Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W 329PD help.

I bought a 329pd a little over a year ago along with a thousand rounds of Winchester 240gr JSP loads mainly for the brass and for deer hunting/ getting familiar with the gun. My problem is the bullets jump there crimp in the cylinder. After two rounds the rest of the rounds have the cannelure well past the end of the case and before I knew about the problem the fourth shot lodged a bullet into the forcing cone locking the pistol up. I have bought a Lee FCD and put a very firm crimp on some others with no luck. My question is do any of you have the same gun with the same issues and what can I do to solve it. Thanks in advance, Matt

The gun is too light. It snaps more than pushes under recoil.

Welcome to the fire MM.

When it is time to Reload your ammo:

You might have to go to lighter bullets and a reduced load.
You need good bullet pull. Use cleaned cases with full sizing. Try polishing up your expander plug to reduce it by .001" or .002". The Lee FCD does a good job, but sometimes if you tighten it up too much, it will actually cause the case to expand from the bullet below the crimp.

One other little trick. Roll your bullets (jacketed) over a Baseball pitcher's rosin bag before inserting the bullet in the case.

I'm hoping to stay away from reducing the load too much. I would prefer to shoot actual 44 mag ammo if possible. Is there anything I could do with the factory ammo. I could pull all the bullets and try to reload with the rosin trick with a little less crimp than I am currently using.Its always good to pick the brains from some of the old timers, they always have some tricks. I appreciate the feed back, Matt

Welcome...and I would like to say if you bought a case of 240s and shoot all of that through a 329 your are a better man than I... :-)

As to your problem...I have a 357/.41 Magnum and have shot three friends 329s with full factory loads and none of them had the extreme bullet pull problems you seem to be having.

I would suggest buying a couple of 20 round boxes of some other makers loads and see if the same occurs...if it doesn't you have identified the problem as that batch of ammo not the gun. And since you now have some brass, try reloading some ammo to see if it happens with your reloads.

Also, have you switched to the S&W/Hogue 500 grips...makes shooting the gun much more pleasant...

Bob

I would agree with RJM. I too have a 357 .41 mag and shoot full house loads with 210 grain XTP's without a problem. I give my loads a decent, but not extreme, roll crimp. At first I watched for bullet creep, but never had a problem.

You may want to shoot up those factory loads by loading one or two at a time so you have brass to reload.

I did switch to the X frame grips, I think both grips that come with the gun were meant to be a cruel joke.

A common problem is the expander plug in die sets - make sure it is no larger than about .422" diameter. You want the tightest possible bullet fit inside the case. Then crimp the hell out of the case mouth. Many modern die sets have a plug that is only about .002-.003" smaller than the bullet, and that's just not enough to avoid crimp jumping.

I've successfully used that trick for years with most magnum revos. The 329 is a special case, and I've never loaded for one of them, but it's what I would check first to get rid of the problem.

Go back and check your crimps on the ammo. Don't use them if you can't shoot a cylinder full with out movement. These guns can get tied up pretty easily. Really screws up the purpose they were made for.

What your faced with here is similar to using a impact bullet puller.... and not wanting to.

A 25 ounce 44 mag sounded like just the ticket when I was shopping for a backcountry carry gun and it is hardly noticed in the Diamond D guides choice holster I got to carry it in. I have spoke with some of the guys at Jays Sporting goods in Gaylord and they thought going to the 300 Grain bullets would slow the recoil impulse and eliminate the crimp jump. I was just hoping there might have been someone here that either had the same gun and or experienced the same issue and had an answer. I appreciate all the feedback and hope to hear some more tricks to try. I really like the gun and would rather not have to send it down the road but a single shot backup gun is not what I was looking for.

What specifically do you want the gun for? I see that you live in Michigan, so all we have is black bear. If that is what you want it for, you may want to try this Buffalo Bore heavy 44spl load.
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=88

I am planning to do a float hunt in Alaska at some point in the next few years and wasn't sure I would be able to find one if I waited. With a paddle in hand it can still be easily in reach with the chest rig, that and just a gun to kick around with in the woods that I won't notice. I have several others but got this one strictly for the light weight. The 460 almost needs a gun bearer or a nice pack to carry it in. The GP 100 357 I thought might be a little on the small side if I ever actually needed it as deterrent or life or death.The 329 seemed to be the answer until I started shooting it. Like I said its a dream to carry but I don't have a lot of confidence in it as of now. I also looked at a 4" Ruger super red hawk but went this route based on weight.

Seems Buffalo Bore was the best in the test. Looks like Winchester 240's were at the bottom.

Some things sound good in theory.

Like most info you get from sporting goods stores. Wrong!

Momentum. Think Momentum. It works both ways.
Go to Lighter tougher bullets. Thank me L....

If it was me Id try the 44sp. cor bon, the 300 grain bullet will cause more recoil!

This may give you more answers...

https://sites.google.com/site/hobbyhintstricksideas/Home/s-w-329pd-info

If you post over in the Reloading area of the Smith and Wesson Forums there are folks over there that may have some more experience with reloading for the 329..

Bob

MM, with a float trip, I assume your revolver is a "back up" gun and that you will be carrying a rifle as well. Nothing wrong with a back up gun at all. I spent 33 years in Alaska and carried a handgun a lot. While there I used several. One that I avoided is the 454 Casul. I know of two guys, that when shooting a bear that was attacking them, had the same thing happen. Having a gun tie up in an emergency is the last thing you want to have happen. Go buy your self a 4" Ruger Redhawk, put some descent grips on it and carry that. It will fit the same Diamond D guide holster but you wont' have the problem you are experiencing now. Get some Buffalo Bore 300 grain hard casts and don't worry about it any more. Get the Heavy 44 Specials for your 329 to carry around where you live, but in Alaska if you need a gun you will need it real bad. Don't mess with the gun that's basically just a carry gun.

PS- Practice shooting DA a lot. Don't bother cocking the hammer since you probably won't have time if you ever need it.