Hunter's Handguns

Hunters' handguns are not exactly the same thing as hunting handguns. Hunting handguns are for taking game--a big, scoped revolver, say, or a single-shot. Hunters' handguns are what rifle hunters or shotgun hunters carry as sidearms to supplement or serve as a crisis backup to their primary hunting guns.

While small and lightweight .22 rimfire "kit guns" have long been popular as hunters' belt guns, you need something more powerful for a serious backup tool. The problem of course, is that heavy-hitting handguns have always been heavy in weight as well, and many a big game rifle hunter or bear-country angler who might want a magnum-level companion gun at hand has left it at home because it tugs down one side of his belt all day long.

That's no longer a problem. Today, two of our leading revolver manufacturers offer an entirely new generation of ultralightweight, full-size magnum sport and field revolvers--engineered from high-tech titanium and scandium/aluminum alloys. They weigh as little and are as easy and comfortable to carry as a compact personal defense pocket pistol.

These new Taurus Total Titanium and Smith & Wesson AirLite series guns offer compact, lightweight, shootable power in a variety of chamberings and frame-sizes from .357 Mag. to .44 Mag., as well as standard chamberings such as .44 Special and .45 Colt. Here's a quick look at the top-end models from both lines.

Smith & Wesson's new Model 329 AirLite PD .44 Mag. is the capstone of S&W's recent pioneering development of ultra-high-performance, ultralightweight magnum revolvers. It's a large-frame, six-shot, four-inch, full-featured .44 Mag. that weighs only 26 ounces--a quarter-pound less than a snubnose two-inch S&W.38 Special made of steel.

The secret is the Model 329 frame, which is fabricated of aluminum/scandium alloy, with an aluminum-sleeved steel barrel and titanium cylinder. Designed to be the ultimate in lightweight, comfortable holster carry for a powerful sportsman's sidearm, the Model 329 sports a matte black finish and also features a HiViz fiber-optic front sight, fully adjustable micrometer-click rear sight and comes standard with both an Ahrends finger groove wooden grip and a Hogue soft-rubber Monogrip.

What's it like to shoot? With full-power heavy bullet .44 Mag. loads, the recoil is very abrupt. You'll want to use the Hogue rubber grips for sure. On the other hand, when loaded with conventional factory-spec .44 Special loads, the Model 329 is pleasant enough to shoot all day. With any load, it's definitely a joy to carry. As S&W's product manager told me, the gun was designed to be used, not shot. No one will want to go out plinking with the M329 with full-power loads, but when a bear comes out of the willows...