Little Bitty 44 Magnums

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NE450No2

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Here is the deal. When I go on a hunting trip, I know I will carry a 44 Mag in the field. So many times I leave my 1911's at home and go with the 44 Mag as my carry gun. Even right now, after my Nov deer hunt, I am still wearing my 44 Mag at the house, because I know I will be leaving in a few days for another hunt.

I have a 325 NG, in 45 ACP that I really like. So I am thinking I want a short compact 44 Mag, to use as a No2, or a No3.
I like to limit the number of calibres I carry when on a trip. Some of my trips last for a month or two...

I want a short 44 Mag. The barrel must be under 3". I mean if I was going to carry a 3" gun I would just as soon carry another 4".
The short barreled gun, even a N frame will fit in pockets, pants, vest, coat, that 4" guns cannot go...

Also I just do not like the full lug guns, short or long barrels.
But i would not totally rule one out.
So I am looking at a 2" to a 2 3/4" S&W 44 Mag.
Is the Night Guard the best choice, or should I go with the adjustable sighted Back Packer? I am a big fan of adjustable sighted handguns.

And would a steel framed shorty 44 Mag be better over all???

This is a gun that will be carried a lot, and shot some. I am not opposed to carrying heavy 44 Specials, or light 44 Mags in it for better controlability, especially for the first 6, but it will be able to shoot any of the 44 Mag loads I use in a pinch. Which is its main advantage over my standard pocket 38 bodyguard, or my 325 NG...

So what are your suggestions/thoughts.
 
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Oh, let me add, I hate the lock, but I do not "fear" it, as I will just remove all of it. So it is a non issue to me...
 
I have a round butt 629 3'' and a 29 4''. The 3'' is noticably lighter, especially over time and it shoots straight as a laser.
I too like adjustable sights and the 3'' needed a fair amount of windage adjustment when I got it new from the factory. I like to adjust for different loads also.
I put 'Cokes' from Eagle Grips on mine, the round/ square conversion grips. I have a lot more control with these on it.
I do shoot Mags and the 3'' does kick a bit more than the 4'', of course. I don't think I would want to go any shorter so I would vote for 3''. Also,it will fit in a NorthFace vest pocket as I found out at the range when changing targets.

Here is what I mean by 'straight as a laser'...Free standing, two hands at 20 feet.

6403760487_932d60c1cc_b.jpg
 
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Sebago Son

Even though I am not a fan of the full under lug, I have considered that model. They do look pretty slick.

Thanks for the info.
 
629PC 2 5/8"

Here's mine. Brutal w/ heavy bear loads, manageable w/ 240gr, shoots 44 Specials wonderfully. Not a fan of the lock either but this 629PC grows on me daily.
 

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Desert Fox, Thanks.
That gun is definately in contention.

My main thoughts are Steel, or Scandium???

That is the biggest choice to make IMHO.
Adjustable sights or fixed is a second consideration.

After all this will be a No2 or a No3...
 
When you say carry a lot and shoot a little, the steel frame is not what you need. I believe the perfect solution for you might just be the 329PD Alaska Backpacker as you mentioned. It already has adjustable sights and a gold bead front sight. It's black with 2.5" barrel and stainless steel cylinder for an edge on durability over the Ti. Only 29.5 oz. If you don't mind the shiny cylinder, since it's a Talo exclusive, it will always retain a little more value and desireability. The engraved Grizzly is cool.

The 329 Night Guard is another you mentioned. It's black with 2.5" barrel and black stainless steel cylinder for an edge on durability over the Ti. Only 29.5 oz. I'm pretty sure you can just replace the rear sight with a factory adjustable because the frames are all milled the same.


The 329 PD Airlite Sc is a little lighter at 26 oz. with the titanium cylinder. And already has an adjustable rear site. Just lop off the barrel to 2" or 2 3/4". I put a standard Baughman ramped front blade in mine to replace the 'glow worm' site.

I would also recommend the Hogue 'Tamer' grips from the 500 Magnum for either choice. They have sufficient padding over the rear grip strap and absolutely essention for recoil, especially with 300 grain bullets. Available from Smith only, and for about $35.
 
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The "carried-vs-shot" proportion strikes me as irrelevant. If you are going to shoot it at all, it needs to be steel; weight is the price you pay to have a controllable gun in your hand. I don't even like .44 Special in a scandium gun, and I took steps to heavy up my 296 because it was so uncomfortable to fire in its factory configuration.

If I had my eyes open for a .44 Magnum snubbie, I wouldn't look any further than the unfluted Performance Center UDR. I have a couple of those in .357 and love them. Wouldn't mind having the .41, either.
 
One other idea, the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in .44. It has a 2 1/2 " barrel, stainless frame, and the Hogue Tamer grips. It handles the .44 mags quite well.
 
I'd reconsider the 3" barrel, at least get your hands on one. I have this 3" 29-10 that started as a "Bounty Hunter" but was worked over by Mag-na-port. The quad port set up makes it very manageable, even with full house loads. It's really well balanced and is easy to carry comfortably.

SDC11709.JPG


Yes, it's a horrid green color but that is temporary, just dropped it off to the 'smith today for some cosmetic work, including a bead blast and refinish.
 
I am gonna weigh in with a recommendation - 2 1/2" steel with fixed sights. I have the round butt fixed sight 2 1/2" with a special thin 1940's era style small wooden grip. You cant wreck it, it packs nice, you dont have to worry about rounds jumping crimp. It is simple to carry and use. When you need your revolver for real, you'll do well with your "kinda" "sortof" sight picture with the fixed version. The sights wont snag on the way out if you have to go fast from concealment. The small wood keeps the profile low as possible. Stay safe.
 
Thanks for the posts, and keep them comming.
A few comments on some of the posts.
First the reason I mentioned 3" barrels is that I sorta felt that for just a recuction of one inch in barrel lenth no need to buy another revolver just carry my other 4" MG.

Also on the Performance Center ported guns, they are a good gun, but will not work for me as I shoot a lot of the Speer shotshells, and I do not think they would go good with the port.

Steel vs Scandium. This is a tough one. Of course my brain tgells me steel. But the last few days I carried my 325NG around the house. First in my left front pocket as a No2, and later as my primary.
You hardly notice it is there.

The Night Guard with full power 45 ACP mmo is controlable no problem. I have shot the 4" 329 with full power loads and wood grips, it is uncomfortable.

Fixed vs adjustable sights. Again as much as I like adj sights for this particular gun i think fixed is the best way to go. They do not dmag and as some have stated they are rugged. With the NG you have the advantages of non snag fixed sights and the advantages of a good sight picture, and a front night sight as well.

Well thanks for the advise, and I am still open for more opinions.

You guys are making me wonder if I need more than one little bitty 44 Mag...
 
....I think you have answered your own question...either stay with the MG or go with the NightGuard and buy an extra hammer and have it bobbed....

Using the Speer .44 Magnum Short Barrel Load will give you a bullet that will turn inside out with modest recoil...

I need to buy a 357NG/.41 Magnum before they are all gone....


Bob
 
Just a little bit bigger...

Consider one of these... a 58-44 conversion...

5844004.jpg


A S&W Model 58 converted from .41 to .44 Magnum.

5844012.jpg


Before I am branded a heretic, I should say that I bought it after it was converted..

This happens to be an "S" Frame 58, but with the "new" 58 classic series there's plenty of donor guns around now.

True it's a 4" gun, but I've found that this packs well and will carry in my rear jeans pocket fairly easily... as you can see it shoots pretty well.

IMG_3490.jpg


Drew
 
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