So let me get this straight. In this day and age where law enforcement handgun technology is at it's hightest peak ever, with plastics, composites, alloys, high capacity magazines and etc, etc, you plan on choosing a firearm that was designed over 100 years ago and a model that is chambered for a cartridge that is even older?

It really makes me wonder if we aren't related. Your 544 loaded with Winchester 200gr. SP ammo would be just as formidable today as it ever was. And if you handload and are allowed to carry them, you can do even better with proper bullets and increased velocity. (Stay away from the Cowboy Action ammo unless you are plinking with it.) Many people choose to arbitrairily label the "Old West" cartridges as obsolete without even looking at their ballistic similarity to our latest and greatest wonder cartridges, not to mention the surprisingly lower pressure limits with which they do it.

The market, and marketeers, have gotten so magnum crazy they fail to realize that these cartridges are perfect for their intended useage. Yes, you can load a .44 magnum down to match it, but if the only task you ever give it is to save your bacon from the scum of society, that was why it was made and it served that purpose well. Plus you don't have to worry about someone handing you some magnum ammo to try out that will only embarass you in front of your peers.

I have heard that the 544s had barrels made for .429 bullets while the chamber throats were made for .427 bullets, which could make accuracy a little challenging. I have one myself but have never checked it's specs. or its' accuracy potential.