SW 329PD .44 magnum?

[pintler]

I've had one since they came out. If you're a saw-the-toohbrush-handle-off to save weight backpacker, they are awesome, if you can shoot one well enough to be useful.

Mine is probably a worst case situation for recoil - I shoot Garrett's load for it, with hard plastic Laser grips. It's about the same perceived recoil as a 500 S&W shooting full house loads with the stock grips (based on my and a couple of other's opinions based on shooting them back to back).

I put the same sights on a 629 and do most of my practicing with that.

If I was going to day hike, or fish, or even backpack a few miles into a lake, I'd get a steel gun. But when you're trying to shave ounces because you're going on a 14 day trip across the Wind River Range, mostly off trail, and the needed climbing gear is pushing you pack towards 80 lbs already...

Before the 329, I'd decide the gun was too heavy and leave it at home.

I carry mine for about two months every summer. It gets rained on, dunked in creeks, etc. It gets no summer maintenance other than a CLP wipedown at the trailhead. It's not uncommon to find condensation on it in the morning. Aside from holster wear, it's going strong. The blast shield is just starting to look a little hinky.

 

[HankB]

I’ve shot close to 9,000 rounds thru three 329s mostly 240/250 gr Lead SWCs over a charge of 2400 at between 1,100 and 1,200 fps. I never found cleaning to be much of a problem. Had the guns back to S&W 6 or 8 different times.

So let's see, from this the user had:
*9000 rounda through 3 different guns - average of 3000 per gun
* Loads are mostly hot .44 Special loads, well short of .44 Magnum

That's modest use, not heavy abuse. And still he got:

* 6 or 8 returns - that's between 2 and 3 per gun
* Frame replaced
* hard extraction fixed
* Timing fixed
* firing pin replaced
* blast shield replaced
* Other issues probably forgotten

Trade-off or not, that makes the 329 a gun to be avoided in my book.

 

[mnrivrat]

* 6 or 8 returns - that's between 2 and 3 per gun
* Frame replaced 
* hard extraction fixed
* Timing fixed
* firing pin replaced
* blast shield replaced
* Other issues probably forgotten

AND : These concerns also.

The light weight scandium Magnum revolvers seem to have a greater tendency for the "lock" to engage under recoil.

Also, you need to test your ammo to make sure that bullets stay put under recoil (they tend to be bullet pullers which can tie up the gun).

These could be serious liabilty issues if the gun is need in a serious situation. Although one could remove the lock and heed the warning to test your loads for bullet movement under recoil, which would lessen the risks.

 

[Berserker]

I'd didn't catch that it was 3 guns.

I still wonder if the problems came at high mileage. You have a truck with 200k and bring it in 8 times, if it happened every 25 it would be junk. If it happened all over 150 it could wear and tear. Granted that many repairs ususally has someone looking for something else at that point.


I still think as a back packing gun, it would be good. I would probably refrain from shooting it so much I guess. But you do have to trust your gun.

 

[pintler]

"I still think as a back packing gun, it would be good. I would probably refrain from shooting it so much I guess. But you do have to trust your gun."

No disagreement here.

The lightweight revolvers are all finicky, for want of a better word. The severe recoil means they are more exposed to any tolerance stacking that lets the cylinder revolve on it's own or the lock to engage. You have to be careful about crimping so the bullets don't back out, and so on.

I have maybe 1000 rounds through my 329 (and because of cost, only 100 or so of the Garrett load). I've had zero malfunctions of any kind. Still, that's not exactly a comprehensive torture test. But, for the sake of argument, let's say it indicates the failure rate for my gun/ammo system is 1% or less.

That would be a pretty unreliable gun. Certainly that would be grossly unacceptable for a platform (Glock, 1911, AR) where more reliable examples are readily available. But, for the intended application - ultralight grizzly protection while backpacking - the available alternatives are not (for me, everyone has their own tradeoffs) a Redhawk or 629 or Marlin. The alternatives that are light enough that I will consider them are a Swiss Army knife or bear spray. IMHO, the 329 might have a better chance of working in at least some circumstances than those two options.

(and not to derail the thread, but there is a lot to be said for spray: it's lighter than even a 329, it's cheaper, you can spray the furball containing your partner and a bear w/o worrying about hitting your partner, you can use it w/o worrying about the legal issues of shooting a Grizz, it's a lot easier to learn to use than a handgun, etc. It's also close to useless in the kinds of winds that are common above treeline in the Rockies (IMHE; people on THR have said their spray will blast 50 feet upwind; I just haven't found any that will))