So many .44 Magnums for sale

I inherited 2 of the 4 .44 Magnum firearms I have.

My Dad's 629-1 8-3/8" and my brother's 629-1 6"

I also purchased a Ruger Bisley and a Winchester 92 in .44 Magnum.

Why?

Because I also inherited about 2k of .44 Magnum reloads downloaded to .44 Special specs. And about 300 loaded to Magnum specs.

So I have enough ammo to last me a long time. And a nice selection of firearms to shoot them out of.
 
I started a collection and it was 44 magnum. 1956 5 screw, 1957 4 screw. 29-2 nickle in 8 3/8, 6.5, 4". all as new un fired in presentation case, and have no intention of firing them. I have a coupe of shooters as well.
 
44 Mag's are terrific Revolvers for Hunting, however I see them as a poor choice for self defense. They are over powered, over penetrative, overly loud, heavy, large and cumbersome to use for EDC. Not only that, but given today's political climate, using a 44 Magnum would classify you as a crazed, power hungry killer in court.

Since I do not hunt big game and have no reason to tote around a 44 Magnum, it is one of the few common calibers I don't own. Others may not agree - and still others may just like shooting them or having a huge powerful Revolver in their collection - I get that too. To each his/her own.

I think because today's emphasis in a handgun purchase is for concealed self defense applications and many original owners of 44 mag's are passing and can't shoot them anymore, we are seeing a bunch come to market as of late. For those who are into them - it's a win.
 
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If you only own one revolver it got to be the 44. It's the big dog in the fight. Course how could you not own more than one revolver. I do own a 38 and a 22 that I cherrish. Recently, I find myself with three 44s, not by design. I had an ANIB 29-3 that I sold because had to have a 29 P&R and ended up with a 629 ND. Didn't know there was a SS 44 P&R. So, because the 629 ND is a bit of a collector I need a shooter. That's how I ended up the a 629-4 5". Really like the balance of the 5" barrel. With these two I figure I'm all set. Then out of the blue along comes a very nice 29 ND, cokes and all.
Well I can't pass this one up so now I have three and only two hands. I'm thinking one might have to go. Decisions, decisions.
 

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chief38 said:
44 Mag's are terrific Revolvers for Hunting, however I see them as a poor choice for self defense. They are over powered, over penetrative, overly loud, heavy, large and cumbersome to use for EDC. Not only that, but given today's political climate, using a 44 Magnum would classify you as a crazed, power hungry killer in court.

Since I do not hunt big game and have no reason to tote around a 44 Magnum, it is one of the few common calibers I don't own. Others may not agree - and still others may just like shooting them or having a huge powerful Revolver in their collection - I get that too. To each his/her own.

I think because today's emphasis in a handgun purchase is for concealed self defense applications and many original owners of 44 mag's are passing and can't shoot them anymore, we are seeing a bunch come to market as of late. For those who are into them - it's a win.
Click to expand...


I think you are spot-on! I do have a couple of 44's, but they would be my last choice for EDC or home defense. Mine are range toys, but if I lived in bear country, they would be a good choice when in the fields and woods.


I agree, there are likely a lot of shooters and collectors who have either died or have reached an age at which they no longer wish to own their firearms, so we are seeing an increase in the number for sale.
 
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I was exploring the possibility of buying a 44 for about a year. I collected the brass and dies. I had the powder and primers already. Then I started looking at bullet prices and got cold feet. Evidently not very many people shoot 44 because bullet prices are are about 25% more than 38. So I just bought a model 28 and called it good. I've loaded 357 Mag for a long time and have everything I need to load it. I bought my first 357 in the 70's.

Getting set up to load a new cartridge is expensive. When you're on a fixed income it matters.
 
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LostintheOzone said:
I was exploring the possibility of buying a 44 for about a year. I collected the brass and dies. I had the powder and primers already. Then I started looking at bullet prices and got cold feet. Evidently not very many people shoot 44 because bullet prices are are about 25% more than 38. So I just bought a model 28 and called it good. I've loaded 357 Mag for a long time and have everything I need to load it. I bought my first 357 in the 70's.

Getting set up to load a new cartridge is expensive. When you're on a fixed income it matters.
Click to expand...

The difference in price that you see was probably caused by the weight of the bullets. The amount of materials used often have a very direct bearing on the price. For instance, a 230 grain 44 slug is twenty something (please don't make me do the math) percent heavier than a 158 grain 357.
 
With the increase of age and arthritis, facing the 44 Mag keep or punt situation here too. The 629PC 2 5/8" is brutal with stock grips, uncomfortable with bigger wood grips, still not fun with rubber grips. That same load in either the 629 5" or 8 3/8" is still manageable at my current rate of decrepitness.

So I'm thinking purge the snubbie in 44 Mag. Been shot little, carried for backup bear protection.

386NG still manageable for 357 Mag which will be my max snub caliber moving forward.
 
Back when Dirty Harry stoked up the 44 with the public I bought up all the 44s floating around. S&W were extremely hard to get ahold of. Some wanted S&Ws so bad I sold the m28s. Others wanted 44s so bad they would buy Ruger SBHs, some even Hawes Western Marshals. I even set one guy up with full meal deal a 44 and a 458 M70 ( post 64 ) Not one of these guns was sold to a gun person. All Dip Stick hold my beer people.
75% of these guns have never shot more than a box of 50. About same percentage are still in box in back of closet. I remember paying $208 for a 29, don't remember real price but this was jacked a few and would have been more but it was a 4". Most people think DH used 8 3/8" when it was a 29-2 with 6.5" tube. That was 50+ yrs ago, I still watch for those 44s to leak out when heirs get them.
 
Maybe there are more for sale… maybe you subconscious desire to own one has you noticing more. LOL.
Still my go to for rural excursions and packed with Gold Dots at 500 ft lbs or so, not a bad self defense option.
Admittedly, I'm a recoil junkie.
My name is Daniel and I am a recoil-holic.
C8516D7A-8FA4-4559-AB8D-AB72405A857D.jpg
 
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I joined the Army a couple months shy of my 18th birthday back in 1980. Home on leave on my 21st birthday I bought my first .44 mag. A Ruger SBH and I haven't looked back. I'm 60 now and since then I've owned countless revolvers and pistols. The one thing that has remained consistent is my adoration for .44 magnums. I don't own a safe full of .44's but the 6 that I do own will be the last ones that I part with when I can no longer shoot. I anticipate that to still be a couple of decades away !!
 
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Yep, I was caught up in the .44 Magnum "Dirty Harry" craze back in the day. Couldn't find a Model 29, so I decided on a Model 57. I actually loved the .41 Magnum and still do! Handloaded and shot that one a bunch. Shortly thereafter I picked up a .44 Magnum Ruger SBH with 7-1/2" bbl...it was a great and accurate shooter. Fast forward 40+ years and now I own a half dozen .44 Magnums (S&W pre- and 29-2s). Love 'em!
 
I adopted my first 44 mag after I left the Navy and since then they have multiplied quite a bit. There's a large selection of 29/629 from just prior to the change over to MIM parts as well as several Rugers, an FA and a Korth. Sort of similar, I'm currently waiting for one of the new production 44 Automags. At some point my body won't be up to the task any more and they'll all have to go, but that time is not now.
 
racoonbeast said:
The difference in price that you see was probably caused by the weight of the bullets. The amount of materials used often have a very direct bearing on the price. For instance, a 230 grain 44 slug is twenty something (please don't make me do the math) percent heavier than a 158 grain 357.
Click to expand...

I'll do the math for you. 230-158=72. 72/158=.4557. So .44 230 gr ammo has 46% more material. So if they only charge 25% more than the .38 bullets, it's actually discounted!
 
I think you only pay for the extra materials used in manufacturing the larger caliber/heavier bullets. The cost of running the equipment and paying employees to run the machines remains the same, regardless of caliber/weight.
 
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