaster- as he makes excellent quality holsters for the Ruger GP100s (just got my 1st, and it's a gem! Waiting for my ammo carrier to post pics) and Redhawks/SRs almost exclusively. He spends alot of time hiking with his creations, to see what works best and incorporates the info into his holsters. You can't beat his quality, and the price is right! My holster is very comfortable, and secure for my 4" GP100. I just picked up a Redhawk with a 5.5" barrel, and that's next on the list.

I believe you said you reload - might want to consider the .41 mag. Many consider it light for heavier game. I've never tried to take on anything heavier than a whitetail with the caliber, (in my old Blackhawk) but with good shot placement, they drop just as quick as with a .308! It's been awhile since I had time to reload,and don't recall all the particulars of the heavier bullets, but in a Redhawk/Blackhawk, you can push a heavy cast bullet pretty hard with no ill side effects. And it's a blast to shoot! Got alot more punch than either the 10mm or .45, and I like both of them as well!

Just my .02. I don't feel unprotected at all with a .41, with the right bullets. The old Speer manual on my desk only goes up to a 220 gr. bullets, at anywhere from 1100-1300 fps. I've seen data up to 240 gr. pills, so, what's not to like?

 

[BIgMuddy]

I will weigh in here to, as these "opinion" threads are fun to read and participate in.

I thought that a 4" Redhawk would be my dream "packing" gun, or what we around here refer to as our "take along guns". I even thought of having my beloved 5 1/2" shortened. Then Ruger comes out with one and I jumped on it. I tried to convince myself that I really liked it, but I did not. What I found was even though the barrel was little shorter, it still was not any easier to pack than my 5 1/2 because it is still pretty heavy. I have a 4" Smith that is much easier to carry all day.

For the level of loads mentioned, I really think a Smith carries better and will last a lifetime. Also the loads mentioned (250 gr @ 1000 fps) will work great on any of the "targets" mentioned here. A S&W will outlast all of us with those loads. So, given the parameters of the question, I would go with a S&W 44. (The 45 I had had extremely large throats and would not hit anything)

Now I have to add...MY take along gun is a 5 1/2" 44 Special Flat Top Blackhawk.

 

[grey_beard]

Its basically a choice between the S&W mountain gun and the new Ruger Redhawk with 4" barrel.

The Ruger is stronger and heavier.
The S&W is lighter and better action.

You did not specifically the ammo you would use in the gun.
If you want to shoot heavy 300gr handloads (ww296 etc...) on a regular basis, then the Ruger is the only choice.

However if you shoot milder ammo for practice and only use the heavy ammo for hunting, then the S&W is fine.

By the way, the S&W mountain gun with heavy loads is a handfull...

If you are a reloader, then the Ruger RH with .45 Colt is the heavy hitter.

If you stick to factory ammo and limit practice ammo to reasonable loadings, then the S&W could be more optimal.


For the usage you described, coyotes, feral dogs, deer; do not require the heavy loadings.
The wildcard here is the HOGS...how big do they get in NY?
...you will want to use enough gun on these beasties.

Let us know what you finally decide.

Merry Christmas

-Greybeard

 

[Muley Gil]

If I were chosing a SA trail gun, I'd carry my Alan Harton 4 5/8" OM .357 to .44 Special conversion. My favorite load is a Keith style 250 gr SWC over 7.5 gr of Unique.

For a DA trail gun, my choice is the S&W Mountain Gun. Mine is a pre-lock model.

 

[dougader]

As I noted above, I have both the 45 Colt Mt Gun and the Alaskan in 454. The weight of these is very close and packing either is no big deal. When fishing around grizzly/Alaskan Brown bear, I carry the Alaskan in 454. But in Oregon there's really no need for it.

If all I was going to carry was a Keith type 255-260 SWC @ 1000 fps then I'd go for the Mt Gun. John Linebaugh wrote quite a bit about using the 45 Colt in newer Mt Guns. He gave load data and 3 or 4 load levels he carries in his favorite packing pistol, the S&W Mt Gun.

I can't find the article online, but I have it saved on my home computer. If you're interested, you can semd me an email or pm and when I get home I can email the article. I don't run anything in the higher level loads in my Mt Gun. I reserve that for my Rugers. But a 255 @ 1,000 fps is no big deal and most of my loads run 800 - 900 fps.

But a good holster will carry either just fine. My Mt Gun is a 625-6 (IIRC) which is one of the last ones that came without the unsightly frame-mounted lock. It is very accurate with cast bullets. I especially like the Beartooth 265 grain WFNGC bullets.

There's a decent used 45 Colt Mt Gun on Gun Broker right now. If I didn't have one already (or if I had more cash) I'd go bid on it myself.

 

[Sonnytoo]

I hate to say it here ---- but I have a S&W mt. gun in 44 mag. Its easy to carry, accurate and very versatile.

I have a Smith pre-29 4", a 3" Smith 29-4 Special and a 4" Redhawk. I tend to like the shorter barrels, so the 3" Smith. I also have a 3" Smith 696 in .44 Special (33.5oz) that I'm fond of.

and Old Judge Creek, your post...And which lead me, early last year, to add a Glock 30 to my battery. That is also a fine choice, and for human confrontation where you might need more bullets quickly, 10 rounds and new mag beats reloading the revolver.
Sonnytoo

 

[KurtC]

Over the last 20 years, I have tried the following as a .45 colt wood's gun:

S&W 625 in 5" full lug and 4" Mtn Gun
S&W 25-7 in 5"
Ruger Redhawk 5.5"
Colt Anaconda 4"
Dan Wesson 4"

I finally sold them all and had this 4" Redhawk tweaked to meet my specs.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Kurt I like that. I'm thinking about putting the Alaskan Cylinder into my 4" Redhawk too. I like the sights who did them? I also like the rounded but but I like rubber on the grip. Right now I use the Pachmayer Decelerators but they are a tad big. Gotta say though that did come out mighty fine.

TO the OP I think if I lived in the lower 48, for most places anyway I'd carry a 3" S&W 629 and It's my understanding one just came out. I really like the Judges trail boss and this is similar but it has the fluted cylinder and the underlug. Still over all a nice looking revolver. I'd stick with 300 grain hard casts at about 900 fps and be very happy. Up here I'll stick with one of my 4" redhawks or my Alaskan, or my Super Blackhawk. either way they are carrying a heavy hardcast. But you've probably got more advice than you know what to do with.

 

[revhigh]

Standing, arms out straight, 10 yards, 6-Shots, 1-hole. Repeatedly.

Here we go again ..... 6 shots .... 10 yards ... ONE HOLE .... repeatedly .... with a .44 MAG snubbie ... right .... puh-lease .... internet marksmanship is sooooooo easy ....

I just CAN'T let crap like this go uncommented on ... sorry. My guess is that only ONE round in each cylinder hit the target ... thus one hole ... repeatedly.

REV

 

[andyo5]

I had a S&W Mountain gun in 45 Colt. It weighed only 36 ounces so it was easier to carry than my Redhawk. But it recoiled sharply when fired, unlike the Redhawk. Mountain guns are for carrying alot and shooting a little. If this meets your needs, buy a Mountain gun. I found mine somewhat unpleasent to shoot.
I bought a Simply Rugged pancake holster with a "Chesty Puller" shoulder rig. I can carry my Redhawk all day in comfort with this rig.

 

[dogkinkead]

I used to carry a little 32 H&R mag thinking it was nice and light for a woods gun in the mountains where I hunt. I've got this problem of getting too relaxed in the woods and would end up taking a nap or two. Now that the bears have come back and pictures of large cats showing up here in Virginia I had to re-think a few things. I no longer take naps in the woods and my woods gun is a 5 1/2" Redhawk loaded with 'Ruger Only' loads. I like the Smith but want as much punch as possible. Never did see one of the 4" Redhawks with the barrel screwed in right so just stuck with the 5 1/2" The weight isn't so much in a cross draw rig.