Do I need a SW 44 magnum revolver or not?

[99savage308]

Hell yea get a 44 mag better yet get two one each hand

 

[JohnRippert]

Need one? Of course not. But you know you want one.

 

[grip frame]

To the OP, yes you need one!

Here are some of my opinions of the caliber (.44 mag).

I disagree that you need to reload to shoot one. At least when it comes to full power jacketed factory loads. When I was 21 they cost $35 a box. With the influx of foreign brands I quite often buy it today for around the same. Its cheaper to shoot .44 mag today than it was 25 years ago!

Not to many shooters are going to go through more than one box of full power 44 mag per shooting session.

Its nice to just to own and collect Smith .44 mags even if you don't shoot them. No such thing IMO as wasted space in the gun safe.

Yes there are larger calibers but there are also rifles which are even better. The Smith N frame .44 mags are the pinnacle of handgun power combined with ease of carry based on sheer size/bulk and weight. I never have found much use for the larger calibers and larger revolvers.

The standard barrel four and six inch versions do have some recoil (even more so in the mountain gun version). The full lug 5, 6.5 and 8" versions are more pleasant. The 329 PD has extreme recoil.

 

[Boudiepitbull]

I didn't need one either, but my son and I just bought a new 6" 629 on Gun Broker last week. As far as Smiths go, we had a J, K, and L frame but no N frame. Sometimes there are things you don't really need but can't live with out. This was one of them...

 

[Chrisj357]

Not sure I would call the .44 Mag "Insignificant" especially loaded with Buffalo bore Heavy .44 Magnum +P+ 340 gr. L.F.N. - G.C. (1,478 fps/M.E. 1,649 ft. lbs.) -but it takes the N frame to its practical limits,

In comparison the X frame 500 Smith & Wesson - 440 gr. L.F.N.-G.C.(1,625fps/M.E.2579ft.lbs.) is a sledgehammer in search of a butterfly to kill !

I said just a little

 

[model70hunter]

I would recommend you acquire a 629 Classic with a 5 or 6 inch, full lug barrel and patridge front sight.

I had the 6", it ended up weighing about 16 tons at the end of the day. I found a 629 4" and sold the big dog. Recoil is not a problem for me so having one that barely weighs more than my 686 is nice.

16 Tons. Just remembered where I heard that one. It predates Dirty Harry.

The original. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIfu2A0ezq0[/ame]

 

[iviax]

I shot this 44 magnum revolver tonight, I believe it's a model 29. I definitely don't need this one. Why would they make a snub-nose in this caliber? It's one mean bitch.

 

[amazingflapjack]

I am very fond of the 629 no dash-I have and have had several-all barrel lengths, but I favor the 8 3/8 . There is just something about them.

 

[STCM(SW)]

Why would you not want a 6" M 29?
"Go head, Make my day!"
Then again, it's a ***** cat compared to my 500 Magnum.

 

[sasu]

Why would they make a snub-nose in this caliber?

Compared to a longer barreled one:

Easier to carry, faster to deploy, easier to have sights in proper focus, shorter barrel time for bullet so slightly more accurate both mechanically and in practice, looks better.

 

[old 1911 fan]

CAUTION! The 44 Mag can be a slippery slope. Some years ago in my youth I saw that Clint Eastwood movie. Went right out and begged and pleaded at every gun store in town and finally got a 6 1/2" blue 29-2. I already had a Marlin 1894 in 44 mag. I got a 14 " 44 barrel for my Contender. The Contender has a Leupold 2x scope. I also picked up a Desert Eagle, I have taken big game with all. My newest is a 3" 629-6 PC Carry Comp that will be on my hip next month lookin for hogs in South Carolina. I bet you shot Magnums out of that snubby 44. If you can go back and shoot some cheap lead out of it at about 1000FPS and you may fall in love. There are quite a few here that really like our 44 snubbys.

old 1911 fan

I have every 44 I ever bought!

 

[sixtwoniner]

I like 44 mags and specials a lot. I like them at the range. I like them nice and hot. I like them in the woods with deer or elk on the other end of the barrel. I started with a 629-3 in 8 3/8". Killed my first cow elk with it that first year, 91 I think it was. Now I have that one, a 6" and a 3 1/2" snubby round butt and I even have a Redhawk in 7 1/2" The Ruger is mostly for upper end hunting test loads. No you don't need one. Yes you want one cause there so much FUN!!!. Oh and you must roll your own. That's half the fun.

Remember: Shoot, Shoot, Shoot and then Shoot some more. We must all be proficient at least. What ever you Shoot.

 

[The Gila Bender]

You may not need a .44 Magnum, but they are a nice addition to any collection, and good condition pre-MIM 29's (through -6) and 629's (through -4) are out there at reasonable prices. The big N-frame .44 is the very definition of "Smith & Wesson," with a history dating back to the original .44 Military Model of 1908, aka .44 Hand Ejector 1st Model or "Triple-lock."

My .44 Magnums:
4" 629-2 Mountain Revolver. The light, tapered barrel makes it a handful to shoot.

5" 629-3 Classic. Balance, recoil absorption, and accuracy in a manageable barrel length.

6.5" 29-6 Classic, my first and favorite .44 Magnum. The weight of the long, full-lug barrel really soaks up recoil. It's a serious tack-driver.

A couple of my favorite .44 Specials:
6.5" Model 24-3 "1950 .44 Target Reintroduction."

The great grand daddy of all S&W N-frame hand ejectors, the .44 Military Model of 1908, the "Triple-lock". This one was built about 1914 and shipped in November 1916. Still a great shooter!

 

[Geblynch]

44 mag

Hi Guys,

My friend keep telling me if I have never owned a SW 44 magnum revolver then I can't call myself a revolver guy. I am a younger generation so that whole dirty harry thing has little impact on me. I just started to buy revolvers and thought I am sitting pretty comfortable with the ones i already have. oh well, the same friend recommended all the revolvers I purchased. So he actually gave me lots of good advices.
By the way, can anyone check the production year of my new in the box sw 60-15 for me? the serial number is CZE07##.

Thanks,

Shoot one of your friends .44s. Try some factory magnums and some 44 specials. Then and only then you'll know if you want one.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

PS I think (Hope) that ISCA Yoda was just having a little fun with us in stating the .45 Colt is equal to or better than the .44 mag as everyone knows it isnt even close,

I wasn't joking. Sorry. For normative, practical handgun shooting the .44 Magnum is an over powered beast and anything it can do the .45 Colt can do equally well except, maybe, as I noted, take down large, dangerous game. But if that's what you're after then a .460, or .454, or .500 is likely better.

Perhaps in the field against soft game like deer a 6 inch barreled .44 Magnum will outperform a similar .45 Colt, if there is one, but that is barely within the standard, practical use I was discussing.

Nota bene:Standard loads are under discussion - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not shoot hot .45 Colt loads in a Single Action Army or replica thereof, except one built heavier and stronger like a Ruger single action.

Otherwise the .44 Magnum is better in every single way imaginable to the old .45 Colt or ACP

Tell me in what way, please. I'm not being disrespectful or mean spirited about the .44 Magnum, I just want to know what you folks think a .44 Magnum can do that a .45 Colt in an N frame or a Ruger Vaquero (for instance, especially an original one) cannot do.

Further, in one afternoon's shooting session you can probably shoot twice as many standard .45 Colt rounds in an N frame than you can .44 Magnum rounds.

This has nothing to do with .44 Specials in a .44 Magnum - I used to load my 3" M629 only with .44 Specials. That is not the point here.

And, for the record:

The .44 Magnum is an American icon and while almost everyone has heard that now famous film line :
"The .44 MAGNUM is the Most Powerful handgun in the world and can blow your head clean off "

The .44 Magnum is an American icon mostly because of the Dirty Harry movies and while it might have been the most powerful handgun in the world for a short while there is a flaw in the story - if you research the Dirty Harry stories you will find that Inspector Callahan admits that he loaded that gun with .44 Specials.

Eminently sensible.

Very few can claim having fired or owned one and thats the reason to have one IMO as you join an elite club.

Well, it's a small club to be sure; I don't know about elite and, either way, I quit that club long ago.

One side story, just because:

A number of years ago I became a certified Texas concealed handgun license instructor. Because revolvers and pistols are used by our general populace instructors must pass the shooting test with one of each. On that particular day I used a now sold Norinco 1911 and a 6" barreled 586, just for fun. High score is 250 and I scored 248 with each, dropping one 15 yard round out of the center of mass 5 ring. 50 rounds per gun - lotsa fun and no big deal, just an intro to what follows:

The young man next to me was a police officer from a town near San Angelo, Texas. His pistol is long forgotten. His revolver was a 4 inch barreled .44 Magnum and his ammunition was factory, full house .44 Magnum. I looked at him and asked him if he was out of his mind and in pure Texas fashion he snorted that it was no big deal. (After all, I'm under 40 and I'm a policeman from Texas!)

At the conclusion of the test, which somehow he managed to pass, his shooting hands were bloody, blistered, and immediately bandaged. He looked at me sheepishly and said, "You were right; I'll never do that again."

And that's the gun and caliber you folks adore?

YMMV, as they say, and I'm not interested in that caliber. Period. I'll likely use a .45 Colt (Model 25-5) for my next test; I don't expect any blood or blisters.

 

[shawn mccarver]

I don't buy ANYTHING because some friend dares me to do so. If you have either a want or a need for it, then by all means, buy a 29 or 629.

That said, ask yourself whether you are buying it for yourself, and if so get it to satisfy a use you actually have. If you are buying it because of Dirty Harry, then get the 6 inch blue. If you like the idea of Elmer Keith, then get the 4 inch blue.

If you just want a range toy, then the 629 should do nicely.

 

[rwsmith]

The reason the .44 magnum was....

The reason the .44 magnum was developed was for the handgun hunter of larger game or defense against dangerous animals. Outside of that the only need to have a gun like that is enjoyment of a powerful handgun. Since I'm not a handgun hunter and I don't live near anything that my .357 can't handle I don't suppose that I 'need' a .44 magnum. I think it would be cool to shoot one once in a blue moon but that's about it. Another reason I have is that components for reloading larger calibers are more expensive than medium and I don't see that sending a 230 grain slug downrange as any more advantageous than sending down a 158 grain round.

 

[SPEEDGUNNER]

Nobody NEEDS a .44 Magnum revolver, but is sure is cool to have one...or two...or three...or four...or more. Blue, Nickel, Stainless, 4", 6", 6.5", heck even 8 3/8" if you want to go all in!

 

[markeb]

Heck yea, You ought to have a 44 Magnum in your collection.

 

[Bobbysixkiller]

Everybody needs a smith & wesson 44 magnum revolver. Or more the one.