Shot two of the new S&W's today - OUCH!!!

[Preacherman]

Just to prove I've got as much of the masochist in me as anyone else, I tried out the new S&W 500 Magnum and the new 329PD Scandium .44 Magnum at a LE demonstration day.

The 500 Magnum was not too bad, considering - think of it as a .454 Casull on steroids. The very heavy revolver helped to absorb the recoil, but the detachable muzzle brake is REALLY needed on this gun. I fired one round without the muzzle brake, and immediately put it back on - darn gun nearly hit my head! The heavy loads - 440gr., IIRC - really do wallop your hand, though. I'm confirmed in my opinion that I really don't like firing anything heavier than a .44 Magnum. Ten rounds through this one was quite enough...

This has now been modified to read ".44 Magnum in a standard-weight gun"!!! That darn Scandium .44 Magnum is a pain and a half! I fired three rounds through it (Winchester Partition Gold JHP), and put the gun down with pain shooting through my wrist, as if it was trying to say to me "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome here - nice to be with you!" Man, oh man, that gun HURTS! There is no way that I can ever consider it a practical weapon, rather than a curiosity piece. I know some folks will argue that it's designed to be carried rather than shot, and that one won't notice the recoil when a bear is charging - but I'm afraid that it's so painful to shoot, and so hard (for me) to control in rapid fire, that I think it would be almost unusable in such a situation. Never again! (BTW, I've fired the 11oz. .357 Magnum snubby in Scandium, and that - brute for recoil though it is - is more comfortable than this Scandium .44!)

(Edited to emphasize that these were tried at a LE demonstration day - they were not regular-production items, AFAIK.)

 

[caz223]

Is it bad when the doctor says, "I can't believe it, I've never seen ANYONE with carpal tunnel AND tendonitis before!"

 

[Tamara]

Re: The 329

It could always be used with .44 Specials, .44 Mag "Lite" defense loads, or even standard 240gr Winchester white box or MagTech type ammo. Jeez, you didn't have to go all the way to the "Super Hunting Load" end of the spectrum! (Was it hard prying the hammer out of your forehead? )

 

[Frenchy]

Preacherman: Hey Doc...It hurts when I shoot this!

Doc: Don't shoot that!

 

[Billy Sparks]

I know some folks will argue that it's designed to be carried rather than shot

The problem I have with that is that most of these super light, large caliber guns is that it is too painfull to shot that I never get any feeling of comfort with it. I don't know about the rest of you but before I want to carry a weapon for protection I want to "get to know it" so to speak. Some of the super light ones I can't get enough rounds through it to get past "knowing it in passing". Does any of this make sense??

 

[Baron Holbach]

Tamara has the solution. I would also recommend loading the Scandium with .44 magnum smokeless cowboy loads. You will have much more fun.

 

[Wil Terry]

I OWN ONE OF THE ORIGINAL S+W MOUNTAIN REVOLVERS EVER MADE.

After shooting it with a large variety of 44MAG loads using five different styles of stocks to try and tame the nasty SOB down, I finally decided that the Mountain revolver was indeed one of the nicest 44SPECIAL sixguns I had ever owned.
Jim wilson told me the gun companies, and the American gun buying public ,ain't gonna be satisfied until they make a 22 pistol so light it kicks like a 44MAG.

 

[10-Ring]

Sounds like fun...once

 

[rock jock]

Sounds like fun...once

Nope. I have no desire to stick my hand in a blender just to say I did.

 

[Johnny Guest]

Well, you've convinced me - - -

- - -if I needed any convincing that I DO NOT need any new S&Ws, that I don't need a 329PD.

BUT, just from purient curiosity, What is the weight of the piece? How long is the barrel?

From your evaluation, sounds as if it might be the ideal carry gun for someone who was worried about impulse control or anger management. He (or she, I guess) could practice with .44 Special loads, and fire ONE full power, standard, mag load. Then carry with full loads. The full load should be enough aversion therapy to convince the owner to NEVER contemplate street use unless it was a TRUE him-or-me situation.

TERRY MURBACH - - -Interesting you mention both Jim Wilson and the .44 Mountain Revolver in the same response. I flashed on the combination when I began reading this thread. I shot the initial .44 MR Jim had for evaluation, just prior to the introduction. We probably ran 250 loads thru it on he range a Ozona. My best result (with mag loads) was with the Black Hills 240 load, but I decided that, if I got one, it would be used with warmish Specials handloaded with Unique. I could still hit the (larger) plate at 200 yds with these, and it was a LOT more fun to shoot.

Happily, I waffled about getting a .44 MR long enough for the .45 Colt version to be introduced, and I am still happy with THAT choice.

Best,
Johnny

 

[VictorLouis]

P-man

Do you know if you shot a production .500, or one of the prototypes/samples? I ask because you state that the brake is detatchable. There's been talk that it is to be permanent on production guns.

 

[500swmag]

VL,
I can tell you without a doubt that the production revolver, UNLESS things change, will NOT have a detachable comp.
BC

 

[Jim March]

Regarding the 26oz 44Maggie:

This isn't the first time that sort of power-to-weight-ratio has been achieved.



Source: http://www.reedercustomguns.com/revolvers/45backpacker.htm

That is a heavily modified Ruger Vaquero in 45LC, stripped down to 28oz. It's still strong enough to take the various 44Mag-power-level-RUGER-ONLY-45LC+Ps out there, but according to Gary Reeder, "not recommended".

Gee, I wonder why not?



Anyways. Point is, Gary got there with a steel frame (with excess weight carefully shaved off), an aluminum grip frame and a tapered barrel. Makes me wonder why S&W decided they needed "Riboflavin" at all...

 

[VictorLouis]

Thanks, .500.

 

[BigG]

Cool, Preacherman. Fun to do ONCE.

Jim, what exactly do you mean when you say "riboflavin?"

 

[Jim March]

Somebody else here at THR, I forget who, started referring to "Scandium" as "Riboflavin" .

 

[Preacherman]

Victorlouis, I don't know whether these were pre-production or standard weapons - they were on loan to a LE-only demonstration put on at a local range. From what others have posted about the muzzle brake being a permanent fixture in production guns, I guess the 500 was probably a pre-production version.

 

[500swmag]

I just finished shooting 150 rds though the 329 and yes it kicks like a mule, although truthfully it is quite managable. We were shooting Winchester 240gr, Remington 180gr seem to be quite a bit more vicious.
BC

 

[Peter Gun]

Thanks for the review, preacherman. I'm glad you tried it w/ the partition gold, as that is my preffered carry load for .44 mag. Did the gun you tried have wood or rubber grips? Was the backstrap exposed? Did the gun feel solid? or was she giving you the "she's breaking up, captain. She can't take much more of this!" feel? And finally, how recoil sensitive are you usually? Do you find plastic (glock) .40s harsh? Could you compare the recoil to another small .44 like maybe a 4" 629? Sorry to bug you but I'm probably not going to get to try one of these unless I buy one. I havent been able to find a .357 scandium to try either, so I dont have a good reference.

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

I carry my AirLite Ti about half the time I carry...which is every day.

However, it's a model 331, .32 H&R Magnum. 11.9 ounces. Recoil is light and I'd never be tempted to fire a larger caliber in an AirLite Ti. Tamara has a .44 Special, model 296 of which she's fond. One time she told me that it's OK for a couple of boxes of .44 Special, but then becomes a little harsh. I think she told me, "It's my purse gun".

KR

 

[Trisha]

oooOOoh!

Preacherman, dear; yes, but why didn't you mention how it shot? What was your target & distance???

Do you do knuckle push-ups, to strengthen your wrists? That, and regular bare-hand heavy-bag work does wonders. . .



Trisha