44 magnum carry

[bnitch]

What is the best revolver in 44mag or special to carry. Or which one is most carry-able.

 

[38-44HD45]

When I carry a .44, it is most often my 3" 629 or one of my 4" 629 Mountain Guns. I also have a 4" 624 and a 3" 624 that rarely get carried. 696s, if you can find one, are smaller, since thay are L-frames, but only hold 5 shots. I find that any of mine can be carried pretty comfortably in a Sparks VM II or a DeSantis #2 Speed Scabbard. Your results may vary.

 

[bnitch]

Well my 60 only carries 5 shots so that doesn't bother me. What models have 5 shots besides 696's.

 

[38-44HD45]

Well, my most "carryable" .44 is my .44 Special Charter Bulldog, made about 1977, and it holds 5 shots. Its frame is slightly smaller than a K-frame, and it is quite light, with a 3" barrel. I rarely carry it, in part because its recoil is painful to my arthritic old hands, even moreso than the SD .44 mag. loads I keep in my Mountain Guns. I couldn't recommend current production Charters. I'm pretty sure that Taurus makes a 5-shot .44 Special, or at least did. I know of some folks who like them, and have posted about them here.

 

[GLV]

296&396

Well my 60 only carries 5 shots so that doesn't bother me. What models have 5 shots besides 696's.

I often carry a 296--design is like the 642, only in 44SP and 2.5" barrel, and a 396 also in 44 sp, which which would be similar to an airweight J frame 3" with adjustable sights, if such a gun existed.

Both are L frame guns. Both are Ti.

In 4" 44s, my carry guns are a Mountain [629-4] and a 329PD. The 629 has a Ti cylinder.

'

 

[flop-shank]

Well my 60 only carries 5 shots so that doesn't bother me.

Assuming your 60 is a .357, you're barking up the wrong tree, IMO (other, I'm sure, will disagree). As a defensive arm, the .44 magnum is best suited to a 4" and longer barrel with full power ammo (excepting the very, very few, and I'm not one of them). I carry a 5" full underlug 629 with full power .44 magnum ammo, BTW. The .44 spl. runs at lower pressure, and that's a plus, but the .357 is a better fighting cartridge and comes in a smaller package. If you're looking for a pocket gun, use the .357 magnum. While I do use a .44 magnum, for anything smaller, I revert to the .357 (4" 586, SP-101, Taurus 605, S&W 360PD), or smaller cartridges.

To answer your original question, use 4", or longer, N frame, or run with a .357.

FWIW, a 6" 686 is easier to carry than my 629 and packs a ferocious 700+ fpe. with full power .357s.

 

[buckeyeshooter1]

I carry one of the 3 inch 29's in nickel.

 

[K1500]

What is the best revolver in 44mag or special to carry. Or which one is most carry-able.

Define 'best'. The 329pd or nightguard are easy to carry due to the light weight. You can always load specials if you need to. The all steel guns are better for recoil management. I have carried my 329pd hundreds of miles, and had to shoot it in the field infrequently. I'll gladly take the increased recoil for the light weight. For me it's the 'best'.

 

[aterry33]

I used to take my 4" 29 into the woods, but now I always end up with my 629 Mountain gun.

By the way, how are you planning on carrying it? On a hip holster in the woods? Concealed?

If you are carrying it for use against humans, I hope you are carrying specials and not magnums...

 

[Brian41]

I carry a 629 Back packer in 3 inch in a Haugen Magnum Carry pancake style holster while hunting mainly but a CCW at times. On a good gun belt it's not a burden and hidden under a windbreaker just fine.
When the right shot is offered I will take a whitetail with it one day.
I do tend to drop to K and L frames or even J for CCW carry often as I live a sheltered life and enjoy that.

 

[cmort666]

I'd carry my 4" 29-2 this time of year, if I had money for a holster.

 

[M29since14]

What is the best revolver in 44mag or special to carry. Or which one is most carry-able.

The obvious answer is the 329PD, since that is WHY the gun was made (though probably not with urban carry in mind so much as boondocking). It is expensive, and a lot of people do not like the gun. You can include me in that group, if using only magnum ammo.

44 Magnums with a barrel shorter than 5- or 6-inches are mostly novelties, and when they go below 4-inches... The Python type barrel profile would help a 4-inch gun, but for some reason, S&W has never seen fit to make one.

The 696 is a handy little gun. Unfortunately, it is a victim of stupid selection of barrel length and profile. But even with its standard barrel, it is still a nice enough gun.

A .45 Commander (or an M&P 45C) is handier than either of these, has similar-to-44 Special power, and weighs about the same - but you didn't ask about that.

 

[sub-moa]

Mid '70s, carried a 4" M29 IWB while working dope @ my mid-sized PD. Yea, I know ...

Policy, strickly enforced, required the issue 4" M10 w/158RNL be carried in uniform, but did allow smaller BUGs.

Detectives on the other hand, if they didn't carry the issue M10, were only required to carry the issue 158RNL, in whatever, normally 2" revolver, they preferred as their "duty" weapon. This allowed for more imaginative, and effective, "BUGs" such as my M29, for those of us so inclined.

Ammo for all BUGs was up to the individual Officer/Detective and, of course, was on was our dime. Super Vel in the 1911 and P35 I carried on occasion, factory 210 SWC in my briefly carried M58, but I handloaded for the M29. 200 Speer JHP from the yellow plastic box loaded with, IIRC, 20-22 grains of 2400 which was stout, but not near what .44Mag factory loads were.

Annual quals were a bit more exciting than with the 148HBWC the PD supplied though ...

 

[SuperMan]

Most of the time when carrying a 4" N-frame concealed it would be a .41 Magnum. Have a slicked up custom M58, a 357PD and a Mountain Gun. They are either carried behind the strong side hip in a Desantis Speed Scabbard or IWB behind my left hip, butt forward and no holster...very comfortable way to carry any gun...

I do have a 629 Mountain Gun and when carried it is stoked with the Speer Gold Dot 200 grain HP Short Barrel load. The 200 grain bullet is made for the .44 Special and has a MV of 1080 from a 4" barrel... WAY more effective than a .44 Special, mild recoil and a HP that always expands... Have a friend who uses the same load in his 329PD...loves it.

Bob

 

[38-44HD45]

Bob, that Speer Short Barrel load is what I keep in my Mountain Guns and my 3" 629, at least when I carry them for self defense against 2-legged critters. It duplicates the old Pro Load "Tactical Lite" load, but with less flash. Mighty fine stuff, that!

 

[kennyb]

i have a model 29-3 3" in an ankle holster as i type this...but...i'm very used to ankle holsters...sweat pants over it conceals fairly well

 

[38-44HD45]

Kenny, how big an ol' boy are you? And what brand of ankle rig? Everyone has his limitations (Clint said something like that once.) but I've found that a Detonics .45 in a Renegade is about the biggest and heaviest I can do on an ankle for an entire day. I'm not a large fellow, though.

 

[44Steve]

44Carry

What is the best revolver in 44mag or special to carry. Or which one is most carry-able.

S&W 329PD Just use 44 spl. If you reload use a heavy crimp. If you use 44Mag. HOLD ON TIGHT,and may the force be with you.

 

[kennyb]

Kenny, how big an ol' boy are you? And what brand of ankle rig? Everyone has his limitations (Clint said something like that once.) but I've found that a Detonics .45 in a Renegade is about the biggest and heaviest I can do on an ankle for an entire day. I'm not a large fellow, though.

about 6'2" 210lb...have carried in an ankle rig for many years...i dont even know it's there....it's a wolverine ankle holster and has a double lock system...a wide velcro band locks in then there is a "d" ring..you run a secondary strap thru the ring ...it doesn't budge

 

[sipowicz]

If you carry a model 29 on your ankle and "don't even know it's there", you might have circulation problems in that leg.