396 Mountain Lite

brettov · #1 05-14-2010, 02:30 PM

I am on the fence with this purchase . I have read that you should not shoot over 200grn bullets from this model . Have any of you had a problem with bullets pulling with this model . It seems like such a nice trail gun but I don't want an over finicky revolver . How do you like yours . Thanks for the info.

ronnie gore · #2 05-14-2010, 04:52 PM

i have one and i was wondering about the warning on the barrel about not using over 200 grain bullets. the warning is because the light gun recoils more and heavy bullets could pull out of the case and tie up the gun, but i loaded 240 grain bullets with a good load and shot them and checked the bullets between firing and i had no bullet pull, and i use a heavy roll crimp on the 240 grain bullets. i like mine. i installed night sights on mine also. i have since removed the finger grooves from the ahrend's grips and installed s&w emblems.

brettov · #3 05-15-2010, 08:43 PM

Thanks for that info ronnie . Thats just the stuff I need . I guess there arn't many of these out there in use by the lack of responce . I may need it just because there dosn't seem to be that many out there.

ronnie gore · #4 05-15-2010, 08:46 PM

no there are not many,i don't know how many were made. just use a good roll crimp and don't try to make a 44 mag out of it and you will be fine. i think my load is around 850 fps.

endgameAK · #5 05-15-2010, 09:25 PM

I've been shooting Buffalo Bore's Heavy .44 Special loads ... 255 gr hardcast @ 975 (in my barrel) ... since I first learned of them about 9 years ago. No problems ... good extraction ... no bullets jumping crimp. It put down a medium sized moose that was trying to kill my dog team a few years ago. My 396 ML is my winter woods gun. My 329 PD, with the same bullet in BuffBore's Reduced Recoil .44 mag load (about 1250+ fps) takes care of the rest of the year. Nice duo to cover my needs.

AKAOV1MAN · #6 05-17-2010, 02:13 AM

I have a 624 3", a 696, 396 and 296 (yeah I like the 44 Special). I find myself leaning toward the 396 as my go to 44 revolver, it conceals as well as the 296 and I use the same loads as I use in the 624 and 696. And it carries soooo easy. I too use Buffalo Bore loads for serious social circumstances, and use the same bullets in lighter loads for traning, the change in POI is very slight, and I have it down so that I can crank the sights from memory if I need to be spot on. One of S&Ws better ideas IMHO.

Munsterf18 · #7 05-17-2010, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronnie gore

i have one and i was wondering about the warning on the barrel about not using over 200 grain bullets. the warning is because the light gun recoils more and heavy bullets could pull out of the case and tie up the gun, but i loaded 240 grain bullets with a good load and shot them and checked the bullets between firing and i had no bullet pull, and i use a heavy roll crimp on the 240 grain bullets. i like mine. i installed night sights on mine also. i have since removed the finger grooves from the ahrend's grips and installed s&w emblems.

I have this same setup, and had the same knucklebusting problems with the Ahrends with fingergrooves. Funny how we end up with the same results!

And I only shoot the 200 gr Silvertips in mine, works very well.

Munster

ronnie gore · #8 05-17-2010, 07:45 AM

i have never held a pair of finger groove grips that lined up with my fingers.