I would rather have the SS cylinder - my 296 (below) will remain my one and only Ti cyinder. When I bought it new, some 6.5 yr back, a call to S&W CS informed me of it's requirements for care when cleaning - and i was admonished to shoot full length-only .44 Specials - no shorter, ie, .44 Russian cased rounds. I'll stick with SS.

My current production 4" 629, SKU #163603, sports the .500 Magnum Hogues, from S&W Accessories, that others mentioned. Great aid to recoil control. Those 'miserable' 180gr SP UMC .44M's are much less evil in my SS 629 now - hate to think what they would be like in your 329 'Alaskan Backpacker' (SKU 150545) - the 4" SS 629 has another 11+ oz of mass to help, too. That additional 1.5" of barrel helps, too. Another thing not needed with a SS or CS frame - that little bent piece of sacrificial SS sheet over the the B/C gap to deflect/dissipate the hot blast. I think I could stand the extra mass of a CS/SS revolver - and money saved - and feel better knowing it's feeding and care would be less demanding.



Those .500 grips do add ~3/16" to the trigger reach - but really help with the recoil. They do nothing for muzzle flip - comps help there. I hate comps - and can live with the 629's rise much easier than I could the additional noise of a comp, not to mention making cleaning a bit more involved. Good luck!

Stainz

PS I've shot a friend's 340PD with hot CorBons - and those itty bitty boots. That is the most miserable experience I ever had. My older 629MG - with the exposed backstrap, wood grips, and those UMC 180gr .44Ms was nothing in comparison.