S&W 69 Thoughts?

[keith1911]

I saw one of these in a local store/range last night and handled it and it felt nice. Been wanting a .44 snub and it comes in a 2.75" barrel and it is on the roster. I know other people have posted about it but I wanted to see if anyone has good or bad experiences with it now that they've had it a while and shot it more?

Thanks!

[usmcspud]

I have both bbl. lengths.
I load magnum brass to warm Special specs and they are both a joy to shoot.
Tight lockup and nice DA/SA triggers. Accurate as hell, too.
If you want to shoot magnum loads and the recoil is uncomfortable, I understand the S&W X-frame grips will fit the M69. They purportedly reduce felt recoil considerably.
Both Bbl. lengths do not have a "blast-ring"(?) at the front of the cylinder. This causes powder gas residue to get between the yoke bbl. and cylinder and will cause a bit of drag on cylinder rotation. I just dribble a little Hoppe's in there and set the pistol uprite for an hr. or so and then put it muzzle down to allow the crud to flow out.

[CinnamonBear723]

I think you should buy one but in a longer barrel length. It'll help balance the gun as well as improve ballistics.

[FullMetalJacket]

I have the 2.75" model and really like it, though the longer barrel will get significantly better performance out of magnums.

It's a very easy-shooting gun with .44 Specials.

One gripe? Trigger pull is way too heavy in DA. I'm going to do a trigger job on mine sooner or later.

[keith1911]

I think you should buy one but in a longer barrel length. It'll help balance the gun as well as improve ballistics.

I already have a 4" 29 and the 2.75" 69 will fit in the same holsters as my 586 L-Comp.