I picked up one of the new Smith 69's and sure wish it was a Special. I even asked S&W about getting another cylinder but Smith said all parts are currently going into production.
In the meantime, I'm sure loving my Flat Top Blackhawk.
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I picked up one of the new Smith 69's and sure wish it was a Special. I even asked S&W about getting another cylinder but Smith said all parts are currently going into production.
In the meantime, I'm sure loving my Flat Top Blackhawk.
I have one if the earlier Lipsey versions of the .44 special Ruger Blackhawk. I love that gun. It is handy, accurate and is capable of light target loads to heavy hunting loads with a little judicious bullet and powder selection. My only issue is I sometimes feel like I have to pick between a .44 special and a .45 colt cartridge as my favorite, but they are both just too good to pick one over the other.
It would be nice to have more .44 special options, but at least we have the few excellent choices available nowadays without requiring custom work.
“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations – we fall to the level of our training” - Archilochus
If you're thinking of the availability of bullet molds. I don't believe 45 cal really offers much more than 44. Seems like 44 has nearly if not as many different options for molds. Just my personal preference is a gas checked 240 for 44 mag and a 200 through 210 bare bottomed for 44 Special. Most my 44 Specials I use a RNF as it cycles really good in my Rossi lever action. I also shoot plenty of the discontinued Lee button nosed full wadcutter in both 44's. A mild load of apx 4 or 5 grs of Bullseye prints some pretty tight clusters on paper.Originally Posted by patrick_ford
Last edited by azrednek; 05-26-2014 at 02:11 PM.
Do you have any buildup of powder residue in the cylinder due to a shorter shell?
For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. 2:8,9
The .44 Spl is my favorite cartridge for the Blackhawk. I have owned several .44 Magnums, and always down-loaded them. I shoot the Lyman 244215GC over 5.0 gr Titegroup for 875 FPS out of my 5 1/2" Blackhawk.
I have seen more new .44 Special Revolvers in the last several years than all my previous years combined. When Ruger brought out the flattop in .44 Special, it kind of opened the door for others like S&W to compete. Charter Arms Bulldogs have always been around and now there is even several versions of that gun. I believe that Colt is offering the SAA in .44 Special currently as well. Ruger still has the most variations on the theme and Lipsey's is the outfit that has been driving the resurgence of that platform with innovative choices.
The problem with the .44 Magnum cartridge in a handgun is that unless you are Hercules you aren't going to be able to shoot full power loads enough to get any good with it. If you aren't going to shoot full power loads then you can do anything else with .44 Specials. This is one of the big selling points of guns chambered in .44 Magnum,,, usually you can shoot both cartridges in these guns.
If you get a copy of Handloader #236 (Aug 2005) Brian Pearce did the premier article on loading the .44 Special.
This and issue # 237 (Oct 2005) which contains Mid Range loads for the .44 Magnum are absolute "Must Have Issues" for the .44 shooter. $10 well spent!
#236 has over 100 different loads from 200 gr lead boolits at 800 fps to 300 gr lead boolits at 1050 fps and everything in between, in three different pressure categories to suit any brand of .44 Revolver. There are 250 gr loads up to 1100-1200 fps and as we know that is very close to what you can do with the .44 Magnum. Close enough for most any intended use.
Just buying these back issues will open your eyes as to what can be accomplished with this caliber. And there is plenty enough data out there to literally keep you busy for many many years.
Then ,,, when you get into casting Boolits, there are literally dozens of boolit moulds out there to choose from and experiment with. "44Man" has the most impressive collection at about 30 different styles that I have seen. I only have 6, but one mould can turn out 3 different styles of HP boolit and one solid.
One last point. If you get a Marlin 1894 CB in .44 Magnum it will feed Specials just fine. (I recommend the CB version, either rifle (24") ,,, or short rifle (20") as they have Ballard style rifling, as opposed to Microgroove on other variations.) This will bump both your accuracy and velocity a bunch. Any Boolit you load will still be short enough to function correctly thru this action. 300 gr boolits at 1050fps from a 4" revolver using 15.5 gr of H110, will be more like 1400 to 1500 fps from the rifle.
This sheds a little more light on this cartridge now don't it?
Randy
Last edited by W.R.Buchanan; 05-26-2014 at 02:34 PM.
"It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
www.buchananprecisionmachine.com
If you don't want to wait for a back issue of Handloader, I believe that article is here:
http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/
It is toward the bottom of the list. Aug-Sept 2005
A lot of info and history in the other articles listed.
John
W.TN
Thanks for the link alamogunr.
Ditto: Lots of good info there and I now have the Brian Pearce article in three places. the mag, a copy of the article, and this thread.
Randy
"It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
www.buchananprecisionmachine.com
With a 245gr RCBS Keith and 4.5 grains of trail boss this Colt is just a sweetheart to shoot, and is my favorite revolver by far...
Here's my pair of pennies on the subject: http://www.americanhunter.org/blogs/...ove-44-special
These days I spend most of my range time with something loaded with 38 Specials but I also enjoy shooting 44 Specials occasionally. While there are plenty of DA revolvers chambered in 38 Special as opposed to the longer .357 magnum the same is not true for the 44 Special. On top of the limited availability, good quality 44 Special DA revolvers command a premium. For whatever reason(s) the manufacturers seem to favor the 44 magnum chambering over the 44 Special. I wish it was different but it's not; so I settled for a 44 magnum and shoot 44 special loads out of it. I don't think I'm alone in wishing S&W would make more 44 Special revolvers or that Ruger would come out with a 44 Special GP100.
As many others have said in this thread, the 44 Special is an outstanding cartridge. I believe that with prudent handloads and a reasonably strong gun, the 44 Special can do 80%+ of what a 44 Magnum can do. It's a shame that the manufactures have opted to concentrate on the magnum chambering. I have no need or desire to shoot 44 magnum loads.
This post is spot-on. I've only killed three deer so far with my .44 Special, but I just can't imagine the need for more power. The 255 - 260 gr. bullets at less than 1000 fps worked very well and provided more penetration than needed. To most I'm probably backwards in my thinking but I don't understand buying a big frame .44 Magnum then loading it down when probably 99% of what most of us need in a handgun cartridge can be done with the Special cartridge. To me it makes far more sense to use the Special with standard loads then load it up, as I've done with my NM Blackhawk, to near-44 Mag velocities should one decide, for example, to use it for bull elk.
35W
Last edited by 35 Whelen; 05-27-2014 at 07:18 PM.
The biggest waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who doesn't care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions.
There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the ability to understand.
NRA Life Member
I guess I should have rephrased that a little differently, what I meant was I shoot 44 special loads, 6 or 7 grains of Unique, a special load, with 240-250 grain bullets out of 44 mag brass in my 44 mag, I have shot specials in a 44 mag, it is really no different than shooting 38 specials out of a 357. I havent really noticed any difference maybe a little buildup but nothing to serious
10-4. Sounds good, I'm looking forward to trying titewad.
For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. 2:8,9
That carbon crud in Magnum chambers from Special brass is an annoyance for me, so all of my magrevs use mag brass these days. Finicky, I suppose. Oh well.
One of my later-in-life discoveries in revolver-shooting is the extreme usefulness of standard-weight-for-caliber SWC bullets run at 950-1000 FPS from nominally "Magnum" chamberings, to include the 45 Colt. In this latter caliber, such loads are at the upper end of modern Colt SAAs or their clones' capabilities, but I induced no apparent strain upon a Uberti Cattleman x 4-3/4" with such loads. Lyman #429421 run at 1000 FPS from my Redhawk is positively docile; this might well be regarded aa a "44 Special +P" of sorts. These loads are accurate as can be, and can be run all day without fatigue......other than that induced by that boat-anchor's weight. Recoil? Not much to it. Same deal with the S&W 686 x 4" and #358429 at 1000 FPS--deer-capable, and can be fired all day.
I don't paint bullets. I like Black Rifle Coffee. Sacred cows are always fair game. California is to the United States what Syria is to Russia and North Korea is to China/South Korea/Japan--a Hermit Kingdom detached from the real world and led by delusional maniacs, an economic and social basket case sustained by "foreign" aid so as to not lose military bases.
Really appreciate all the suggestions. Only having a Charter Bulldog for years I kept the loads mild. 4.0 Bullseye with various cast boolits in the 210 - 240 gr range. Another load I found uncomfortable using HERCO I didn't bother to record. Now that I have the N-frame S&W. 850 - 1000 FPS should be within reach without beating my ageing wrist to death.
I'm going to have to get out of the lazy mode. Slug the bore of my S&W. I have several hundred various 44's cast. Most were sized .431 for my Rossi 44 rifle. I will likely have to reduce the size for the S&W. The Charter didn't seem to care as it shoots poorly with everything but did leave a clean barrel with .431.
I personally shoot first, then if lack of accuracy is a problem, slug the cylinder throats and barrel. For example, my Uberti's shoot, and have always shot wonderfully, so I have no idea what their throats and bores measure. I just size everything .430" for them and it works.
35W
The biggest waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who doesn't care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions.
There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the ability to understand.
NRA Life Member
Yup, it's results that count.
Cat
Cogito, ergo armatum sum.
(I think, therefore I'm armed.)
One is not enough. The only limitation is that you have to load your own. That said, it is the best all around caliber.
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