P. Plainsman
Member
The new Feb 2005 Gun Tests contains an evaluation of three new wonder-metal carry snubs: the S&W 325PD (N-frame moonclipped six-shot .45 ACP), S&W 327 (very snubby, N-frame eight-shot .357) and Taurus 415 (Tracker-frame five-shot .41 Magnum).
Gun Tests basically disliked the whole concept. They found all three guns displayed unacceptable recoil (though cf. below). They concluded, paraphrasing slightly from memory, that "all of these guns have problems that would keep us from recommending them." Each received only a "Conditional Buy" rating.
The 325PD got the most positive remarks: "made the most sense" to them as a CCW. Frankly, after reading the review, I found it hard to see why they didn't give it their "Buy It" rating. They said the 325 felt well-balanced and seemed smaller than it was. It displayed unacceptable recoil with "hot defense loads." OK, but there's life beyond Cor-Bon, and plain old 230 gr isn't bad medicine. One seemingly well-taken, if minor, beef was that the 325 came with half-moon clips for ammo. That does seem pointless; why not full moon clips on a "business" gun? Gun Tests noted that one could easily buy full-moons, and that with them the gun gave very fast reloads. This sounds like a good piece.
The funny-looking 327 received sharp criticism. Velocities were very low out of the tiny barrel, yet recoil was (in Gun Tests' view) unacceptably harsh. Eight rounds of .357 is a definite perk, but if the gun limits the rounds to 9mm ballistic performance, then why not just get a Kahr K9 or P9? The 327 lacks adjustable sights. It lists at over $1100; street price is about $830! Sometimes I wonder if S&W is losing the plot.
The Taurus 415 titanium snubby was described as a compact, well-made gun (I think it's quite handsome), but its recoil was unacceptable to Gun Tests. The gun "sorely tested our limits," in their words. It appears to have kicked the worst of the three. They also expressed concern about the availability of factory defense ammo. They singled out Winchester Silvertip .41 Mag as the only controllable factory load available to them; said that's what they'd carry. I bet the stainless model (30 oz) is nice.
Gun Tests is an odd mag. It is an idiosyncratic mix of useful straight talk and sometimes arbitrary judgments. As I said, it was hard for me to see why they didn't at least give the 325PD a "Buy It" rating, given their remarks about it. I take their conclusions with a grain of salt -- doubly so since they tend to confirm my own prejudices against these titanium/scandium guns. But all info is of value, so there you go.
Gun Tests basically disliked the whole concept. They found all three guns displayed unacceptable recoil (though cf. below). They concluded, paraphrasing slightly from memory, that "all of these guns have problems that would keep us from recommending them." Each received only a "Conditional Buy" rating.
The 325PD got the most positive remarks: "made the most sense" to them as a CCW. Frankly, after reading the review, I found it hard to see why they didn't give it their "Buy It" rating. They said the 325 felt well-balanced and seemed smaller than it was. It displayed unacceptable recoil with "hot defense loads." OK, but there's life beyond Cor-Bon, and plain old 230 gr isn't bad medicine. One seemingly well-taken, if minor, beef was that the 325 came with half-moon clips for ammo. That does seem pointless; why not full moon clips on a "business" gun? Gun Tests noted that one could easily buy full-moons, and that with them the gun gave very fast reloads. This sounds like a good piece.
The funny-looking 327 received sharp criticism. Velocities were very low out of the tiny barrel, yet recoil was (in Gun Tests' view) unacceptably harsh. Eight rounds of .357 is a definite perk, but if the gun limits the rounds to 9mm ballistic performance, then why not just get a Kahr K9 or P9? The 327 lacks adjustable sights. It lists at over $1100; street price is about $830! Sometimes I wonder if S&W is losing the plot.
The Taurus 415 titanium snubby was described as a compact, well-made gun (I think it's quite handsome), but its recoil was unacceptable to Gun Tests. The gun "sorely tested our limits," in their words. It appears to have kicked the worst of the three. They also expressed concern about the availability of factory defense ammo. They singled out Winchester Silvertip .41 Mag as the only controllable factory load available to them; said that's what they'd carry. I bet the stainless model (30 oz) is nice.
Gun Tests is an odd mag. It is an idiosyncratic mix of useful straight talk and sometimes arbitrary judgments. As I said, it was hard for me to see why they didn't at least give the 325PD a "Buy It" rating, given their remarks about it. I take their conclusions with a grain of salt -- doubly so since they tend to confirm my own prejudices against these titanium/scandium guns. But all info is of value, so there you go.
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Or how about when they didn't shoot the Hi-Power because some nincompoop put the recoil spring rod in upside-down 
