S&W 329PD- .44 Scandium- anyone shot one yet?

[Peter Gun]

Sounds like a great idea. May not be fun to shoot, but a good backpackers friend maybe. Any feedback on how brutal this thing is? How accurately it can be shot?

 

[Nightcrawler]

Looks interesting to me...

 

[DougB]

It looks very interesting to me as well. I already have one of the S&W Titanium 5-shot J-frame .357s (the "Kit Gun" with a 3 1/8" barrel and adjustable sights). I like my .357, but recoil is pretty brutal with magnum loads due to the 14.5 oz weight. I would imagine that the same would apply to this .44, although I'd like to hear how it shoots from someone whose tried one. It does seem like a nice option for outdoorsmen who want something for bear protection.

Doug

 

[TeamCorbon]

I don't know about accuracy but if it's like all the other S&W revolvers I've owned, it's plenty accurate! The recoil is substantial! I fired it using Federal Emerican Eagle ammunition and it certainly lets you know you're shooting a powerful gun. I't much more recoil than a 29 or 629, but I really think this gun will be shot very little and carried a lot. If I were looking for a gun to carry in addition to a rifle or if I lived in an area with a bear problem, I would certainly have one of these. They're so lightweight, it's really hard to believe it shoots a 44 mag!

 

[Gila Jorge]

I use a 629 Classic 5inch full underlug for a true Mtn Gun. Also have a 629-4 Mtn Gun. The former I use for punchy loads but the latter I only shoot specials in. Am told that the Mtn Gun is brutal with full house 240 gr loads. Can only imagine overkill on the recoil end with scandium. No thanks. Also don't like the raybar sight on the front.

 

[Cthulhu]

I put 10 rnds through a salesman sample S&W 329 that was brought to my gunshops factory shoot. Ammo was Winchester USA 240grn JSP. The first 4 rounds were very accurate but dropped off along with the feeling in my fingers. To call the recoil stout would be putting it nicely. Tolerable is probably a better expression. The gun torques harshly and comes back viciously into the palm. The only other gun that is really comparable interms of recoil magnitude is the S&W 340 with 180 grn Cor-bon hunting loads, although I found the .357 more "pleasant" to shoot.

I can see the attraction of this beast to those who normally pack a 629 as a back up while in nasty critter territory, but I doubt that the users would want to practice with it enough to be proficient in those situations. It is an impressive achievement in power to weight ratio, but like the scandium .357s, it is too light to be "fun" to shoot for more than a few rounds.

That being said, I wouldn't be opposed to trying it again later on with rubber grips and shooting gloves.

 

[BigG]

The sight looks really fragile for a using gun vs. a range gun.

 

[DougB]

Regarding the sights, my scandium 360 kit gun (.357) came with a similar fiberoptic front sight. I also was concerned about it, but now that I've examined and used it, I think it is a sturdy and very usable setup. The fiberoptic insert seems very solid. When you look at it at first, it appears to be an orange fiberoptic strand held between two posts, but in reality, the whole thing is encased in solid transparent plastic that protects it pretty well. Also, it is surrounded by metal at both ends and on the bottom, so even if the plastic insert were to somehow get knocked loose, the metal that holds it would still make a servicable sight.

Also, mine came with a wide "V" rear notch that I didn't like when I first saw it. Now that I've used it some, I'm very happy with it. I'm sure it isn't quite as precise as a traditonal square notch rear sight, but it is very quick to put the bright orange dot in the "V" - I find it an excellent arrangement for this type of pistol.

Doug

 

[BigG]

... it appears to be an orange fiberoptic strand held between two posts...

That's what I thought it was from the picture. Thanks for explaining it, Doug!

 

[Peter Gun]

Great responses, folks, thanks. So it sounds like you have to practice w/ gloves on then, right? Does anyone know if the grip frame on the 329 is the same as the 629? I'm thinking one of those nice Pachmayer decelerator grips that covers the backstrap might help tame it. Has anyone seen one for sale in a shop yet?
cthulhu- did your shop order any 329's for stock?

 

[Nightcrawler]

You know what? I want one. I handled a mountain gun today. It was light and handy (compared to my big 6" 25-5). This item must be even more so.

Not too thrilled about S&W's new internal locks, but oh well I guess.

This thing IS a good candidate for Pachmayr Decellerators.

 

[DougB]

Regarding the internal lock, my 360 also has that. I don't use it, and it doesn't seem to do any harm as far as I can tell. The single action trigger is light and crisp on my 360. I'd actually forgotten about the internal lock - the only evidence of it is a small, round, flush "key hole" by the cylinder release.

Now that I think about it, I might even use it once in awhile - I plan to take this pistol with me when I take my Boy Scout troop backpacking (I'm a Scoutmaster). If I ever need to leave the pistol unattended, it might be good to be able to lock it. Of course, I'm virtually never without my handgun when backpacking - swimming would be about the only instance I can think of when this might apply. In any case, I don't see that it hurts anything to have the option.

Doug

 

[Jim March]

You know what?

I don't hate my wrists enough to buy a 44Mag made outta RIBOFLAVIN!

 

[WESHOOT2]

AGREE

I'm already scared of stupid recoil.

That said, looks cool.

 

[provalov]

And if you miss the bear with the first shot, the recoil will take you out of his range anyway!

 

[seeker_two]

I don't know about .44mag, but it looks like a great .44spl packing gun...