matts
.240 Incinerator
Posts: 59
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Smith 296
Apr 27, 2020 8:22:46 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by matts on Apr 27, 2020 8:22:46 GMT -5
Hello
I know there is a lot of love for the Smith 69 on here and I do have a 4” one of those as well. I’m wondering about the 296? I’ve seen one for a pretty decent deal and am seriously tempted to get it. Just don’t know. I’ve never shot or handled one. Was just curious what the majority like/dislike about it.
Thanks
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Post by bradshaw on Apr 27, 2020 9:13:01 GMT -5
Hello I know there is a lot of love for the Smith 69 on here and I do have a 4” one of those as well. I’m wondering about the 296? I’ve seen one for a pretty decent deal and am seriously tempted to get it. Just don’t know. I’ve never shot or handled one. Was just curious what the majority like/dislike about it. Thanks ***** Haven’t shot one, but it appears to be the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard enlarged from J-frame to L-frame for chambering .44 Special. Aluminum frame----Bill Ruger, Jr., said it a fraud to call an aluminum frame “scandium,” as the element scandium is but a tiny alloy of aluminum used by reputable firearms manufacturers. Titanium cylinder. Titanium presents the manufacturer its own challenges, which have been described to me, and won’t attempt to paraphrase. The use of aluminum for the frame of a carry revolver is to reduce weight of the more durable steel component. REDUCED WEIGHT = REDUCED STRENGTH = REDUCED DURABILITY. Therefore, when seeking guidance on selecting a pistol, it helps to state prospective service. If is to be carried much/shot less, and light weight is paramount, go for it. A wrap-around neoprene or rubber grip is the best way to moderate recoil on these guns; not plastic, not wood. Finally, recognize it is a .44 Special, not a pretend-.44 Magnum. David Bradshaw
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Post by oddshooter on Apr 27, 2020 9:51:52 GMT -5
Like usual, David nailed it.
I really hate my 360PD Scandium. I would never go to the woods without it.
I'm too light in the butt to keep my pants up trying to carry any weight at all. Cinching them up all day gets old quick. The little 360pd only weights 13 oz. and I actually forget I'm wearing it. The other side of that coin is that it is the most brutal shooter I own. The recoil shooting a good 357mag is downright painful. The caveat is that the one time I had to fire it, I never felt the recoil. A few minutes later and the adrenaline started to wear off, I felt it when my hand started to ache.
For me, this is the greatest "carry" gun ever made. On the other hand, it is absolutely the worst range toy ever invented by some sadist. And David got the grip part right about putting rubber on that covers the metal backstrap (duh, what was SW thinking?).
Depending on your plan for it, you will love it or hate it. Or like me, both at the same time.
Prescut
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Post by potatojudge on Apr 27, 2020 10:04:30 GMT -5
I'd be happy to own a lightweight L frame in 44.
Tailor loads to recoil tolerance, as just about any reasonable 44 Special will do the job up close.
S&W has great customer service, so if you ever shot the gun to death I bet they'd offer you something from the current lineup as a replacement.
I miss my scandium J frame 357 and didn't find it painful. It would break my grip with hot loads and slow follow up shots, so for me controllable loads were the power ceiling.
I don't know that there's anything else of the same quality in the same class, and a good S&W trigger is hard to beat.
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Post by bula on Apr 27, 2020 10:17:01 GMT -5
Funny, until recently I'd been unaware of this lil cannon. Worded a bit differently than Mr. Bradshaw, I'll say, define the niche you want it to fill. A large bore CCW, yes. Backpacking, ok, though maybe that M69 a better choice. Fishing gun, sure. I've been tempted to shoot steelhead many times ! If in a spike camp or rural camp and long gun or primary handgun put away or hung up, this 296 can always be onboard. The squirm outta the sleeping bag in the dark to go whizz gun, the outhouse gun. Heck, mow the grass gun. All things my Bulldogs do here, that could do.
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Post by bcelliott on Apr 27, 2020 10:46:54 GMT -5
If you would like the option of carrying a very light .44 magnum, check out the 329pd. Also an Al/Sc frame with Ti cylinder. Very controllable practicing with .44 special and carried (but not shot much) with .44 mag. I love my 357pd (.41 magnum version, identical to the 329pd). I can practice with light loads and carry full-power ammo. I did buy a rubber X-frame hogue grip, which greatly helped with recoil over the factory light wood grips. Even with the extra ounce of the rubber, my 357pd weighs 26 oz. Full-power ammo will definitely sting your hand, but with some deliberate repetitive practice, one can put a quick cylinder-full onto a target.
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Post by ezekiel38 on Apr 27, 2020 11:23:03 GMT -5
I had a 396 for a short time and found the 200grain Blazer Gold Dot load just right. They are not an Elmer Keith or Skeeter Skelton type gun. If you've ever shot a Charter Arms Bulldog 44 3inch, pretty much equal equation for recoil and followup. The Charter is a peasant gun and the Smith belong to the uppercrust, but the Physics of recoil applies the same to rich and the poor.
They are a large frame, compared to a Charter Arms J frame size. Same usable payload, as a Charter but difficult to conceal.
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Post by paul105 on Apr 27, 2020 11:54:02 GMT -5
I have the 396 - it has an aluminum (not scandium) frame with a titanium cylinder. It's an L Frame with 3 1/8" bbl and weighs 18.0 oz unloaded. It has a very thin barrel shank (like the 696). With 250s at 1,000 fps (Buff Bore load) which I'm NOT RECOMMENDING, it's recoil is brutal. Carried it so loaded yrs ago as my backup when bow hunting elk. I doubt I've shot it more than 100 times of which Buff Bore stuff was limited to a few chrono and sight in loads.
Neat little gun but not for range use at least in my opinion.
FWIW,
Paul
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matts
.240 Incinerator
Posts: 59
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Post by matts on Apr 27, 2020 12:04:39 GMT -5
Thanks for all the comments. I do already have a 329 and like it for it’s purpose a lot.
I’m looking for something to carry while feeding and checking animals. I usually don’t like wearing a holster so I just drop whatever into my pocket, in a pocket holster. Normally carry. Sig 365 now a days. But I like revolvers for shooting snake shot and other low powered loads that are not super loud. On this one was just looking at something I don’t have and drooling, but I do have a use.
Thanks again.
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Post by bula on Apr 27, 2020 13:38:09 GMT -5
"But I do have a use". There ya go. Snatched up a CA Boomer here lately, DA only, no front sight even,but laser gripped. Only in the direst of needs. Only in the direst of needs, your mileage may vary..
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Post by rjm52 on Apr 27, 2020 16:00:53 GMT -5
Had two of the .41 Magnum 357 models...PD and NG...and didn't care for either. Both went down the road... People criticize Taurus all the time but their no longer made Titanium Tracker was head and shoulders above the Smith AirLite guns. The entire frame, cylinder and barrel shroud are all titanium. Only parts not titanium are the the stainless barrel liner, action parts and sights. Have owned both a 4" and 6" in .41 Magnum for probably 15 years and just love the guns. They make the perfect .41 Special DA revolver. Taurus Titanium Trecker 4" Ported .41 Magnum 215 grain Accurate 41-215V with 9.0 grains of Unique Magnum case or 8.0 Special case (1100 fps) Weight empty: 24.4 oz. Loaded: 25.7 oz. Holsters: Desantis Speed Scabbard or Hill People Gear Runners Pack Would love to find one of the fixed sight 2" guns but they are really hard to find... Bob
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Post by rjm52 on Apr 27, 2020 16:14:27 GMT -5
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Post by patdaddy on Apr 27, 2020 19:50:50 GMT -5
I’ve got a 296! Believe it weighs 18 ounces. Is limited to 200 grain ammo. Bought it for carrying while hiking and fishing. I like it.
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Smith 296
Apr 27, 2020 23:46:55 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by patdaddy on Apr 27, 2020 23:46:55 GMT -5
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Post by Thumper on Apr 28, 2020 11:00:12 GMT -5
I've had a 296 for about 14 years. I bought mine LNIB for $425, I think. I always liked big bores with short barrels. The 296 must be one of the ugliest guns S&W ever made! Mine came with a horrible action, and the rubber Uncle Mike's boot grips with the exposed, grooved backstrap were uncomfortable to shoot with. When I went to do an action job, the nut just spun in the rubber grips as I tried to take them off, so I cut it out and put Pachmayr Compac grips on that covered the backstrap. The double action only pull is consistently at about 8lbs, now. That changed things! I love shooting this revolver, and have shot 200gr. CCI Gold Dots in it forever, and they are very pleasant to shoot. It is marked on the side of the barrel to not go over 200gr. bullets; the reason being recoil can unseat them. The Scandium frames on many S&Ws have cracked, from what I've seen online, and S&W has no replacements, so that is always a concern. I rarely carry it in the woods, but it is often a concealed carry gun, especially in the Winter. For woods carry, I really like a little more barrel, and don't mind the weight.
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