Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns What you DON'T like about your CC handgun?

I don't like the idiot mark on mine (no, I didn't put it there).

Other than that it feeds and fires everything and hits.

Its a ported V10, supposedly bad thing, but I don't see what all the hoopla against them really is. Not an issue.

Yeah, I do. So what? My RIA is a better gun than my Colt Delta Elite was, and my 329PD is a breeze for me to carry or hide out. P3AT is never a first choice gun, but for pocket carry it is just fine. Always goes bang and the +P+ Buff Bore ammo penetrates like a freight train according to all tests done so far.

So, what exactly DOES that say about me, other than my experience and preferences might be different than yours, and I do not have the cash for a $3,000 1911 these days? Do tell.

Beat me to it..

The story goes that porting increases muzzle flash, and it's true; to some degree.

While it does increase muzzle flash, stop action photos will show that the flash typically doesn't ignite until it's a ways above your line of sight. Yeah, you still get that extra flash, but it's not nearly as bad as people say/think it is. And the type of porting that the V10 has does reduce velocity. Normally I don't recommend the Speer Short Barrel ammunition for a compact .45 ACP because standard .45 ACP is so efficient. But the V10 is the one pistol where I do recommend the Short Barrel Load. Since standard velocity .45 ACP will lose some significant velocity (greater than 100fps), expansion will be compromised somewhat. The softer bullet in the Short Barrel load ought to put it right back where it ought to be.

�..porting makes shooting from retention exciting and often memorable�..don't ask me how I know.

So why would these not be good choices? Seriously, can you answer that?

Oh yeah, I forgot about that...just a tad hard on clothing...eyebrows, hair, etc.

Did that with a comped .356 TSW single action S&W 59 conversion...ONCE. Ruined a pair of Oakley's, and they're still looking for my hat.

hmmm guess the main thing I don't like about it is that if I take it to many other states all of a sudden it's a legal liability instead of an asset.


that pretty well sucks, I don't understand why "shall not be infringed" is so difficult for folks?

well yes I do get it, it's not hard to understand, the TPTB detest a free people, it interferes with their goals to steal your money and wield power over you/us.

on the one hand they want FED laws to trump state laws, but when it comes to the 2nd, out the window that notion goes.


so much of what they do and say just disgusts me in DC, but that is probably near the top.

there is nothing more noble imo, than a man or woman that protects their own.

and yet if I want to take my family to Chicago (where I once lived) to take in all the wonderful sights and things to do in that city, it's dang near impossible as they've created a war zone their by disarming the law abiding public.

you're at the mercy of those that disregard the laws....all of them.

guess that's what I dislike most about it, that an inanimate object can cause such a furor and result in such different interpretations of it's legality, when the evidence clearly shows you're far safer where the good guys are allowed to go armed as well.

that's politicians for you, up is down, black is white.

lying cocksuckas

1. RIA=entry level gun w/ sketchy record for reliability. Reliability should be first consideration for a self defense gun.
2. 329PD an awesome gun for hand gun hunting which is the stated design goal of the mfg. Shot to shot recovery time makes it less than optimum for self defense.
3. P3AT,gack,stuff it w/ high pressure loads and strain a weak system even more.
4. Low capacity handguns as a CC choice indicate that the user can predict the number of attackers and the shots required to stop each attacker.
5. ammo/caliber choices indicate that the user believes that the ammo is a major factor in stopping potential threats.
6. For the cost of the 329 PD you have many better choices. mr

You don't actually get around much, do you?

1. The RIA actually has a good record of reliability, overall. Any problems that I have seen or read reports of were found early and easily fixed (like extractor tuning - which is simple).

2. No one who has hunted with big-bore hanguns considers the .329pd as an ideal "hunting gun". It was never intended for that. S&W does not market that particular gun as a hunting arm, and even if they did, few would shoose it for that. It is a defensive handgun gainst large predators. As such, it s a hard platform to beat. Carried for smaller threats, it can be loaded with .44spl +p for faster follow-up shots.

3. I'm not a fan of the .380 - but if I were, I would have no problem with the p3at. Very comfortable to shoot, compared to the usual blow-back .380....even in a steel frame. For what it is designed for (deep concealment), it works very well.

I have put rounds downrange from all three, and all three serve their purpose quite well.

I owned the RIA before I passed it on to my son (which I would never do with anything I didn't trust fully). It has had a few thousand or more trouble-free rounds through it. Others I have seen are just as good (some with much higher round count). Entry level? Yes. Parked finish and no frills keep the cost down. That doesn't mean it isn't a good gun. At least one long-tme 1911 specialist I know of has stated that the RIA pistols are quite true to original spec, and the parts are not prone to breakage.

I have friends who I shoot with who own the other two. Wouldn't be afraid to put either to use as defensive arms, in the situation that calls for it. I have yet to hear of either failing to function.

FreeMe, If the RIA and P3AT match your personal needs you are the only one who has to rationalize your choices. Go to S&W's websight and read their description of the 329PD and you will be able to use facts to support your theories. No, I don.t get out much but I do work at 1 of the world's busiest commercial gun ranges and see a variety of guns in actual use. The RIA and P3AT fail their owners at a depressing rate. YMMV.

mike r

Entry level gun...that right there tells me you're one of those who knows just enough to be dangerous. LOTS of opinion, but little experience beyond what you currently own.

Regardless of make, model, or manufacturer. NO gun is proven until it's proven by the USER. And even if it's the cheapest gun in the world, if it's PROVEN to be reliable, than it's reliable.

You Glock guys read about all these elite units and then somehow correlate that to a "need" for an individual. REALITY check here...How many magazines do you carry? If your gun is reliable for as many magazines you carry, and is 100% reliable every time; that's all you need. After you're out of ammo, it matters not one iota that your gun is capable of going another 2,000 rounds. That is a training convenience, not a tactical necessity no matter what you tell yourself. WE ARE CIVILIANS LIVING IN THE US. WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, DO YOU GET THAT?

As for magazine capacity. Cops have carried single stack guns for at least a generation now, and I'm not aware of anyone who was killed because they had a single stack gun that ran out of ammo.

But let's entertain your little fantasy here. Let's say there are 8-10 guys you're facing. Do you REALLY think you're going to win, and the deciding factor is the magazine capacity of your pistol? You read too many adventure novels, and it sounds like you have ZERO experience in the field.

At no time in the history of handguns has anyone fired several thousands of rounds in one instance of defense. To think that's a necessity shows you don't know the difference between needs and wants.

As for the 329PD...it's what he HAS. Mark is a LARGE dood; could probably carry an M14 in an IWB. I doubt he has any trouble concealing an N frame S&W. And I doubt he carries full magnum loads, probably specials.

So because of what he currently has in his safe, you have extrapolated that Mark is some idiot who not only can't make a sound decision (because anyone who chooses anything different from this or that elite military unit is just an idiot) about a gun for self defense, nor can he shoot.

You are so far beyond idiot, that the light from idiot would still take a million years to reach you.

Your prescience in describing my experience and opinions indicate that you are a deep thinker. I do not have the tools to oppose your intellectual prowess so choose to not do so. Have a nice day.

mike r

Wow, since when? I consider it a rather poor choice as a primary handgun for hunting. This is a backup gun, IMO.

Whitworth1. I know nothing about handgun hunting other than popping a few coyotes/bunnies as targets of opportunity. My reference was taken from S&W's websight. I have fired the gun on the range and noticed it does recoil a bit.

mike r

I wish my CC gun fired ammunition that would seek out the offender, blow them to bits, and pour me a scotch to settle my nerves. Since none of my CC weapons do that - that's what is wrong with them.

Mine don't either, maybe we are choosing the wrong pistols.

Now that was just brilliant!!!

I have spent a lot of time at the range too, over the years. And I notice that an awful lot of people can take what in competent hands would be perfectly reliable and render it totally unreliable for anyone. You have no idea what someone has done to their personal gun, and the 1911 is probably the most dinked-with handgun of all time. The entry-level price of the RIA almost guarantees that it will be the most dinked-with 1911. Doesn't surprise me that you would see some of them not work. If you knew the 1911, you might figure that out.

As far as what S&W says about the 329pd on their website - a little reading comprehension is in order.....



Need I explain to you that the text is pretty generic, and about S&W large-frame revolvers in general? If you read into that some designation of the 329pd as a "hunting revolver", I am sorry about your reading disability. Those of us who were around for the introduction of this model and were paying attention know what it is meant for.

eta: Oh - the little P3AT also gets a lot of dremel time on the kitchen table. Just spend a little time on the K-T forums, and you can see that. People like to tinker with their cheaper guns. Many of them should not.

Indeed.