Merry Christmas to all of you lead-heads out there!....Nothing new in this post....just a little personal story....
Everyone’s .44 journey is different. My own path has led to the Ruger flattop .44 special…You know that gun that just feels right every time you pick it up….Now I shoot better with my .45, mostly because I’ve spent more time with it, but still, when I hold that .44, I get a good warm feeling inside that doesn’t happen with any of my other guns….I started my .44 journey with a S&W Model 29. I clearly remember taking it out to the range for the first time. I had never previously shot anything higher than a .357 magnum. The first time I shot the Model 29, I was stunned. My hand throbbed and I looked in shock at the gun, wondering if it was still intact. That sounds a bit dramatic, but it’s understatement if anything. It was a crazy experience. Call me a wimp. Whatever. I grew up bow hunting and shotgun hunting. We loaded our own shells, usually on the hot side. I’m six feet tall and weight 200 lbs. I like hard physical work. But this Model 29 really shook me, knocked me on my heels. I shot it some more, but it didn’t grow on me one bit. I hated shooting it. If you like this caliber in a S&W revolver and can shoot it accurately, my hat’s off to you. I didn’t give up right away and got some nice custom wooden grips for it. Man, no doubt that dressed up it looked nice. But at the range things were no better. Ok, time to try something different. I stuck with the same caliber and got a Super BH. Wow, night and day! This gun was a pleasure to shoot. It rode the magnum bronco like an experienced cowboy. I felt like there was potential with this gun. But….the handle didn’t work for me. The attractive wooden grips were too wide and slick feeling. It didn’t feel solid in my hand when I shot it. I read the forums and kept researching, finally discovering the .44 special. I was sold on the Ruger SA, so I decided to try their regular Blackhawk. And that was it! Perfect in every way. Looked good. Felt good. The standard load could be shot all day, and yet it could be loaded up nice and hot if needed. It’s been the perfect .44 for me….
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collecting dust. At a gun show I was visiting with a dealer ~100 miles south, and he had just taken a .44 S&W Special in on trade; his price was great; and I pre-paid for it sight unseen. It turned out to be a Smith and Wesson Model 696-1, a 5-shot 3" barreled stainless revolver. Upon getting it a few months later (at a local show; he drove it up), it resembled, say, a 2nd cousin to the Ruger SP-101, albeit in .44 S&W Sp. I was, at first, a bit hesitant to shoot it, but I reckoned all my loads were for the BullDog -- so they should be AOK in this one. 
Originally Posted by LUCKYDAWG13
