44 mag - what to buy?

[Roundnoser]

Hi. I'm just looking for a little advice about a good 44 mag. for Whitetail deer hunting...

I am partial to S&W. I own a couple of 686's and a 57. I also have a Marlin 44 mag lever gun, lots of 44 mag casings and matching RCBS die set.

If I were to buy a 629, would a 6 inch barrel be enough for a 75 yard shot? What scope would you suggest (brand, magnification, red dot or traditional cross hairs...)

What would be a reasonable price? And finally, what bullet weight / powder charge has worked best for you when it comes to dumping deer in their tracks?

thanks!

[kelbro]

I'm a S&W fan too but I really like my 7.5" Ruger SBH Hunter model. Never shot a Model 29 but I would definitely consider one.

Most any bullet 240gr and up will nail them and lots of guys report good results with down to 180gr.

[jwp475]

A 6" barrel would be excellent as would about any length that you would like. I prefer a wide meplat hard cast at any reasonable velocity will work nicely

[derek45]

the 629 is a nice revolver......but S&W told me not to shoot loads over 240grs.



I sold it and now shoot a Ruger blackhawk. 6.5"


either gun will easily anchor a deer at 75yrds if you do your part.

[HeavyMetal]

I have a 29 with 8 3/8's barrel nice gun and, when I bought it, the only real 44 mag on the market besides the super blackhawk.

Fast forward to today and I'm not sure I'd make the same purchase except for the price I paid.

Other suggstions: Contender ( this will also open a whole nuther can of worms for ya!) a good used Dan Wesson, a good used Super Blackhawk, a good used Redhawk....

Bottom line is the 29 is not the strongest 44 on the market anymore!

Today I would buy a Contender or a Super Blackhawk If I could find a steel grip frame that got rid of that stupid square backed trigger guard!

7.5 inch barrel would be just about right for either gun.

[August]

Carry a Smith, shoot a Roooger.

In other words, for light weight and sophisticated operation and finish, Smith is yer gun.

For durability over thousands and thousands of rounds fired, Rooooger is yer gun.

Since I have no interest in firing hundreds of rounds of full-goose-bozo .44 Magnum -- let alone thousands -- a Smith is what I take to field. I've got other guns, in other calibers to practice, compete, and plink with.

[Suo Gan]

I am fond of all the guns mentioned so far, but I think a Ruger Super Redhawk with your choice of barrel would be a gun you would be glad to own. Of course they are not as aesthetically pleasing to the eye as the 629 (at least to me) but they are built like the proverbial brick outhouse and will stand the test of time as a hunting rig. I scoped a Ruger Super Blackhawk years ago, and ended up trading it off. At the time I could not see the justification of the scope, it shot about the same with or without it. If I can put 6 rounds into a paper plate at 60 yards I am happy. Brian Pearce wrote an article in Handloader about his feats with the magnum handgun recently, it might be on the net somewhere. A good hunting shot ought to be able to swing at least 75 yards with any of the guns mentioned here so far, 100+ yards is not unheard of. As far as price, keep your eyes peeled at the local gun stores, the internet (plus shipping), and gun shows. This is a regional thing. My guess would be at least $500 probably more like $650 for a good used one. Ken Waters says that going above 250 grains is an exercise in futility with the 44 mag. And he is the man IMO. Many shoot max loads and huge bullets and claim to get great results. I have a little Winchester trapper that I hunted with this year, I was using Ranch Dogs 265, I plan on using this same boolit design inT my 44 pistols but have developed no load yet. Many here give high praise to the Thompson boolit (429???) I have the Saeco equivalent, have not got there yet to know if it will work for me either. Too many molds, too many guns, too little time. Good luck in your quest.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I have had them all (still do in 41 mag) and would not be without a Dan Wesson.
Easy to change barrels. Built stronger than S&W or Ruger. More accurate than those others. The revolver of choice for shooting steel at 200 meters. There has yet to be a revolver as good as the Dan Wesson for the price.

[Lloyd Smale]

im a big smith fan myself but if i was going to scope a sixgun it would probably be a redhawk or a hunter ruger that was made to be scoped.

[btroj]

I have a super red hawk with 7.5 inch barrel. Easy to scope. Big enough to help with recoil. Long enough cylinder to handle longer nose to crimp bullets. And built like a tank to last forever.
I would not hesitate to buy one again.

[44man]

I am fond of all the guns mentioned so far, but I think a Ruger Super Redhawk with your choice of barrel would be a gun you would be glad to own. Of course they are not as aesthetically pleasing to the eye as the 629 (at least to me) but they are built like the proverbial brick outhouse and will stand the test of time as a hunting rig. I scoped a Ruger Super Blackhawk years ago, and ended up trading it off. At the time I could not see the justification of the scope, it shot about the same with or without it. If I can put 6 rounds into a paper plate at 60 yards I am happy. Brian Pearce wrote an article in Handloader about his feats with the magnum handgun recently, it might be on the net somewhere. A good hunting shot ought to be able to swing at least 75 yards with any of the guns mentioned here so far, 100+ yards is not unheard of. As far as price, keep your eyes peeled at the local gun stores, the internet (plus shipping), and gun shows. This is a regional thing. My guess would be at least $500 probably more like $650 for a good used one. Ken Waters says that going above 250 grains is an exercise in futility with the 44 mag. And he is the man IMO. Many shoot max loads and huge bullets and claim to get great results. I have a little Winchester trapper that I hunted with this year, I was using Ranch Dogs 265, I plan on using this same boolit design inT my 44 pistols but have developed no load yet. Many here give high praise to the Thompson boolit (429???) I have the Saeco equivalent, have not got there yet to know if it will work for me either. Too many molds, too many guns, too little time. Good luck in your quest.
The RD 265 is a great boolit. I use 22 gr of 296, Fed 150 primer and Felix lube. Size to .432" and the boolit shoots great from both the S&W and Ruger.

[JudgeBAC]

My .44s consist of two Ruger Bisleys and one S&W 29-10. The two Rugers are iron sighted and the S&W has a two power Leupold mounted.

If you want brute strength for maximum loads, buy a Ruger (Bisley, Superblackhawk hunter, Redhawk or SuperReadhawk). If you are content with shooting less than maximum loads, you will be pleased with the Smith.

By the way, I don't subscribe to the theory that 250 gr. bullets are the max weight for the .44. I shoot the ranch dog 265gc LLA at .432 with 19.8 grs. of IMR 4227 Fed 150 primer. With my alloy and the gc, this bullet weighs 279 grs. This is by no means a max load but it is comfortable to shoot and gives very good accuracy. Just because its a .44 doesn't mean you have to shoot it full bore.

Now, I do not like the 300 gr. boolits due to the extra recoil. Moving up from 279 to 300 grs. makes a big difference in perceived recoil. I just don't shoot many max loads anymore in handguns.

Now if you want to have some real fun, buy a .41. What a great cartridge. Bullet weights from 170 to 250 and on medium game you won't be able to tell the difference between the .44 and .41. They are great fun.

[Blammer]

I can only recommend a few items for you and they are based on experience. Granted my experience is not as vast as others but this works for me.

Ruger Super Redhawk 7.5" brl

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/ruger/DSCN6452.jpg

Simmons 2x6 scope on it. (have a few and they work great for me)

Any of these 240gr to 260gr boolits will work just fine. Stay away from the extreme ones, like the pointy one and the full wadcutter one.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/44list-1.jpg

I like 2400 powder.

Groups like this at 100yds are good enough for deer.
Each square is 1/2 inch.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/44SRH_250gr3crimp19gr2400.jpg

I killed a deer with this one and 19gr of 2400.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/DSCN6457.jpg

my dead deer. :)

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2008%20Deer/DSCN7394.jpg

[Hickory]

I've taken five deer with this outfit.
The dot sight is a Truglo, but I think the Burris
would be better because it has an on/off switch.



http://www.fototime.com/E29C5AA8CD9C79A/medium.jpg (http://www.fototime.com/pictinv/E29C5AA8CD9C79A)

[TomAM]

I've taken mule deer with S&W 44 mag, as well as Ruger SBH and SRH. You don't need to worry about the gun's ability to handle the recoil of extra hot loads with extra heavy boolits, because neither one is necessary. I've had a 240 grain cast SWC fired at 1400fps fully penetrate a big mule deer diagonally from 150 yards. Heavier boolits and heavier charges only make it hurt more on your end of the gun. I prefer the S&W for it's weight, because I walk for miles when hunting.

[jwp475]

I own a Ruger Bisley, a Redhawk, and a Wesson Hawk which is a Redhawk with a Dan Wesson barrel shroud system combined with both 44 and 45 cylinders and barrel for a switch caliber revolver and 2 S&W M-29's

I am a big S&W fan. The Opening Poster already has a S&W M-57 and IMHO the M-29 is a natural companion

My M-29's are both rather accurate as is all of my S&W's


These 12 gauge hulls were shot at 50 yards with white box Winchester factory loads. Imagine a reload made specifically for the revolver

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d62/jwp475/PipelineandShootingpictures008.jpg

[NHlever]

"Today I would buy a Contender or a Super Blackhawk If I could find a steel grip frame that got rid of that stupid square backed trigger guard!"

All the Super Blackhawk .44's have a steel grip frame, and the grip frame from the shorter barreled guns, and the hunter model ( all have rounded trigger guards) will interchange with the square backed trigger guard on the 7 1/2" Super Blackhawk. I have a 5 1/2" stainless Super Blackhawk that shoots very well indeed! (now I just need to get it back from my son now, and then to shoot)

[derek45]

CDNN had Ruger .44 blackhawks for $379, not sure if they have any left.



http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=5&f=33&t=100608




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/derek45/IMGP0312.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/derek45/iphonePictures206.jpg

[Roundnoser]

Thanks for all your info. Lots of opinions. Much to mull over in my mind. I really like the RC encore / Contender pistols because they can handle the bigger cartridges, etc. On the other hand, I am a sucker for the S&W revolvers. Love the way they look and feel in my hand. But as many are saying, its not as rugged as the Rugers..

Thanks again. PS: LOVE the pics!

[Alan]

My favorite is my stainless 5 1/2" SBH. And any load from .45 Colt performance up will kill a deer at 75 yds.

Alan

[mtgrs737]

Dan Wesson if your really serious, but any of the Rugers, Smiths, contenders will work too. If you allready own a 57 why the 44?

[Heavy lead]

I love the Smith's too, have 3 657's, 3 625's, currently only one 629, a 5" Classic. I also have 5 Ruger's in .44 mag, 4 SBH and 1 Redhawk. If I were to buy a .44 and wanted to scope or red dot it it would be a SBH Hunter Bisley or a Super Redhawk. I've got a SRH in .454 and it is a great shooter, very, very good cast boolit shooter. The good thing is you can't go wrong.

[cumminsnut76]

Carry a Smith, shoot a Roooger.

In other words, for light weight and sophisticated operation and finish, Smith is yer gun.

For durability over thousands and thousands of rounds fired, Rooooger is yer gun.

Since I have no interest in firing hundreds of rounds of full-goose-bozo .44 Magnum -- let alone thousands -- a Smith is what I take to field. I've got other guns, in other calibers to practice, compete, and plink with.

This has been my philosophy. I have both and would carry the smith (dad did when he was a police officer- yeah I know carrying a 44 is a bit overkill but hey nobody messed with him)

[Roundnoser]

Dan Wesson if your really serious, but any of the Rugers, Smiths, contenders will work too. If you allready own a 57 why the 44?

Ha Ha! Hows the saying go...Why have ONE when you can have TWO at twice the price! -- My 57 is an older gun. Bought it used years ago when I was in the service. Has seen alot of use. Its still accruate. I could put a scope on it and It would be great for deer. But...I just love that new gun smell. Don't you?!

[exile]

I will be the odd man out and say that last year I purchased one of the new Ruger 50th Anniversary Flattops in .41 magnum. I like it because it is a .41 magnum with a steel frame. I also have a Smith and Wesson 629 Mountain Gun but really like the .41 magnum. Just my thoughts.

exile

[OBIII]

My vote goes for Ruger Super Blackhawk, 7-1/2" barrel. Haven't shot game with it but I've knocked the hell out of beer cans at 100+ yards.

[ole 5 hole group]

Thanks for all your info. Lots of opinions. Much to mull over in my mind. I really like the RC encore / Contender pistols because they can handle the bigger cartridges, etc. On the other hand, I am a sucker for the S&W revolvers. Love the way they look and feel in my hand. But as many are saying, its not as rugged as the Rugers..Thanks again. PS: LOVE the pics!

The Smith may not be as rugged as the Ruger but they will stand up to many years of semi-hard shooting. My M29 lasted well over 20 years before I had S&W rebuild it for a cost of $65 plus shipping. I used their shipping rate, so it wasn't costly.

I also have a Redhawk and that is one great revolver. Shoots very well even with its big throats (0.432) and mine came with a trigger that's just about as good as my Smith. If you mainly shoot sensible loads either the SW or Ruger will last several generations - shoot mainly full-house loads and the Ruger will give you better mileage for the buck.