No Longer a .44 Magnum Owner...

[500 Magnum Nut]

To add to my earlier post, ammo is so darn expensive today, to enjoy shooting 44s 357s or 500s learn how to reload. I reload for everything and I seldom shoot full power loads in any of my guns. I don't see the need to test the limits and damage one, let alone have a hammer stick in my forehead...

I run 10.3 Unique on a 240 gn jacketed bullet. One hand pleasure out of an N frame! The Hodgden H110 is top end stuff that hurts to light off...

 

[Stainz]

I have both a 4" & 6" 629. I load lots of .44 Magnum cases - with 'Special' loads. They'd rate as 'wimpy/Nancy-boy' loads - Herr Keith would be ashamed. He wouldn't even rate them as '.44 Russian Magnum' loads. The fact is, I still have some of the four boxes of real Magnums folks have given me over the years. To insure I don't load my Magnum cases 'hot', I still use regular Fed LP primers - not Magnums. My .44 Russian, Special, and wimpy-Magnum loads are happy.

Why did I buy new 629s? Try to find affordable - and in good shape - 624s! I bought 24s - even a new Heritage 24... SS has spoiled me. Plus - when I get a wild hair, I can pop a few 'real Magnums' after those mild Magnums. I think a 629 makes good sense in everyone's safe. Just get it out and shoot it - even with Russians and Specials - fun!

Stainz

 

[WoodsCustom]

One of the funniest days of my life was when me and another friend were shooting our 629's with 44 specials. Another friend was watching us and said "I always heard how bad 44's kick ! And here you guys are wacking away like it isn't nothing!"

I told him that a 44 was a girls gun...I loaded up 6 240 grain 44 Magnum Barn burners up and handed it to him. He lit off 3 and said...

"Guys, I don't know how you do it !!!" We were rolling on the ground laughing.

My buddy (With Tears in his eyes) handed him his 629 with specials and said "Here, try this one."

That guy had a blast shooting up all our bullets, he loved the 44 Magnum with Specials and he loved knowing all he had to do was load up the "Big Boys" for the power. He shot a few more of them and laughed and laughed.

He went to the gun shop and Bought a 629 that day. He LOVES that S&W! Its the only handgun he owns.

WC

 

[kennyb]

i must agree...every smith stable needs a host of 44 mags.as well as the 44 special

 

[Marshall 357]

I dont have one yet,but I hope to get my 8 3/8'' bbl 29 out of lay a way by the end of the month! Next on the Hit List is a 41 Magnum.

 

[WVfishguy]

Why did I buy new 629s? Try to find affordable - and in good shape - 624s! I bought 24s - even a new Heritage 24... SS has spoiled me. Plus - when I get a wild hair, I can pop a few 'real Magnums' after those mild Magnums. Stainz

Me too.
My right hand (thumb joint) is deformed from, among other things, shooting .44 mags from a Ruger Super Blawkhawk.
Oh, to be young again. I had older guys warn me, but...
Now, just about everyone I see at the range loads their .44 mags down to .44 Special. In fact, when I shoot hot loads of H110 or 2400 out of my N-frame 357s, the .44 guys are always a bit freaked out.
I have little desire to shoot full .44 mags anymore. And as for as I'm concerned, this 57 no dash is a .41 Special:

And this 629 no dash is also a .44 Special:

However, once in a while the magnum bug bites, so I load hot rounds for this Ruger Redhawk (my wife bought this for me).

 

[Stainz]

My .44 'Specials':

Yeah, I know... the RH two are my 629s. They change grips frequently... sporting .500 Magnum Hogues when 'real' Magnums are in the plan.

About recoil and age... one can develop carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis problems early when they have employed their hands in repetitive motion use over the years. I am a retired teacher - holding chalk tightly - like pens when I graded work - didn't help. Retired, I started wood turning, a then 20+ yr hobby, with abandon - gripping those chisels, scrapers, gouges, etc, tightly. I retired in '95 - and, afterwards, I made 12k+ pens and thousands more of other teeny objects by hand on my wood lathes. I was shooting my first DA revolver, a new Ruger 7.5" SRH in .454 Casull, during the last of this. I had to quit my retirement job - I did 26-29 art and arts & craft shows a year - due to my worsening wrists and hands. Soon, the big boomer got those .454 cases reloaded at .45 Colt levels. Lately, I have been buying .357M/.38 and .22 revolvers... I will still enjoy shooting. Therefore, my 629s see wimpy loads!

Stainz

 

[KevinCH]

I have but 1 .44MAG, a Ruger SBH with the 7-1/2" tube. Bought it thinking I might use it for whitetail in Pa but never did. I've probably put maybe 100 rounds through it.
So, I don't shoot it much. I'm not particularly recoil sensitive - but my problem is just having too many calibers to contend with! Every so often I start to look at what I have & think I should trim it back to just a few different calibers, & concentrate on stocking up on ammo for just those few.
That said, when the right deal comes along for a nice pre-lock 4" (preferred) or 6" M29 & I have the $$, I'll buy it & sell off the SBH.

 

[mikeruns]

I also have one 44 mag- Ruger SBH 7.5". I shoot it enough to have fun, haven't hunted it, but take it out to camp when we go, but when hiking I carry a Spd-six 357 or my M58 41 mag or a 40 S&W, so 44 special is not so special to me.... no disrespect to the 44 spc, just superfluous to my needs as my safe really flows heavy with 357's for some reason... oh yeah... "I love them!" So I guess I follow a different train of thought on the subject.

 

[Sportsterguy]

...this a good thing...now you can go buy what you should have in the first place...a Model 57 .41 MAGNUM!!!!!

Bob

Now were talking. The most underrated round ever IMO. Will do everything the .44 mag will do with the right bullet and load with less recoil.

 

[hastings]

I know many people have zero problems with their model 29's, but I have had a few friends that experienced problems shooting standard factory magnum ammo after several thousand rounds. This is just my opinion, but I can't abide a firearm that is potentially incapable of handling a steady diet of the factory ammo it's designed for. I feel the same about K-frame 357's. Don't get me wrong, they are all beautiful looking and feeling, but I can't shake the feeling that the darn thing might betray me just when I need it.

I prefer Ruger 44 magnums simply because they are more robust and thrive on a steady diet of full magnum loads. Now, if only there was a happy medium with the looks and feel of an N-frame S&W, but just enough beefing up to eliminate any kind of magnum wear/tear issues.

Having said all this, (and no doubt earning the scorn and derision of numerous 29 owners) I don't own a 44mag of any sort. I have a 41mag MG, but far prefer the 45colt. For normal usage I carry a 45colt MG, and if I need or want to fire magnum-level rounds I own a Ruger Vaquero that easily handles heavy handloads, or anything Buffalo Bore or Double Tap puts out. My 45colt heavy load for the Vaquero is Double Tap's 335gr Hardcast Lead round moving at 1,300fps. This load more than satisfies any magnum-urges I might experience, and makes a bigger hole. I prefer sub-1000fps loadings in the S&W MG, but every now and then something really big and tough needs a big hole punched in it.

 

[holo]

LOVE THEM 44'S

I have several 44 mags and am always looking for more......can you have too many ?
__________________

IM WITH MILLBILLY YOU CANT GET ENOUGH .44'S STOPPING POWER FOR ALL 4 OR 2 LEGGED INTRUDERS.

 

[AZ Desertrat]

I think everyone should have at least one .44 Mag....just like we should all have a good .357 Mag....quintessential revolvers to have in the stable....I agree with some above, as I get older, I tend to shoot a lot more .44 Special and shoot a ton of .38 Special in the snubbies.

 

[DOEBOY1]

i have several 44's one by ruger and three by smith if comparing the two of them i would have to say i would prefer the smith over the ruger on accuracy alone. i like the way they both look and feel the ruger feels like i'm holding a fine tool the smith smith feels like i'm holding a rich man's fine weapon. don't get me wrong i have about half as many rugers as smiths but i got into rugers first and have not added to the clan as much lately. i just really love a 44 and a 45 lc just depends how i feel that day and the leather i want to look at.Doeboy

 

[Two Guns]

The gun show went well today. I sold my S&W M629-5 (no lock) and my Marlin 1894PG rifle for decent prices. Then on the way home, I realized I don't own any more .44 Magnums. The thought came as kind of a shock (OK, sometimes I don't think things all the way through).

But don't feel too bad for me... I still have more than my share of .44 Specials! Plus my shooting buddy has a M329 if I need a recoil fix...

Anybody else abandoning the Magnum for the Special?

I got rid of all my 44 magnums last year.I don't hunt so all my handguns are carry guns.For 44's I only have my Charter Arms Bulldog in 44 special.

 

[ohforester]

Sent a super accurate 629PC and 2 S&W 44 Spl's down the road last year. The reason? 500S&W I use the gun for deer hunting and in Ohio we use .72, that's a 12 gauge shotgun. Got tired of hauling a 11 lb. rifled and scoped Remington 1100 around to shot a deer at 100 yds or less. I hunted for years in WV with Marlin 444's, 270's and numerous other rifles. I carry the 500 in a Galco Kodiak hunter shoulder holster which frees up my hands to paw up and down the hills and climb the tree stands. Don't let anyone tell you that the 500 is too much gun. More than likely they have never shot one.

 

[Col Defender]

Last week I went from one to two 29-3's and find myself yearning for a .44 Special besides. An illness I guess.

 

[BigBill]

I don't like to part with guns. I just add to my collection. My problem is i sold some in the past when i was out of work in '83 when the first recession hit figuring i could replace them at anytime. Well i parted with a few that i can't replace now at any price. I promised myself i'd never do that again. Bill

 

[BearBio]

I started out saying that I've gone from zero to several off-and-on over the years (in handguns, at least) but then I remembered my "safe-queen"==a 1976 I bought new and is my oldest, constantly owned, never-traded handgun. It's one of my gonna-be-kept-forever guns and is going to my son-in-law.

Also, I recently acquired a large snake pistol in 44 mag that pairs well with a Marlin carbine for camp guns here in the NW.

I have, however, recently (last 3 years) acquired several 44 spls. that I REALLY like.

 

[John Ross]

I have several 44 mags and am always looking for more......can you have too many ?

Interesting question. I have been buying S&W .44 mags for the last 39 years. See a nice one, the owner says it kicks too much, he needs money, I buy it for an attractive price.

The only 29 with a barrel over 4" long I ever sold or gave away was to a collector. It was an 8 3/8" Model 29-2 with a serial number around S165000. He had to have it.

That said, I haven't bought a .44 Mag in several years, and shoot them less than I used to. DonD knows why...

 

[jonbondave]

Washington game regs are unclear on the 44 Special, so I'll always have a Magnum. My loads are in the 44 Special range, but a 44 Magnum revolver with 44 Magnum ammo is beyond questioning.


Okie John

Handguns:
Big game, except cougar, may be hunted with
handguns with a minimum barrel length of 4 inches
per manufacturers specification, and fire a minimum
24 caliber centerfire cartridge. Cougar may be
hunted with 22 caliber centerfire handgun. Rimfire
handguns are not legal for big game.

 

[Cpo1944]

Am I missing something here?

I have only recently gotten into.44 mag, and I really like it -much to my surprise-

Why would one get ride of his .44mag only to replace it with a .44 spec?
You are limited to just the spec.where with a mag you have both.
As in a .357/.38 spec.

I do reload and I mostly shoot light loads, but I still like an occasional loud bang and I can do that with my mag.

 

[BigBill]

Handguns:
Big game, except cougar, may be hunted with
handguns with a minimum barrel length of 4 inches
per manufacturers specification, and fire a minimum
24 caliber centerfire cartridge. Cougar may be
hunted with 22 caliber centerfire handgun. Rimfire
handguns are not legal for big game.

I always use magnum loads when i'm in the wilds.

I seen that video/story about the hunter in canada who was attacked by a cougar and the passerby jumped out of his truck and put many rifle rounds in the cougar before he let go of the old man. To me now bigger is better when were in the wilds and we can become the hunted. We have mountainlions, cougars and catamounts what ever you want to call them in each state now. I seen catamounts in VT in the higher elevations when they were thought to be extinct. Now with them multiplying decades later there into the lower elevations now. They have been seen all over the northeast now. We even have wolves crossing the frozen waters from our New York/Canadian borders which makes me think the mountainlions are from canada too. I wouldn't fall asleep in my stand anymore while hunting. Bill

BTW; Everyone i told about the catamount being there laughed at me. It wasn't until my neighbor from colorado said she seen it too and she knows what mountainlions like being from colorado. Its just my dumb luck i get to see everthing first the more time i spend out in the wilds.

 

[Orsogato]

I'm down to one at the moment, and it's a keeper. It gets shot. Often.

 

[sw624]

This is a very interesting thread. I am mid 60's, recently retired and just went thru same thing. I had been acquiring for 40 years and then it dawned on me I didn't need or want all these anymore. First went rifles, then shotguns, next were auto pistols that I never really liked and then all the excess revolvers. I came down to m34, m10RB, 60, 624 and 696. These handle all my needs and the 624 is legal here for deer. I had several 44 mags but really hadn't shot anything but specials for years. Now I get to go shooting EVERYDAY and the .22, .38 and .44 special are fun.

 

[anmut]

I think it's nice to have a 44m just in case of multiple Bear/Moose attacks or for the occasional tree removal when the chainsaw is on the fritz. Oh and what else do you hold while looking in the mirror saying "are you looking at me?" besides a nice .44?

 

[Geronimo Jim]

I have a number 44 Mag's, but just realized all I shoot is 44 special's in them. Been years since I fired a full power 44 Mag!