.44 SPL defensive load..

Mod27

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Hey gang. I want to buy a couple hundred rounds of .44 for use in my 629 as a defensive load.

Why, oh why, did Remington discontinue the .44 Mag medium load round that pushed a 240 gr. lead semi-wadcutter @ 1000 FPS??? Fancy bullets at supersonic velocities are fine for their intended use (whatever that is). But I prefer a big heavy flat slug at a mid range velocity as a man stopper.

A full power .44 mag load IMHO, is too much recoil for use as a defensive load unless, you are Elmer Keith. I want something that can also be shot as practice that will not batter the poor old 29 into pieces.

That old Rem. medium loading .44 mag, as it was labled on the box, was PERFECT.

Corbon .44 SPL. 165 gr. @ around 1000-1050 FPS seems the ticket.

What do you guys think?

Thanks,

Michael
 
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Speer makes their Gold Dot 200 Grn. load and CCI makes the Blaser aluminum cased load with what I believe is the same bullet. These give pretty good velocities and are not at all uncomfortable to shoot. That plus the hollowpoint is huge. It should make a good defensive load. All my .44 Spl. carry guns are loaded with the Speer load.
 
Speer make their Gold Dot Load in a 200 grain Gold dot H.P. load in boih the .44 Special and a .44 Magnum "Short Barrel" Load that is a fairly mild load. They would both work great in your S & W .44 and they would not beat you or your handgun. I use both of these loads and they work great.
As someone else said, you can get the .44 Special Load in their Blazer Ammo which is the same load but cheaper ammo. It's a good way to go....
 
i loaded some 240 jhp over 15.0 2400 for my 3 inch 624, they dont kick bad and i think they will get the job done, do you reload?
 
Speer make their Gold Dot Load in a 200 grain Gold dot H.P. load in boih the .44 Special and a .44 Magnum "Short Barrel" Load that is a fairly mild load. They would both work great in your S & W .44 and they would not beat you or your handgun. I use both of these loads and they work great.
As someone else said, you can get the .44 Special Load in their Blazer Ammo which is the same load but cheaper ammo. It's a good way to go....

Where do I find it, Walmart?
 
The days of ammo companies catering to the customer appear to be over, at least for the foreseeable future.

The 1000 fps SWC load you want can be assembled for about 1/3rd of what you'd pay for factory loads. That is probably about an 8.5 gr of Unique load, with anybody's cast lead SWC bullet.

Depending upon how much you shoot, you might want to seriously consider handloading.
 
I guess part of my ammo buying binge is due to the new laws taking effect in Feb. 2011 re; internet pistol ammo sales.

I live very close to Nevada, so I can easily drive accross and buy it in bulk if I need it. But I prefer to have ammo delivered to my door if I can.:D

I'm a big fan of Remington's Golden Saber ammo and just ordered 250 rds. of +P .38 for use in my Mod. 27.

The Win. Silvertip in .44 SPl. is readily available just about everywhere but, I just can't get past the bad press given to the 9MM after the FBI Miami shootout. I won't buy it in any caliber.
 
What you need to be aware of is the fact that in every bureaucratic investigation of human failure, some THING must be named as the culprit. In this case it was the .38 and 9mm ammo which were blamed, not the people involved.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy Silvertip ammo if that's what's available.
 
165 grain Corbon is the load I carry. My hope is the light bullet weight will reduce penetration since I'm in an appartment right now. If that weren't an issue, I'd prefer 200+ grain bullets.
 
I carry and use the 200 grain silvertips in 44 special. I find it to be very accurate in my model 21 and 629. As for the FBI Miami shootout the 9mm is not in the same league with the 44 special. I also use the 210 grain silvertips in 44 mag, unless I'm in the mountains (bears and mtn lions) then I go to a 240 grain round (JSP or Hydra-Shok JHP).
 
You might want to take a look at the Perma-Gel Test Results thread here in the ammo forum. I tested the .44 mag. Silvertip. It may not be perfect, but rest assured, adequate penetration isn't one of it's shortcomings. Sometimes a reknowned ammo line has a load that isn't quite what some of the others are, just like every football team has second string players. A crappy caliber such as std. pressure 9mm makes it quite easy for the engineers to create such a mediocre offering.

In a big heavy N frame gun, I would suggest using managed recoil magnum JHPs if you don't like the hot stuff. The Corbon .44 magnum 165 gr. JHP shoots like a pussycat from my 5" 629, but packs a very respectable 573 foot pounds. You'll get a nice little pick up in power over specials and get velocity that will help ensure good bullet expansion and consistent performance. I would consider doing the same with your model 27. Speer short barrel .357s, or Remington Golden Sabres would serve you well without all the crazy .357 flash and bang.

As mentioned, Speer makes a short barrel Gold Dot load that is a little heavier (200 gr., IIRC). That may help keep you from having to crank your rear sight up the way lighter bullets sometimes require. Being bonded, the Gold Dot is also excellent against auto glass.

I agree with cp1969, you might seriously want to think about reloading. If I didn't reload, there is no way I would be carrying a 629.

Good luck with your decision.
 
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I guess part of my ammo buying binge is due to the new laws taking effect in Feb. 2011 re; internet pistol ammo sales.

I live very close to Nevada, so I can easily drive accross and buy it in bulk if I need it. But I prefer to have ammo delivered to my door if I can.:D

I'm a big fan of Remington's Golden Saber ammo and just ordered 250 rds. of +P .38 for use in my Mod. 27.

The Win. Silvertip in .44 SPl. is readily available just about everywhere but, I just can't get past the bad press given to the 9MM after the FBI Miami shootout. I won't buy it in any caliber.

250 rds of 'self defense ammo'? What kind of body count are you expecting?
You can't even use that much on vermon or zombies.
 
I've always liked the Silvertips, in any caliber, for a factory carry load. I don't think any other 9mm would have done any better in the Miami shootout.
 
:D LOL, It's for practice too!
Heck, even if it's not for practice why not stock up? There's no worrying about shortages and being from the same lot, once reliability is established there should be no "surprises". I found a very good deal several years ago on Remington .357 125 gr. SJHPs and bought a case of 500. I use that load in four of my guns and still have 350 + rounds left.

Someone on this forum once said it quite nicely, "Buy it cheap and stack it deep". ;)
 
While any of the better 44 Special loads will work, I prefer to buy defensive loads in Magnum brass, that way after they are fired I have the brass to reload. This lessens the "actual" cost of the factory ammo, as I can use the fired brass many many times. I load on a progressive loader and I do not like to change things around for the 44 Special case.

I agree with flop shank. The Cor Bon 165 is a controlable load, as is there 180gr HP. The Speer 200gr Short Barreled load is a good one as well.

Also the 240gr Magtec SP kicks a lot less than the standard 240gr from the "big three.
 
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While any of the better 44 Special loads will work, I prefer to buy defendive loads in Magnum brass, that way after they are fired I have the brass to reload.
Everyone should pick up their brass. Even if you're not going to reload it, you can sell it to someone who does. Mitigates the cost of factory ammo somewhat.
 

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