I carried a 329PD as a Backcountry backpacking gun for seven years. Before I bought it I called S&W to ask if it could handle the Garrett and Corbon hunting loads and was told "Yes."
So I did.
"Punishing" is not strong enough for a load like that in such a light gun. You can injure yourself if you don't FIRST learn how to handle the recoil. After I had it for 2 years I put Crimson Trace Hog Hunter grips on mine and had Mag Na Ports bored into it. The ports help. If you don't think so, fire one side-by-side with an unmodified one. [I have an unmodified one, bought as-new from a person who decided he didn't want to risk injury.]
Check out what John Taffin and others say about shooting guns with such heavy recoil. In short, don't try to control it. Let the gun roll and rise or you WILL damage your wrists. I am former military with a lot of time working high-threat close-protection and was always taught to rigidly control recoil for quick follow-up shots. With the PD and heavy loads, even letting it roll I can put two rounds quickly into "minute of charging bear".
Second or third time at the range, the crane broke and the fired shell was jammed in the cylinder. I sent it back to S&W with all info and they repaired it, no charge.
I fired a maximum of six rounds of the heavy loads through it per year, just to be sure it was still zeroed. After five years I sent it to Cylinder and Slide to have their Extreme Duty rear sight with tritium tubes installed and the Ashley Outdoors Big Dot on the front. They also adjusted the sights for my chosen loads, since the rear is fixed.
BUT, before they would work on it, they told me the lockwork was badly worn and it should go back to S&W for rebuild. Again, S&W did it no charge. Tough to argue with that.
Stepping into the holster conversation, I have very strong feelings after seeing dangerous animals on their home turf. I have a custom-made holster for the 29-series S&W revolvers, with a strap over the top.
THEN I was 'packing one of my favorite trails out of Hancock Pass in the Colorado Rockies, and traversing a slope I had long thought would be the perfect place for a cougar to lurk. I saw a blur above me about 50 yards, that streaked down the slope, bounded over the trail and continued on downhill. It was a cougar, and was in sight for a TOTAL of about three seconds. Figure just about two while it was higher than the trail. There is no way I could have drawn in time from that strap-over holster. I went to a Kydex security holster I had for the N-frames. I see at least one person expressing concern that the lock could fail, trapping the gun. I don't know how many security holsters I have had or been issued, but it is a lot, and they were for a broad range of guns from Beretta to Colt to S&W, Sigs and Ruger, and none has ever failed. I have taken "The Short Cut" down the mountain a few times, a**-over-teakettle, and never lost a gun or experienced a holster failure. That's what I've carried ever after. Naturally, the holster gets a detailed inspection and test before I head out.
I had been carrying a Colt Anaconda before I got the 329PD, and went back to it in 2011 (the year after the cougar), alternating with my S&W 29 and 629 Mountain Guns. Since then, I have fired mostly 180-gr and 200-gr handloads through the PD and it is still tight. My hands and wrists simply won't handle the stunning recoil of the 329PD with heavy loads.
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