Smith & Wesson Model 629 Mountain Gun 14041 44 Magnum

Hiking, hunting, or any activity that can bring you in contact with a brown bear means you should be prepared for the encounter. Or in black-bear country in the spring, you don’t want to get between momma and her cubs. Sure, you can pack bear repellent, but we prefer something other than a peppery spray — such as six doses of 44 Magnum to stop more than 300 pounds of fur, teeth, and claws.

Two powerful revolvers that can administer 240-grain dosages are the Smith & Wesson Model 629 and the Ruger Redhawk. Both are chambered in 44 Magnum, are made of stainless steel, offer six-round capacities, have wood grips, and are fairly easy to carry in rough country. These revolvers pack some recoil depending on the load used. There is a wide assortment of 44 Magnum cartridges to choose from. You can also fire 44 Special ammo out of either of these 44 Magnums for predators with two legs. We know the trend these days is to pack a 10mm semi-auto for bear country, but a 44 Magnum can punch through just as much bear as the 10mm Auto can. And it won’t go out of battery when the bear is on top of you and using you for a chew toy.

The revolvers were tested for accuracy at 15 yards and for speed at 10 yards. Accuracy was solid for both the Smith and Ruger. The 44 Special choice was Remington Wheel gun loaded with a 246-grain lead round-nose bullet. For 44 Magnum loads, we tested bullet weights ranging from 200 to 305 grains. The Hornady Custom is loaded with a 200-grain XTP jacketed hollow point. Next was PMC Bronze rounds loaded with a 240-grain TCSP (Truncated Cone Soft Point) bullet. The TCSP bullet is not a hollow point but a soft-point design that allows for controlled expansion and deep penetration. On the heavy end was an HSM Bear Load with a 305-grain hard-cast gas-checked heavy-for-caliber lead bullet. Recoil with the PMC and Hornady was a sharp impulse, made even more intense with wood grips and exposed-steel back straps. Recoil with the HSM ammo was stiff, but manageable and well tolerated. It was more of a hard push and roll than a sharp, quick rap.

What revolver would we wear in bear country? Here are our thoughts:

Smith & Wesson Model 629 Mountain Gun 14041 44 Magnum

$1500

Gun Tests grade: A- [our pick]

Mountain Gun variants of the Model 29 have been a staple in S&W’s lineup for decades, and for good reason. They are heavy-duty revolvers offering performance and power in a relatively lightweight package.

New this year is the S&W/Lipsey’s Exclusive Model 629 Mountain Gun in 44 Magnum. There is also a new 10mm Auto version. The 629 Mountain Gun is a classic big-bore revolver in S&W’s lineup of N-frames. In the past, S&W offered the Mountain Gun in 45 Long Colt, 41 Magnum, 357 Magnum, and 44 Special, as well. These new variants do not have an internal lock.

Mountain Guns are designed for carry, so they weigh less than most S&W Model 629 variants. The barrel is tapered on the Mountain Gun in lieu of a full profile and under lug like other model 629s. The tapered barrel reduces the weight of the revolver by about 4 ounces compared to a full-lug barrel of similar length. Our sample wheelgun weighed 39 ounces unloaded.

The 4-inch barrel is serrated on the top with a pinned-in-place serrated front sight sporting a gold bead. The adjustable rear sight has a square notch, and the backward-facing sight panel is serrated to reduce glare. We liked these sights because the bead popped in bright light and was still easy to find in low light. Under the rear sight, the top strap is drilled and tapped in the event you want to mount an optic.

The cylinder has a black-powder bevel at the front. The front edges of the cylinders on black-powder revolvers were angled at the front to help manage fouling from black-powder loads, which is not an issue with modern jacketed or hard-cast ammo. But the bevel also aids in reholstering. The cylinder locks up in the front via the ejector rod, which rotates when the cycler rotates, and in the back. At times, the cylinder latch was a bit sticky. The chamber mouths weren’t chamfered, but we found cartridges easy to load.

The trigger has a smooth face and edges. Trigger-pull weight averaged 10 pounds, but it felt less and was super smooth. Single-action pull weight was 3.7 pounds, and that, too, broke cleanly and crisply. The hammer spur was wide and textured, with plenty of checkering. It made cocking and uncocking the Mountain Gun easy and safe.

The smooth wood grips are Tyler Gun Works Bear Hug fancy walnut. The grips filled our hands, and there was a palm swell built in. The grips were also blended smooth with the backstrap. While they aren’t recoil-absorbing rubber, they do spread out the recoil, making it more tolerable, though more cushioning would make the revolver more comfortable to shoot. For the price, we felt the S&W/Lipsey’s should have included a set of rubber grips. 

At 15 yards, the Mountain Gun offered good accuracy. The 44 Special load had a best five-shot group that measured 1.31 inches, and its average was 1.65 inches. Best group from the 44 Mag ammos was the HSM Bear Load at 1.40 inches and an average of 2.10 inches. Next was Hornady Custom, with a best of 2.50 inches and an average of 2.68 inches. The PMC Bronze had a best of 2.66 inches and an average of 2.73 inches. With the shorter barrel, the S&W produced less velocity and energy than the Ruger with its 5.5-inch barrel. On average, the Smith created about 100 foot-pounds less muzzle energy and 200 fps less velocity, which we expected. Recoil was stout with the magnum loads. 

Moving to the speed round at 10 yards, we experienced similar handling to the Ruger. The hefty recoil slowed follow-up shots if we wanted to get a clean hit in the 12-inch ring of the D-1 target. There were no issues. Empty cases fell clear with no sticking. 

Our Team Said: If we were going into bear country, we would opt for the S&W Mountain Gun because of its weight-to-power ratio. Sure, it didn’t have the speed and energy of the longer-barreled Ruger, but we prefer the Smith’s weight reduction over that. If we owned the Smith, we’d swap out the nice-looking wood grips for more practical and comfortable rubber grips.

To collect accuracy data, we fired five-shot groups from a bench using a rest. Distance: 15 yards with open sights. Velocities and energies were recorded using a Garmin Zero C1 Pro chronograph.

Written and photographed by Robert Sadowski, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT