The S&W Model 329PD

Surely this is the proverbial gun you load on Sunday and make excuses to not shoot it all week long.

Doesn't it look all sweet and innocent?  No outward appearance of what lurks beneath.  Scandium.

Satanium is more like it!



First he tried it with .44 Special.  "That wasn't so bad," he said.



Then came .44 Magnum.

Then he offered it to me.  I fired six special and three magnums before my thumb started making the same noises it'd made before dislocating with Skeezer's .45 Colt Derringer.

So we switched over to the rubber grips.

I fired two this way, Willard fired one.  It's definitely better with the rubber than the wood, but I wouldn't grade it enjoyable!  We only encountered one failure with the gun rather than flesh, the action locked up!  At first I suspected the silly locking flag, but I now think it's just the plunger at the rear of the cylinder not depressing and releasing the action when we close the cylinder.

Never let it be said that Willard does not suffer for my art!  He's bled for this post!

Now that I've had my say, here's Willard's guest commentary!

Deep Thoughts concerning the S&W 329. 

This is an absurd firearm.  Not a silly one, that would involve gold plating, jewel encrustment, and Stag at Bay® engraving.  But its absurd on it's face.  So, why would you buy the damn thing anyhow?  Let's see: 

A) "Nobody else has one."  (And for damn good reason, as it turns out.) 

B) "It will be like an airweight .38 compared to an all steel .38."  Nice thought, not, as it turns out, a correct one, but a nice thought.  It's actually like an airweight .357 Magnum, only worse. 

C) The big one.  "It can put down a BEAR!"  I'm absolutely sure this is true.  But I have to say, the literature is really pretty fuzzy on the most critical point.  Just how do you trick the bear into shooting it anyway?  Tell him you it's only got .44 Spl. in it?  Claim the plastic grips make All The Difference? Challenge his manhood?  You'd think they'd provide a little more detail in the owners manual. 

Of course if you can get over that hurdle the you're home free.  I'm sure once the bear is curled up in a ball, cradling his broken wrist, bleeding from one or both ears, whimpering for his bear mommy, you will be able to re-holster your 329 and walk away at your leisure. 

So. anybody need a bear gun?  I've got one, almost unfired with the box and everything.  And I'm willing to dicker!