John's "Book of the .44" is one of my all time favorite books. I am a bit of a .44 Special fan, myself:
The single action is a Cimarron .44 Special. Below it, is my 624:
I was "turned on" to the .44 Special by Elmer Keith when I was but a teen ager. I FINALLY was able to buy a Model 24 (6" barrel) after I was grown. I have been a fan ever since.
My favorite load is a 250 gr Keith bullet ahead of 7.5 grs of Unique (ala Skeeter Skelton). That'll do about 90% of what a handgun needs to do...
Dale53