S&W 329PD Airlite shooting experience

[Wombat7]

Check out Yankee Marshall YouTube video on it[/QUO

Ok well well I tried.

 

[rustyboy]

I had a 360pd. Twice.

It took me a long time to find a pistol I would carry everywhere every day. Started G19 appendix, went to LCP, went 360pd, went to G26, went back to 360pd, then have settled on G43.

The balance of carryability, firepower, capacity, jogging in summer, etc. was hard to figure out.

The 360PD destroyed my hands. I have long fingers that hurt at joints from football in HS. Letting off a cylinder of full house 357 was not fun. Even soft 38 was just barely enjoyable. Simply too small.

329PD will be worse.

 

[Control for Smilers]

my 19-3 2.5" is decent to shoot with full house 158gr pills. but it isn't as fun as my 28-2 4" with the same ammo.

 

[Opg]

Wombat7 Thank you for the Yankee Marshall video info. good stuff

 

[Opg]

atljetmech, Great article. Thank you

No but I researched them a quite a bit after handling one at my LGS and didn't like what I read. Everything from the typical new S&W Quality Control issues to the obvious extreme recoil being so light weight. Also, due to the alloy's used, very susceptible to flame cutting (hence the factory shield) that will need replacing periodically if you actually shoot the weapon enough.

This guy did an extremely thorough write up on his blog about the 329PD and I really enjoyed reading it:
https://sites.google.com/site/hobbyhintstricksideas/Home/s-w-329pd-info

In the end I decided a thousand plus dollars would be spent better elsewhere and I would stick to my traditional obese revolvers when it comes to 44MAG.

 

[summer44]

No it doesn’t. Out of a 2” barrel it’s a couple FPS slower then a 9mm. Even a 2” 9mm barrel outperforms a .357. You need a 4” or longer barrel in a .357. It also sucks to shoot full loads of .357 out of a snub nose, let alone out of a super lightweight.357. I know it’s shocking but it’s true. Check out the below two links which clearly prove my point. You need a longer barrel for pressure expansion with the .357 magnum cartridge.
http://ballisticsbytheinch.com/357mag.html
http://ballisticsbytheinch.com/357mag.html
http://ballisticsbytheinch.com/9luger.html

Not so, I have shot both across a crony, the 357 is 12% faster on avg out of 2" barrel.

 

[Wombat7]

That’s really not that much. It’s also going to widely factor on the ammo your using. Exact same bullet weight and plus p rating and I bet that margin closes up to just about even. My point was that it sucks to shoot full loads out of a snub nose .357. Follow up shots are also going to be much harder to make.

 

[dickeymoore]

Yeah with full loads the snubbie will be harsh but the snubbie will still outperform the 9mm with a 4" barrel with about equal grain ammo,357 magnum is the winner

 

[summer44]

That’s really not that much. It’s also going to widely factor on the ammo your using. Exact same bullet weight and plus p rating and I bet that margin closes up to just about even. My point was that it sucks to shoot full loads out of a snub nose .357. Follow up shots are also going to be much harder to make.

124 grain projectiles for both, both same make and model firearm, . Both my own max hand loads and same brand and weight Factory loads. You say 12% isn't that much, that is the difference in 1000fps and 1120fps. 12% is more than the difference in a 3006 and 300 win mag...
Recoil is what u get use to, I shoot short barrel 454 , 480 and 500sw, a short 357 has little recoil to my perspective. I have to load 38 in a short 357 for my wife. Now is 12% enough difference to make a difference at the velocities out of the short barrel firearms? I don't know, what I do know is I want all the edge I can get if it comes to that, a 329 in 44 mag is about a 30% increase over 44 special with Factory loads out of my 2-1/2" barrel Alaskan and pc 629. If you are taking a shot because are in peril. The range is going to be close. I would rather hit as hard a possible with the first shot than save a 1/4 second on a follow up shot. Your choices may vary you have to decide for yourself when it comes to your safety

 

[dickeymoore]

RIGHT ON!!!!!