Another day, another session. S&W 329pd
W296 powder, CCI350 primers, 240gr XTP, Starline NP brass, 1.6" COL,Temp 40*F, Lee FCD used

* 23gr - 1184fps average, 78fps ES
* 23.5gr - 1202fps average, 40fps ES
* 24gr - 1214fps average, 70fps ES

I started to see blast shield erosion with W296 within a dozen shots. I never saw this with the 100+ rounds loaded with Ramshot Enforcer. Ideas?

If you shoot enough magnum level loads in the 329, you will get blast shield erosion. I have had the blast shield replaced four times (frame twice) on the two different 329s I have owned. If you let it go too long, it will erode the frame. I thought I read recently where S&W had upgraded the blast shield material to prevent this (could be/probably am mistaken).

Here are some pics of one occurence (posted here before) - both frame and shield replaced by S&W (at no cost to me).

Gas shield erosion, with gas shield still in place:



Gas shield eroded in half:



Erosion of frame -- not shot after gas shield eroded in half and fell off.

Umm, I think that is a little more than blast shield erosion. What is the total round count for the gun?

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

Pic #1 - 1,923 rounds
Pic #2 & #3 2,780 rounds

The first picture (with the blast shield still in the frame) was emailed to S&W with the question:

"Is this normal or too much erosion on the blast shield"

S&W response:

"Normal"

OK, so there's nothing special about W296 then? Either I just didn't see it before, which is possible, or the erosion started with the 30+ W296 loads I ran over the Chrony today. I've seen your pictures before so I've been checking the blast shield on my revolver as I work up loads with different powders. I was afraid that W296 was a known blast shield killer.







https://sites.google.com/site/hobbyh...s-w-329pd-info

Note to self: Don't buy a 329PD.

The 329 is my everyday carry gun. Loaded with .44 Magnum ammo, it provides the perfect powder to weight ratio for my purposes. If shot a lot with magnum loads, it will most likely require more frequent repairs than a standard weight gun (that’s why I have two). This is the price you pay for the light weight – it’s all about trade offs. For most, the recoil is unpleasant to downright nasty with full house .44s. For this reason alone, most owners will never shoot enough mag ammo to have this problem. Personally, I can live with more frequent repairs

The 329 is probably at its best as a light weight .44 special.

Amen! And that erosion is "normal"? No thanks, I'll carry the extra weight of a 629, and gladly.

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Big bang, much smash'em.

The very slow burning powders always have caused backstrap erosion. One does not see the erosion when using fast burning powders although one cannot obain the velocities that the slow burning powders provide. It's a tradeoff.

Well it has been my experience that most heavy revolver owners "carry" from the safe to the truck, and from the truck to the range. And that's about it.