I don't want this guy to protect me

[Monkeyleg]

I have customer reviews on many of the gun pages on my site, the purpose of which is to beef up the pages for Google's benefit. I get a couple of reviews of different models each day.

Today I got one for the Smith and Wesson 329PD. Here it is:

I have owned this gun for several years and still haven't fired it. I do carry it in a nice Galco holster and it gets alot of looks and comments wherever I take it. It surprises me how many people have never seen the 329 PD before. The weight and feel of this gun make it very popular in my shooting circle.

He probably can't hit a semi trailer at 10 feet, but it sure looks good when he carries it. 

[HankB]

I hefted a 329PD - it was so light it felt like a toy, but I liked the balance.

After some thought, I didn't buy it; I know how it feels to shoot a short-barreled M29 with full loads, and I have no particular desire to buy a superlight N-frame that I wouldn't enjoy shooting with anything more than .44 Specials.

Light .44 Specials.

And I'd never willingly carry a gun I hadn't shot a fair amount.

(I have a 340Sc and that's about as much fun as I can handle.)

[T.O.M.]

I traded off a Smith 642 because recoil hurt.  I can only imagine the pain of touching off a full magnum load in that 329...

[red headed stranger]

There is a guy I run into a lot form the local gun board.  He carries one all the time in a nylon shoulder holster.  He also says he hasn't ever shot it.  He says (with a straight face) that he would only need to shoot it once in an encounter because he would either obliterate his attacker or scare him off.   

I have shot full house loads out of my Redhawk. I can handle it in moderate doses. I would have no desire to do the same out of a 329PD. 

[HankB]

I have shot full house loads out of my Redhawk. I can handle it in moderate doses. I would have no desire to do the same out of a 329PD.

I have a 7 1/2" Redhawk with a barrel-mounted 'scope, and recoil of the hottest loads I'm willing to put through a .44 Mag is quite modest with all that weight up front.

I find the recoil of a 4" or shorter M29 with full power loads to be quite . . . stout . . . in the recoil department. I really don't want to fire a 329 with full power ammo; I'm old enough that I don't care about beating myself up just to prove I can take it.

(For you J-frame shooters: My 340Sc with the factory grips hurt; I put on Crimson Trace grips that cover the backstrap with some rubber cushioning, and now that little gun is "merely" unpleasant, not painful, at least for a cylinderful or two of .357s.)

[mtnbkr]

They were designed as carry often, shoot seldom guns, not range toys.  I already own a 4" 629, so I would match up the grips and use the 629 as practice, but carry the 329pd as a "hiking/fishing" gun.  During hunting season, I would carry my 5.5" Redhawk or 4" 629 over the 329pd as I'm more likely to shoot it.

Chris

[Regolith]

They were designed as carry often, shoot seldom guns, not range toys.

You still need to actually shoot the damn thing once in a while, if only to make sure it actually works.

[mtnbkr]

You still need to actually shoot the damn thing once in a while, if only to make sure it actually works.

Yeah, and you will survive shooting one for a cylinder or two.  Wear shooting gloves and have proper fitting grips.  Grip fit makes a world of difference (won't make the 329 pleasant, but will make it shootable for a few rounds).

Chris

[BryanP]

(For you J-frame shooters: My 340Sc with the factory grips hurt; I put on Crimson Trace grips that cover the backstrap with some rubber cushioning, and now that little gun is "merely" unpleasant, not painful, at least for a cylinderful or two of .357s.)

Which ones?  I have the LG 405's on my J frame and it's shootable but unpleasant.  I've thought about trying a set of the LG 305 extended grip model, but that would make pocket carry harder.

[41magsnub]

Which ones?  I have the LG 405's on my J frame and it's shootable but unpleasant.  I've thought about trying a set of the LG 305 extended grip model, but that would make pocket carry harder.

I had the LG405 and liked it a lot.  After 4 years of pocket carry the rubber split on mine.  It is out of warranty.  I put the old boot grips back on, I may buy another later.  I've tried bigger grips of a similar profile to the LG305 and pocket carry did not work at all for me.

[Monkeyleg]

I had the LG405 and liked it a lot.  After 4 years of pocket carry the rubber split on mine.  It is out of warranty.  I put the old boot grips back on, I may buy another later.  I've tried bigger grips of a similar profile to the LG305 and pocket carry did not work at all for me.

Call Crimson Trace anyway. I'll bet you a buck that they replace it for free. I've had them do that for a lot of customers, even when the laser grips weren't really defective.

[AZRedhawk44]

All of what everyone else said, plus...


... you really want to carry a wind-up gun that is notorious for locking during recoil, without testing to see if it does or doesn't do that?

[mtnbkr]

... you really want to carry a wind-up gun that is notorious for locking during recoil, without testing to see if it does or doesn't do that?

You fix that by removing the lock. 

Chris

[BryanP]

I had the LG405 and liked it a lot.  After 4 years of pocket carry the rubber split on mine.  It is out of warranty.  I put the old boot grips back on, I may buy another later.  I've tried bigger grips of a similar profile to the LG305 and pocket carry did not work at all for me.

Good to know.  I need to find a set of cheap rubber grips that are roughly the same dimensions as the 305's and see how well they fit me.

As for the gun that started this thread, you couldn't pay me to shoot an airweight .44 magnum.  Oh hell no.  But I also wouldn't carry a gun I couldn't at least shoot enough to be competent with.

[roo_ster]

I fired a stainless steel .44mag derringer with full house loads once.  And only once.  I felt no need to shoot the second bbl.

[LadySmith]

I have a toy-like S&W 386 Mountain Air Lite that was a bit snappy at first.
Shooting it was like, "Bang!" "Ouch!"
I got gloves, but then I got mad and made up my mind to get over it.
Now we're cool, even with magnum loads. 

[Strings]

>I fired a stainless steel .44mag derringer with full house loads once.  And only once.  I felt no need to shoot the second bbl.<

Wait... you were able to find it, to make the decision whether or not to shoot the second barrel?

I always assumed those things would jump out of the hand...

[French G.]

I carry a 325PD with as spicy of 185 +p as I can find. I would dive on a 329 for a good price, probably carry and practice with 44 spl Gold Dots unless the weather called for grizzly bears. I've shot a fair bit of full house .357 out a 340, yet to meet a carrier of one that i can't shoot their gun betterthan they can. And a pair of 327s is kind of a bucket list carry rig. Maybe a pair of 340s hung under them as BUGs.