Printed this on another part of forum, but had to share it with those who know me!
At 48 and a former gunsmith and a lifelong shooter, I have seen some stuff.
I wish to make the case for the Model 29/329 DA revolver as simply the best weapon for self defense made.
For the past 5 years I have been carrying a Model 29 S&W above all others. This after 21 years of carrying a variety of pistols and revolvers. For those looking for a lighter weight weapon, the 329 Titanium is a viable alternative. In my experience no automatic can match the S&W N frame revolver for reliability, accuracy, flexibility and power; as well as beautiful trigger pull, highest quality construction and natural pointing ability (with good grips).
I am not alone in this assessment. Recently the famous Thunder Ranch announced that they were going to endorse a weapon as representing the very best self defense option from the average person to the expert. The 1911 crowd began to accept congratulations and write articles that basically said "Of course it is a 1911, after all Col. Cooper was a 1911 freak. We just don't know WHICH 1911 it will be (
Kimber, Springfield Armory, etc.)". The G## (Glock) crowd began to write articles which said "Maybe this will be our moment". Several of the smaller manufactures (Sig, eea began to whisper about their .357 Sig being bought by Government agencies and they hoped THEY might be picked).
Thunder Ranch picked a fixed sight 4" S&W N frame in .44 Special!
The reason for choosing this weapon? Utter reliability. The entire concept of feeding jams, magazine spring weakness, double feeds, squib loads, failure to strip a round, failure to eject, stovepipe jams,weak hand jam, malfunction drills, extractor tension, ejector tuning, mag lips, bullet profile, feed ramp smoothness, etc. is irrelevant. There is no need to burn up 200 rounds to make sure a certain load is reliable in you weapon, because they always will be. (Is 200 rounds a good test? What happens when your shooting your $23.00 per 20 = 200 or $230.00 of test Super Zapper ammo and and you jam on round #190? Was it you or the gun? Do you clean and check the weapon for broken or mis-installed parts and then go out and buy another $230 bucks of ammo to re-test? Are you firing from the hip to check weak handed jams? (Try shooting weak handed from the hip and watch it jam).
How many times have you been to the range and seen the bloke next to you “working” to get his weapon to feed or clearing a jam? I see it every time I go. And whilerevolver shootersremove our brass carefully, the pistol sprays hot brass all over (When one goes down your shirt, we snicker).
Reloading speed? Look 99% of the time you are going to finish your opponent in the first 3 rounds. Cases show that if you haven’t gotten your head together by then, you will blaze the mag empty and die. Even then, with speedloaders I can reload my M29 as fast as a regular guy can reload his 1911. If you don’t carry backup ammo and you have an eight round 1911, what is your argument against the S&W eight round .357 Mag revolver? See Picture below.
Accuracy? 2" at fifty yards (Yes, fifty). ‘Nuff said.
Caliber? Compared to a 9mm, the 0.429 bullet is already expanded when it hits the perp. Then it opens, violently.
Flexibility? Bullet profile is entirely irrelevant. LSWC, JHC, JHP, FMJ all fire with equal enthusiasm. Wax loads for indoor practice, shotshells, paintball, blanks, lead, lead jacketed, full copper, everything.
Horsepower?Power can be throttled from 250 grain
SWC @750 FPS (Cowboy loads) to a 165 grain
JHP @1050fps in .44 Special. The same weapon in 44 magnum will take the same loads in 44 Special as well as a 180 grain bullet @1600 FPS or 320 grain LFP @1000 hunting loads. This flexibility in bullet weight is because the weapon is not relying on recoil slide speed and powder burn rate to operate the mechanisms. Power is also completely adjustable for the same reason. Conversely, +P cartridges in the automatic tend to be less reliable (more prone to jamming the gun) and can even beat some guns to death.
And don’t discount the importance of horsepower. Shocking (Stopping) power is important. An automatic is reliable only within a narrow range of fps and bullet weight and bullet profile. A revolver can take the best bullet and best weight and push it as fast as necessary to be reliable in expansion with literally
no consideration to profile or FPS or bullet weight in terms of their effect on reliability.
Horsepower is also a factor in tactics. There is a school of thought that a weapon that makes normal cover transparent (including cars, furniture, doors, interior walls, etc) gives you a powerful edge. Bad guy uses the cover of a wall, and you
shoot through the wall. Bad guy ducks behind car door and you
shoot through the door. By denying the enemy any cover at all, you change the tactical scenario completely.
