Anyone has input on S&W 396 .44 special?
- Thread starter Viper99
- Start date
It's a S&W 396 -- Ti Mtn Lite -- five shot L-Frame, .44 Special. It is a 3 1/8" (IIRC) 18 oz handful of DYNOMITE! With the factory Hogue Bantam Grips, it quickly becomes unpleasant to shoot as you climb the load performance ladder. Buffalo Bore 250/1,000 fps load/equiv is extremely unpleasant to shoot. The "Keith" 2400 load will run 50 to 100 fps faster than the BB load (depending upon bullet, powder lot, gun, etc.) and is the most painful revolver/load combo I've ever shot (a not to distant 2nd is the J Frame titanium scandium .357 mags w/mag ammo).
Due to the thin barrel shank ONLY STANDARD .44 SPECIAL AMMO IS RECOMMENDED by most -- even though I concur, it is probably an unnecessary warning due to recoil with anything above that level.
With all of that said, it is one handy little packin' pistol, fun to shoot with mild/moderate .44 spcl ammo, and quite accurate.
Brian Pearce did a review in Issue 293, Dec 2014, Handloader Magazine. Reviews of the 696, 329 and New M69 were in the same issue.
Paul
Due to the thin barrel shank ONLY STANDARD .44 SPECIAL AMMO IS RECOMMENDED by most -- even though I concur, it is probably an unnecessary warning due to recoil with anything above that level.
With all of that said, it is one handy little packin' pistol, fun to shoot with mild/moderate .44 spcl ammo, and quite accurate.
Brian Pearce did a review in Issue 293, Dec 2014, Handloader Magazine. Reviews of the 696, 329 and New M69 were in the same issue.
Paul
Wheelie_Fan
New member
Viper, if you'd like something a little more manageable, check out the S&W mod. 69. 5 shot, L frame. Stainless with 4.25" barrel. I love mine
orionengnr
New member
Had one for a while. Very carry-able for a .4+ revolver.
Not too bad to shoot with range-strength ammo; as the ammo gets stouter, it gets less pleasant to shoot. Still, nothing at all like a Scandium .357 j-frame (which I also owned three of).
In the end, I sold it because I can carry a Kahr P45 that is the same weight but smaller, and holds 7 rounds of .45acp instead of 5 rounds of .44Spl.
The Kahr also barks a good bit less, and I shoot it better.
The guy who I sold the 396 to still owns it, and really likes it, but he is a dedicated revolver guy. (His screen name is Magnum_Wheel_Man here on TFL...maybe check his posts or pm him.)
If that is you, maybe the 396 would work for you.
Not too bad to shoot with range-strength ammo; as the ammo gets stouter, it gets less pleasant to shoot. Still, nothing at all like a Scandium .357 j-frame (which I also owned three of).
In the end, I sold it because I can carry a Kahr P45 that is the same weight but smaller, and holds 7 rounds of .45acp instead of 5 rounds of .44Spl.
The Kahr also barks a good bit less, and I shoot it better.
The guy who I sold the 396 to still owns it, and really likes it, but he is a dedicated revolver guy. (His screen name is Magnum_Wheel_Man here on TFL...maybe check his posts or pm him.)
If that is you, maybe the 396 would work for you.
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You don't see these come up for sale often. If you want one, you'd better grab it while you can. With that said
Gunbroker shows two that actually sold in March of 2015. One was $1,005, the other was $730. Remember you have to pay shipping from the seller and a transfer fee from your FFL dealer which adds another $50 plus to the Gunbroker sale price.
Personally, I consider anything under $700 a good deal with $600 and under a very good deal.
Again, dash number, condition, location, etc., etc., will factor in.
Just my opinion of course
Paul
Gunbroker shows two that actually sold in March of 2015. One was $1,005, the other was $730. Remember you have to pay shipping from the seller and a transfer fee from your FFL dealer which adds another $50 plus to the Gunbroker sale price.
Personally, I consider anything under $700 a good deal with $600 and under a very good deal.
Again, dash number, condition, location, etc., etc., will factor in.
Just my opinion of course
Paul
My mountain lite has an aluminum frame. I can't imagine shooting heavy loads thru it. I load 180gr and 200gr cast bullets @ saami pressures. Bought mine new for $500 and it had been out of production for a year or two when I did. They have some kind of goofy coating which has mostly peeled off. The sights are V rear and fiber optic ? front. Very nice, and for whatever reason mine is very accurate.
Hello all,
What I am trying to determine is if this gun is under valued at its current price.
My FFL often times have guns that are too pricey for what they are but once in a while, they will have a rare wheel gun at what could be a very good price.
Those are the ones I often buy. But before I do that, I try to find out if these guns are desirable in case I ever want to sell it or trade it for something better.
When I checked online I cannot find any at gunbroker and everything I find is a couple of years old. Price anywhere from $1100 to 700. So I have no clue if this is a good deal or if I should continue to wait for the model 29 I have been waiting for instead.
Regards,
What I am trying to determine is if this gun is under valued at its current price.
My FFL often times have guns that are too pricey for what they are but once in a while, they will have a rare wheel gun at what could be a very good price.
Those are the ones I often buy. But before I do that, I try to find out if these guns are desirable in case I ever want to sell it or trade it for something better.
When I checked online I cannot find any at gunbroker and everything I find is a couple of years old. Price anywhere from $1100 to 700. So I have no clue if this is a good deal or if I should continue to wait for the model 29 I have been waiting for instead.
Regards,
You might also check out the 329 PD. It is the light weight 44 mag. and is a 6 shot revolver. A little larger, and while 44 mag. is really not necessary for a CCW gun, but it will also shot the 44 Spec. ammo. I carry one and it`s great in cold weather, but a little hard to conceal in hot weather.
Model12Win
Moderator
These are cool guns, but a Charter Arms Bulldog is much more compact. It's smaller than even a K-frame, and the new production ones are good quality for the money.
'These are cool guns, but a Charter Arms Bulldog is much more compact. It's smaller than even a K-frame, and the new production ones are good quality for the money.'
Funny you mention this as they have a .44 special Charter Arms for 399 in nice condition but I know even less about that one.
They also have a Taurus 38s I think which they said is from the time Taurus used to be good. Unfired from the 70's according to them.
Funny you mention this as they have a .44 special Charter Arms for 399 in nice condition but I know even less about that one.
They also have a Taurus 38s I think which they said is from the time Taurus used to be good. Unfired from the 70's according to them.
Model12Win
Moderator
The new Bulldogs are good.
Charter Arms has been bought and sold several times over the years, with some iterations of the company pumping out some lacklaster products.
But, current management is excellent and the reports on the new ones generally favorable. I bought a new one about a month ago and it has been great. I did have to send it in to have the hand replaced as the gun was out of time, but Charter's customer service is second to none and I had the gun back 2 weeks later working perfectly and at absolutely 0 cost to me.
Like I said, these are much more concealable than the L-frame 396, and are very light at only 19.5 oz unloaded. Fantastic big bore defensive handgun. Not for shooting a great number of hot loads in, they aren't as strong as a full size .44 special, but I carry Corbon 200 grain DPX in mine which is a nasty load.
I would highly recommend a Charter Arms Bulldog for CCW/home defense etc.
to parrot what Mod12 said.... the new charter arms guns do appear to be superior in stoutness than their predecessors. I have an original bulldog 44 made by one of the original owners David Ecker, I also have a newer version made by his son Nick Ecker.
the original D.E. gun has a superior trigger immediately noticeable when shooting. the newer N.E. gun has a so so trigger, but the gun feels noticeably more solid.
I figure a little more finesse when into the older gun's trigger, but I do not know how the newer guns are made to feel more solid, as they look the same.
the original D.E. gun has a superior trigger immediately noticeable when shooting. the newer N.E. gun has a so so trigger, but the gun feels noticeably more solid.
I figure a little more finesse when into the older gun's trigger, but I do not know how the newer guns are made to feel more solid, as they look the same.