What S&W 44 mag?

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trying to decide between a mod 69 4.25”, 629 4”, or a 329pd... I am leaning towards the 327 or 69. Any insight? Don’t tell me buy a Ruger. I don’t want to hear it. I have owned both and prefer the S&W for a double action revolver. I do own a few Ruger single actions still but that’s besides the point. Looking for any first hand experience. I have shot a 629 in 44 but not the others.
 
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I would base it what you're planning on doing with it most of all.
For a range gun get the 629.
Carrying in bear country where you want something light get the 329
Do NOT get the 329 for a plinker. I have shot 250 rounds of 44 mag in a sitting no problems with a 6 1/2" 629
I shot 3 rounds out of the 329 and tapped out. It's way too light to be fun.

the 69 is nice and I've only shot one on one occasion but it was nice for a new smith. I just prefer their older pre lock guns.
 
Wow I didn’t realize the 329 was that much lighter. I must have miss read something but just double checked, 25oz. Use is going to be mostly just a shooter but I do plan to carry it if/ when I need a bear gun in the continental US. If I was going to Alaska I would get something bigger. It won’t be often but I want to stick with the 4” barrels because I don’t want to carry one with a 6”. I might have to ask around and see if anyone I know has access to a 329 before I make a decision. It sounds as if it’s too light for a shooter but not having shot one I would like to try one. At the moment it looks like it’s down to a 629 or 69. I hear you on the older no lock guns I definitely prefer them but you definitely pay for it.
 
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Yeah the 329 is nasty. Even with a load of 11 grains of unique and a 240 SWC it was not fun.
If you're looking for a good middle ground I hear great things about the 69. lighter weight but not too light. Smaller overall gun so better for packing.
 
Ya if I can’t find a 329 to shoot I am going with the 69. Probably going with the 69 either way but I would like to at least try a 329. I also got quoted a pretty good price on one Sat.
 
Goo idea on the 69.
Seriously the 329 is not fun at all. If you're in the last recoil sensitive you will hate it. If you won't mind full house 44s all day you will still hate it.
I have shot full hours loads in a 45/70 revolver and I would rather shoot that all day long over the 329
 
look for an old pinned barrel recessed cylinder model 29 ss or blue with a 4 in barrel; high quality and not to heavy and concealable with the right holster. i love mine in ss
 
Goo idea on the 69.
Seriously the 329 is not fun at all. If you're in the last recoil sensitive you will hate it. If you won't mind full house 44s all day you will still hate it.
I have shot full hours loads in a 45/70 revolver and I would rather shoot that all day long over the 329

I am not really recoil sensitive but now I am thinking about the other Airweights I have shot and have decided you are right. Even in 357 they do just eat your hands up. I don’t have a problem with the recoil but them literallychewing the webbing of your thumb up I do. I like shooting big stuff but weigh probably 140 soaking wet so am going to pass on the 329.

look for an old pinned barrel recessed cylinder model 29 ss or blue with a 4 in barrel; high quality and not to heavy and concealable with the right holster. i love mine in ss

Been looking around some. Don’t want to deal with auction sites so I am guessing stumbling across one locally or here in the classifieds probably isn’t going to happen... until I buy a 69. Then one will be posted within 24hrs.
 
Yeah that’s how it happens. Put a WTB on here and give it a couple weeks scouring shops before you give in.
I think shooting supply has a 4” 629. If you’re going for a 69 then there is no worry lock wise because you would have it on the 69 so you might as well get the lock 629 if that’s what you really like. He had a 69 there last time I was in. He has some smoking deals on smiths right now.
Order a plug for the lock hole from the dude on s&w forums.
 
Ya I did put a WTB up yesterday I think. Like you said I give it a couple weeks or so. I did ride around a little yesterday and got a pretty good quote for either pretty close to me. $55 less then the lowest price I got anywhere else. Not on the shelf but 3 days away supposedly.
 
Don’t think the thought isn’t already going through my head. I should sell my M&P 40c with all the hipsters and about the 5000rds of ammo I have for it. I haven’t shot it in years, hate the 40, but hate selling gunzzz even more.
 
I have a S&W 329PD ,44 magnum (as well as a 629) and find that, once you have learned to shoot it with the right firm/relaxed grip (with the special S&W Hogue grips), going with the recoil rather than fighting it, the recoil is very manageable. It is also the most powerful super light handgun that you can carry and is a dream to carry in any conditions on foot where you might encounter something big and ornery. It is also extremely accurate.
 
I have a S&W 329PD ,44 magnum (as well as a 629) and find that, once you have learned to shoot it with the right firm/relaxed grip (with the special S&W Hogue grips), going with the recoil rather than fighting it, the recoil is very manageable. It is also the most powerful super light handgun that you can carry and is a dream to carry in any conditions on foot where you might encounter something big and ornery. It is also extremely accurate.

Sure, sure just when I think my mind is made up you have to come along and say something like that. Thanks [pot] lol
 
i am a 629 whore. do not purchase a 329 airweight unless you plan on not really ever shooting it. the model 69 is an excellent option if you intend to carry it. slightly less capacity (5 shots) but fantastic L frame revolver. i own the 4.25" model and dig the thing although it's a bit much to handle recoil. definitely a shooters gun. the model 69 with 4.25" barrel would be a great candidate for magna-porting. if i were going to shoot it more often I would send it off and have some porting work done.

the finest shooting 44 mags are the 629 with at least a 5" barrel. personally I find a 6-ish inch barrel to be perfect for the 44 mag. since the guns really need a longer barrel to maximize the cartridge it's worth investing in a chest rig since chest carry allows a long barrel without the issues one encounters with hip carry. look around for a used 629 there are 629-5's that were made back when S&W actually employed skilled gunmakers. the current production stuff isn't anywhere near the stuff from like pre 2010-ish. i picked up a circa 2017 production performance center 629 stealth hunter and the front sight flew off after ~30 rounds. no joke. thankfully the rest of the build is good quality but shit like this inspires approx zero faith. I used the old soda can shim trick to get that front sight back on their snug. in typical S&W style, S&W refused to ship me a new front sight. they wanted the gun shipped back to them. I was like hell no I will fix this myself.

the frame lock is a non issue unless one is collecting these things. i've shot a ton of rounds through the frame lock guns and never had an issue. my pre-frame lock revolvers are going up in value so I actually don't shoot them anymore.
 
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FWIW, I finally decided to upgrade my 69 from the S&W 500 grips to some custom-made Herrett's Jordan Trooper grips. We'll see how that goes. The stock plastic grips are, IMHO, unpleasant with heavy loads. The 500 grips are a big improvement, but while they're well-cushioned where the webbing between thumb and forefinger is, I still feel a lot of the recoil there rather than in the palm. Hopefully the Jordan Trooper stocks will give me another incremental improvement.
 
Will agree with the barrel porting. On my 3" 629-4 it makes all the difference. That is a prelock gun too.

The locks can cause problems like I had on one PC 627. The cylinder will lock up and not turn. Sent it back to Smith twice to fix and still had issues. For any kind of defense use steer far clear of the lock models.

+1 on the 329 relative to your hold. Even with the recoil it is accurate provided you have the right grip on it. And make sure you use some kind of rubber on that model, without Goodyears it will sting after half a box or so.
 
Sure, sure just when I think my mind is made up you have to come along and say something like that. Thanks [pot] lol
You are more then welcome to try my 329PD at
Sure, sure just when I think my mind is made up you have to come along and say something like that. Thanks [pot] lol
You are more than welcome to try my S&W 329PD if you would like. You can compare it to my S&W 629 at the same time. Just PM me.
 
The locks can cause problems like I had on one PC 627. The cylinder will lock up and not turn. Sent it back to Smith twice to fix and still had issues. For any kind of defense use steer far clear of the lock models.

how do we know that the cylinder binding was caused by the frame lock? there are a dozen reasons for a cylinder to lock up that has nothing to do with the frame lock.
 
All of my S&W revolvers with locks have proven themselves to be reliable enough for self-defense use. YMMV. I don't trust any gun without shooting it a lot first.
 
Ya I own plenty of lock models and have shot them plenty with 0 problems. I prefer the look of the pre locks but is I want something and it happens to have a lock it certainly doesn’t influence me buying it.
 
how do we know that the cylinder binding was caused by the frame lock? there are a dozen reasons for a cylinder to lock up that has nothing to do with the frame lock.

Because I sent Smith the locked up revolver and that is what they said it was.

Many work fine but why would I want a feature that I never use on my defense gun? Especially one that has failed me before.

For a self defense piece either remove the risky part or buy a nice older one without it. You won't regret that decision.
 
Because I sent Smith the locked up revolver and that is what they said it was.

Many work fine but why would I want a feature that I never use on my defense gun? Especially one that has failed me before.

For a self defense piece either remove the risky part or buy a nice older one without it. You won't regret that decision.

typically if cylinder is locked the issue is between the ratchet and hand not engaging each other correctly. if the lock is activing on its own as described here, one would see the flag saying "locked" pop up. not sure requires S&W technician to diagnose this.

regardless, given S&W's terrible production quality I would personally be far more worried about the rest of their QC than the frame lock issue. even if S&W were producing models without the lock, I still wouldn't trust them. unlike a polymer autoloading pistol, it takes skilled labor to build reliable revolvers. my understanding is that S&W no longer has these types of people working there. they've opted for cheaper labor and it shows. one reason I like the current production model 66 and 69 is they no longer use a threaded barrel but rather tensioned barrel inside a "sleeve". the latter design allows someone with very little skill to properly set the cylinder gap.
 
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