.44 mag wonders

[newnan man]

, I have been fortunate and not needed it, BUT, it is nice to know it's there.

I have a S & W 629 6" .44 Mag. It's a handful. Full house loads are difficult to control. Not for sissies. I like shooting .44 SPCL rounds in mine. That seems to be about right for me. It will knock down bowling pins at 100 yds. Gary

If you can hit a bowling pin at 100 yard's with a pistol remind me to stay on your good side! I will always spring for the beer! I carry a S&W
M&P in 9mm. I conceal carry and used to use a .380. A sheriff I knew told me to switch to a 9. I try to go to the range frequently to stay sharp. I travel a lot inside Florida for work and would not want to be without my firearm. Florida attracts a lot of people and a fair amount of them are quite undesirable. Our county sheriff has a video on the Sheriffs website encouraging all of his law abiding citizens to get a CC permit and carry 100%. He basically said what we all know, that when seconds count the police are minutes away.

 

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[civilman1]

If you can hit a bowling pin at 100 yard's with a pistol remind me to stay on your good side! I will always spring for the beer! I carry a S&W
M&P in 9mm. I conceal carry and used to use a .380. A sheriff I knew told me to switch to a 9. I try to go to the range frequently to stay sharp. I travel a lot inside Florida for work and would not want to be without my firearm. Florida attracts a lot of people and a fair amount of them are quite undesirable. Our county sheriff has a video on the Sheriffs website encouraging all of his law abiding citizens to get a CC permit and carry 100%. He basically said what we all know, that when seconds count the police are minutes away.

Amen on the upgrade Mr. Newnan,save the .380's for the kitchen cabinets and desk drawers. I think everybody in this great country should carry.I like your Sheriff!!

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

If you can hit a bowling pin at 100 yard's with a pistol remind me to stay on your good side! I will always spring for the beer! I carry a S&W
M&P in 9mm. I conceal carry and used to use a .380. A sheriff I knew told me to switch to a 9. I try to go to the range frequently to stay sharp. I travel a lot inside Florida for work and would not want to be without my firearm. Florida attracts a lot of people and a fair amount of them are quite undesirable. Our county sheriff has a video on the Sheriffs website encouraging all of his law abiding citizens to get a CC permit and carry 100%. He basically said what we all know, that when seconds count the police are minutes away.

9mm S&W M&P Shield for me as well for EDC. I put MagGuts +2 followers and baseplates on several magazines so the compact one in the pistol is 9 rounds plus one in the chamber and the spare "extended" magazine I carry holds 10. NYS only allows a 10 round magazine anyway, so this was the smallest way I could carry the most of 9mm; which I also consider the smallest "capable" self-defense round. Speer Gold Dots or Federal HST bullets are far advanced of the WWII era FMJ for shock and disabling energy release.

I used to sign the paychecks of 180 policemen & women (actually a digitized template of my signature) and two of the SWAT officers also ran a self-defense shooting school/Concealed Carry Course that I attended. They also did not support any pistol that wasn't at least 9mm x 19mm and was too small to allow all of your fingers on the grip. For the shooting portion of the course I used my Colt Officer's .45 ACP and they gave it the hairy eyeball because it either has to be carried cooked and the safety on or you have to manually cock the hammer; but I shot myself proud on the silhouettes (I used to shoot PPC with a S&W M-14 .38 Spl revolver). The only complaint I have with that Colt is weight. Loaded it weighs twice what the Shield does and holds three less rounds.

 

[A2coins]

Sig 9mm 13 round clip

 

[SanMan]

I have plenty of past experience with the .44 mag, both shooting and reloading.

Stiff loads got to making my elbow sore after only a few rounds.
That's when shooting usually a Ruger blackhawk or Super Blackhawk.
I had a custom Super Blackhawk that I had Mag-na-ported, that made a difference.

What helps most, when shooting stiff loads,.... a heavier unit.

I owned a couple of Dan Wessons over the years, one being a stainless frame
with a couple of barrels and shrouds.

One barrel was ported, the other plain.
6" and an 8".

The greater weight made a huge difference in felt recoil.

I never bought a "G-Watch", I just stopped shooting hot loads.


I have an absolute blast chasing golf balls around the desert with a Ruger Mk I

That's the nice thing about reloading, you can tailor loads for performance or practice.

And it used to be on a budget, I don't know about the cost now a days.


Seems like everything is expensive.

 

[dieselfool]

I am truly surprised and very pleased that so many on here are knowledgeable and responsible gun owners.
To get back to the original question, the .44 Magnum is a very popular cartridge with more power than necessary for many purposes. My only .44 Mag. these days is a 1980 Ruger Super Blackhawk I bought new. It has over 10000 full power rounds through it, all for fun. If I want to shoot .44 Specials, I use a Colt SAA from 1981. I have collected guns and ammo since 1965. Never have found a gun with a metal detector, though!

 

[RGINN]

I've carried or tried many different models, but my old reliable these days is my S&W Mod. 19 .357 wheel gun. Not impressive I know, but I carried that one for over 20 years and hope I'll still be instinctively familiar with it if needed. I never practiced any hundred yard shots but concentrated on about 7 yards. Had a rifle for those long range encounters.

 

[SanMan]

I've carried or tried many different models, but my old reliable these days is my S&W Mod. 19 .357 wheel gun. Not impressive I know, but I carried that one for over 20 years and hope I'll still be instinctively familiar with it if needed. I never practiced any hundred yard shots but concentrated on about 7 yards. Had a rifle for those long range encounters.

I had one, it shot "Very Well" I really liked it.

 

[Nevada Prospector]

I have two .44 Mags. A Contender and a Ruger. I have tried a 9mm and .357's but I needed more killing power for bear just in case. I have packed a .44 Mag since 1979 and it does the trick. I killed one elk with it and several smaller animals. It is my go gun for sure. The recoil is a bit much in the Contender so I use .44 Special ammo in it. If recoil bothers you then this isn't the gun for you.

 

[Number9]

I bought my S&W 629 in 1979 when they first came out, it is a no-dash with 8 3/8" barrel.. I traded a Ruger Red Hawk for it. I couldn't get the trigger pull down to where I wanted it on the Ruger. Before I even shot the Smith, it was completely dissembled, action polished, trigger pull down to 2 1/2 pounds. I deer hunted with it for several years, it's great in thick cover!
I've never shot .44 Spl. in it, recoil don't bother me.. and I'm 71 years old. I love to hear the "Big Dogs" bark!
S&W .460 or .500 if you want a little more power... I grin every time I shoot my Bond Arms Derringer with .45 Colt+P.. bark ya little dog! LOL!

 

[Escape]

I've nailed more than one cat with this bad boy.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

My cat (and dog) behavior modifier is this baby. Surprisingly good practice . . . IMHO. I pulled the plunger and reinstalled it with a 90 degree turn so it wouldn't hit my hand.

 

[leadnugget]

i have a s&w 629 6 inch. its ok but i think its too light for full magnum.
i am looking at getting a ruger super redhawk.
i reload, cast and powder coat my 9mm 38 45acp, 44 mag/special, 30-30.
any of them for 5 cents each. not counting my time or tools.
size them to a perfect barrel fit.
the powder coat acts as a lube and prevents leading.
very accurate, better than factory ammo as its custom fit for my pistol.

 

[bc5391]

44 too heavy, stopped carrying my sig 40 for the same reason, pulls my pants down, tried a shoulder holster, just got in the way, also arthritis prevents me from racking it,sold my 357, only had 6 shots. Now I usually carry my 380, still has stopping power. anyone interested in a 40cal.

 

[Rookster]

I carry my Bond Arms .410- 45 long Colt metal detecting. Load 71/2 rabbit load in it. I'd hate to be shot with it.

 

[trdking]

I ma always interested in available firearms. What .40 do you have and where in AZ are you?
I have a .44 Mag 8 3/8 Dirt Harry. I can shoot clover leaf patterns (4 shots kissing in the middle) at 15 yards. Its too heavy to carry for long periods and when I am in Bear Country I have it on my back pack to relieve the weight and still be accessible Truly a great power house and super accurate. Someone mentioned the .44 Mag carbine by Ruger. 5 shot auto loading Ruger 44 in a Ruger 10-22 frame. SO accurate and an excellent low recoil shorter as a carbine. I will NEVER part with mine. For a daily carry I do prefer the .357 for lightness. The hammerless .357 is one of the best if not the best back up wheel gun ever made. IMO

 

[Megalodon]

I ma always interested in available firearms. What .40 do you have and where in AZ are you?
I have a .44 Mag 8 3/8 Dirt Harry. I can shoot clover leaf patterns (4 shots kissing in the middle) at 15 yards. Its too heavy to carry for long periods and when I am in Bear Country I have it on my back pack to relieve the weight and still be accessible Truly a great power house and super accurate. Someone mentioned the .44 Mag carbine by Ruger. 5 shot auto loading Ruger 44 in a Ruger 10-22 frame. SO accurate and an excellent low recoil shorter as a carbine. I will NEVER part with mine. For a daily carry I do prefer the .357 for lightness. The hammerless .357 is one of the best if not the best back up wheel gun ever made. IMO

I believe the hammerless .357 has a hammer but it is hidden in the frame (at least in my S&W) to be snagless. Have kicked myself for years for not buying that carbine - Ruger once offered a discount for their stockholders.

 

[trdking]

I believe the hammerless .357 has a hammer but it is hidden in the frame (at least in my S&W) to be snagless. Have kicked myself for years for not buying that carbine - Ruger once offered a discount for their stockholders.

Yes of course it has a hammer but it cannot be cocked. They call it a hammerless. Find a Ruger .44 carbine. You will not regret owning it. EVER hard hitting nail driver

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Yes. There were revolvers with "bobbed" hammers that had no exposed spur for manual cocking and also hammers within a shroud (so it wouldn't catch in a pocket or tug a shirt). Both were described as "hammerless" styles.

 

[ToddsPoint]

I bought my S&W 629 in 1979 when they first came out, it is a no-dash with 8 3/8" barrel..

I also have a 629 no-dash serial 6" from '79 or '80. Mine has the recessed cylinder which was soon done away with. Gary