The story of the new S&W Model 629 Mountain Gun goes back to 1953 when Elmer Keith, the father of the .44 Magnum, met with Carl Hellstrom. Hellstrom was the new president of Smith & Wesson at the time and Keith wanted to bend his ear. Keith, a prolific handloader, hunter, and competitor, had an idea.
He’d been handloading the .44 Special to achieve better results when hunting large game. He proposed taking the legacy .44 Special cartridge, lengthening the case, and making something new. Hellstrom took on the challenge and, in brief, that’s how the .44 Magnum was born. As a point of trivia, the term “magnum” was borrowed from a name for a large bottle of champagne, not the other way around.
Remington was a partner in the venture and to quote Keith from his book Hell I Was There (1979), “Remington ammunition came in plain boxes. The lead was quite soft, it expanded well, and it was very accurate. The velocity was around 1,400 feet per second.”
Smith & Wesson sent Keith the very first revolver that was produced in the new caliber. Keith wrote about the new gun and cartridge for many years in various publications, and it was at the center of many of his hunting adventures.
The Magnum Revolver
The Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum was introduced in 1955, and in 1957 it became the Model 29.
The gun was initially offered with 4-, 5-, 5 1/2-, 6 1/2-, and 8 3/8-inch barrels. The Model 29, while popular with hunters and shooters, didn’t achieve the popularity S&W had hope and it was nearly shelved for good before it became a legendary pistol in 1971.
That was when Clint Eastwood, as Harry Callahan, introduced the world to the “.44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off!” In Dirty Harry, Eastwood played a San Francisco police Inspector who took on the “Scorpio Killer,” a fictional stand-in for the real-life Zodiac killer who plagued Frisco and the surrounding area in the 1960s and ‘70s. Zodiac was never caught, but Harry dispatches Scorpio with his .44 Magnum in a classic showdown.
The phrase, “Do you feel lucky”, made its way into the public lexicon, and the .44 Magnum, along with its reputation became a household name. Eastwood wouldn’t utter Harry's other immortal catchphrase, “Go ahead, make my day,” until the fourth Dirty Harry movie, Sudden Impact (1983).
The Mountain Revolver
In 1987, Smith & Wesson introduced the Model 629 revolver, a stainless version of the classic Model 29. It was an immediate success and the stainless construction made it ideal for the outdoorsman. Then, in 1989, Smith introduced the Mountain Revolver.
The new model was a limited run of 5,000 units and featured a tapered barrel, a round butt frame, and came with Pachmayr grips. It featured a semi-target hammer, a smooth target trigger, and plain black sights. The guns quickly became a collector’s prize and, even today, the original Model 629 Mountain Gun brings a premium price.
In 1989, Smith & Wesson brought back the Mountain Revolver, renamed as the Mountain Gun, as a standard production pistol. It was also based on the Model 629 and almost identical to the original Mountain Revolver. However, after several years, S&W discontinued the model and moved on to other variations of the Model 629.
The Model 629 Mountain Revolver Returns: Better than Ever
Last year, Lipsey’s partnered with Smith & Wesson to produce the Ultimate Carry J-frame revolvers. The success of this collaboration resulted in a multi-year plan for additional models. At the 2025 SHOT show, Lispey’s announced the return of the Mountain Gun. Not only is the Model 629 back, but it is also available in a .357 Magnum version based on the Model 686 Plus.
The new Model 629 Mountain Gun is not only back, but it’s better than ever. It’s feature-rich and built to the standards of the old guns.
Starting with the barrel, it is a one-piece construction with a tapered profile and a serrated rib. The narrow, serrated hammer and smooth combat trigger, while MIM, have been flash chromed.
The leading edge of the cylinder has been beveled for ease in holstering. The front sight is a pinned and serrated blade with a .125-inch gold bead while the adjustable rear sight is the traditional S&W black blade.
The entire gun has a semi-bright stainless finish that is both attractive and functional. A keen eye will note that the top strap is drilled and tapped to accept an optic.
As if this wasn’t enough, two major features will delight the Smith & Wesson purist. First, Smith has deleted the ever-contentious internal lock! The feature, found on many S&W revolvers, is a leftover from proposed gun-control legislation that is a distant memory, and many have been calling for S&W to get rid of the feature, which some claim can engage when users don’t want it to and render a firearm useless.
Additionally, every Mountain Gun comes with Custom Bear Hug grips from Tyler Gun Works. Made from high grade walnut, the Bear Hugs are contoured for excellent recoil control, are cut for speed loaders, and have dual palm swells. They truly are the cherry atop this classic revolver reboot.
Shots Fired
We hit the range with a total of 11 loads in .44 Special and .44 Magnum. I will say that the Bear Hug grips are more suited for the lighter .44 Special loads.
When it came time to shoot the full-power Magnum loads, I swapped to Pachmayr Gripper grips that are full coverage with a cushioned backstrap — making the gun even more of a throwback. For formal testing, I settled on the loads shown below. In my opinion, these are the most suitable loads for the Mountain Gun.
| Ammo | Caliber | Projectile | Avg. Velocity | Accuracy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel | .44 Magnum | 200 gr. GDHP | 1,115 fps | 1.25” | |
| Federal Hydra Shok | .44 Magnum | 240 gr. JHP | 1,018 fps | 2.5” | |
| Hornady Critical Defense | .44 Special | 165 gr. FTX | 841 fps | 2” | |
| High Desert Cartridge | .44 Special | 200 gr. FP TMJ | 785 fps | 1” | |
| Speer Gold Dot | .44 Special | 200 gr. GDHP | 788 fps | 1” | |
| Federal Personal Defense Punch | .44 Special | 180 gr. JHP | 872 fps | 1;5” | |
| Accuracy Shot from 25 Yards/Benched Bag Rest – Best 3 of 5 shots | |||||
I found that the Mountain Gun is especially well suited for the .44 Special loads at the range.
Even with the Pachmayr grips, the recoil of the higher velocity loads was pretty brutal and that made any follow-up shots a real challenge. In hunting conditions, where there is normally a single controlled shot — and you aren’t dealing with dangerous game — the Mountain Gun is certainly a practical option.
Closing Thoughts
The suggested retail price of the Lipsey’s Model 629 is $1,199: exactly $100 more than the standard Smith & Wesson 629. Given the upgrades that include the Tyler Bear Hug grips, which retail for $249 on their own, what is not to like? Frankly, I’m not sure how Lipsey’s can sell this gun for that price.
This new S&W Mountain Gun is certainly one of the best gun values of the year. If you are not a fan of the .44 Magnum/Special, I highly recommend taking a look at their Model 686 Mountain Gun. It has all the same features, including the TGW grips, and the deleted lock, in a seven-shot .357 Magnum.
Lipsey’s Exclusive Model 629 Mountain Gun SPECS
Frame Size: N-Frame
Caliber: .44 Magnum
Weight: 39 ounces
Barrel: 4-inch, one-piece taper profile
Grip Configuration: Round butt
Grips: TGW Bear Hug Fancy Walnut
Front Sight: Pinned .125-inch Partridge style with Gold Bead
Rear Sight: Fully Adjustable
Additional Features: Black Powder Bevel on Cylinder, Flash Chromed Hammer and Trigger, No Internal Lock
MSRP: $1,199
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