Hello all...
My eldest son (in a fit of frenzy) traded for this 329PD in very good condition... (DOB 2003)
Of course, now he's decided he likes the 1911 platform better...

So what to do with this monster?...
I really prefer smaller, more carry-able weapons...

We are set up for reloading, so I suppose I could just load up some .44 SPL for target shooting...
Or do I just sell out of it???...

Anyone "been there, done that"???...
And what was your final outcome???...

Thanks for any help on this quandary....

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Travel light..stay aware..

You could just send it to me, I'll give it a good home.


Seriously though I would either enjoy it as a range gun, or sell it for something you really want.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

Traded out on my first one (recoil) missed it so bad bought a second one put S&W 500 grips on it and sent it to Bowen for a package job. Use Garrets 300 LBT rounds made for it(bears) and reload 310 gr Hornady JHP /7.7 grains Unique for expansion and practice same POA Kramer belt scabbard holster. Its my out in the country gun here in Alaska and my favorite. Easy to carry all day and not a range gun. I have SS for that chore. Mucho money and thats my story.

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T. Johnson

I hate to tell you this however it has been my experience that large caliber revolvers tend to live in packs. After you run some 44 spl through it I will wager that you will find another 44 or 357 to keep this one company. I now have 2 44 mags and 4 357's. Great photo.

nice piece...just shoot mild loads in it and you'll learn to love it.

They are nice, 2nd the set of 500 grips on that baby. I wouldn't shoot it without it. Getting to old to go to the range and shoot and pay all week for it. I love the 22 and have just as much fun .

That is a nice gun.

I'd keep it. Load hardcast lead in 44mag cases with Titegroup powder. Accurate, clean, CHEAP, and kicks like a 9mm. Great target/plinking load.

I shoot alot of 240g SWC's with Titegroup and 2400 with my 44mag pistols and leverguns. I like the magnum blast factor using the 2400.

Then keep some full house rounds around should the need arise for more power.

Ss

The 329 is a specialized tool. Either you want this tool or you don't. This is the lightest, most powerful, carry revolver that I know of. I see the previous owner actually shot it, as it has the X-Frame Hogue on it - good. You'll be able to shoot it just fine with regular or poofter loads.

S&W329 Information

Best power/weight ratio of any gun on the planet! It has the excellent Hogue X-frame grips...get out there and shoot the thing first, then make a decision.

I go along with Off Road,and DLA,its really a specialized gun,not a great target shooter because of the weight and hi-viz sights,but great in the field for carrying with snakeshot or a heavy load incase you need it. But shoot it first if you dont like it, they are worth a good amount, get a nice L frame or the like that fits your needs.Good Luck

I’m curious how many people buy these scandium framed magnums and keep them. I always see them used in the case.

I have the 360pd and the 329. Shoot both and intent to keep them.
They are tools to me. These carry well and are shot occasionally. If I intend to shoot alot of full power rounds, I choose another tool.

Some people can't tolerate the recoil because of wrist issues - and this revolver will certainly punish the hand and wrist.

Some folks wanted the macho-sounding "44 mag" but got the **** scared out of them when they fired the revolver with normal 44 mag loads.

As I said earlier, the 329pd is a specialized tool for carry. Not "carry" from the safe to the truck, but "carry" on your hip all day. Now if that isn't what you need, or if you don't really want a lightweight N-frame 44 special, then the 329pd isn't for you.

I personally wouldn't want it for a 44spl, because a good 1911 beats a revolver any day, but I can understand how recoil-sensitive revolver fans would download it to 44spl levels.

In John Taffin's "Gun Digest Book of the .44" he devotes Chapter 23 to this gun, his personal CC gun. His insights and the mods he made to his gun are very informative and you owe it to yourself to give them a look. I'd also bet you end up keeping the gun after reading Taffin.

The book's a soft cover and pretty reasonable on any of the popular book sites. Good read for the other chapters too if you're a .44 fan(which I am BTW).

Bob

Thread drift.

"2nd the set of 500 grips on that baby..."

Why put S&W 500 grips on a lightweight revolver?
Don't they come with rubber grips?

GF

dla

I read the link for the 329 info. That is alot of information. Well done!

Question, if you wrote the info, the leading you describe using the Titegroup powder, and the barrel cleaning pic, have you had that on other guns loaded with TG?

I use TG for many different calibers and in many different guns and I have never seen or had leading issues like that, using hardcast lead without gaschecks. I mostly load the mid range load data for the bullet I use. All I ever get on my stuff is powder residue. The cyl. and barrels are clean. Was that the max powder data for the rounds that leaded?

I'm just curious is all, I'm not being smart.

Ss

I'd love a 329. However, the only way they make sense to me is if they are viewed as a 44 special...which is just fine with me. Hi viz sights, lightweight 6-shot 44 special, what's not to like?

Well, its carryable, but, a bit on the large size. Seeing that you are from SE Texas, you definately have hogs. I'm not sure there is a county in Texas that doesn't have feral hogs. I don't know if you go roaming around in the toolies either. But, for hog repellant, it gets no better. But, it takes practice.

I see that it already has X frame Hogue grips on it. That is the only way to fly. Why S&W put the Ahrends, and the open back strap Hogue grips in the the box, is completely sadistic. Someone needs to sue them for tendonitus, carpal tunnel, or just plain broke hand.

Take it out, and try it. As everyone has said before, its a carrying gun. Not a shooting gun, anyway not alot of shooting. Or, you find a nice light load. Accuracy with it, is severly underrated. Those things will drive nails.

Mine goes out the door with me everyday. Its not a people weapon, though I can think of worse choices. Living 10 miles from civilization, with wild hogs in the area, make you learn to be cautious, if you didn't already come equipted that way.

If you don't care to try it, or find out its not for you, the last thread we had on the "Beast", generated alot of interest. You shouldn't have much trouble unloading it. Good Luck on whatever you decide.

Hello again... and thank y'all for the insights and opinions...

I'm not really a collector or a hardcore shooter...
Just enjoy an occasional afternoon at the range with my three sons...

My CCW is a 342PD (no lock...10.8 ozs.) that I've had for a while and love the fact I can barely tell it's even with me... (13.2 ozs. loaded with +P)...
I shoot it with target reloads enough to stay competent and have no physical problems with recoil...

I've been on the lookout for a field gun, but was thinking more along the lines of a model 19 with 4" barrel...
But now this 329PD sorta dropped in my lap (thanks to my son) and it's starting to grow on me....
Guess I'll take it on out to the range this weekend and have some fun...

Thanks again for all the info... appreciated...

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Travel light..stay aware..

Yea thats my stuff - thanks.

I only tried TiteGroup because selection was limited during the ObamaScare. I had read how everyone loved it as a replacement for Bullseye in put-put loads, so I picked up a pound. I soured on it pretty quickly when I saw the potential for double-charges and when I saw how much lead was vaporizing off the bases of cast bullets.

To be fair, Titegroup wasn't the major offender for barrel leading - I hope I didn't write that. The problem was an issue of bullet size and bullet lube. There is also the fiddling required to find the right powder & charge. I found a winner that was far from a plinker. The load data section shows the loads where I first saw the lead deposits on the cylinder face.

I don't use anything but Ramshot Enforcer anymore as it doesn't erode the blast shield and yet it is slow enough to give good velocity/pressure. I'm still fiddling with 2400 and AA#9, but not much.

Have fun!

Time to understand what's taking place here. The 329 (yes, I own 2 of them) could very well be the best 44 Special ever made. Its not the best 44 Magnum ever built. But the problem isn't the gun, its you. Only your weakness is causing you the pain. You can resolve it by not firing it, or at least not loading it up with ammo that will hurt you. Don't blame the gun for operator error.

Another, equally good gun is the 396. Again, if you select ammo wisely you have a wonderful gun.

Everyone needs to answer some questions. The answer isn't the same for everyone. Maybe we don't do a good job of warning readers what they're in for. Or maybe we have a masculinity problem where people tend to think they can handle more recoil. Then when they feel it first hand they kind of have second thoughts. What was it Dirty Harry said? "A man's got to know his limitations".

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Dick Burg

I think there is a little bit of macho fascination with the 44 mag in general. Makes sense, after all, people buy the Judge - right? And just like Judge owners discover that it is worthless as the teats on a boar hog, there is a bit of wake up for 329pd buyers when they actually shoot the thing.

Some people buy on impulse, so they can play with a new toy. And others research and know exactly what they are buying. The latter keep the 329pd for a long time. The former put half a box through it and take a loss moving on to the next owner.

I think there is plenty of information available to those who are researching. But that doesn't help the impulse buyers.

When your deep in the territory, you want something useful to have since humans are not at the top of the food chain. I had a Ruger Redhwawk but it was like carrying a cinder block. The 329 is great!!

I think the 329 is a great piece.
Even with full magnum loads it is easier to shoot than a scandium 357.
My wife can shoot this one very well. Just last Saturday she put 200 rds through it before her hand got tender. Not a target gun but not meant to be. We can carry it all day and you forgt its there.
JM2CW

I agree with most everyone. I like mine, shoot a 240gr. LSWC at about 850 fps -very similar to a .44 spl. load - for fun, when I do shoot it, and carry it as a backup deer gun in my pack. I have other .44's that I shoot more, but I CARRY this one.

Hey Sevenshooter, I don't mean to hi-jack this thread BUT I recall reading some posts (possibly on this Forum) regarding some unfortunate experiences --ie--guns blown up by Titegroup. I'm NOT a handloader, so I didn't pay much attention, but I did foward the posts to a friend who handloads..

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

Flame cutting evidently is a big deal in the scandium/aluminum framed revolvers - unlike forcing cones.

Thats why S&W installs that metal "shield" above the forcing cone in those revolvers. To keep the revolver from destroying itself if you......shoot it.

Flame cutting destroys the shield rather than the topstrap. There are a few threads here showing the shields that fell out after being flame cut. Regards 18DAI.

Yep, H110/W296 and LilGun are the worst offenders when it comes to flame cutting and throat erosion.