scandium frame 44mag?

[69daytona]

Anyone have one of these that they have shot a lot?
How do they hold up to max loads with 300gr and 310gr.

[mike in co]

Anyone have one of these that they have shot a lot?
How do they hold up to max loads with 300gr and 310gr.

take the motor out of your 69 daytona, and put it in a preis and use it for a daily driver...tell me how you like it ?

if you are into self abuse, certainly buy a lite framed 44 mag and shoot max 300/310's loads out of it.
your wrists and elbow will thank you in your old age.

mike in co

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I think

[Dframe]

I'm not a fan of the mystery metal guns either. Recoil is harsh and punishing. Newtons laws of inertia still apply.

[Westwindmike]

I tried a cylinder full of 240gr factory loads in my Taurus Tracker 4". That was all it took for me. It hurt all the way up my arm to my elbow. Now I only shoot light Special loads in it. Don't think the Taurus would hold up much better for very long either.

[machinisttx]

I went into the local indoor range a while back and the guy who runs the place started chuckling and said there was something he wanted to tell me. Some fellow bought one of those and brought it in to do some shooting. Apparently, he was a real he man, because he started off with some run of the mill magnum loads. The first shot planted the front sight in his forehead. After he got the bleeding stopped, he unloaded the remaining five rounds and reloaded with specials.

Amusement aside, the N frame in .44 Mag was never intended for 300+ grain bullets.

[MtGun44]

Much better than you will! :-)

My 329 has some flame cutting into the flame cutting shield they added just above the
cylinder-barrel gap. I think this is the limitation on the frame, not structural strength.

The recoil is pretty brutal with heavy loads. After popping some blood vessels in my hand
after about eight back to back 5 shot groups while developing loads, I have limited myself to two
cylinder fulls of max power loads per practice session. Still not fun but no bruises or residual
pain. This gun is for carrying backpacking in grizzly country, not for plinking. I have several
other .44 mags of various brands and sizes for hunting and fun shooting.

The Mountain Gun feels like a .22 by comparison.

Bill

[Shuz]

Bill,
As I recall, you did put a set of Hogue X frame grips on your 329PD, right? I love my 329PD with those grips and I shoot it quite a bit. Like you say, it is not a real fun gun to shoot, and I, too, find myself shooting my 629 Mtn Gun much more than the PD. My "go to" ammo for both guns is either a 429215PB or a "scalped"429244HP and 18.0g of 2400. Both boolits weigh around 225g from wheel weights. I find that lighter boolits like these demonstrate less "perceived recoil" than boolits of 250 or more grains.
Ray

[Lloyd Smale]

It isnt nesisarily heavy bullets that wear on a gun its more of a problem with high pressures. You could shoot one with 300s at a 1000 fps probably forever without hurting it. But run some 240 jacketed bullets at full pressure using a ball powder and you will wear things like forcing cones and flame cut top straps. I havent owned a 329 but did own a 396 and shot some might stiff 44 special loads out of it and found i would usually say uncle before the gun did. Allways said that little 396 with 18 grains of 2400 pushing a 250 cast hurt more then any 500 linebaugh load i shoot. i just dont think the average handgunner is going to shoot a 329 with heavy loads enough to hurt it. It just isnt a fun thing to do on a saturday morning.

[TDC]

Jack....

Read closely what Mike in Co and Lloyd Smale said...

I've shot one of these scandium framed .44's and they are truly punishing! And I was using factory 240grs. They aren't like our 500's for recoil, but a seriously sharp recoil that I don't believe anyone would be capable of adjusting to. The same gun in a 45 ACP shouldn't have the brutal, even masochistic recoil of the .44 if you're considering a marginally concealable N frame.

By all means shoot one before you buy. Then get a nice shoulder holster for one of your shorty 500's instead....:drinks:

Terry

[Three44s]

I'd have no problem shooting the 329 with 250 gr. RCBS 250K's .........

I just would not shoot my "bear loads" a lot ....... just enough to remain focused ..... but below permant pain.

Pack a lot, shoot a little (with heavy loads) ........ just like the Mountain Gun ...... only a little more conservatively.

Three 44s

[Lloyd Smale]

I just dont agree. I dont have a 500 smith but have two 500 linebaughs and two 475s and loaded up to the max they have some serious recoil and if you cant shoot the alloy smith your not going to shoot a 500 ACCURATELY. Sure you could carry your smith 500 in a shoulder holster that will support the weight of a handgun that weights near what a rifle does. Thats what guys buying these alloy guns are trying to get away from. Personaly when im hunting i will only carry a handgun that will ride eaisly in a hip holster. To me that means a single action with a barrel no longer then 4 5/8s or a Da with a 4 inch barrrel for the most part and one that doesnt weight as much as a boat anchor. Even my 5.5 inch ruger framed 475 can drag my pants down after a long day in the field. My 4 inch 500s on ruger frames are about the limit to what i want to drag around in a hip holster. A 4 inch mountain gun is much nicer to carry and still has enough power to take on any animal in the US. Now an alloy gun is about half that weight and after a day of walking believe me it makes a differnce. Those DA smith 500s and 460s may be a great gun for sitting in a deer blind but the fact your carrying it in a shoulder holster automaticaly in my opinion takes it out of the "i carry a gun for protection" uses. I wouldnt want to try to draw a sixgun from under a jacket in a shoulder holster or even out of one on top of a jacket if it has a barrel lenght like most of the smiths do. NOw you might get away with a 4 inch smith in a rig like a el paso doc holiday but personaly ive found that even with a shoulder holster a heavy gun wears on you after a long day. I guess my thought is if im going to carry the weight of a rifle i might as well have the power and range of a rifle. i probably have as many da smiths as anyone on here and love them but they can keep there x frame guns..
Jack....

Read closely what Mike in Co and Lloyd Smale said...

I've shot one of these scandium framed .44's and they are truly punishing! And I was using factory 240grs. They aren't like our 500's for recoil, but a seriously sharp recoil that I don't believe anyone would be capable of adjusting to. The same gun in a 45 ACP shouldn't have the brutal, even masochistic recoil of the .44 if you're considering a marginally concealable N frame.

By all means shoot one before you buy. Then get a nice shoulder holster for one of your shorty 500's instead....:drinks:

Terry

[softpoint]

I did shoot a scandium frame .357 out of time with about 1500 warm loads. I haven't owned a 329, but I have a friend that has one, and my daughter's fiance hasw one of the Taurus lightweights in .44 Mag., so I've shot them some. They do have plenty of recoil. They are really made to carry a lot and shoot a little. For a backup gun for dangerous animals, or a gun to carry along backpacking ,they are great. And what Lloyd says about the X frame Smith I can agree with 100% They are just too big and heavy for my tastes. They are well made and accurate, just too darn big to carry for a backup arm.

[500bfrman]

Seems like he said to get a holster for one of his SHORT barrelled 500's. so I am pretty sure that a short barreled 500 isn't going to weight as much as a rifle. unless you guys shoot 3 pound rifles. or is it just trying to disparage the x frame. exspecially when you don't own one. funny stuff, let;s stick to the facts though.

[44man]

Two kinds of revolvers, carry and backup and primary hunting guns.
I need no backup so my revolvers can be larger and heavier. They are still a lot nicer in a shoulder holster then lugging a rifle.

[Gunslinger1911]

I have the 325pd - not bad with my normal 1911 load, 200g SWC & 5.7 g 231.
Put in some 230g Hydra Shocks or Gold Dots..... now yer talken' !!!
I can't imagine a .44 with even normal 240g jacketed loads.

Not even sure why I bought it - must have been the puppy dog eyes it was giving me at the gun show !!

[TDC]

Gee, Lloyd,

I've gotta disagree with you on this one too....

When I discuss guns like we're talking about in this thread I tend to think hunting rather than self defense. From my view, there is a world of difference when making a choice for each application. When hunting I don't concern myself with concealability but more on adaptability to what I'm hunting. With a 500, (mine is a 6 1/2) I'm packing less than half the weight of a scoped and slinged rifle and with my shoulder holsters, I'm not fighting to keep the rifle slung over my shoulder in rugged terrain.

I hunt with open sights so for me sight radius is important. I hunt high ridges on high mountains so I need to keep my hands free. Where I hunt the canyons are extremely deep, and at my age, those canyons appear to be getting deeper every year. When I choose to shoot I want to make that critter be as dead as I can make it so I don't have to pack it out of a remote canyon. Yea, I could use a rifle... but my personal challenge is hunting with a handgun and using my own cast boolits and hand-loads for success. It ain't easy!

I've hunted successfully for over three decades with an 8 3/8" Mod. 29 using either a Bianchi or Safariland break-open shoulder holster. I know I can draw my pistol out of a shoulder holster faster than I can un-sling a rifle and bring it up to my shoulder. I just keep my coat unzipped half way.

Like you, Lloyd, I have many handguns to select from so I don't have to think in terms of one "do it all" firearm but can select what fits my current needs best. So for me, total comfort is the lessor of my concerns. I have made a concession to a 6 1/2 inch barrel from my 29 8 3/8 to shorten the shoulder holster length 2 inches (for some unknown reason I like to sit more than I used to). This has been the first year of carrying a 500 and I have felt absolutely no discomfort or fatigue after 12 to 14 hours of carry.

I appreciate the comments of 44man and several others on this thread. I think you know I respect your opinions too, Lloyd. I think we're simply looking at this issue from two different usage viewpoints...

For some others on this thread I meant nothing disparaging about your scandium framed guns. I know 69daytona has two or three "shorty" 500's, and probably more 500's of all barrel lengths than anyone on this board. I also know he pushes the absolute limit for hot loads with all his guns, but then again, I do recall he is a bit of a recoil junkie.

Sorry if this has hijacked your thread, Jack. I'll stand by my suggestion to shoot the scandium guns before you buy... They are a great concept if they just weren't so light weight..<big smile>..

TC

[redneckdan]

I have handled a couple of the 329s in the course of range officer duties. The recoil is definitely eye opening. Another issue I have personal seen is the s&w safety lock actually locking while firing. The only revolver that I've seen this problem is with the 329, I beleive it is due to the whiplash effect of such a light platform launch some real gonzo loads. In the end, I decided to go with the standard 4" 629.

[sagamore-one]

Mr Red neck Dan you are absolutely correct about the silly lawyer lock an the 329. Mine fractured and disabled the gun under normal use without any tampering on my part. I had the lock permanently disabled .

[freedom475]

I have handled a couple of the 329s in the course of range officer duties. The recoil is definitely eye opening. Another issue I have personal seen is the s&w safety lock actually locking while firing. The only revolver that I've seen this problem is with the 329, I beleive it is due to the whiplash effect of such a light platform launch some real gonzo loads. In the end, I decided to go with the standard 4" 629.


I also chose the 4" 29 for my packin gun.... It is still plenty light for packin and it feels like a real gun... the 329 feels fake it is so light. With full house keith 250cast and 2400 imy 29 still bloodied my web after a box of shells... No Thank You on the 329:mrgreen:

It only took me one day of shootiing mine before I removed the locking flag from my 29...wasn't taking any chances...and it was very easy to remove. The flag will come right out without any modification and the lock looks un-altered.

[Fowler]

I have a 25-13 45 colt Mountain Gun and a good buddy has a 329. Shooting them side by side the 329 is certainly nastier in recoil than even my Mountain gun is.

It is in my never humble opinion the 329 is the ultimate carry it a lot shoot it a little handgun in the world for the back country. It will certainly hold up to the heavy loads but there is no way it will be controllable for more than one shot. I think a 300gr bullet at 1000fps would do 98% of a max load but would be controllable for follow up shots. Also it is light enough that it will more likely be with you instead of back at the truck when you need it.

I really like the 329, not enough to trade my Mountain Gun for one but I would certainly think about it if I didn't own one already...

[Lloyd Smale]

alot of it depends on what your hunting and where. A good portion of my hunting is for whitetails. I do most of it on foot and do it for the most part in very tight wooded areas and swamps. Sometimes shots are taken almost instinctively. I want a gun that is available fast. I also want one that is light. A guy can get away with carrying a 6 inch or longer gun in a shoulder holster but thats slow to me. A gun that big in a hip holster and its pulling my pants down. Ive got no ass and its a problem for me. As to sight radius i shoot short barreled guns actually better then i do long barreled guns. Its probably because ive prefered them for about 20 years and its what i shoot most but ill put a hurt on a rock at 300 yards with a short barreled sixgun and scare the hell out of one at twice that range. Barrel lenght has very little to do with a mans ability to shoot acurately. If you can get a clear sight picture with a 4 inch gun and have proper trigger control there just as accurate at any range as a long barreled sixgun. So i guess i have to ask, at least for me, what sense is there in carrying around a gun that weights a pound more and is more awkward to pack and takes twice as long to bring into battery. .
Gee, Lloyd,

I've gotta disagree with you on this one too....

When I discuss guns like we're talking about in this thread I tend to think hunting rather than self defense. From my view, there is a world of difference when making a choice for each application. When hunting I don't concern myself with concealability but more on adaptability to what I'm hunting. With a 500, (mine is a 6 1/2) I'm packing less than half the weight of a scoped and slinged rifle and with my shoulder holsters, I'm not fighting to keep the rifle slung over my shoulder in rugged terrain.

I hunt with open sights so for me sight radius is important. I hunt high ridges on high mountains so I need to keep my hands free. Where I hunt the canyons are extremely deep, and at my age, those canyons appear to be getting deeper every year. When I choose to shoot I want to make that critter be as dead as I can make it so I don't have to pack it out of a remote canyon. Yea, I could use a rifle... but my personal challenge is hunting with a handgun and using my own cast boolits and hand-loads for success. It ain't easy!

I've hunted successfully for over three decades with an 8 3/8" Mod. 29 using either a Bianchi or Safariland break-open shoulder holster. I know I can draw my pistol out of a shoulder holster faster than I can un-sling a rifle and bring it up to my shoulder. I just keep my coat unzipped half way.

Like you, Lloyd, I have many handguns to select from so I don't have to think in terms of one "do it all" firearm but can select what fits my current needs best. So for me, total comfort is the lessor of my concerns. I have made a concession to a 6 1/2 inch barrel from my 29 8 3/8 to shorten the shoulder holster length 2 inches (for some unknown reason I like to sit more than I used to). This has been the first year of carrying a 500 and I have felt absolutely no discomfort or fatigue after 12 to 14 hours of carry.

I appreciate the comments of 44man and several others on this thread. I think you know I respect your opinions too, Lloyd. I think we're simply looking at this issue from two different usage viewpoints...

For some others on this thread I meant nothing disparaging about your scandium framed guns. I know 69daytona has two or three "shorty" 500's, and probably more 500's of all barrel lengths than anyone on this board. I also know he pushes the absolute limit for hot loads with all his guns, but then again, I do recall he is a bit of a recoil junkie.

Sorry if this has hijacked your thread, Jack. I'll stand by my suggestion to shoot the scandium guns before you buy... They are a great concept if they just weren't so light weight..<big smile>..

TC

[MIKEONE]

Hey guys, new guy here!

I had a 329pd when they first came out, 44 spcl loads were great. But shooting full power 240s felt like the gun wanted to kill you. Double action was a joke for accuracy due to the fact you were concentrating on how much your trigger finger hurt when it hit the trigger guard from your last shot. I did put 100 rnds through it in one sitting as a bet with my close friend, all I got out of that was a numb hand and a bruised to all get out bottom index finger for 2 weeks.

This same scenario repeated with a 2in something Smith 500 snubnose I got on sale.
I have learned my lesson with the two beasts.

If you really feel you need a gun that is too light for its magnum attitude, by all means get one. But I personally feel my expensive experiment with feather weight magnums lead to the conclusion, Great Idea but , bordering on insane in execution.

Mike

[snowwolfe]

Currently own a 4 & 6.5 inch S&W 500. In the past few years owned numerous 454's, a 460 and a 329.
The 329 is the only revolver that in my opinion was severly painful to shoot with moderate to full power 240 gr loads. I quickly sold it and will never own another.

[pjh421]

The 329pd is a truly specialized gun. Its not good for much unless you handload. I don't own one nor have I shot anything like it. A guy who doesn't practice with it but keeps one around "just in case", loaded with factory ammo better hope for a first round lethal wound with no additional assailants. As soon as we pay off the 'stang I'll be looking for a used 329. Someone said the throats on these measure .428" which would be about perfect for my swaged LSWC's with base guard. I want one because I will simply develop a load for it that I can shoot comfortably and call it good. I have other larger, heavier guns for the stout loads. A heavy boolit shot from this gun at a comfortable recoil level is still nothing to turn your nose up at. It might not be best for hunting but that's not what I want it for. 26.5 ounces is so easy to carry as was mentioned earlier that its a foregone conclusion that you would have this gun on your person when the need arrises to use it. I just think its a neat concept and if I use it within its limitations it should serve well.

Paul

[snowwolfe]

On a less serious nature, If you need a lightweight handgun try one of these:
http://www.naaminis.com/bwmm.html