44 mag suggestions

[osteodoc08]

Is that the Dirty Harry gun? Nice.

Well, considering they reportedly used a model 57 as a stand in, which was a 6” half lug, probably not, but a good revolver in its own right.

[Jtarm]

Ruger Bisley.

[Gunz569]

Anyone eVer load super Blackhawk 44 mag with 265interlock. Just bought the gun . I have a 29 smith. Didn't feel it was safe for that gun ?

[atr]

I have a ruger and a S&W....I prefer the S&W because of the way it loads with its swing-out cylinder.
I suggest you get one with at least a 6" barrel
make sure whichever you buy fits your hand because with heavy loads having a good firm comfortable grip is essential.

what I dislike about BOTH the Ruger and the S&W is how small the trigger guard is. I would prefer if it were 20% larger, that way shooting with gloves would be more do-able. With the trigger guards as they are and wearing gloves its a tight fit and the chance of lighting off a round before you are ready (trust me I know) is great.

[Forrest r]

I'd start with what distance would most of your shooting be?. Then accuracy expectations & lastly how much bullet/load experimentation will you plan on doing with your 44mag/1911?.

I tend to like firearms with adjustable sights but I do a lot of shooting from 50ft to 50yds.

[W.R.Buchanan]

The problem with the Smiths is that they hit the web of your hand really hard. The new X Frame grips help out alot but the Ruger Bisley Grip is by far the easiest on your hands.

My first 44 was a S&W M29 with 8-3/8" bbl in 1978 That gun beat the snot out of my hands so I sold it around 1983. Didn't get another .44 until 2006 when I got my SBH Bisley. I had the barrel cut to 5" and the gun is a joy to shoot.

Also look at getting either a Ruger 77/44 Bolt Action Carbine or a Marlin 1894 CB in.44 spec/mag.

Then you'll have the whole package to enjoy forever.

As far as "Commies?" I think we all need to realize that Liberal = Progressive = Socialist = Democrat = Communist, and states like yours and mine are at the fore front of that movement. The one thing they need to tip the scales is Serious Gun Control, and the next time they get control of this govt they will pass confiscation laws and come to get to the guns. You need to take this seriously as it is at a tipping point right now in CA and MA and NY where Democrats control the entire state. Just look at the insanity they are spewing, this is not coming from America, it is coming from Russia and China. Nothing they are pushing benefits this country in any way, and all of it benefits the Commies in every way. Beware the Useful Idiots.

Randy

[daniel lawecki]

I have a 629 SW and a Ruger Super Blackhawk and like them both

[Tom W.]

The Smiths sure are pretty, but I can shoot the SRH better and more accurately than any SA revolver.... And I've had a few Rugers in my time. The first was a SBH with a 10 inch barrel that I sold as soon as I could and bought a stainless steel SBH with the fluted cylinder. I kept it for several years and traded it for a SRH in .44 mag, and then got the bug for a SRH in .480. I scoped that one, but as it had the 9" barrel it was cumbersome, even with a custom bandoliero holster I had made. But even with the 400 gr boolits I was shooting from it there was less felt recoil, probably due to the massive size and the added weight of the scope.

I'm starting to ramble, so I'll stop now......

[murf205]

Anyone eVer load super Blackhawk 44 mag with 265interlock. Just bought the gun . I have a 29 smith. Didn't feel it was safe for that gun ?

That is the very reason that my favorite is the Ruger SRH, and this is coming from a devout S&W guy. You can load an RPG(well almost) in the big Ruger and it will stay alive. As far as the model 29, you can always back off the throttle but cast boolits at 1000 to 1200 fps will shoot through a T-rex and not hurt the gun. I'm with TomW on the Blackhawks. They are super guns but I just shoot the DA Ruger and S&W's better. After all, ya' got to hit 'em or it don't count!

[osteodoc08]

The Smiths sure are pretty, but I can shoot the SRH better and more accurately than any SA revolver.... And I've had a few Rugers in my time. The first was a SBH with a 10 inch barrel that I sold as soon as I could and bought a stainless steel SBH with the fluted cylinder. I kept it for several years and traded it for a SRH in .44 mag, and then got the bug for a SRH in .480. I scoped that one, but as it had the 9" barrel it was cumbersome, even with a custom bandoliero holster I had made. But even with the 400 gr boolits I was shooting from it there was less felt recoil, probably due to the massive size and the added weight of the scope.

I'm starting to ramble, so I'll stop now......

Completely agree with you on the 480R recoil, even in my 6-1/2” SBH and scoped 7-1/2” SRH.

[375supermag]

Hi...
My experience with the .44Mag is limited to exactly foyr revolvers.
A S&W 29 Classic, a Dan Wesson, a Virginian Dragoon and a Ruger Super BlackHawk.
All are well made, quite accurate and capable of handling very powerful handloads.
My favorite is probably the Dan Wesson, but the 29 has a somewhat better trigger.
All are heavy and the Dan Wesson is the best balance of weight, accuracy and controllability of recoil.
I think I enjoy shooting the Virginian Dragoon more, but that is probably the result of my affinity for single action revolvers.
The Super BlackHawk is a great revolver and while it isn't going anywhere, it is probably my least favorite .44Mag to shoot because the squared off trigger guard. It raps my knuckles pretty hard if I don't wear shooting gloves.


I probably will never acquire another .44Mag revolver because I think I have all of the bases covered with the four revolvers I own.

[Tripplebeards]

I have a 8 3/4" colt andaconda and S&W 329 nite guard with a 2" barrel. The andaconda gets my vote but I wouldn't pay the rediculous inflated market price for one. I could shoot fist size groups back in the day free handed with a mounted red dot installed when I was into pistol shooting. Next 44 mag pistol will be a Ruger to try. Built like tanks I'm told. Ruger has a lot of quality control issues but I'm sure the bisley or red hawk would fit my bill. I'm a red dot shooter so what ever one I get will have an optic on it. I also own a 77/44 and a first gen Ruger 44 mag carbine. 30 plus years ago you couldn't hunt in Wisconsin with a barrel under I believe 5.5". The next one I will buy for hunting will be between the 5.5"-6.5" range.

I blew out a few tasco PDP3's back in the early 90's with my other andaconda that was stollen. I could hit bowling ball pins with it consistently at a 100 yards when I did my part.

[9.3X62AL]

For me, using the "standard" 240 grain bullet weight as a point of departure.....the S&W Model 29 variants do good work for me and are reasonable in recoil accommodation for most people until you get to about 1200 FPS. Lyman #429421 at 1100 FPS can do a lot of things very well in the field. Past 1200 FPS, I like the Ruger Redhawk/Super Redhawk and Bisley Blackhawk for their weight and grip forms that better manage recoil of the heavier loads often used in their calibers. In these heavier platforms, the 1100 FPS #429421s are tamed and civilized into all-day excursions.

[bpatterson84]

Every man should at one point own an S&W model 29 or 629 in a 6" variant. If you like it, get a 4", or better yet, a model 69.


You already probably reload, so there's really no limit what can be shot with the .44. Mousefart loads out of either 44 special cases or 44 Russian cases using 200gr projectiles are no worse than shooting a 22lr handgun. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you can get bone crushing deep penetrating power for hunting. Your imagination is your limitation with 44.

[Tripplebeards]

I'm thinking my next will be a Ruger Bisley super Blackhawk hunter. I never shoot my andaconda double action when I hunt to keep my accuracy pin point.

[Tom W.]

This is a younger me and my .480. I could hit clay pigeons @ a measured 100 yards easily offhand.

[Pete44mag]

I have the S&W Model 629 and really enjoy the smooth trigger. Can hand load down to very mild .44 specials or up to barn burner magnums. The gun is much more accurate than I am. Two weeks ago I purchased a S&W Model 57 in .41 magnum. Now I have to bring twice as much ammo to the range because I can't figure which one I enjoy more. Love shooting the big bore magnums. Can't go wrong with the Smith's. Pick what feels best for you. They make Cheys and Ford's can't say which is best, ask 100 people get 100 different answers. I hope you enjoy whichever .44 mag you buy as much as I enjoy mine.

[Tripplebeards]

I just ordered a Wolff spring kit for my andaconda for $13 shipped. My pull feels good the way it is but figured I’d try it. Should have bought one for the nite guard or vaquero instead. Anyone tried the spring kits?

[Rodfac]

I've owned both S&W and Ruger .44 Mag's over the years, and liked them all. With full house loads and 240 gr bullets, they're about all I can handle, recoil wise, and not that many rounds at that. A half box of 50 is about as much fun as I can stand any more. But...and it's a big But...you can buy or load your own to suit your mood! For day in, day out, night in, night out, a .44 loaded to 1000 fps is a very useful load.

Currently, I shoot a trio of .44 Mags. A Ruger Flat Top with 6.5" bbl., a S&W M629 with a full lug 5" bbl., and a Smith M69 with that new 4.25" bbl. Weighing right at 38 oz. unloaded, that M69 is easily an all day carry gun for me, especially loaded down with Skelton's famous 7.5 gr Unique/240 gr LSWC load. With full house loads, that same gun'll punish you til the cows come home. But with the Skeeter load, it's a hip hanger with authority for most any chore inside 50 yds.

For long range sessions, the 5" M629 with full lug is an easy choice, but feels about the same as a 50# anvil after an hour or so on the gunbelt. In that regards, the Ruger Flat Top, with its all steel frame holds as well, but seems to be a little more forgiving in the belt sag region. I like 'em both, but the trigger on the Smith and its DA capability, make it an easy choice if you can find a "tanker" type cross chest holster that fits, and you're packing out elk quarters in the twilight of Colorado's high country.

Given the choice, and it was one gun or none, I'd probably take the 5" M629 Smith, for it's ease of shooting, pack-ability, the extra round over the M69, and the shorter bbl. that makes toting it for its real hunting purpose easier.

HTH's Rod

[Tripplebeards]

My 329PD nite guard is fun but a real wrist breaker. After a cylinder full or two I’m done. I loaded up some boolits with trail boss and it recoils like 357 or less. It turns it into a manageable plinker.