My 29-8 Mountain Gun has been my favorite sidearm since I bought it. You are getting excellent accuracy right out of the box; it took about 200-300 rounds before my trigger slicked up enough for me to be comfortable with the double action pull. (That's right--it only gets better the more you shoot. A Smith and Wesson design advantage!)

A word about the Speer shotshells. I handloaded about 20 using #9 shot and a medium load of Unique powder. That load ruptured the shot capsule so violently that the pattern was about 10' wide 10' from the muzzle. There was a 1/2" hole through the cardboard where part of the capsule went through. The next batch I make I am going to superglue the lid on and use less powder. That may tighten things up. If I were you I would burn a couple against a cardboard backdrop to get an idea of how they spread out.

My 29-8 is the best "survival gun" I own, aside from my Savage Model 24. Unless I am actually hunting, that will be the firearm I am carrying when I am outdoors. I can load hardcast for big game, hollow points for self-defense, and shotloads for squirrel/grouse. The fact that your girlfriend carries the .357 version makes it all the better! What a backup! <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />