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Smith & Wesson 329pd Airlite 44 mag is a great tool to carry around. (All photos by Jordan Bell)
Since 1955, the.44 Remington Magnum has been rolling off the production lines of ammunition manufacturers. It was once proclaimed the “world’s most powerful revolver cartridge”, but it has been overtaken by rounds like the.454 Casull or.500 S&W Magnum. This large round is perfect for a revolver such as the Smith & Wesson329pd.
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The Smith & Wesson 329pd Airlite44 Mag is a Ready Solution
Smith & Wesson’s large N-frame revolvers are the best homes for such a cartridge, as is the iconic Model 29. Many people found it difficult to shoot full-power magnum loads. Plus, the loaded gun weighed in at 3 pounds.
Handguns with a.44 Magnum chamber were primarily used by target shooters and hunters who competed in metal animal silhouette matches. It is also found in the belts and shoulder holsters for bear hunters, fishermen, hunters, and campers who hunt, fish, hunt, and camp in bear country.
Light but strong
Smith & Wesson has always attempted to keep up with gun-buying trends. A large number of law enforcement officers and legally armed citizens carry handguns. They want a handgun that is reasonably powerful but lighter than the holster. S&W took their J and K-frame revolvers and gave them aluminum alloy frames. They called them “Airweight” models.
The Airweights were able to withstand standard-pressure ammunition. However, the demand for more powerful.38 Special ammunition led to the creation of high-velocity +P bullets, which were very hard on the Airweight frames. S&W began to mix scandium in their aluminum alloy in 2001. This greatly increased the alloy’s tensile strength and weight. This frame was mated to a titanium cylinder and it was possible to create an “AirLite” magnum revolver.
The Smith & Wesson 329pd Airlite
In 2003, the Model 329-1 AirLite Personal Defense was first introduced. It came from the S&W Performance Center with a ported barrel of 3 inches. Today’s Model 329PD is a 4.13-inch barrel. It has an overall length of 9.5 inches and an empty weight 25.2 ounces. This is about a pound less than the Model 29.
The 4.13-inch stainless barrel is covered in an alloy shroud. It has a stainless steel barrel within an alloy barrel shroud. The shroud features an integral rib at the top and a full-length lug at the bottom that encloses the ejector rod. The top of the rib is serrated and incorporates a front sight ramp. A HiViz red dot fiber-optic front view is pinned to this ramp.
Rear sight can be adjusted for windage and elevation. The rear sight blade is shaped differently than the usual square notch. Additionally, the rear portion of sight and the top of the sight “tang” are serrated. A small, stainless-steel flash shield is attached to the bottom of the topstrap near the barrel-cylinder gap. This helps to prevent flame cutting.
The cylinder release latch is located on the left side of frame. Just above it is the safety lock. The cylinder stop is an extension to the recoil shield, and not a separate component. I consider the fact that there are very few markings on the barrel shroud and frame a plus.
Performance and Finish
This is a traditional double action (DA) revolver. My test gun weighed in at 4.1 pounds. The single-action (SA), pull is described as “crisp” The DA pull is about 13 to 14 pounds. However, it’s quite smooth. The wide, smooth-faced trigger aids in pulling. The hammer spur is also wide-targeted and deeply checkered.
Standard is laminated wood grips with textured panels. The barrel shroud and finish are matte black. The cylinder is natural dull gray titanium alloy with clear coat. My test gun came with wood laminate grips, with finger grooves and rough-textured panels along with a laser-cut S&W logo. A set of synthetic rubber grips was also included in the 329PD’s blue plastic carrying bag. These two-piece grips cover and dimple the sides of the grip frame. These will be used on the AirLite.44 before the shooting test.
Ammo Gathering
The Model 329PD’s versatility is the main draw. It’s light enough to be used as a trail gun, but also for self-defense. These two roles were in mind when I chose different types and brands of cartridges. While some cartridges are brand new, others are more old-fashioned. However, ammo is not the easiest thing to find these day.
Most people know that the.44 Magnum revolver can also chamber.44 Special cartridges. The.44 Special cartridge is in most cases a more “milder-shooting” cartridge and is best suited to use against two-legged predators. It can also be used to treat smaller mountain lions and black bears.
The Model 329PD features the safety lock (the keyhole above cylinder thumb latch) and a flash shield under the top strap to prevent frame cutting. It comes with a 125-grain Lehigh Defense monolithic bullet. It has an X-shaped nose and flutes down its sides. The bullet’s light weight permits a factory-listed speed of 1,250 feet per sec (fps), which results in a huge permanent wound cavity (PWC) and low recoil.
DoubleTap Ammunition also offers a.44 Special Load. It has a 180-grain Controlled Expansion JHP at a factory speed of 1,150 fps. Hornady supplied their Critical Defense.44 special cartridge. It features a 165-grain FTX Bullet and a JHP with a synthetic nasal cap. It has a factory velocity listed at 900 fps. The Xcaliber is the last Steinel Ammunition product. It has a 200-grain Gold Dot JHP that looks almost like a flying ashtray. Its factory velocity is 1,020 feet per second.
Purpose-built.44 Magnum Loads
I needed a lightweight.44 Magnum ammunition load for the 329PD. I chose vintage Federal Premium loads. They carry a 180-grain semijacketed HP bullet at a factory listed velocity of 1,460 feet per second. This bullet weight could be useful against both four-legged and two-legged animals. The 240-grain bullet is the gold standard for.44 Magnum.
Remington cartridges were chosen for use in areas where larger four-legged creatures could be found. This load uses a 240-grain semi-jacketed SP bullet, with a factory velocity at 1,180 fps. This load has 740 foot-pounds muzzle energy and good penetration, which could make it useful against an attack by big brown, grizzly, or Kodiak bears. The Model 329PD’s simplicity and ability to carry it is what makes it so appealing. However, it also has the ability to perform at its best if necessary.
Leather Rigs
I chose a belt holster for carry. My preference is for a high-riding pancake-style holster with an open top. The Galco Combat Master Belt Hoster (CM126B) was exactly what I needed. This rig is made from premium steerhide. It is double-stitched for strength. The gun retention is assured by precise hand molding. The forward cant aids in smooth draw and concealment.
To prevent moisture and debris accumulation, the bottom of the holster can be left open. It can hold belts up to 1.75 inch. There are two belt slots. I chose black.
The practical shooting test of Model 329PD was done using a Galco Combat Master Belt Holster and extra ammo in an HKS speedloader. HKS Model 29 speedloader was used for this purpose. This loader holds six cartridges inside its hard plastic “drum,” which locks in position with a clockwise twist on its knurled locking knob. Counterclockwise twist allows the cartridges to be dropped into the revolver’s open-cylinder cylinder. It is a bit bulky but keeps the rounds safe and ready.
This was paired with a Safariland Universal Speedloader Carrier. It is basically a single piece made of blued spring steel and designed to carry a speedloader. A spring action holds the loader in place and an integral clip secures it to the belt.
Roaring Range
It was now time for me to take the S&W Model 329PD out to the range to see how it performed. I had originally planned to use a machine stop for the accuracy evaluation. However, once at the range, I realized that I hadn’t brought my C-clamps. These secure the machine stop to the shooting bench. It’s 32 miles one way through heavy road construction so I didn’t plan on going back. I grabbed my sandbag rest and my padded shooting glove, and started the process by hand.
After setting up my chronograph I was able to calculate the average velocity for each test cartridge. The performance table contains the data. You’ll notice that the actual velocity measurements were within the factory range. Next was the accuracy potential evaluation. Based on the sight setup, I chose to shoot at 20 yards instead of the usual 25 yards for a 4-inch adjustable-sighted revolver.
Hot Range
Shooting was done in single-action mode, seated at a benchrest. I started with the Black Hills HoneyBadger load, in.44 Special. It was quite surprising at the first shot. The HoneyBadger bullets hit approximately 24 inches below the point of aim and several inches to my left. I didn’t intend to adjust the sight setting for elevation but I did make windage adjustments. I was able to use this load by setting an aiming point at the target.
This was evidently repeated with all other loads except the Remington 240 grain.44 Magnum. The DoubleTap.44 Special loads made the best five-shot group measuring 1.97 inches. With a 2.11-inch cluster, the Steinel.44 Special came in second. Five shots in 2.45 inches was the Federal load’s best.44 Magnum group.
A charging bear target was my first attempt at shooting. It had an aiming area that covered the bear’s head and part of its chest below the muzzle. It is either a smaller bear or it is larger. Anyway, I was pretending that I was a hiker in bear territory, and was wearing my S&W Model 329PD in Galco holster with my Speedloader on the belt just before my holster.
My fellow hiker shouted “Bear attack!” at me, and I engaged the bear with four rounds, double action, from an isosceles-style position at 15 yards. To mimic the bear moving forward, my paceloader loaded two rounds, and I moved up to 10 feet. I moved up to 5 meters and fired my final four rounds. I was using Remington 240-grain JSP “nasty magazines” and my right hand gave up at this point.
No pain, no gain
The rep who helped me order the Model 329PD from S&W said, “It’s going to hurt your hand!” This was true with.44 Magnum ammo and all of the.44 Special loads, except the AirLite.44, which was a pussycat. I think that the.44 Special Steinel Xcaliber 200 grain JHP might be a good choice for personal defense in urban environments. It was very close to the target and it grouped well. It was also easy to control for multiple shots.
The Remington Magnum is the best choice for the woods. The Model 329PD is very easy to pack and I was able get every shot into the target aiming area. I think that if a bear is racing towards you, it’d be hard to feel the adrenaline rush over the recoil.
Notable is the difficulty I had in extracting empty cases from the Federal 180-grain JHP Magnum load. To rape the front of my ejector rod, I had to use the bench top made from wood to do so. High pressures indicated that the primers had become flattened. The day’s shooting caused the stainless steel flash shield to separate from its bottom. It emerged at the end the test session, when I opened the cylinder.
While I’m not a fan of fiber-optic sights and they make bullseye shooting challenging–especially with a V-notch rear sight–I did like the way that my eyes picked up on that glowing red-dot sight quickly when engaging Mr. Bear.
A dual-purpose gun
The S&W Model 329PD is my recommendation if you’re looking for a dual-purpose gun that can be used for in-town or in-the-woods defence. It’s lightweight and easy to transport, yet it’s powerful enough to fire effective ammunition. Visit smith-wesson.com for more information.
Smith & Wesson 329pd Airlite Specs
Caliber:.44 Magnum/.44 SpecialBarrel 4.13 inches
OA Length: 9.5 inches
Weight: 25.2 ounces
Grips: Synthetic and laminated wood
Sights: HiViz fiberoptic front, adjust
Action: DA/SA
Finish: Matte black frame, matte gray cylinder
Capacity: 6
MSRP: $1.179
This article was originally published by Personal Defense World in the Aug/Sept 2021 issue. Subscription is available in print and digital editions at OutdoorGroupStore.com. Call 1-800-284-5668 or email [email protected]
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Carry is easy with the Smith & Wesson Model 329pd Airlite44 Mag
Since 1955, the.44 Remington Magnum has been rolling off the production lines of ammunition manufacturers. It was once proclaimed the “world’s most powerful revolver cartridge”, but it has been overtaken by rounds like the.454 Casull or.500 S&W Magnum. A revolver like the Smith & Wesson329pd is […]
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