329PD...Talk to me.

[entropy]

Just back from another 5.5mi hike with the new pooch. Two tracks, forest roads, gravel roads, up, down. Dog takes 10min in the shade, drinks some pond water, is GTG. Me? 30 years of being cramped into a tiny seat for 10 hours a day taking its toll. I ditched the USP 45 and carrying the GP100. Still pinching nerves. Idea is intriguing, but zero experience with them. Read the usual stuff... “You can’t shoot them!” Titanium cylinders will not last!”.

I just need some honest feedback on them. I’m hoping another 3mo of this and I’ll be back to my pre-1990’s self but in case not, I need options. Lol.

[GJM]

I have a bunch of them, and for a while they were the handgun of choice for AK bush pilots and adventures. At 28 ounces or so, they carry nicely. However they hurt so much to shoot, you hardly see them in the field anymore, and folks are carrying a semi auto.

[Oldherkpilot]

Just back from another 5.5mi hike with the new pooch. Two tracks, forest roads, gravel roads, up, down. Dog takes 10min in the shade, drinks some pond water, is GTG. Me? 30 years of being cramped into a tiny seat for 10 hours a day taking its toll. I ditched the USP 45 and carrying the GP100. Still pinching nerves. Idea is intriguing, but zero experience with them. Read the usual stuff... “You can’t shoot them!” Titanium cylinders will not last!”.

I just need some honest feedback on them. I’m hoping another 3mo of this and I’ll be back to my pre-1990’s self but in case not, I need options. Lol.

I like to think of them as a hand grenade that you don't throw.

[GJM]

If you do succumb and get one, the first thing to do is throw the wood grips in the trash, or you risk significant hand damage. Never ever get the Crimson Trace grips. I got some, thought they felt a little hard, and fortunately tried .44 special ammo first. Thank god I never shot magnum ammo with them.

I carried the special Garrett load for them. Once I shot a wounded mule deer buck up the butt at 42 yards with that load, and dropped him DRT. When I got to the point I would shoot three rounds of fam fire with my right hand and transfer the revolver to my left hand to finish the cylinder, I knew I needed to do something different.

[RevolverRob]

Just back from another 5.5mi hike with the new pooch. Two tracks, forest roads, gravel roads, up, down. Dog takes 10min in the shade, drinks some pond water, is GTG. Me? 30 years of being cramped into a tiny seat for 10 hours a day taking its toll. I ditched the USP 45 and carrying the GP100. Still pinching nerves. Idea is intriguing, but zero experience with them. Read the usual stuff... “You can’t shoot them!” Titanium cylinders will not last!”.

I just need some honest feedback on them. I’m hoping another 3mo of this and I’ll be back to my pre-1990’s self but in case not, I need options. Lol.

You don't really lose any weight between a 329PD and a USP45 - they're both ~28oz unloaded. But one is a damn sight more difficult to shoot.

Any compelling reason to not carry a 9mm? I have only been gone from the Midwest for about 16-months now...has it changed that much? Used to be my only concern was gang bangers or maybe a grumpy corn-fed hog.

[Salamander]

I've put a lot of thought into pistol/revolver weight in the recent past. The elevations aren't all that great close to here, it's really all under 5,000 feet unless I drive several hours. But these are young and steep mountains. It's not easy to find a trail near here that isn't a lot of steep up and down. In addition to a light pack and water, I tend to carry a camera. That all adds up. End result is that I try not to carry heavy hunks of steel on longer hikes. A couple of days in, another pound can matter.

But I've never seriously considered a 329. I need these hands. With any big-bore load hot enough to have much edge on 9mm/357/40/45, a 329 is going to be painful.

In rainy season I tend to still carry a USP45. It's not very heavy (31.3 oz empty, 34.8 oz with an empty magazine according to HK), it's the size that is a limitation in warmer weather. I've also tried a GP100 MC, which is a little heavier (38 oz empty). Those were still OK even in places like the 180,000 acre Kalmiopsis Wilderness, although I was feeling the GP100 by day 2. According to USFS: "This is a harsh, rugged area with a beautifully unique character that resonates with anyone who ventures into its interior. Elevations range from 500 to 5,098 feet. The area is characterized by deep, rough canyons, sharp rock ridges, and clear rushing mountain streams and rivers."

These days, I carry a 3-inch 357 (currently a 28-oz Colt King Cobra, but a K-frame would work equally well) in rugged places like that, or the USP in cooler weather. Either is plenty here, well outside of brown bear range.

Being a native of the Midwest and having been back there for work as recently as last month, it's the summer humidity that's brutal in the flatlands. That can wear someone out no matter what they're carrying.

[Lost River]

I had one for years.

Outstanding lightweight .44 Special/.44 Russian platform for medium and light loads. Horrible platform for true .44 Magnum loads. Finally sold mine off. I figured I was far more proficient in getting heavy hits on target with my +P 250 grain .45 ACP load. It runs 920 FPS out of a 1911, and that is old school black powder .45 Colt territory. Not too many critters are going to take multiple hits per second of that and shrug them off.

So the short version is, the Model 329 is sold, and I run a Glock 21, or 1911 or HK USP.

These fat boys are more than sufficient for anything in the lower .48 as far as I am concerned.

[Michpatriot]

Shoot and carry my 329 a whole bunch, first off.. like told above, Ditch the stock grips that come with the 329..install a set of Hogue S&W 500 grips. Pick the load you want to defend with, sight in for that load, you won't find that this revolver likes to sight in for two or three loads. Garrett cartridge company makes a great load for this revolver called a Hammerhead in 44 mag @250gr it gets about 1100fps its a hardcast semi wadcutter with nice big flat meplat. Now that we got that out of the way, yep this bugger takes no prisoners when it comes to recoil.. But it is a 25oz 44 mag, I don't have any problem shooting 4-5 cylinders during practice, yes you know you have been shooting but the beating is cumulative and I stop when accuracy starts being affected. First couple cylinders are what I go to practice for. This revolver has just one purpose, be light enough to be carried where it may be needed for big problems..it serves this purpose perfectly for me and many others who care to practice in short frequent sessions until proficiency is up to your own liking. mine would be replaced right away if I ever had a problem. The titanium will get dirty, I don't get it any cleaner than nylon brushes and Hoppes elite will allow..that means it will have black marks on the cylinder, if you are liking for it to look new after the first cylinder, buy something else, you won't get along with this revolver. they live long looking nasty. Clean it like new, you WILL wreck the cylinder quickly. These also have a maintenance schedule, something like 12-1500 rounds and it will need a blast shield replacement, sooner if you shoot 44 mag exclusively. S&W is great with service, if you shoot it like some of us( a LOT) it will have a maintenance trip to the mothership.. Look up PAUL105 he has several 329PDs and has had them for a looong time and has lots of info on them and lots of rounds downrange. Oh yes almost forgot...plug the lock, it is a problem on this and other PDs..don't want to go locked on its own.

I say buy it!!!!

[entropy]

Appreciate the kind replies. Maybe the true answer lies in converting my ABBA workout tapes from Betamax.

Big bore woods guns have always drawn out the romance in me. I still have bucket list plans of heading out West and getting a better view of the things I’ve been privileged to see. The pooch has reminded me that the older you get, the harder it becomes to burn calories and keep the ibuprofen intake to a minimum however. After I’m loaded down with the various dog gear, sticking yet something else on my hips creating another hot spot doesn’t have the same “suck it up buttercup” romance it once had. I broke down and ordered a strap vest that had some great reviews and I’m hoping that transfers and spreads out a lot of the weight I’m dragging around. Both the USP and Ruger could prolly benefit from a holster that maybe rides a bit higher and shifts the CG to something a bit more tolerable for me. I’m going to drop Wes at Privateer Leather a line. Website says he’s on vacation thru the week. That might be a more cost effective solution than buying a lightweight magnum that’s going to bring on more ibuprofen. I’ve worked with him before on some projects and he’s always come thru.

[entropy]

Well I WAS off the ledge until the above post nudged me back on...

That’s what I get for posting GB links for Model 10’s at 3am. Lol