No Longer a .44 Magnum Owner...

[RidgwayCO]

The gun show went well today. I sold my S&W M629-5 (no lock) and my Marlin 1894PG rifle for decent prices. Then on the way home, I realized I don't own any more .44 Magnums. The thought came as kind of a shock (OK, sometimes I don't think things all the way through).

But don't feel too bad for me... I still have more than my share of .44 Specials! Plus my shooting buddy has a M329 if I need a recoil fix...

Anybody else abandoning the Magnum for the Special?

 

[maxx]

While I don't use my 44 magnum as the go to home defense gun, I have peace of mind knowing it is there for me should I have a potentially deadly encounter with Sasquatch or something like that.

 

[DonD]

In my opinion, the only good reason for getting rid of a .44 Mag is if you're trading up to a more powerful caliber. Don

 

[m657]

"Anybody else abandoning the Magnum for the Special?"

Not quite. I've started using 44 special in my 3" 629-4 RB with a LOT of pleasure though....

 

[500 Magnum Nut]

In my opinion, the only good reason for getting rid of a .44 Mag is if you're trading up to a more powerful caliber. Don

I like your train of thought


However, everyone needs a 44 caliber handgun. When you reload, the possibilities are endless. You don't need full power loads to have fun!

 

[jeffrey]

Well, does it count that I only shoot .44 Special in my 629-4 Mountain Gun?

 

[Ron H.]

The gun show went well today. I sold my S&W M629-5 (no lock) and my Marlin 1894PG rifle for decent prices. Then on the way home, I realized I don't own any more .44 Magnums. The thought came as kind of a shock (OK, sometimes I don't think things all the way through).

But don't feel too bad for me... I still have more than my share of .44 Specials! Plus my shooting buddy has a M329 if I need a recoil fix...

Anybody else abandoning the Magnum for the Special?

Sir, FWIW, I have sort of a funny relationship with .44s. I like them, but I can't seem to keep them.

Every so often, I get "the .44 itch" (usually after reading Elmer Keith) and just have to have a .44 mag. I'll fantasize about hunting elk or bear, or sniping coyotes at 200 yards, and then I'll actually go shoot the thing a few times, at which time reality sets in. Then it'll languish in the back of the safe, alone and unloved, until I finally sell it off, usually at a loss.

It's not a recoil issue. I handload and have made up mellow loads for the .44s. But then they're doing the same thing as a .45, and I already have .45s. The .44 special falls into this category as well.

There's just nothing that I actually do that requires a .44--and yet I still buy them, then sell them. I imagine the true .44 enthusiasts benefit greatly from this.

[shrug]

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

 

[500 Magnum Nut]

There's just nothing that I actually do that requires a .44Ron H.

When I visit the range, I never bring binoculars. I found over the years, along with shooting proper targets, the bigger calibers will show up nicely.

I sold off all the smaller calibers for range work, except the 22s for inside.

To be honest, I shoot a lot of 44 spls out of my 44 mag handguns.

 

[SuperMan]

...this a good thing...now you can go buy what you should have in the first place...a Model 57 .41 MAGNUM!!!!!

Bob

 

[M29since14]

The great mystery of the 44 Magnum has always been just why full-power loads shoot so much better than reduced loads, whereas in the 44 Special, low pressure loads seem to shoot just fine. A one-tenth inch longer case shouldn't make this much difference!

I like shooting moderate 44 Special-level loads in both guns, but never seem to get the accuracy from the magnum case that I do from a similar load (in terms of FPS) in the Special case.

But as to just abandoning 44 Magnums outright, that would be akin to suing your own mother! Even though I shoot very few full-power 44 Magnums just for fun these days, there are always 3-4 boxes lying around - just in case. I don't think I would be happy trying to get along without one.

 

[fyimo]

I own 7 S&W 44 magnum revolvers and only one is a shooter that I take to the range and I find myself after a few cylinders of full house magnum loads switching to 44 special for the rest of the session. I'm also in my mid 60's and I don't find heavy recoil the joy it was in my youth. I still love the the look and feel of the model 29/629 and they are special to me but I don't use them to hunt and the joy of excessive recoil has left the building quite a while ago.

I don't need to be ripped about not shooting the others because they are all 98% or better guns and I'm a collector as well as a shooter.

 

[Duke426]

I have reached the point in my life where I realize all my handgunning "needs" can be accomplished with the .357 Magnum.

I still have .44 Specials and .45 Colts and love shooting them, but the big boomers have been sold off. I don't enjoy the recoil of the big magnum revolvers and if I need that kind of power I'll grab a rifle or a 12 Gauge with slugs.

JMHO

 

[snowman]

I can't imagine ridding myself of the .44mag. Still enjoy the buck and the roar, and aim to hit accurately with them also. I do, however, use 210gr. bullets rather than the standard 240, which diminishes the recoil a little bit. I wanted a faster, flatter shooting bullet to accompany the H110 charge I use.

Andy

 

[Dave T]

My three 44 Specials (from 1914, 1954 & 1983) do everything I need a handgun to do. The only reason I still own a 44 Magnum is my nostalgic attachment to my 3-screw Ruger Blackhawk 44 Magnum (it represents my second center fire handgun purchase back in the early 1970s). Every so often I shoot a couple 5 round cylinders through it, smile and then put it away. I have a perverse objection to shooting Specials in Magnum guns. Makes me a bit of an oddity but I just prefer it that way. (smile)

Dave

 

[batmann]

Sorry for you loss. I firmly believe that every handgunner 'needs' a .44M in his possesion. I understand the .44 Special and i have one, but you really need a mag-------

 

[Noah Zark]

. . . Anybody else abandoning the Magnum for the Special?

Me, a few weeks ago.

Sold a 3" 629-1, a 6" 29-5, a Ruger 96/44, a 24" Marlin 1894CB, and a 16.5" Marlin 1894SS LTD limited edition "trapper" with laminated stocks.

I decided to shed the 44 Magnum after realizing that I loaded the 44 Magnums down, using 9-10 grains of Unique under a 240 gr bullet, and I load my 45 Colt ammo up, using 9-10 grains of Unique under a 255 gr bullet. I enjoyed shooting the 45 Colt stuff much more frequently, and I have some single actions in 45 Colt that I didn't have represented in 44 Magnum.

Don't miss the 44 Magnum stuff at all.

Noah

 

[bobcat]

Sold my one and only .44 mag, a model 29, back in the mid '80's, just didn't like it. I love shooting the .357, but the .44 mag just doesn't do it for me, don't like or need the muzzle blast, recoil, etc., but wouldn't get rid of my 696. Just my humble opinion, but I've been just fine without one and have no plans on ever getting another.

Take care...

 

[RidgwayCO]

To expand on my thinking a bit...

Elmer Keith wanted a commercially-loaded ".44 Special Magnum" that would do 1200 fps with his 250gr LSWC (Keith) bullet out of a 4" barrel. The math says this combo produces about 800 ft-lbs of energy. To legally hunt big game in Colorado with a handgun requires a round to produce 550 ft-lbs of energy at 50 yards. I can handload a .44 Special round to do this pretty easily with any of my longer-barreled, modern revolvers (5" barrel or more).

Just because Remington and S&W created a cartridge that would shoot a 240gr jacketed bullet at 1450 fps (1120 ft-lbs) doesn't mean it's "better" than a .44 Special (after all, the target's "degrees of deadness" cease to have meaning after a while). But the numbers do indicate that the .44 Magnum has a lot more recoil...

I don't mean to slight the .44 Magnum, or any cartridge. All of them have their uses, and their supporters. I guess I'm just moving in a different direction as I get older and (hopefully) mellower.

 

[semperfi71]

Here's my take.

You can load a .44 Special with a 240 grain bullet from 600 fps to 1200 fps safely in the proper revolver.

You can load a .44 Magnum with a 240 grain bullet from 600 fps to (supposedly) 1450 fps (probaby most guns 1400 fps or less) safely in the proper revolver.

The difference between 1200 fps and 1400/1450 fps on long range in-animate targets and short range game animals is negligable.

BUT...Elmer and Skeeter shot both; and Dirty Harry shot the magnum.

So I have both!!! Or...er...several of both.

However, I think it is wise to shoot 240 grain bullets at about 800 to 900 fps in both for "practice" and I only go faster with the .44 magnums. And it is probably wise in the magnums to go only to about 1200 fps, the drop in PSI is probably better for the longevity of the weapon.

In my M696 I will probably shoot 200 grain bullets at about 850 fps. That forcing cone is very thin.

 

[okie john]

Washington game regs are unclear on the 44 Special, so I'll always have a Magnum. My loads are in the 44 Special range, but a 44 Magnum revolver with 44 Magnum ammo is beyond questioning.


Okie John