Model 329PD....Anyone Own or Shoot One? Questions??

[Nalapombu]

Hey all,

I'm back again. I guess I am taking advantage of your generosity to answer my questions. I am finding that just talking about S&W Wheelguns is getting more addictive.

OK, if you'll indulge me this one I'll give you all a break and just READ for a while....


I remember a few years back walking into my favorite shop back where I used to live. The owner knows me and motioned me to come over to one of the counters that he had something to show me. I did and when I got there he handed me a beautiful, brand new Smith that I had never seen before. It was one of the new Scandium revolvers. When I got it in my hand it felt wonderful. Then I noticed that it was a 44 mag and my attention was really piqued. I think it had a 4 inch barrel and fiber sights, boy it was something else. I thought how great this revolver was then I thought about what it must be like touching off a 44mag round in this baby. They are painful in a 4 inch 629, I can only imagine what they would be like in this one. We laughed about it for a few minutes and I went on to something else.

Now that I have asked and read about the 44 Special, the memory of holding that 329 came back to me. That would be a pretty nice platform for shooting the 44 Special, I would think anyway. It certainly would make easy carrying.

How many own one of these 329PD revolvers and shoot 44 MAG rounds through it? Is it anything less than PUNISHING? It seems like shooting full house 44mag rounds through it would be something done only in a case of defending life or limb. For those that own them, what do you regularly load it with? How is it with some of those "warm" 44 Special loads you all talked about in that 44 Special thread I started? I can't remember exactly, but I think there were a few that mentioned the 329 in that fantasy "woods gun" thread I posted a few days back. Is it more comfortable to shoot without those factory wood grips, swapping them out for a rubber substitute?

I would like to hear more about it, what its like with 44mag loads and Special loadings. And of course I would like to see some pics, the more the better too.

Thanks for your time and help once again.

Nalajr

 

[BUFF]

I bought the first one I saw. Took it to the range with a box of Federal 240 grain j.h.p.'s. Since it was packaged with the wood stocks on, I shot those first. Six shots was plenty. I swapped out for the rubber stocks and shot some more. The rest of the box was plenty.

I found that recoil bothered me enough that my group sizes tripled and quadrupled over what my groups usually are with M-29's or -629's. I shot it so poorly with the full charge ammo that I don't know how useful it would be (for me) for hunting or bear defense.

The stocks that come on the Model 500's are a lot more "cushion-ee" if that is a word. Next time I shoot it the gun will be wearing those. I think that good .44 Special handloads would be a much better ammo choice for me as well.

I intend to shoot it some more someday, but my range time is limited enough these days that I take guns I enjoy shooting instead!

Others much more manly than me enjoy shooting it with full charge ammo. They may also enjoy slamming their hands in their car doors, as well.

It is a pretty cool gun, that much power in such a light, convenient package.

 

[CWH44300]

I shoot mine weekly. When I carry a gun its a 329. Has far has grips go I've never shot magnum ammo through it while it wore factory wood stocks. I changed them out to pachs at first now they were factory houges. Has for ammo most of what I shoot is made up to give a 250gr cast bullet 950fps. This mid range load feeds all my 44's for daily use and its pleasurable to shoot. I do load and shoot the same bullet at 1200+fps depending on barrel length. This load wakes the 329 up. My usual practice is to limit them to a half box or so per shooting session.

 

[jack the toad]

I had a 329 but sold it to a backpacking guy that wanted max firepower with minimum weight. I think he's sold it since then.
IMO, when shooting any of the max loaded Sc/Ti 357's or 44's, I'm reminded of the old saying; it's like shaking hands with the devil.
Using the X-frame grips should help a lot.

 

[SuperMan]

I have one of the 327PDs in .41 Magnum with the X-Frame grips on it and it is a great shooter. I have two friends with the 329s who love them. One of the guys has a lot of rounds through his but mostly 240 lead SWCs at 900 fps.

Advise:
1) Get the X grips
2) For carry try the CCI Gold Dot HP .44 Magnum Short Barrel Load. It pushes a bullet made to expand at .44 Special velocities at 1080 fps from 4" guns. The bullet turns inside-out every time and the recoil is mild.
3) Buy The Plug and pull the storage lock out as these guns do have a history of self-locking because of the recoil.

Bob

 

[S&W-Keeper]

I think if you get it, you will only fire .44 special's. It is a beast with the magnum's.

 

[serialsolver]

The 329pd is a great 44 sp. It is a brutal 44 mag. My speed limit in the 329pd is 1200 fps. In my 329pd I carry 44 sp +p loads loads around 1000fps. If you reload you can taylor the load to the mission and your comfort level. The best thing about the 329 pd is this. I have carried the 329pd when feeding cows, chasing cows in the lot, getting in an out of trucks, carrying 50 lb feed sacks, fixing fence all day, in freezing weather chopping ice, in 100+ temps soaked in sweat hauling water. The 329pd has been with me through all that without being an anchor trying to pull my pants down. I have carried several handguns from plastic to steel and still carry plastic 40 hours a week but if I don't need a hi-cap auto I will have a 329pd.

 

[blueknight7]

I carry mine everyday. I don't have to carry a weapon anymore, since retirement, unless I want to. But, I don't like second place on the food chain list, and with feral hogs right out the front door, sometimes they don't know any different.

Mine is loaded with a with a 240 gr. Laser Cast SWC, with a healthy dose of 2400 behind it. I do have the X frame S&W grips on it. What comes in the box, from S&W, is cruel and unusual punishment, and that is being very generous.

Personally, I love the thing. It is seriously accurate, if you do your part. I do caution shooting a lot of .44 Specials in it. The shorter case is going to leave a buildup, in the cylinder, and could prove to be difficult to remove, if you move to magnums. Titanium does not allow the same vigorous cleaning techniques as chrome moly, or stainless steel does.

It is not the gun you want to take out, and dump 100 full loaded .44 magnums in it, in a day. But, used for what it was designed to do, it fills the niche quite nicely.

 

[illgtncarb]

I love mine

I have a 329NG which is comparable and carry it often. I recommend the X-frame hogues absolutely and I find 44 spl to be a breeze to shoot all day at the range. When loaded for bear, I initially took 6 different manufacturer's boxes of 44 mag to the range and fired two chambers each per cylinder to get a feel for the recoil. I settled on Buffalo Bore 180gr hollow points as very manageable. However, I will admit I had the thing Magnaported which, while not really affecting felt recoil, did reduce muzzle flip noticeably.

________________________________________
eschew obfuscation

 

[M29since14]

How many own one of these 329PD revolvers and shoot 44 MAG rounds through it? Is it anything less than PUNISHING? It seems like shooting full house 44mag rounds through it would be something done only in a case of defending life or limb. For those that own them, what do you regularly load it with? How is it with some of those "warm" 44 Special loads you all talked about in that 44 Special thread I started? I can't remember exactly, but I think there were a few that mentioned the 329 in that fantasy "woods gun" thread I posted a few days back. Is it more comfortable to shoot without those factory wood grips, swapping them out for a rubber substitute?

You have a lot of questions. I agree with most of the answers here, and particularly with Blueknight7's caution about using 44 Special ammo and the cleaning related problems. For that reason, I use only magnum brass in my gun. If you are concerned about too much powder space in reduced loads, you can seat your bullets a bit deeper, using 44 Special data, or otherwise taking appropriate precautions.

I have never fired the heavy-bullet loads in my 329. I don't shoot them in 29s and 629s either. 250-275 grains is plenty for me in an S&W. In the 329PD, the 250K at around 1000 FPS is not terrible. At 1200 FPS, it is getting there.

A 329PD with 240 gr. factory loads (advertised velocity = 1180 FPS) is not nearly as brutal as the 340PD with 158 gr. Federal Hydra-shoks.

 

[Neumann]

Massad Ayoob describes shooting a 329PD as "interesting...not fun". He likes the semi-lightweight Mountain Guns, though.

 

[SuperMan]

..a MG in any caliber would be my choice for an all-around heavy revolver.

Bob

 

[dla]

I like mine. I think it is the ideal carry solution for bitey/scratchy critters. Here's some information you might find helpful.
S&W329 Information

 

[Shuz]

I like mine. I think it is the ideal carry solution for bitey/scratchy critters. Here's some information you might find helpful.
S&W329 Information

The info dla has a link to, is very informative for those considering the 329PD.
I have had one for about 7 years now and I love mine. I shoot nothing but cast boolits of my own manufacture in all my handguns, so I can taylor alloy,hardness and diameter very easily. I have found that 2400 powder seems to give me the best results all around.
I have sent my 329PD back to the factory twice now for top strap replacement. Each time the turn around time was very fast.
I am presently experimenting with J-B Weld applied to the area where the 3rd shield evidences gas cutting. So far it is holding up well.

 

[Naby]

I have owned a 329PD for a few months now. Before I bought it my only gun was a 340 M&P, which I carry. I bought the 329 to fill two roles, that as a woods gun and that as a home defense gun. To me it fills both roles with little compromise.

I go to the range as often as I can but probably not enough to be proficient with a semi-automatic if it is dark, 3 am, and I'm half asleep. For me the simplicity of a revolver for home defense far outweighs the advantages of a semi-automatic for home defense. Also, .44 special is a very good home defense caliber IMHO, especially if you subscribe to the "slow and heavy" belief when it comes to round choice. Most .44 special rounds are subsonic and have lower muzzle flash and report than say .357 magnum. Ballistically (looking at muzzle velocity, energy, and momentum) they are similar to the tried and tested .45 ACP so that is a big plus. I like Speer Gold Dots or the CCI version with an aluminum case (Speer also makes a short barrel .44 magnum) for use at home, but there are of course other options.

I live in the southeast so .44 Magnum is going to handle pretty much anything I am bound to encounter. I carry CCI shot shells for snakes and Buffalo Bore .44 magnum low recoil 255 grain Keith rounds for things with legs. It is lightweight so I can hike with it all day and I have read many accounts of people putting heavier guns in their pack or leaving them at home altogether.

As others have surely mentioned, you can shoot .44 special out of it all day. Having done my research before I purchased it I put S&W Hogue X-Frame grips on it right out of the box. Magnum rounds are definitely painful, but controllable. I am 5'5", 175 lbs, and I don't have a lot of shooting experience to give you some perspective. The only magnum rounds I have fired so far are Gold Dot short barrel and the BB round mentioned about above, far from a thorough sampling. Being a 340 M&P owner I am a little used to brutal recoil. The recoil from the 329PD is stronger and slower than the snappier 340 M&P. It takes getting used to but I am confident that I can effectively wield either gun when needed.

 

[44Steve]

Hi, Steve here. Call me a recoil junkie. But i love mine. the bigest problem i have with it, is on some of my reloads the bullets start to pull out of the cases after i shoot the first 3 rounds or so. Heavy crimp to.

 

[Shuz]

Hi, Steve here. Call me a recoil junkie. But i love mine. the bigest problem i have with it, is on some of my reloads the bullets start to pull out of the cases after i shoot the first 3 rounds or so. Heavy crimp to.

Steve--I had the same problem with boolits jumping and I solved my problem by contacting Dillon and getting a .423 diameter expanding plug for my Dillon Square Deal B. IMHO, case tension on the boolit is much more important than crimping.

 

[CWH44300]

Hi, Steve here. Call me a recoil junkie. But i love mine. the bigest problem i have with it, is on some of my reloads the bullets start to pull out of the cases after i shoot the first 3 rounds or so. Heavy crimp to.

The same thing here. I went to an old lyman set of dies which turn out a much better crimp and the problem went away