44 Magnum: S&W, Ruger or Taurus?

[ladder13]

You left out the best 44 mag made today, the Freedom Arms SA 44. I vote that.

 

[Rule3]

If you are not going to hunt, a 4" 629.(stainless is forever) I love mine and with Pac grips on it very easy to shoot.

I also have a 7.5 Ruger SRH for those small missile loads. Forget the Taurus, you get what you pay for

 

[DeathGrip]

Don't leave out the Dan Wesson offering.

I like all of them except the Taurus. I just can't learn to like them.

I started out shooting an old Ruger SA and still enjoy shooting it to this day. I like the way the recoil is absorbed on a SA as opposed to the Saw Handle grips of the DA's.

 

[LouisianaJoe]

What you really need is a 9.5" barrel Super Redhawk in .44 magnum with box and a Simmons 2x scope just for grins. If you could find one for $650 shipped, that would be a bonus.
Wait.... I have one of those and that is what I would sell it for
Man is that spooky or what...............

I have the same setup in .454 Casul except that the scope is a Simmons 2-6.

 

[A10]

Desert Eagle!

In an IWB holster!!!!

 

[sheepdawg]

What you really need is a 9.5" barrel Super Redhawk in .44 magnum with box and a Simmons 2x scope just for grins. If you could find one for $650 shipped, that would be a bonus.
Wait.... I have one of those and that is what I would sell it for
Man is that spooky or what...............

Have you been in my safe? Talk about spooky.

well that's a 2-6X Simmons and an extremely low serial number Super Redhawk. There is a Model 29 in my future as I've been haggling with a golf buddy for one. It would, "Make my day!"

 

[Joni_Lynn]

Lots of good choices in 44 mags. I don't care much for the taurus but most of the others are all pretty nice. My Super Blackhawk was too hard on my knuckles and got sold off..
Most of my 44 mags are S&W but there's nothing wrong with a Freedom Arms, Dan Wesson, Ruger or Colt either.
When I adopt another 44, it's most always a S&W.

 

[DeathGrip]

I don't like the Supers either. I don't like the Bisley but this one is just right.

 

[mkk41]

Friends don't let friends own Taurus's!

 

[Beemerguy53]

IMHO...while Ruger makes very good products, the best combination of workmanship, accuracy, and reliability can be found in a S&W Model 29 or 629...

 

[skeetshooter]

+ 1 statesrightest love my 29's but I shoot the Super Redhawk more.

 

[David LaPell]

I have had two Model 29 Smith & Wessons and two Ruger .44's. One a Bisley and the other a 50th Anniversary Blackhawk. The Blackhawk with full power loads was a handful, but the Bisley was a tank. If I were going to get a .44 again, strictly for the money, the power and portability it would be a 4 5/8 inch Super Blackhawk, they are a beast and any load you could desire will work in them. Second would be another 4-inch Model 29 or 629.

 

[beach elvis]

Mind you, merely my own opinion, worth every penny you're payin' for it:

If you wanna shoot loads that'll make your nose bleed in the short term and make you sterile in the long term, go for a Ruger Super Redhawk. WAAAYYY more shootable than a plow-handled single action in the same caliber. Compared to the Super Redhawk, the Vaquero in .44 mag. felt like a bomb exploding in my hand.

While the Ruger will be stronger (which will only matter in terms of uber-thumpers), the trigger cannot be made to be as sweet as a 29/629.

The above is based on my own experiences, having owned them all.

Whatever you choose, may you have decades of enjoyment with it like I've had with mine.

+1 re: Congratulations! You're about to become a reloader!

 

[silentflyer]

I have to agree with Death Grip and Joni Lynn, my Dan Wesson .44 10" barrel is the most accurate of any .44 mag I have ever shot or owned, 3" groups at 100 yards off a rest.

 

[Straightshooter2]

Not owning any of the .44 mag, I can't comment on any of them except for this. Remember that the grip style of the Blackhawk was basically designed in the 1800's and look at the loads it was meant to be used with. It's just not meant for .44 mag and as others said, it could be a knuckle buster. Even my .357 Blackhawk can be a handfull with full power loads.

CW

 

[Vulcan Bob]

The five and a half inch Ruger Super Blackhawk is for me my best shooting 44 mag, in the shorter length barrels with the super you get a round trigger guard instead of that knuckel busting dragoon style trigger guard. The reason the Ruger is number one with me is that recoil with it is no problem at all, just let it roll in the hand a bit. The N frame Smiths just beat the heck out of my hand with heavy loads and yes I have tried a lot of different grips. Now with mid range loads I do enjoy my four inch 29 a lot and my six inch 629 is a fine shooter as well as long as I stay away from the real heavy loads. This sort of thing is very personal and if possible try to find buddys with different types, shoot em and see whats best for you!

 

[Qball]

Well my SuperRedHawk beat the **** out of my indexfinger.
Drew blood every shot, very accurate and could take hevy loads.

If you plan on shooting alot of hevy loads, i'd go for the Ruger.
If not, Smith & Wesson rules.

but that is only my 2cents

 

[Maximumbob54]

I'm going to own a 629 Classic with the five inch barrel at some point. I love everything about that gun.

 

[brucev]

I do not own a 44 magnum handgun. That is the only reason I can think of to buy one, plus I like shooting big guns.
I have always wanted a model 29 Smith but IF I'm going to get a 44 mag, I want the one that is the most "shootable" and one that won't make me feel guilty driving home from the gun shop. How do the Smith and Wesson 44 mags stack up against the RedHawks, BlackHawks and the ported Raging Bull? I would preffer double action but if the single action is the most "shootable" (Whatever that means) I would go with the Blackhawk.
I would be using the pistol for recreational shooting and as a woods gun, maybe even home defense....but not for hunting.

I have owned a number of .44 Mag. revolvers... mostly S&W and Ruger. I have no broad experience with the single-action type. They are good handguns, but I just never really warmed up to them except for the .22 LR Ruger Single-Six. The Ruger double-action .44's are well made. The triggers are not so good. The revolvers are heavy, more so than I like or think necessary.

I've had several of the N-frame .44 S&W's. The 6" ones are superlative range and woods guns. For range and woods... and even HD., I'd prefer the 4" S&W Model 29. If recoil is a concern, the lugged barrel will greatly moderate that issue. The sights are excellent. The triggers in DA and especially in SA are simply superior in every respect to anything available from any other manufacturer. The grips are well shaped and suit my hand. Some like the various rubber grips that are offered by Pachmayr, Hogue, etc. There is a very wide variety available.

Some will opine that the S&W 29/629 is not as strong as other designs. I take that with a very large shovel full of salt. Perhaps there are folks who can afford to spend the money required to shoot enough heavy/overloaded .44 Magnum rounds such that they might wear out a S&W revolver. If that should be the case, they will not likely fret to much over having S&W do any necessary repair work that might be needed.

 

[rockquarry]

All are probably good guns, but it may be important for some to also consider the possibility of resale. S&W products are often more desirable on the used market and may retain a higher value than the others.