swamp creature
Member
I have lived with the M329PD for a few months now and find it to be high on my list of favorites. This revolver spends less time in my safe than any other firearm. I have run over four hundred rounds of factory ammo of several different flavors and about twenty 'home brews'. I have cleaned the gun approximately five times, which demonstrates how much punishment I am willing to take with each shooting session. I am attracted mainly by the extreme light weight that affords me the opportunity and willingness to carry this gun afield on a regular basis. This does not mean, however, that I believe the gun to be perfect. For all of its charms it does have little less than flattering attributes.
First notable mention would be the recoil. Countless anecdotes have been written describing the guns recoil with full power magnum rounds as anywhere from 'controllable' to 'down right abusive'. Obviously perceived recoil depends on many factors such as load, grip technique, grip design, weight, shooters physical ability, and many other reasons we need not discuss. I concern myself with the actual firearm in question and will concentrate not on its weight, but rather its grip design. Grip size is a personal matter due to the many different hand/finger dimensions found in any group of shooters. Grip design, however, is a function of proper engineering and ergonomics. For me, the exposed backstrap and thin width dimension of the rearward portion of the grips of the 329PD amplify the perceived recoil. I have corrected my particular example with the excellent Hogue Monogrip from the model 500 revolvers. Having a slightly wider rear portion and a covered/cushioned back strap the M500 grip takes much of the punch out the M329PD. Plus it fits my hand much better than the factory supplied grips.
My second concern with the M329PD is the sights. As supplied, the gun comes with a HiViz type fiber optic front sight and a V-notch black rear sight. The front sight is not bad at gathering light, and seems to be impervious to chemical damage. It does however drag heavy on the holster when drawing the gun. I would prefer the standard red ramp. The rear sight is prone to moving under recoil and thus has prompted me to add loctite to the height adjustment threads. That black V-notch, in my opinion, is terrible. It is difficult to discern in lower light conditions. I would much prefer to change the blade for a white outline square notch type.
Third concern is the black finish that is very easily scratched and announces it to the world with a bright silver line. Such scratches have begun to reveal themselves with normal use. Yoke to frame abrasions, ejector rod contact, hammer side load radial scratches, and holster wear scream abuse on a firearm that has actually been treated with kid gloves.
Forth item of concern is the titanium cylinder and scandium frame. I bought this gun specifically for the light weight only to find that there is a penalty for the use of titanium. The front of the cylinder discolors with carbon deposits that I have yet to find a chemical cleaner that will remove them. The face of the cylinder has a coating applied to it to prevent gas erosion. The titanium and this protective coating prevent the use of abrasive cleaners as well as copper brushes. The use of hot handloads is prohibited, and more than one catastrophic cylinder failure has been recorded. Powerful factory loads often cause sticky, if not stuck, extraction problems. This is a grave concern. Perhaps the use of titanium is not the best choice for such a powerful round. The use of scandium in the frame also requires the use of a flame shield installed at the top front of the frame to prevent gas cutting. The actual design of this shield appears to have been conceived by a five year old. Surely the designers at S&W could have come up with a much better and heartier design. The one they chose to use looks more like a cheap aftermarket device for the home gunsmith.
My fifth and final concern is reliability. This is the main point of choosing a revolver for many people, myself included. The recoil of this beast causes countless problems with threaded components backing out. I find myself touching up the torque on the exposed screws with each cleaning. I have had to loctite the aforementioned rear sight. I have tightened the side plate screws and the grip screw more than once. My newest dilemma stems from sharing range time with a friend who wanted to try out the beast. My buddy is a large guy with prodigious strength and is not quite familiar with revolvers. Somewhere during a box of 50 factory loads the extractor rod began backing out. With my friend opening and closing the cylinder with a loose rod has lead to minor thread damage which is just enough to prompt me to not try and tighten it back on myself, but rather send the gun back to S&W to have them check the threads and repair if necessary.
Don't get me wrong, I still like the gun, but it is my belief that the powers that be over at S&W rushed a gun to market without sufficient testing. I also believe they may have known about the titanium cylinder issues but decided to continue, at the buyers risk, to market this firearm to help recover monies spent on research and development. All other issues aside, this gun is a blast to shoot and easy to carry. By the way, if the recoil is more than you can handle, but you want a full power load, try the fantastic Defender load by Garrett Cartridges. It is a full energy hunting load with significantly reduced recoil. It is, however, very smoky and dirty.
Swampy
First notable mention would be the recoil. Countless anecdotes have been written describing the guns recoil with full power magnum rounds as anywhere from 'controllable' to 'down right abusive'. Obviously perceived recoil depends on many factors such as load, grip technique, grip design, weight, shooters physical ability, and many other reasons we need not discuss. I concern myself with the actual firearm in question and will concentrate not on its weight, but rather its grip design. Grip size is a personal matter due to the many different hand/finger dimensions found in any group of shooters. Grip design, however, is a function of proper engineering and ergonomics. For me, the exposed backstrap and thin width dimension of the rearward portion of the grips of the 329PD amplify the perceived recoil. I have corrected my particular example with the excellent Hogue Monogrip from the model 500 revolvers. Having a slightly wider rear portion and a covered/cushioned back strap the M500 grip takes much of the punch out the M329PD. Plus it fits my hand much better than the factory supplied grips.
My second concern with the M329PD is the sights. As supplied, the gun comes with a HiViz type fiber optic front sight and a V-notch black rear sight. The front sight is not bad at gathering light, and seems to be impervious to chemical damage. It does however drag heavy on the holster when drawing the gun. I would prefer the standard red ramp. The rear sight is prone to moving under recoil and thus has prompted me to add loctite to the height adjustment threads. That black V-notch, in my opinion, is terrible. It is difficult to discern in lower light conditions. I would much prefer to change the blade for a white outline square notch type.
Third concern is the black finish that is very easily scratched and announces it to the world with a bright silver line. Such scratches have begun to reveal themselves with normal use. Yoke to frame abrasions, ejector rod contact, hammer side load radial scratches, and holster wear scream abuse on a firearm that has actually been treated with kid gloves.
Forth item of concern is the titanium cylinder and scandium frame. I bought this gun specifically for the light weight only to find that there is a penalty for the use of titanium. The front of the cylinder discolors with carbon deposits that I have yet to find a chemical cleaner that will remove them. The face of the cylinder has a coating applied to it to prevent gas erosion. The titanium and this protective coating prevent the use of abrasive cleaners as well as copper brushes. The use of hot handloads is prohibited, and more than one catastrophic cylinder failure has been recorded. Powerful factory loads often cause sticky, if not stuck, extraction problems. This is a grave concern. Perhaps the use of titanium is not the best choice for such a powerful round. The use of scandium in the frame also requires the use of a flame shield installed at the top front of the frame to prevent gas cutting. The actual design of this shield appears to have been conceived by a five year old. Surely the designers at S&W could have come up with a much better and heartier design. The one they chose to use looks more like a cheap aftermarket device for the home gunsmith.
My fifth and final concern is reliability. This is the main point of choosing a revolver for many people, myself included. The recoil of this beast causes countless problems with threaded components backing out. I find myself touching up the torque on the exposed screws with each cleaning. I have had to loctite the aforementioned rear sight. I have tightened the side plate screws and the grip screw more than once. My newest dilemma stems from sharing range time with a friend who wanted to try out the beast. My buddy is a large guy with prodigious strength and is not quite familiar with revolvers. Somewhere during a box of 50 factory loads the extractor rod began backing out. With my friend opening and closing the cylinder with a loose rod has lead to minor thread damage which is just enough to prompt me to not try and tighten it back on myself, but rather send the gun back to S&W to have them check the threads and repair if necessary.
Don't get me wrong, I still like the gun, but it is my belief that the powers that be over at S&W rushed a gun to market without sufficient testing. I also believe they may have known about the titanium cylinder issues but decided to continue, at the buyers risk, to market this firearm to help recover monies spent on research and development. All other issues aside, this gun is a blast to shoot and easy to carry. By the way, if the recoil is more than you can handle, but you want a full power load, try the fantastic Defender load by Garrett Cartridges. It is a full energy hunting load with significantly reduced recoil. It is, however, very smoky and dirty.
Swampy
