This probably won't help but for me there's always been a huge "fun" factor to the .44spl-the main reason I would shoot any firearm. Hard to describe it exactly, it's more of a "feeling", big bullet, easy recoil and 4" N frames are the most aesthetically pleasing firearms to my eyes.
Why Do People Love the 44 Special So??
- Thread starter Nalapombu
- Start date
semperfi71
US Veteran
I think it all began with the PR.
Before Elmer Keith there were shooters who recognized its abilities as an accurate big-bore cartridge. Along came Elmer Keith, and others, who realized it could be loaded to higher velocities over the factory load and therefore a more powerful handgun load, which was still accurate.
It's .429 diameter made for a safer "hot" load over the Long Colt's .454 diameter as well.
Then Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton (along with a few other gun writers) glorified the cartridge with their writings and the legend was sealed.
It is still today about the best large-bore handgun caliber for the average shooter. It can be loaded down to less recoil and loaded powerful enough to kill any North American game animal. It might be a tad light for Brown bear but with well placed shots it might do the job.
It can be found in lighter weight handguns than the .44 Magnum (in most cases) and in a lot of cases most .44 Magnums are loaded down to .44 Special powers.
I carry three different Ruger Vaqueros in .44 Magnum but they are loaded with 240 FMJ bullets to only 1,000 fps. Plenty of power while horseback but not too heavy on recoil. Essentially .44 Specials.
And as much as I like the .41 Magnum the .44 Special has more components available for shooting.
Before Elmer Keith there were shooters who recognized its abilities as an accurate big-bore cartridge. Along came Elmer Keith, and others, who realized it could be loaded to higher velocities over the factory load and therefore a more powerful handgun load, which was still accurate.
It's .429 diameter made for a safer "hot" load over the Long Colt's .454 diameter as well.
Then Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton (along with a few other gun writers) glorified the cartridge with their writings and the legend was sealed.
It is still today about the best large-bore handgun caliber for the average shooter. It can be loaded down to less recoil and loaded powerful enough to kill any North American game animal. It might be a tad light for Brown bear but with well placed shots it might do the job.
It can be found in lighter weight handguns than the .44 Magnum (in most cases) and in a lot of cases most .44 Magnums are loaded down to .44 Special powers.
I carry three different Ruger Vaqueros in .44 Magnum but they are loaded with 240 FMJ bullets to only 1,000 fps. Plenty of power while horseback but not too heavy on recoil. Essentially .44 Specials.
And as much as I like the .41 Magnum the .44 Special has more components available for shooting.
The .44 Special in factory loadings and similar hand loads is authoritative without being punishing. It is an extremely easy round to shoot, a gentlemanly cartridge if there ever was one (though my wife is fond of them too). I neglected the cartridge, except for a fling with the Charter Arms Bulldog back in the '70s, until recently. I picked up Ruger Bisleys and New Vaqueros in .44 Special and realized what I had been missing. The next S&W 21 or 24/624 I see is going to make me a little poorer and a lot happier. All I have now are .38 Specials, .44 Specials and .22s and I couldn't be happier. They make for a very pleasant battery of handguns.
Best Regards,
ADP3
Best Regards,
ADP3
Chipmunk6
Member
What other caliber would generate 3 pages of comments in less than 8 hours?? I'm gradually getting a whole safe full of .44spl pieces.
Chipmunk6
Chipmunk6
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feralmerril
Absent Comrade
I wrote many times before why I like the .44 special. Rather than retype it, I dug some of it up and copyied it.
MY IDEAL FIELD HANDGUN
Let`s walk through my choice, the 4" s&w model 24 - 3 in .44 special.
First the weight. It weighs about the same or even less than my s&w 66-3 or 4" colt python. They are in .357. Also less than my colt saa,s in any caliber.
The .44 special will do 95 % of what we really buy the .44 mag for. Except for a mag in a mountain gun the model 24 is less weight and easier to pack than a heavy barreled model 29.
The 24 has adjustable sights, my colt saa`s doesnt. I have a flat top .44 special ruger single action with micro adjustable sights that is nice, but even that one is noticeably heavier to pack than my colt single actions.
The 44 special is more pleasant to shoot than a .357, more knock down, less sharper kick and less sharp muzzel blast. The .45 colt is about the same as .44 special, yet the .45 colt in colt saa`s, colt STILL hasnt got it right in the size of their chambers. Unbeliveable! I also own a s&w 25-5 4" in .45 colt that is nice, but still feels "clubby" in comparasion to the 24 because of the heavy straight barrel.
I sometimes carry a old m&p 4" 38 special in the boonies as it is light and I aint scuffing up my more exspendsive classic`s and its almost as good as it gets too.
So there it is. The 24-3 4". Now I dont own, but admit that a s&w mountain gun with the pencil barrel should be as good of a choice in any caliber, also stainless would be more practible, but I get along just fine with what I have. By the way, I like the compact smaller magna style standard service grips on my 24. The oversize targets changes a lot of my argument.
44 SPECIAL and 45 COLT VERSUS .357 MAG
For over 60 years elmer keiths load of 21 grains of 2400 powder under a 240 grain bullet will push it along at 1,200 feet a secound! Now days I think there may be hotter loads yet! We arent talking factory 760 fps loads built for 100 year old triplelocks here. The .45 colt can be cooked up hotter than or as hot as a .44 mag too. The trick is because the special and the colt cases is so much bigger area wise it does it with far less pressure on the clyinder walls than the .357. Without researching and pulling up a lot of numbers, thats why both are far better stoppers with a heavy bullet than a .357 mag that operates with double the pressure. The 357 mag has a more annoying ear ringing loud muzzel blast, a sharper, stiffer kick. It MIGHT get a little more FPS, but with a far lighter bullet. Besides that, downrange that bullet is loseing it`s velocity faster than the larger, heavier bullets. Class is over. Oh, by the way, that .45 auto can not match the huge heavier slugs that you can load a 45 colt with at more MV. Here again, that shorter case has to operate at higher pressure and you dont have the room for both the heavier, longer bullets and powder and case area of the longer colt. Just eyeball the auto against a 45 colt. I bet there is twice or more area in the case to work with at less pressure.
The beautfull part of .44 specials besides the almost perfect round, is they are lighter guns in the s&w`s, as they have the tapered "pencil" barrel as opposed to the heavier straight unweildly barrels of the model 29s, yet can be loaded up to do what 95% of people buy the mag`s for! They are a real sweetheart. In colt saa`s the .45 colts just dont have enough meat in the clyinder to suit me and they always are overbored! I have one in .45 colt. You can safely hop up the special in them because of the extra clyinder wall thickness. Elmer keith got his start doing that! I also have a s&w model 25-5 in .45 colt. There again, that gun has the same straight heavy barrel as the model 29. So I do have the 24-3 and 25-5 both in 4" barrels. I prefer the handier 24-3 in ,44 special because it is lighter and handier than the 25-5. Both calibers are very comparable the way I load them.
I think it`s intresting to note that while Keith was big on the special, once the 44 mag came out, he didnt mess with the special. Still, I like the marrage of the cartridge and the guns made for them. They are traditionaly lighter and I dont need the more powerfull mag 99.99% of the time.
MY IDEAL FIELD HANDGUN
Let`s walk through my choice, the 4" s&w model 24 - 3 in .44 special.
First the weight. It weighs about the same or even less than my s&w 66-3 or 4" colt python. They are in .357. Also less than my colt saa,s in any caliber.
The .44 special will do 95 % of what we really buy the .44 mag for. Except for a mag in a mountain gun the model 24 is less weight and easier to pack than a heavy barreled model 29.
The 24 has adjustable sights, my colt saa`s doesnt. I have a flat top .44 special ruger single action with micro adjustable sights that is nice, but even that one is noticeably heavier to pack than my colt single actions.
The 44 special is more pleasant to shoot than a .357, more knock down, less sharper kick and less sharp muzzel blast. The .45 colt is about the same as .44 special, yet the .45 colt in colt saa`s, colt STILL hasnt got it right in the size of their chambers. Unbeliveable! I also own a s&w 25-5 4" in .45 colt that is nice, but still feels "clubby" in comparasion to the 24 because of the heavy straight barrel.
I sometimes carry a old m&p 4" 38 special in the boonies as it is light and I aint scuffing up my more exspendsive classic`s and its almost as good as it gets too.
So there it is. The 24-3 4". Now I dont own, but admit that a s&w mountain gun with the pencil barrel should be as good of a choice in any caliber, also stainless would be more practible, but I get along just fine with what I have. By the way, I like the compact smaller magna style standard service grips on my 24. The oversize targets changes a lot of my argument.
44 SPECIAL and 45 COLT VERSUS .357 MAG
For over 60 years elmer keiths load of 21 grains of 2400 powder under a 240 grain bullet will push it along at 1,200 feet a secound! Now days I think there may be hotter loads yet! We arent talking factory 760 fps loads built for 100 year old triplelocks here. The .45 colt can be cooked up hotter than or as hot as a .44 mag too. The trick is because the special and the colt cases is so much bigger area wise it does it with far less pressure on the clyinder walls than the .357. Without researching and pulling up a lot of numbers, thats why both are far better stoppers with a heavy bullet than a .357 mag that operates with double the pressure. The 357 mag has a more annoying ear ringing loud muzzel blast, a sharper, stiffer kick. It MIGHT get a little more FPS, but with a far lighter bullet. Besides that, downrange that bullet is loseing it`s velocity faster than the larger, heavier bullets. Class is over. Oh, by the way, that .45 auto can not match the huge heavier slugs that you can load a 45 colt with at more MV. Here again, that shorter case has to operate at higher pressure and you dont have the room for both the heavier, longer bullets and powder and case area of the longer colt. Just eyeball the auto against a 45 colt. I bet there is twice or more area in the case to work with at less pressure.
The beautfull part of .44 specials besides the almost perfect round, is they are lighter guns in the s&w`s, as they have the tapered "pencil" barrel as opposed to the heavier straight unweildly barrels of the model 29s, yet can be loaded up to do what 95% of people buy the mag`s for! They are a real sweetheart. In colt saa`s the .45 colts just dont have enough meat in the clyinder to suit me and they always are overbored! I have one in .45 colt. You can safely hop up the special in them because of the extra clyinder wall thickness. Elmer keith got his start doing that! I also have a s&w model 25-5 in .45 colt. There again, that gun has the same straight heavy barrel as the model 29. So I do have the 24-3 and 25-5 both in 4" barrels. I prefer the handier 24-3 in ,44 special because it is lighter and handier than the 25-5. Both calibers are very comparable the way I load them.
I think it`s intresting to note that while Keith was big on the special, once the 44 mag came out, he didnt mess with the special. Still, I like the marrage of the cartridge and the guns made for them. They are traditionaly lighter and I dont need the more powerfull mag 99.99% of the time.
BUFF
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
The idea that the ammo makers loaded .44 S&W Special (the round's proper and full name) cartridges to such low power levels because of older, weaker guns doesn't really stand up to scrutiny.
The first .44 S&W Special handgun was S&W's Triple Lock. Then, Colt chambered their New Service and Single Action Army revolvers for it. At the times these were produced, they were about the strongest handguns around. There WEREN'T any "older, weaker" .44 Special revolvers to worry about. Even today, the "weakest" .44 Special handgun you can buy is probably the Charter Arms Bulldog, and it is a pretty stout piece.
Time has probably lost the reasons that the .44 Special cartridge was developed with such a mild power level, a 246 grain lead bullet at 750 feet per second. It was the direct descendent of the .44 Russian, ballistically and dimensionally, the only difference between the two is the length of the cartridge case. The .44 Special is basically a ".44 Russian Long" sort of thing. Same bullet weight, same velocity. The Russian had been a black powder round, and the Special was primarily loaded with smokeless powder, but smokeless is less bulky than black powder, so the need for the extra room in the Special's cartridge case to accomodate smokeless powder doesn't make sense. One would think that S&W and the ammo makers would have taken advantage of the greater powder capacity of the Special to boost the round's performance, even 100 feet per second wouldn't have made a huge pressure difference, but they didn't.
I have thought about this for years, having bought my first .44 Special 35 years ago, and the best I could come up with is that, with S&W's new N frame Triple Lock being made with a cylinder long enough for the bigger .45 Colt round, the .44 S&W Special may have been cooked up as a way to help focus public attention on the name of the maker, Smith & Wesson, and away from the foreign connotation that ".44 Russian" may have had. In other words, marketing. After all, the gun maker's major competitor's top round, the .45 Colt, has it's maker's name as part of it's title.
It is a great cartridge, no matter how or why it came about. I think that, outside of the .38 Special I used to handload by the bucketfull for pistol competiton and practice, I have loaded and shot more .44 Special than any other centerfire round.
I think that if I had to streamline my ammunition supply and handloading capacity to a single centerfire cartridge, it would very simply be...
... the .45 ACP.
The first .44 S&W Special handgun was S&W's Triple Lock. Then, Colt chambered their New Service and Single Action Army revolvers for it. At the times these were produced, they were about the strongest handguns around. There WEREN'T any "older, weaker" .44 Special revolvers to worry about. Even today, the "weakest" .44 Special handgun you can buy is probably the Charter Arms Bulldog, and it is a pretty stout piece.
Time has probably lost the reasons that the .44 Special cartridge was developed with such a mild power level, a 246 grain lead bullet at 750 feet per second. It was the direct descendent of the .44 Russian, ballistically and dimensionally, the only difference between the two is the length of the cartridge case. The .44 Special is basically a ".44 Russian Long" sort of thing. Same bullet weight, same velocity. The Russian had been a black powder round, and the Special was primarily loaded with smokeless powder, but smokeless is less bulky than black powder, so the need for the extra room in the Special's cartridge case to accomodate smokeless powder doesn't make sense. One would think that S&W and the ammo makers would have taken advantage of the greater powder capacity of the Special to boost the round's performance, even 100 feet per second wouldn't have made a huge pressure difference, but they didn't.
I have thought about this for years, having bought my first .44 Special 35 years ago, and the best I could come up with is that, with S&W's new N frame Triple Lock being made with a cylinder long enough for the bigger .45 Colt round, the .44 S&W Special may have been cooked up as a way to help focus public attention on the name of the maker, Smith & Wesson, and away from the foreign connotation that ".44 Russian" may have had. In other words, marketing. After all, the gun maker's major competitor's top round, the .45 Colt, has it's maker's name as part of it's title.
It is a great cartridge, no matter how or why it came about. I think that, outside of the .38 Special I used to handload by the bucketfull for pistol competiton and practice, I have loaded and shot more .44 Special than any other centerfire round.
I think that if I had to streamline my ammunition supply and handloading capacity to a single centerfire cartridge, it would very simply be...
... the .45 ACP.
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.357Magnum.
Member
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2011
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I love the .44 special
I agree with everything said in the last two posts EXCEPT the comment on stopping power. Every objective database I have seen where real police shootings have been objectively tallied put the 125 grain jacketed hollow point .357 magnum as the #1 one shot-stopper in history. This is evidence based and a function of simple physics. I spoke to my friend who is a physics professor (and very knowledgeable on the Newtonian Physics lol) and even he believes that the .357 hot loaded is going to leave the 44 special and 45 ACP in the dust regarding self-defense! Using the hottest buffalo bore ammo My .45 ACP 1911 launches a +P 230 grain load to about 950 fps/ 451 ft-lbs, my 3" S&W 696 launches the 180 grain JHP .44 special to 1155 fps/543 ft-lbs, and my 4 " S&W Model 627 launches the 158 grain JHP .357 Magnum to 1490 fps/ 780ft-lbs! (By the way the 125 grain JHP from buffalo bore does 1707 fps and 802 ft-lbs). The 44 magnum is what happens when you give a .44 special .357 magnum like velocity. Velocity kills and is the most important part of the formula Velocity (squared) x bullet weight (grains) / 450240 = Muzzle energy (kinetic energy at the muzzle).
Heavy .357 Magnum Pistol & Handgun Ammunition
An average .44 special / 45 ACP does not have near the stopping power of a .357 magnum...Physics are physics (ballistics at self defense distances of 20-30 ft). Don't get me wrong I love big bore cartridges but I am grabbing my 8 shot .357 magnum Smith and Wesson 627 Performance Center if I could only grab one gun! lol
back to the .44 special....
It is a fantastic round that can take care of defense duties with aplomb, target shooting with ease, and loaded with a fat 255 grain keith bullet (a.k.a. buffalo bore...1000 fps/566 ft-lbs) will stop anything up to and to including a medium sized black bear. It is just a soft-shooting and very accurate cartridge. I would say that I love the .357 magnum the most but the .44 special is my second favorite cartridge in a very close second place! I really enjoy shooting my Smith and Wesson 696 in .44 special with the big hole at the end of the barrel putting a huge smile on my face (-:
I agree with everything said in the last two posts EXCEPT the comment on stopping power. Every objective database I have seen where real police shootings have been objectively tallied put the 125 grain jacketed hollow point .357 magnum as the #1 one shot-stopper in history. This is evidence based and a function of simple physics. I spoke to my friend who is a physics professor (and very knowledgeable on the Newtonian Physics lol) and even he believes that the .357 hot loaded is going to leave the 44 special and 45 ACP in the dust regarding self-defense! Using the hottest buffalo bore ammo My .45 ACP 1911 launches a +P 230 grain load to about 950 fps/ 451 ft-lbs, my 3" S&W 696 launches the 180 grain JHP .44 special to 1155 fps/543 ft-lbs, and my 4 " S&W Model 627 launches the 158 grain JHP .357 Magnum to 1490 fps/ 780ft-lbs! (By the way the 125 grain JHP from buffalo bore does 1707 fps and 802 ft-lbs). The 44 magnum is what happens when you give a .44 special .357 magnum like velocity. Velocity kills and is the most important part of the formula Velocity (squared) x bullet weight (grains) / 450240 = Muzzle energy (kinetic energy at the muzzle).
Heavy .357 Magnum Pistol & Handgun Ammunition
An average .44 special / 45 ACP does not have near the stopping power of a .357 magnum...Physics are physics (ballistics at self defense distances of 20-30 ft). Don't get me wrong I love big bore cartridges but I am grabbing my 8 shot .357 magnum Smith and Wesson 627 Performance Center if I could only grab one gun! lol
back to the .44 special....
It is a fantastic round that can take care of defense duties with aplomb, target shooting with ease, and loaded with a fat 255 grain keith bullet (a.k.a. buffalo bore...1000 fps/566 ft-lbs) will stop anything up to and to including a medium sized black bear. It is just a soft-shooting and very accurate cartridge. I would say that I love the .357 magnum the most but the .44 special is my second favorite cartridge in a very close second place! I really enjoy shooting my Smith and Wesson 696 in .44 special with the big hole at the end of the barrel putting a huge smile on my face (-:
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I like the .44 Special because it can be loaded light or heavy, depending on how you want to handle recoil with it.
That said, I have 4 guns specifically built for .44 Special.
Model 624 with Model 29 6" barrel:
Pre Model 24:
Model 24-3:
Model 624 with 4" barrel:
That said, I have 4 guns specifically built for .44 Special.
Model 624 with Model 29 6" barrel:
Pre Model 24:
Model 24-3:
Model 624 with 4" barrel:
.357Magnum.
Member
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Why do we like the .44 Special? Because it's SPECIAL! It is one of the most inherently accurate pistol cartridges ever developed, easy to shoot, and can be loaded from mild to wild. An extremely versatile round, and most of the revolvers made in that caliber are simply elegant. One of my all-time favorite guns was a Model 24-3629 with s 6ave 1?2"thick barrel that I bought new when S&W made s short run of them in the early 1980s. The tapered barrel, shorter cylinder and weight resulted in a beautifully balanced gun that just made you look at it like a fine work of art. Wish I still had it, but it was stolen about 15the years ago. I hope to find another some day. It just has an elegant feel.
The caliber is also steeped in history, and many of us were also influenced by watching Gene Autry westerns when we were young. His theme song included the words "toting my old 44." That was strong medicine for most of us kids then.
Yes, the. 44 Special is SPECIAL to a lot of us, for both practical and sentimental reasons.
The caliber is also steeped in history, and many of us were also influenced by watching Gene Autry westerns when we were young. His theme song included the words "toting my old 44." That was strong medicine for most of us kids then.
Yes, the. 44 Special is SPECIAL to a lot of us, for both practical and sentimental reasons.
nawilson
US Veteran
Snapping twig, can I steal the expression, "there is no replacement for displacement"? I like it.
Andy Taylor
Member
I doubt it is originally his. I first heard it in High School back in the 80's, refering to Big Block V8s as opposed to fuel sipping four cylinders. It was an old saying then.
ldp4570
US Veteran
Very Special; 624
Still rocking the 44; Blackhawk Flattop
Still rocking the 44; Blackhawk Flattop
Well you all have convinced me. I gotta have one. Right now the only wheelgun I have is a 65 with a 3 inch barrel that I really love.
The problem is what to choose. Not that I'll be getting one until probably early next year, but it's darn hard to decide which one to get. There is the 629 that would also allow 44 magnum shooting and then the 696 which I really love. That is such a great looking handgun and I'm sure it feels great in the hand too. The problem is, as you all are well aware of, is that they are scarce and expensive as heck.
Oh well, I'm sure something will illuminate me when the time is close to me getting one.
Thanks for all the info everyone. I enjoyed it. I learn a lot here.....
Nalajr
The problem is what to choose. Not that I'll be getting one until probably early next year, but it's darn hard to decide which one to get. There is the 629 that would also allow 44 magnum shooting and then the 696 which I really love. That is such a great looking handgun and I'm sure it feels great in the hand too. The problem is, as you all are well aware of, is that they are scarce and expensive as heck.
Oh well, I'm sure something will illuminate me when the time is close to me getting one.
Thanks for all the info everyone. I enjoyed it. I learn a lot here.....
Nalajr
nawilson
US Veteran
Then I will plagarize the heck out of it, too!
Larry from Bend
Member
Great thread. To me the Special is a handloader's cartridge. I load 240 gr JHPs and 255 grain WFN lead bullets to about 1050 fps in a recently acquired Ruger Blackhawk 4 5/8". A wonderful loading. I still shoot some 240 grain @ 770 fps (duplicating the factory loading) but prefer a bit more pizzazz. 200 grain JHPs @ 1150 are also fun. I rarely carry my 629 Classic anymore.
The 44 special is in fashion right now is the bottom line.
The 44 mag can be downloaded to 44 special factory loads which makes the 44 special obsolete.
1. The only advantage is some firearms manufacturers, like Ruger make the 44 special in a smaller frame so it is lighter to carry.
2. Gun people have, as a whole, been loading a cart. to max preformance since the 1920's. Taking that mindset into consideration the 44 special maxed out is a lot less recoil than the 44 mag. It is just more shooter friendly than 44 mag is. This is the major reason that most all 44 special shooters won't admit to. They just don't want to admit to the fact they are shooting whimpy 44 mag loads.
I, myself, shoot whimpy 44 mag loads almost all the time. My loads are basically 44 special loads. I do not have a problem admiting that. 44 mag brass is cheaper than 44 special brass right now too!
Another point to support my statement is CARS--- Performance is where it has always been, until government, insurance companies, and GM influenaced NASCAR, made performance a bad thing. In 1971 NASCAR made the 305 CI engine max and has made NASCAR a "level playing field", a form of liberlism! This is what libreal politicians have been trying to do to the gun industry for several decades now with all the little restrictions thay have been trying ot impose on us.
3. It is just another caliber that is fun to shoot that shouldn't be forgotten. And a few shooters who didn't want to admit to shooting whimpy 44 mag loads have made a demand for and firearms manufacturers and others in the industry have jumped on the band wagon to profit by it. Nothing wrong with that. They have made it profitable by promoting it. To endevor to create a demand for thier product.
I for one will continue to shoot "whimpy" 44 mag loads in my 44 mag and continue to enjoy it. I just don't "feel" the need to be in fashion with everyone else. And because of that, I have money to spend on what I want, when I want, because I am not a slave to "fashion". Fashion COST money.
I could go on but I won't as I am sure the 44 special guys will try and flame my ***. ha ha I am not trying to start a heated discussion, but a honest and factual look at the "fashionable 44 special". It is a good cart. that shouldn't be forgotten.
John
The 44 mag can be downloaded to 44 special factory loads which makes the 44 special obsolete.
1. The only advantage is some firearms manufacturers, like Ruger make the 44 special in a smaller frame so it is lighter to carry.
2. Gun people have, as a whole, been loading a cart. to max preformance since the 1920's. Taking that mindset into consideration the 44 special maxed out is a lot less recoil than the 44 mag. It is just more shooter friendly than 44 mag is. This is the major reason that most all 44 special shooters won't admit to. They just don't want to admit to the fact they are shooting whimpy 44 mag loads.
I, myself, shoot whimpy 44 mag loads almost all the time. My loads are basically 44 special loads. I do not have a problem admiting that. 44 mag brass is cheaper than 44 special brass right now too!
Another point to support my statement is CARS--- Performance is where it has always been, until government, insurance companies, and GM influenaced NASCAR, made performance a bad thing. In 1971 NASCAR made the 305 CI engine max and has made NASCAR a "level playing field", a form of liberlism! This is what libreal politicians have been trying to do to the gun industry for several decades now with all the little restrictions thay have been trying ot impose on us.
3. It is just another caliber that is fun to shoot that shouldn't be forgotten. And a few shooters who didn't want to admit to shooting whimpy 44 mag loads have made a demand for and firearms manufacturers and others in the industry have jumped on the band wagon to profit by it. Nothing wrong with that. They have made it profitable by promoting it. To endevor to create a demand for thier product.
I for one will continue to shoot "whimpy" 44 mag loads in my 44 mag and continue to enjoy it. I just don't "feel" the need to be in fashion with everyone else. And because of that, I have money to spend on what I want, when I want, because I am not a slave to "fashion". Fashion COST money.
I could go on but I won't as I am sure the 44 special guys will try and flame my ***. ha ha I am not trying to start a heated discussion, but a honest and factual look at the "fashionable 44 special". It is a good cart. that shouldn't be forgotten.
John
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
NALAPOMBU, you are wondering which 44 special to get. I have these seven .44 specials and my favorite of the bunch is the 4" s&w 24-3, followed by the 4 3/4" colt SAA. Not long ago I bought the ruger 5 1/2" flat top. I havent worked with it much yet. Had I no .44 specials, I think I would buy that ruger in 4 5/8". My reasoning is it`s available and usualy under retail list price, it`s a very strong gun and probley will take the very hotest loads, has adjustable sights, feels good in the hands and in round figuers would probley cost $300s less than any smith you might be lucky enough to find. Also you could buy 3 of em for the price of a colt!
mc5aw
Member
I became a convert a while back when I found a NIB 624 3"er. The 44 Special gives me big round practicality without magnum brutality. To some, the 44 Special is a ******* round, to others it is truly special. I also like that there are quite a few revolver options to choose from, as opposed to 45 ACP. Talk to the forum handloaders about 44 Special ... you'll hear the virtues of the round straight from the experts.
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