How brutal is firing a S&W 329 PD?

Cosmodragoon, those are fair questions. I'd say that most of my backpacking is in black bear territory, not brown. I've lived in Alaska for a year, but most of the time the largest animals around were foxes and ravens, not even caribou (though the place I lived translated into English as "plentiful caribou"--damned global warming). Brown bear or even black bear would have found the area I lived in impassable--they would have sunk into the tundra just like people do there. But, when I was in Alaska in the south for a few weeks, there were several brown bear attacks including a mauling of a woman going to her car from work! She was just minding her own business, leaving her restaurant (she was a waitress), and BAM! She lived, but it sounded terrible. For a lot of the hiking I did in the south, there was the constant presence of brown bears, and I carried openly a .357 wherever I could--at the time it was not legal to carry in national parks. But the Alaskan state hunting manual made very clear that even .44 mag was not enough for a consistent kill with brown bear. At a minimum they recommend 7.62x39mm. There was quite a discussion in the hunting manual at the time. It was really interesting. They advocated intermediate calibers for brown bear 7.62x51/.308 because the recoil is moderate and accuracy was stressed over ft/lbs. But they made quite clear that most pistols wouldn't cut it for brown bear. Most of the people I knew up there had .500's for bear or .454's.

Anyway, that's way too much information, but no, I don't need a gun for brown bear really, it'd just be a nice plus. I have many friends still up in Alaska and I'd really like to go back up and do some hiking/backpacking up there. Locally, I'd want to use a magnum handgun for whitetail deer and possibly black bear.

If you read what I've written above carefully, I'm mostly only considering the 329 PD for backpacking, but if it is so awful to shoot (which is sounds like it would be) then it doesn't sound like it is worth owning. For a general purpose trail-defense and hunting gun, I was considering a G40 with a 6" barrel--I'd likely buy an extended ported barrel, too. To hunt where I live, I need a 5 1/2" barrel gun and any centerfire cartridge. This includes the cylinder length.

I have a G43 on the list for person-mostly defense when conceal carrying and backpacking. I wouldn't/couldn't hunt with that. In many ways, it makes the most sense as a backpacking gun.

If I do buy a magnum revolver, I'd make sure to get at least a 5" barrel and make it at least 50 oz. In .44 mag, I was considering the S&W Stealth Hunter. In .454, the Ruger Super Redhawk in 7.5". And finally, I was looking at S&W .460's in 5" to 8" barrel lengths. It just means that none of these would serve in a backpacking role. Just hunting, hiking, and range use.

I feel like a G40 with good sights could serve as a challenging but adequate gun for whitetail. Most often, I encounter deer at sub-100 yards, and many good shots are shorter than that. I crossbow hunt (and bow hunt slightly), too, so I am quite used to waiting for an appropriate shot. I wouldn't chance anything over 25 yards with a pistol, probably shorter distances than that.
 
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Pond: That's awesome! I had the feeling that there were cool outdoorsy things to do in Estonia. Very neat.

Beer usually gets consumed quickly as it weighs a lot, so it's usually gone except for 1 or 2 cans by the first night.
 
Darker Loaf, it sounds like you need more than one gun for this role. :D

1. Get yourself a good, comfortable, around-town compact in 9mm for the more human world. If you can comfortably conceal a full-sized 9mm, even better.

2. Get yourself a basic trail gun with a friendly balance between power and ease of carry. I'd put .357s like the GP100 and 686+ in this category. Given your interest in the lightweight 329 PD, you might want to check out one of its arguably more reasonable cousins in .357, like the 327 TRR8. (It'll hurt your hand less and your wallet more.) I don't know much about 10mm but this is probably a good place for it. Not being a Glock guy, I couldn't help but notice that Sig is stepping up to the big leagues. (Speaking of wallet damage...)

3. Get yourself an honest-to-goodness big bore! With the other bases covered, you can choose to dress it up for hunting or dress it down for more dangerous hiking. The Ruger Redhawk is probably a solid place to start but sky is the limit. I don't know that you'd really need more than a Super Redhawk but S&W's reasonably barreled X-frames should cover anything on the planet. I know .500 officially wears the crown but if you've never had the chance, you owe it to yourself to check out the classic 460XVR. It's surprisingly comfortable to shoot for the amount of power it puts down range.
 
Cosmodragon has some good points.

Keep your hand size in mind also.

My hands are a 'large' for the palm, but my fingers always leave about 1/8" at the end of a glove. Short for palm size fingers.

This matters as the Redhawk and Glock G20 feel too bulky in my hand. The DA pull in the Redhawk is such a reach I find myself shifting my grip for SA shots.

The Super Redhawk doesn't feel this way to me, for some reason.

The Glock G20 I would never buy. I 'might' buy a Glock G20S, as they are supposed to be a little more compact in the hand.

I am in california, so any new 10mm has to be a Glock Gen 3 or a Kimber. Or a used gun that is already in state.
 
This matters as the Redhawk and Glock G20 feel too bulky in my hand.
Click to expand...

I am similarly manually-challenged!

A forum member had recommended Butler Creek grips from Numrich. Redhawks now fits me like a glove and the backstop is covered!

Take a look.
 
Cosmodragon: I think you may be right.

I've got #1 covered pretty well. I have a Kahr K9 for concealed carry and around the town, like you said, the "human world." I have a XD 4" Service in 9mm, too, if I feel myself wanting a double-stack. I'd really like something lighter, maybe thinner, than the K9, though, which is why I was looking at G43's for the trail. I've tried the plastic Kahrs and they find me wanting in terms of reliability. The G43's, while unremarkable in every way, seem reliable, and they are certainly lighter. I may be better served by a G42 or a Kahr P380, but I hesitate jumping at .380's because of expense. Why not stay 9mm as much as possible?

#2 & #3: I think that's the point I am coming to with my therapy discussions on TFL. It seems I want two grades of magnums. One light-weight for backpacking and hiking, and one with more power for hunting and hiking.

On #2: 10mm would certainly fill this role well. .357 would also fill this role. .44 mag seems like it is too snappy to ever be a comfortable light weight gun. I agree the 327 TRR8's would be perfect in this capacity. I am less scared of spending money on a gun than ammo, heh. So, I'm willing to pay more money for a good gun, and just get one, rather than 3 lesser guns. That's why the caliber debate is important to me, because I want to limit the overall number of guns and number of calibers. If I got a .357 or a 10mm, I might get one more in the category at most, then never get another. In this field I am definitely leaning 10mm and Glock. I'd love a Dan Wesson Titan, but I definitely don't have the money for it, and they weigh as much as a Smith & Wesson X-frame!!! But maybe after the Glock, I'd get a revolver or 1911 in 10mm to match (in the distant future).

On #3: There are two calibers in the hunting category that I am most interested in: .454 and .460. In the .454, I was looking hard at Ruger Super Red Hawks. And in the .460's I was looking hard at Smiths. For both of the types, I was going to send the cylinders in to TK Customs and get them cut for .45 ACP moonclips. Then, I get not only a hunting gun, but a range gun plinker.

I'm really leaning to X-frames and the .460 for #3. The Smiths just seem to have a better DA and SA trigger out of box. I also like the X-frame hi-viz sights better out of box. And finally, the X-frame's in 5-8" that I am looking at all have porting. This may not matter to most people, but I am a portin' fool. Even my carry K9 has an extended ported barrel. Heck, I've got a comp on my 22/45. The Rugers are good guns. I like the extra capacity in the cylinder. I like the reduced weight, but I'd switch the sights, cut the cylinder, probably get a trigger job done, and magnaport it, so the Smiths would just be an easier build. I'd just cut the cylinder and call it good.
 
Darker Loaf,

Those will certainly work for #1. While you're mulling over a G43 for something thinner, check out the Walther PPS. A tad thinner and at least as reliable, it's probably the G43's closest competitor. The PPS comes with two different magazine sizes, each with a different length grip extension for different concealment needs. The 8-round magazine has a full grip and the 7-round is just enough for a pinky. There is also a 6-round flush magazine (no pinky hold) but I think you have to buy it separately. A key difference is that the PPS uses a paddle magazine release, which I've personally grown to love on the Walthers and HKs that have them.

While I don't have experience with them, the guys I know who carry a 10mm Glock in the #2 role swear by them. I've been called superstitious once or twice for believing that revolvers are inherently more reliable, but I also like the diversity and availability of .357 ammo. I actually looked at a TRR8 recently. While giving up some weight, it's still a 5" N-frame and feels great in hand. (I feel like 5" barrels are the best of both worlds in .357's 4" vs 6" debate.) If I hadn't just bought a new SP101, I'd have picked it up.

For #3, remember when I praised the XVR for how well it handled recoil? I actually find it more comfortable shooting .460s from the XVR than I do firing .454s from a Super Redhawk. Of course, you can shoot .454s through an XVR too but I haven't. You can also shoot .45 Colt, .45 Schofield, and if cut for moon clips, .45 acp; though I'm not sure I'd want to. The two shortest cartridges have a pretty big jump to the rifled barrel (and a lot of space for crud to build up). I've heard that the XVR's "gain twist rifling" helps out shorter cartridges but I don't understand it enough to comment on it.

The money issue is dead on. Considering that all these firearms should outlast us with proper care and can provide fun, protection, or in some cases dinner for generations to come; a few hundred extra bucks is really less than a penny a day.
 
Regarding the .460: That's what I've heard. The .454's are harsher to shoot than a .460 S&W. By far, I've been leaning towards a .460. I really want to cut one for .45 ACP, because though it may have poor accuracy, it would still allow some cheap plinking calibers. I am aware of the carbon crud buildup and have experienced it with a .357 Blackhawk and shooting lots of .38 SPL. (Eventually I was unable to chamber a .357 due to crud and had to clean it.) I think I can live with it.

On the PPS: The PPS is of a great form-factor (thin and compact but not too small), and I've considered that route in the past. I don't mind the paddle. My ex-wife had a PPQ and I didn't mind the controls at all. The PPQ is a great gun in its own right. But a PPS is a 20.8 oz gun. My Kahr K9 is 23.1 oz and has the same width at 0.9" as the PPS (thought PPS is probably flatter overall including the controls). I even hesitate to get a G43 at 17 oz because this is almost not light enough to justify the purchase. I'd have to lose more than 2.2 oz and/or some slide/frame width to consider a firearm in that class. I really like XDS'. I've had time on the 9mm version and the .45 version, but like the PPS, the XDS' are not going to fill a different role than my Kahr K9.

You may have pushed me to buy a .460... and a 10mm/.357.
 
The last time I backpacked in black bear country, I carried a Glock 23 40s&w. I carried a mag of hot DoubleTap FMJ's, and a spare mag of hot JHP. Made for a fairly light package, and the Glock stood up to the constant rain and high humidity of that week long trip.
It was also a comfort when a rare, pretty large wolf strolled by our campsite about 50yds uphill from us.
I've carried a six inch 44mag backpacking, and it was a solid load of heavy steel and lead I was aware of every step.
After years of backpacking, I came to the conclusion that two legged animals are the ones to worry about. Realizing that, I often found that a 15oz 38 snub made a fine trail companion.
Then again, my Tokarev pistol cost next to nothing, is very compact, and shoots through most anything, while allowing me to reach out to 100yds.
 
For option #3, especially if you are a reloader.

What about a BFR in .45-70?

I've read some threads/comments that seem to indicate .45-70 has about the same kick as a hot hot hot .44mag, but with 2 times the stopping power.

I haven't fired anything larger than a .454, but that was enough to make me decide a .44mag was all i really needed.

If the comments about .45-70 having more power [or similar] than a .500 or .460, with less kick, are accurate, that sounds like it would be more pleasant to shoot, but still save my bacon from a bear.

Just a thought to muddy the waters.
 
Mine is a 5.5" SBH. I would rather a heavy gun for heavy loads. Finding the right holster makes all the difference.
 
My view on the 329 (as well as the airweight 357 j frames) are they are fine guns if you have a stable of steel frame guns in the same caliber and are an active shooter of that caliber... Say several hundred rounds a year minimum.

Folks who meet the above parameters usually find sucess with the guns and shot them to well or well enough to serve.

As an only gun in the gven caliber / power class they are not a good idea. One has to learn to walk before you can run and like the coonan slogan "not your first gun" an airweight magnum is a poor idea as a one and only magum.
 
Dang Cosmodragon... how did you know???

1. Get yourself a good, comfortable, around-town compact in 9mm for the more human world. If you can comfortably conceal a full-sized 9mm, even better.
Click to expand...
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2. Get yourself a basic trail gun with a friendly balance between power and ease of carry. I'd put .357s like the GP100 and 686+ in this category.
Click to expand...
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3. Get yourself an honest-to-goodness big bore! With the other bases covered, you can choose to dress it up for hunting or dress it down for more dangerous hiking
Click to expand...

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Deaf
 
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