627 vs. 929

[Mcfoto]

Hello all,

 

Google searches for the title topic led me here. Been shooting for two seasons production in USPSA. This year I added ICORE shooting my 66 in classic division. Considering shooting revolver in USPSA and realize I need an 8 shot for that. I'm drawn to the 929 as I have sources for cheap 9mm (I don't reload). From searches on this forum and others it seems like the 929 has a lot of issues out of the gate, and the 627 is a more stable and proven platform. My local Cabelas has both and I've given them the gun counter handshake. Both fit my hands equally well. I have a local smith who does my tunes and did great by my 66.

 

any insights for a newb?

[alecmc]

bang for your buck goes to the 929 , as it already comes with a titanium cylinder and 6.5" barrel. You cannot buy a ( factory ) 627 in that configuration - only custom work.

 

both will need some work at the hands of a gunsmith who knows revolvers to be competition friendly.

 

 

[Distant Thunder]

If you were presently reloading or planned to be sometime soon it'd be more of a toss-up between the two, but since you don't and have a source for friendly pricing on 9mm ammo I'd say your decision has been made. If you plan to purchase locally see if your local 'smith could check out the gun(s) you're considering beforehand to limit the possible gremlins in waiting. Trust me, waiting for S&W to fix something under warranty that should never have left the factory in the first place is no fun.

[firewood]

I have a 929, put well over 14,000 rounds, all reloads thru it without any of the issues some report. The gun (not the owner) has been flawless.

 

Yesterday I brought my second 929 home as I want one with optics and another iron sight. Works for me.

[perttime]

Is there a big difference in balance between 627 and 929? Personally. I'm thinking 5"  627 vs. 6.5" 929. I'm drawn towards pistols and revolvers that don't have particularly long barrels.

 

A guy who just bought a 929 just told me that it is very good out of the box. I know that some have recently had issues, which ever they chose.

[357454]

While the cost of ammo is important for most of us, you will need to determine if it will run in a 929. If you want a light trigger pull you will need to focus on  Ammo with Federal primers. The second thing to consider is the diameter where the moon clips hold the cartridge some are too loose and will not properly retain all the loaded rounds. Third some 929s have too much head space for reliable ignition and require thicker than normal moon clips. Being a long time owner of two early 627s with 6 1/2" barrel and having owned two 929s I am caught in the middle. For competition I prefer a long sight radius, here the 929 and 6 1/2" 627s are equal. The 627 can easily fire heavy loads with minimal extraction issues, both of the 929s I had were difficult to extract the cases if the power factor was above 135, a friends gun had issues with power factors as low as 124, he now uses 38 short colt brass with very reliable extraction. If you can find a 929 with acceptable barrel to cylinder gap and good headspace you will have the foundation for a good competition revolver provided you find the right brass and load for your gun. If you prefer a shorter barrel the 627 is the way to go.

[Mcfoto]

41 minutes ago, 357454 said:

While the cost of ammo is important for most of us, you will need to determine if it will run in a 929. If you want a light trigger pull you will need to focus on  Ammo with Federal primers. The second thing to consider is the diameter where the moon clips hold the cartridge some are too loose and will not properly retain all the loaded rounds. Third some 929s have too much head space for reliable ignition and require thicker than normal moon clips. Being a long time owner of two early 627s with 6 1/2" barrel and having owned two 929s I am caught in the middle. For competition I prefer a long sight radius, here the 929 and 6 1/2" 627s are equal. The 627 can easily fire heavy loads with minimal extraction issues, both of the 929s I had were difficult to extract the cases if the power factor was above 135, a friends gun had issues with power factors as low as 124, he now uses 38 short colt brass with very reliable extraction. If you can find a 929 with acceptable barrel to cylinder gap and good headspace you will have the foundation for a good competition revolver provided you find the right brass and load for your gun. If you prefer a shorter barrel the 627 is the way to go.

 

Thank you. This had occurred to me. My 66 is tuned for Winchester and while it seems to run Blazer brass fine for practice, my cheap ammo source uses CCI which deliveres a light strike in every box. However, they'll run all day in my striker-fired production gun. I'm realizing that revolvers and cheap ammo are mutually exclusive. It's just daunting to think of buying 350 rounds for the larger summer competitions ar $20 a box.

 

My current competition guns are in the 4 inch category so the 627-5 seems like an improvement but the revolver guys and gals I shoot with run 6 inch so I know that's the norm.

[MWP]

20$ a box for 9mm with Federal primers? That sounds close to double what it should cost. 

[firewood]

As 357454 has stated you may well find anything other than Federal primers a problem. Not only are federal primers basically a must the primers have to be seated as far below flush as possible. And even then you might need to try several extended firing pins before you settle on Apex Competition and the Apex fp spring.

 

For me at least I use only Federal 9mm brass. I shoot with a guy that has a 929, he uses only Winchester brass and I have found that Blazer also works well. I use .035 moons from The Revolver Store, they work well but are loose, I have just started experimenting with slightly thicker Revolver Store moons and TKs that are .040 but those are going to be brass headstamp specific also. But alas I have another friend that shoots a 929, he uses DAA moons which I think are .040 and he uses mixed brass with no issues.

 

But I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't want to come across as saying get this or get that because you are the one shooting it. When deciding on my second 929 I thought long and hard about it and in the end the main reason I have stuck with it is because I have tons of 9mm brass, maybe 100 moon clips for the 929 and getting a 627 would require buying more new moons and new 38 long colt brass thus complicating my ammo supply. For me this is a hobby not a livelihood. I do handload some 38 special not much and some 45acp but the bulk of my shooting is 9mm revolver and I shoot a G17 and G26. I probably consume about 10,000 rounds 9mm/year.

 

Shooting 38 spl is certainly an option but in the OP you say ammo price is a big factor. I would imagine 38 would run 30-40 cents/round, but lets say 30 cents. I handload  9mm for 11 or 12 cents/round. While federal primers are sometimes difficult to source inexpensive 9mm could disappear altogether you never know.

 

It will be some time before my skills catch up to the potential of both my guns and my ammo. The sad truth is the shooting sports sucks the life out of your soul and the money from your wallet. And as a bonus it takes up all of your free time!!!  LOL!!!  Either way I'm sure you will find happiness in an 8 shot!

[Mcfoto]

41 minutes ago, MWP said:

20$ a box for 9mm with Federal primers? That sounds close to double what it should cost. 

 

Sorry, I meant if I went with the 627. That's the going rate around here for Federal .38 sp factory ammo. I buy Blazer brass in 9mm - my default production ammo - when on sale for less than $10 (which happens frequently here). I also supplement the busy summer season with Freedom Munitions new 124gr. I brass hound at our range and use their brass trade in program which usually equates to a free case a year. However, the FM 38 sp. will not run in my 66 so I suspect I will have the same issue with a tuned 929 or 627.

Edited October 23, 2017 by Mcfoto
Redundant wording

[MWP]

Ok that makes more sense. 

 

I think one thing that gets overlooked is the length of brass when comparing factory ammo. 

 

On ejection, the 627 can't clear 38 special brass completely from the cylinder, where a 929 can clear 9mm length. This is why, pre-929s, anyone competitive was using shorter brass than specials in 627s. 

[MikeBurgess]

It is possible to tune a revo to run any primers you want, you will not get to the super sweet light pull of some guns but you will be Much Much better than stock. I have a 625 that I set up to run anything I fed it and while the trigger is not as light as my federal only 627 it is really not that bad. 

 

if I were starting from scratch today I would go with a 929 and set it up to run whatever I was planning to feed it. quality wise I think all the Smith revos are probably about the same, they come from the factory as a nice all parts included kit that you or your smith can then make into a competitive gun, some will take more work than others but mostly they can be easily made to work.

[jhgtyre]

17 hours ago, Mcfoto said:

 

Sorry, I meant if I went with the 627. That's the going rate around here for Federal .38 sp factory ammo. I buy Blazer brass in 9mm - my default production ammo - when on sale for less than $10 (which happens frequently here). I also supplement the busy summer season with Freedom Munitions new 124gr. I brass hound at our range and use their brass trade in program which usually equates to a free case a year. However, the FM 38 sp. will not run in my 66 so I suspect I will have the same issue with a tuned 929 or 627.

Why not just get into reloading?  Then you can make ammo that is tuned to suit your purposes.

[pete627]

I thought the 929 barrel needed 38 caliber bullets and was a little too loose for 9mm (.355) ... Did they fix that??

 

I also ... could never understand why they didn't put a "dx/classic" front sight on the 929 (like on the 627). Being a competition gun ... you would think the "classic" would be a geeme (quick change) ... just pop it out of the spring loaded shoe ... (instead of having to drive a pin out).  

[Bosshoss]

No quick change sight on guns with a barrel cap.

[jcc7x7]

10 hours ago, pete627 said:

I thought the 929 barrel needed 38 caliber bullets and was a little too loose for 9mm (.355) ... Did they fix that??

 

I also ... could never understand why they didn't put a "dx/classic" front sight on the 929 (like on the 627). Being a competition gun ... you would think the "classic" would be a geeme (quick change) ... just pop it out of the spring loaded shoe ... (instead of having to drive a pin out).  

Agree with sight questions! Plenty of room even with cap-fake comp.

I use .358 Bayou Bullets in mine.  More accurate than.355-356 bullets.

[Water63]

I'm running a 627 in USPSA and ICORE. If you are't going to reload go with the 929 ammo will cost you less. Good luck with whatever you run. In Indiana I'm often the only revolver in a USPSA match. Get a good gunsmith to tune it for you it is night and day over a factory gun.

 

[PatJones]

I thought the 929 barrel needed 38 caliber bullets and was a little too loose for 9mm (.355) ... Did they fix that??
 
I also ... could never understand why they didn't put a "dx/classic" front sight on the 929 (like on the 627). Being a competition gun ... you would think the "classic" would be a geeme (quick change) ... just pop it out of the spring loaded shoe ... (instead of having to drive a pin out).  

I have a DX sight on my 627, I wish it had a pinned sight. If you catch the sight blade on a port it can be pulled out of the base. I've put a small ball bearing behind my spring to increase the tension on the sight blade. I've never seen the need for quick change sights.

[FENWICK7]

lots of people shooting 38 short colts in the 627 with good results. i couldnt get good accuracy using them or 9mm reloads in 929.

 

[alecmc]

4 hours ago, FENWICK7 said:

lots of people shooting 38 short colts in the 627 with good results. i couldnt get good accuracy using them or 9mm reloads in 929.

 

 

trying to rack up posts to get into the classifieds or something? 

[swordfish]

• I shoot both a 627 (Vcomp) and a 929. Primarily 929 because I own it, but I cut my teeth with the 627. I pretty much hate the 627, honestly, after shooting and dry firing both a lot. Or rather, if I had to choose (again), I'd go with the 929 every time. Which is why I bought one and not a 627. I shot Starline 38SC in the 627 and it worked great with TK clips set up for Starline. That's pretty much the only bonus for the 627 is you can buy a ton of starline brass and never have to worry about it. Right now I'm sorting brass for my 929. It likes Blazer, and I just got a giant jug of it for free, but I have to put in the work instead of just going to Starline and buying it brand new. Starline 9mm supposedly won't work with my .040 moons, and I'm not gonna spend the money to find out my source is wrong.

[FENWICK7]

On 12/31/2017 at 4:23 PM, alecmc said:

 

trying to rack up posts to get into the classifieds or something? 

I have been on these forums for many years. family and illness has

contributed to my hiatus. Had to start all over with new account. Not

sure why you are offended.  

[swordfish]

9 minutes ago, FENWICK7 said:

I have been on these forums for many years. family and illness has

contributed to my hiatus. Had to start all over with new account. Not

sure why you are offended.  

A lot of people just come here to do that. Although the more recent post before yours wasn't even that long ago, but someone (maybe you) just joined and started bringing up very very old topics, seemingly at random, even though other topics that are more recent had already covered the discussion. To be fair, it might be a good idea to update older threads with bad information with newer more relevant stuff, so old post bumping might not be a bad idea.

[Mcfoto]

Pardon the necro-thread bumping but it is my own thread. Six months later and it's almost game time: Dear Wife has given the go-ahead to purchase an 8-shot for my birthday in October. Updated info:

 

1. I now reload! Started with a single-stage loading .38 special and recently acquired a progressive and getting the hang of that with .40 for my default USPSA Limited bottom feeder. What I have discovered is I love reloading .38 on the single stage. There's no way I'd get enough production for my current level of USPSA shooting but can get enough for my monthly ICORE match. Part of justifying getting an 8 shot is that I may be insane enough to start shooting USPSA in revolver. If that happens will be forced onto the progressive for revo loads.

 

2. Based on all the feedback above, I was pretty set on a 929. However, last month I made the mistake of giving the gun counter handshake to a 627 again. It felt really good in my hand. I know that a 6 inch barrel is advantageous in sight picture but the 5 inch 627 seems more balanced. It also would be nice to keep both revolvers in the same caliber.

 

3. Since I've been reloading, I've been picking up brass and like other brass hounds I have acquired a gajillion 9mm cases. From reading the above and other threads, seems like the 929 might be brass sensitive so I might have to do some further sorting. I hear some like buying new brass and starting fresh but I'm too cheap for that when I find it for free at the range.

 

Thanks in advance for any further insights with the above updates.

[perttime]

If the 627 feels more balanced, I'd go for that.

I suspect I could get used to handling a long barreled revolver. Being used to 4" revolver, 5" 1911 and a Glock 19, I suspect a heavy and long revolver would take some work before I'd be comfortable with it.