Hi folks,
My brother and I took a ride up to Kittery yesterday to ogle some firearms (and to unexpectedly look down both barrels of a side by side as some idiot swept the room. Yikes!). In particular I wanted to handle the S&W 329PD.
I carry my 686 6" with me as a hunting sidearm, but find that after a full day of hiking with gear and my 20 gauge the large revolver tends to be a thorn in my side. I carry on my strong side with a nice Bianchi nylon holster. My 686 is also a ported model and the sharp partridge-style sight tends to snag and drag.
So I've been tossing around the idea of getting a different mountain gun. The 686 is a joy to shoot. It's more accurate than I am, and I think it's teaching me good habits. I put lots of .38s through it, and finish my sessions off with full strength .357 loads. I've been getting more and more accurate and comfortable with it. The trigger is smooth, and the single action breaks like glass.
Still, while a .357 is probably adequate for the North East, I do plan on hunting out west and possibly in Norway as well. I would like my next hunting sidearm to be more potent so I've settled on the .44 magnum.
I've shot my buddies 629 classic and have found it to be very difficult to shoot. We shot together a few months ago, and though we basically had identical revolvers (his 629 is also a 6" ported model) I could not hit my targets like I could with my 686. Granted, the 629 could have been sighted funny. My guess is that I was anticipating recoil (which for me is a total non-issue with even big .357 loads in my 686), though I will say that my buddy who has a lot of handgun shooting under his belt (unlike me) also couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with his 629. He had great luck with my 686 though, and I think he was a tad bit jealous!
Anyway, after cleaning my soiled trousers after the muzzle sweeping incident at Kittery I asked to see a brand spanking new 329pd. I knew it was going to be light, but I had no idea how light. This handgun was a revelation. I could carry all day long and never even have to think about it. It locked up so tight that the cylinder felt welded to the frame. It pointed beautifully. In short, I am not ashamed to say I fell in love. I think the 329pd, however, is a harsh mistress.
Given that I've already proven to myself that me and the 44 magnum do not get along, I fear that a light version of a 44 mag would put me on the floor. Granted, your mountain gun does not necessarily have to be your everyday target gun, I do think it's a good idea to shoot what you carry a lot. I'm not sure it would be much fun with the 329PD, even though I've read that .44 spec loads are pretty light in this firearm.
So, after this long preamble I'm wondering if you folks have any experience with the 329PD? Keep in mind that I'm looking for something that I can take into the woods for multiple days. It must be light, accurate, dead reliable, and with enough potency to ward off big critters.
Here is the only review I've found of it:
http://www.gunblast.com/SW329PD.htm
Thanks!
Tom
My brother and I took a ride up to Kittery yesterday to ogle some firearms (and to unexpectedly look down both barrels of a side by side as some idiot swept the room. Yikes!). In particular I wanted to handle the S&W 329PD.
I carry my 686 6" with me as a hunting sidearm, but find that after a full day of hiking with gear and my 20 gauge the large revolver tends to be a thorn in my side. I carry on my strong side with a nice Bianchi nylon holster. My 686 is also a ported model and the sharp partridge-style sight tends to snag and drag.
So I've been tossing around the idea of getting a different mountain gun. The 686 is a joy to shoot. It's more accurate than I am, and I think it's teaching me good habits. I put lots of .38s through it, and finish my sessions off with full strength .357 loads. I've been getting more and more accurate and comfortable with it. The trigger is smooth, and the single action breaks like glass.
Still, while a .357 is probably adequate for the North East, I do plan on hunting out west and possibly in Norway as well. I would like my next hunting sidearm to be more potent so I've settled on the .44 magnum.
I've shot my buddies 629 classic and have found it to be very difficult to shoot. We shot together a few months ago, and though we basically had identical revolvers (his 629 is also a 6" ported model) I could not hit my targets like I could with my 686. Granted, the 629 could have been sighted funny. My guess is that I was anticipating recoil (which for me is a total non-issue with even big .357 loads in my 686), though I will say that my buddy who has a lot of handgun shooting under his belt (unlike me) also couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with his 629. He had great luck with my 686 though, and I think he was a tad bit jealous!
Anyway, after cleaning my soiled trousers after the muzzle sweeping incident at Kittery I asked to see a brand spanking new 329pd. I knew it was going to be light, but I had no idea how light. This handgun was a revelation. I could carry all day long and never even have to think about it. It locked up so tight that the cylinder felt welded to the frame. It pointed beautifully. In short, I am not ashamed to say I fell in love. I think the 329pd, however, is a harsh mistress.
Given that I've already proven to myself that me and the 44 magnum do not get along, I fear that a light version of a 44 mag would put me on the floor. Granted, your mountain gun does not necessarily have to be your everyday target gun, I do think it's a good idea to shoot what you carry a lot. I'm not sure it would be much fun with the 329PD, even though I've read that .44 spec loads are pretty light in this firearm.
So, after this long preamble I'm wondering if you folks have any experience with the 329PD? Keep in mind that I'm looking for something that I can take into the woods for multiple days. It must be light, accurate, dead reliable, and with enough potency to ward off big critters.
Here is the only review I've found of it:
http://www.gunblast.com/SW329PD.htm
Thanks!
Tom
