Lately, I've been reacquainting myself with an old friend from a decade plus ago...a Smith M-629, .44 Magnum. It's been quite awhile since I spent range time with a heavy .44 and with moderate loads like Skelton's famous 240 gr LSWC at 950 fps, this Smith is fun to shoot.
I got to thinking about replacing the Smith grips with some quality wood that would be useful when I wasn't facing heavy recoil. The rubber factory ones are functional in my use, and really help with heavy recoil but are fugly as all get out and I was hoping to dress the piece up with some wood that would still allow moderate comfort with mid level loads and save the rubber for the barn burners. With some web search, I soon found this pair of Altamont 'Roper' stocks in olive wood on the company's website and ordered a pair. Altamont's been busy supplying some of S&W's models but this pair arrived in a week and a half.
The fit and workmanship are excellent and I really like the shape. They're about as thick as old time Smith "Magna" grips at the top, with a bit of palm swell mid-ships and not a lot of wood below the butt. This pair is the conversion type that renders the round butt into a square butt grip profile.
With my size "L" paws, they're good up to about 1100 fps with 240 gr loads, but after that, it's time to brake out the rubber, as the frame hump begins to wack my thumb joint. On the plus side, they do fill in the gap behind the trigger guard just low enough to negate any knuckle rap.
The holster is a recent effort that mimics an old western design...mine differs in that I generally don't add a safety/keeper strap, and also leave the muzzle end open to allow debris/water to drain out. I set the tilt/cant around 7 degrees for use at the 3:30/4:00 OWB position. Obviously, a big 5" bbl'd, N frame of this size is not a CC candidate, but riding close behind the hip, it's easy to tuck the muzzle end in a jeans back pocket and disguise the profile somewhat.
Here are some pics....best regards, Rod
I got to thinking about replacing the Smith grips with some quality wood that would be useful when I wasn't facing heavy recoil. The rubber factory ones are functional in my use, and really help with heavy recoil but are fugly as all get out and I was hoping to dress the piece up with some wood that would still allow moderate comfort with mid level loads and save the rubber for the barn burners. With some web search, I soon found this pair of Altamont 'Roper' stocks in olive wood on the company's website and ordered a pair. Altamont's been busy supplying some of S&W's models but this pair arrived in a week and a half.
The fit and workmanship are excellent and I really like the shape. They're about as thick as old time Smith "Magna" grips at the top, with a bit of palm swell mid-ships and not a lot of wood below the butt. This pair is the conversion type that renders the round butt into a square butt grip profile.
With my size "L" paws, they're good up to about 1100 fps with 240 gr loads, but after that, it's time to brake out the rubber, as the frame hump begins to wack my thumb joint. On the plus side, they do fill in the gap behind the trigger guard just low enough to negate any knuckle rap.
The holster is a recent effort that mimics an old western design...mine differs in that I generally don't add a safety/keeper strap, and also leave the muzzle end open to allow debris/water to drain out. I set the tilt/cant around 7 degrees for use at the 3:30/4:00 OWB position. Obviously, a big 5" bbl'd, N frame of this size is not a CC candidate, but riding close behind the hip, it's easy to tuck the muzzle end in a jeans back pocket and disguise the profile somewhat.
Here are some pics....best regards, Rod
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