S&w Model 29 - Something to remember: pistol weight is often a double-edged sword: while lighter guns are generally more comfortable to carry, heavier guns absorb recoil better, saving the user more time on follow-up shots . This is especially true for large caliber revolvers.
One of America's oldest firearm companies pushed the boundaries of technological innovation to create the lightest large-bore revolver on the American market. The Smith & Wesson 329PD takes technology pioneered by the company in small revolvers and applies it to large frame, high caliber revolvers. The result may be the lightest .44 Magnum revolver ever made.
S&w Model 29
The .44 Magnum cartridge was invented in the late 1940s and introduced in 1950. The large cartridge is based on the .44 Special with a significant increase in power and speed. The .44 Magnum fires 767 lb-ft of muzzle energy, easily breaking through the supersonic barrier at 1,200 feet per second.
Smith & Wesson, Model 18 4, Dual Action, Caliber 22lr
The Smith & Wesson Model 29 was one of the first (if not the first) pistols to use the new cartridge. The result is a weapon that can be used not only to deadly effect against large dangerous game, but also for its "dirty Harley gun". However, the Model 29 is not a light gun, with an empty weight of 2.69 pounds and a loaded weight of 3 pounds. This is a distinct disadvantage for hunters pursuing big game in the country, who already carry big-bore rifles and various equipment.
In the early 2000s, Smith & Wesson improved their line of flat nose or "J" revolvers using a new metal technology called scandium. A rare earth metal, adding a small amount of scandium to aluminum greatly increases the tensile strength of aluminum. The use of less than 1% aluminum by weight in the product increases the strength of the alloy, so scandium-aluminum weighs almost the same as untreated aluminum. Scandium was heavily used in earlier versions of the MiG-29 fighter, resulting in a lighter fighter with a higher thrust-to-weight ratio.
In addition to being lightweight, scandium-aluminum alloys are also corrosion-resistant and have "superior high fatigue properties approaching that of titanium"—all properties that would be very useful in a metal gun. Thus, a revolver made of scandium rather than steel is much lighter, a desirable feature for a small spare or pocket pistol. Smith & Wesson brings this technology to market with the 340PD. The 340PD has a scandium frame and a titanium cylinder, the latter required to withstand high chamber pressures.
The result was a substantial reduction in the weight of the revolver. The Smith & Wesson 640 is a steel J-frame hammerless revolver with a 2-inch barrel and weighs 22.1 ounces. The very similar 340PD, made of scandium and titanium, weighs just 11.8 ounces. The 340PD is considerably more expensive, but the 50% reduction in carry weight is an attractive feature for concealed pistol carriers.
Smith And Wesson Engraved Model 29 10 Handgun
The 329PD brought the light metal into the family of "N" revolvers, following the scandium J-frame revolvers. The 329PD, like the 340PD, has a matte black polished scandium aluminum frame and titanium barrel. The 4.1 inch barrel is made of stainless steel for high precision and long life. The 329PD weighs only 25.2 oz. By comparison, the steel Model 29 weighs 43.8, saving more than a pound.
The 329PD is otherwise identical to other Smith & Wesson revolvers. It is a single-action/double-action revolver approximately the same length as a steel revolver and comes with wood and synthetic grips. However, with this technology in mind, Smith & Wesson offers the 329PD HI-VIZ Fiber Optic Sight. Like other .44 Magnum revolvers, this one fires the powerful .44 Magnum cartridge and the weaker .44 Special cartridge.
Pistol weight is often a double-edged sword: while lighter pistols are generally more comfortable to carry, heavier pistols absorb recoil better, saving the user from being shot. This is especially true for large caliber revolvers. The 329PD is an exceptionally large caliber .44 Magnum revolver. According to reviewer Jeff Quinn, "Firing the .44 Special load with the 329PD is very comfortable, but most .44 Magnum loads are brutal after a few shots."
The Smith & Wesson 329PD isn't the gun for everyone, but then again, neither is the .44 Magnum. The combination of the two should appeal to shooters with specific requirements, namely an easy-to-carry large-bore revolver that ideally doesn't fire multiple consecutive shots from Magnum cartridges.
Need Help With Info On 629 44 Magnum. :) Opps I Mean Model 29.
Kyle Mizokami is a defense and homeland security writer based in San Francisco and author of "If you were to make a list of the most iconic cinematic weapons of all time, what would be on it?" If we exclude sci-fi weapons like Han Solo's blaster gun and limit our choices to real guns, it's hard to argue that Dirty Harry's famous 6.5-inch Smith & Wesson Model 29 isn't the most famous movie gun. all the time.
Still, "the most powerful weapon in the world" hardly exists. If it weren't for Clint Eastwood's famous Inspector Callaghan, the legendary .44 Magnum revolver would have been discontinued long ago. The S&W Model 29 wasn't a sales success for S&W until the Dirty Harry Gun came along. But this isn't just the story of movie guns, it's one of the greatest stories in the history of gun development.
Legendary gun writer Elmer Keith developed the .44 Magnum cartridge by increasing the power of the .44 Specialty round.
The story begins with the legendary Elmer Keith. If you're reading this because you Googled "dirty Harry's guns," tell Siri to remind you to Google Elmer Keith next. You will thank me later.
Sw Model 29 9
Keith is a legendary firearms writer and avid handgunner. In the late 1940s and 1950s, he began experimenting with increasing the power of .44 special loads. He wanted to make it more suitable for games in general. In a story worthy of its own article, he developed a load for the .44 Special that was equivalent to the earlier .44 Magnum load. He then convinced Remington to produce it. To prevent people from accidentally loading a new high-pressure cartridge into a .44 Special revolver, the case was lengthened. This makes it impossible to load .44 Magnum ammo into anything other than a .44 Magnum chamber.
Keith is also a fan of Smith & Wesson revolvers, especially the New Century or Triple Lock revolvers, which are chambered in .44 Special caliber. As part of convincing Remington to produce a new round of cartridges, he also persuaded S&W to partner with Remington to design a new revolver for the powerful Magnum cartridge. S&W took their largest frame size, the N frame, made a few tweaks here and there, and in 1956 the Model 29 was born.
It's not a hit. Elmer Keith and other gun writers of his day were very fond of this gun. It has been used by professional hunters in North America to hunt anything that walks on 4 legs. Still, overall sales have been poor and limited to a small market of serious pistol hunting enthusiasts. In fact, when Dirty Harry hit theaters in 1971, S&W ceased regular production of the Model 29, making small runs only when existing supplies were exhausted.
Clint Eastwood holds a Smith & Wesson Model 29 as police officer Harry Callahan in the 1971 film "Dirty Harry."
Smith & Wesson Model 64
So how did Dirty Harry get his gun? The answer lies with the screenwriter. Although initially undisclosed, it is now known that John Milius was the lead writer for the first Dirty Harry film. His name might sound familiar. That's because Milius' other Hollywood credits include the timeless '80s teen classic Red Dawn.
Milius was an avid gun enthusiast and was looking for something better to carry with his Inspector Callahan than the standard .38 Special revolver of the day. The first draft of the script called for a nickel-plated 4-inch Model 29. It's sure to be eye-catching. However, since the Model 29 was produced in such small numbers, it was not possible to obtain a 4-inch nickel-plated gun. Ultimately, with input from Milius and Clint Eastwood, the production settled on a 6.5-inch 29-2. A legend was born.
Requests for Dirty Harry's gun exceeded limit. After the release of the first movie, Smith & Wesson couldn't produce the guns as quickly as demand, and subsequent sequels would drive sales. Guns are hard to come by, any 44 Magnum will sell. If you can't find an S&W, the Ruger Blackhawk (introduced the same year as the Model 29) will do, as it's also "the most powerful gun in the world". An oft-repeated legend is that, in the days before persistent on-demand streaming, a Dirty Harry rerun marathon on TV would drive Model 29 purchases.
While modern fashion has seen a drop in demand for the Model 29
0 Comments