smith and wesson 329pd

[Vance]

Why is this a bad 44 magnum? (in regards to a comment from the last show)

[twyacht]

Hello Vance, welcome to DRTV. I don't know if its a bad revolver. .44 Magnums from a lightweight revolver can be a handful. 

As a review on Gunblast explained:
Since introducing the 329PD a few years ago, it has been a very good seller for S&W. Apparently they work pretty well, and from the emails that I receive all feedback has been positive. The 329PD fills a unique role that needed filling. It offers a lot of power in such a lightweight package. It carries six shots of .44 Magnum ammo in only a 25.5 ounce revolver.  It is built upon the S&W N-frame, like Smith’s other .44 Magnum revolvers, but the alloys used in its construction make the 329PD so much lighter than anything else available. The trigger pull on the 329PD measured 4.5 pounds in single action mode, and 10.25 pounds double action. The barrel/cylinder gap measured five one-thousandths of an inch (.005"), which is a bit wider than I like, but it is well within specs.

The 329PD tested came supplied with a good set of  wood grips, but for most of my shooting of this weapon, I installed a set of much more comfortable Hogue synthetic rubber grips. With heavy .44 Magnum ammunition, recoil can be a handful, and the Hogue grips really do help. Even better would be to install a set of the rubber grips that are standard equipment on the X-frame .500 S&W revolver. Anyway, for extended shooting sessions with the 329PD, I wore a PAST shooting glove on my left hand, and that helped to alleviate some of the sting from the heaviest loads.  While on the subject of recoil with the 329PD, it is all a matter of physics. The lighter the weapon, everything else being equal, the faster the recoil velocity. With some very heavy loads, recoil can be painful. However, this gun is not designed for a full day at the range shooting heavy magnum loads. This is a defensive and hunting weapon, and in that role, it works very well. While extended practice sessions can be painful, it is a weapon with which one needs to practice to handle it well; just don’t try to shoot too many at one session. Recoil effects are cumulative, much like hitting your knuckles with a stick; the more you do it, the worse it hurts. Sensible practice with the 329PD results in a very useful and practical defensive revolver.

There are plenty of other models, for the .44 that are built heavier, to accommodate recoil.


S&W Model29
Or the Ruger Super Blackhawk

Regardless, its still a .44 Magnum. It's big, brutal (to both target and shooter), and requires the right platform to not make it so painful to shoot.

This is a great little video with a great model shooting the .44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWO-EzoIbSs

[Frisco]

I fired a 329 at the range not too many months ago.  I am not particularly recoil sensitive, but I found both the recoil and the muzzle flip to be downright HORRIBLE with full-house magnum loads.  It was still stiff with .44 Special, but manageable.  In neither load would I want to shoot this all day.  In fact, I was done with a capital DONE after 2 magnum rounds and six special rounds.

I'd a whole lot rather shoot a Smith & Wesson Model 29 with at least a 4" pipe...preferably a 6".

As I get further past 40, I find my tastes in "shooting all day guns" has gone over to the .22lr, 9mm, .38Spl, and the .45ACP.  With a LOT of focus on the .22lr.   

[tombogan03884]

MB was talking about a .44 that jammed the safety lock mechanism with heavy magnum loads, but worked flawlessly with lighter loads. I don't remember if it was this model.

[r_w]

Copying MB quote from another thread on episode #10:

Here's a caveat on the 19-ounce 329...it is a world class .44 Special revolver that will also shoot .44 Magnum loads, but BEWARE of heavy bullet loads (beyond 240 grains) in the 329 unless you disable the Rube Goldberg internal lock! Voice of experience speaking here!

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[Vance]

Thanks for all the input.