[Prodigalshooter]

Title says it all. I've never fired a .44 special, but have always wanted one for some reason:rolleyes: , it's not got anything to do with logic;)
Anyhow, is the recoil and report about the same as .357mag loads like say, 125gr defense ammo? I'd be thinking to use a 3" heavy barrel as a benchmark, like a 686 or so.

[rock jock]

I think .44 Special pressures are much lower than .357 magnums. I have a 4" 629 PC and a 686. .44 Specials out of the 629 are very pleasant and produce much less felt recoil than magnum rounds out of the 686. Buy a .44 magnum so you have the option of the special or magnum rounds.

[BignJames]

I've been jonesin' for a .44 for some time. I like my 686 w/ +P ammo. I'd like a 629-4 to have the option of .44 spls. What's a 629-4 going for these days?

[Gordon]

I recently shot a M-60 in .357 with 3" barrel weighed 19oz (unloaded) with 125 grain remington mag ammo. I shot along side it a 296 S&W .44 because I was thinking about getting one. The 296 weighed (unloaded) about the same and I shot hot 180 grain Triton ammo(I think) . Both guns had about same recoil with .357 being 'sharper' like getting struck in palm. .44 spec seemed to 'twist' more around bore axis and maybe rise alittle higher in recoil. I think although both were unpleasant for sport shooting or sustained practice the .44 was less obnoxious mainly due to less muzzle blast.

[Gordon]

Oh you were talking full size guns, my N frame 3rd model hand ejector 4" is nothing but sweet but then so is my 3.5inch old Mod 27 but the BLAST is much worse.

[Shane]

In a full sized large frame .44 magnum revolver, the .44 Special recoil doesn't feel much different than .38 special recoil when fired from a medium frame .357 magnum revolver. In other words, .44 special recoil is very mild--especially in large framed revolvers. In a medium frame revolver like a S&W 696, .44 special recoil is more like that of a .45 ACP. Still mild, but more noticable. Its a low pressure cartridge and is a very easy to control recoil.

The one exception is the new titanium Taurus snubbies in .44 Special. They flat out hurt.

[VictorLouis]

shot a M-60 in .357 with 3" barrel weighed 19oz (unloaded)
Gordon, that model is closer to 24oz, actually, which means the 296 was much lighter.

I owned a 3" L-frame .357, and now have a 3" .44 Special L-frame 696. I can tell you without a doubt that the Special has less felt recoil and muzzle blast. Muzzle rise may be somewhere equivalent, but I'd have to have both guns side-by-side to be sure. I've become quite fond of the .44 Special, and basically have given up carrying .357s in my J-maggies due mostly to the blast first, and felt-recoil second.

[scoop]

357 mor3e recoil given the same size gun.

[cratz2]

Assuming we're talking factory-loaded ammo and approximately equal revolver sizes and weights, the 44 Special is more of a slow push while the 357 tends to be flippy and sharper. It's hard to compare them to say which one is more and which one is less - I'd tend to say that in general, the 357 feels a bit stouter to me. Plus it's not hard to find hot loads for the 357 Magnum which will far exceed 99% of 44 Special factory loadings.

[9mmepiphany]

best i can do is a comparision between a 3" 696 and a 4" 581...both belonged to friends
the .44 was loaded with blazer 200gr jhp
the .357 was loaded with federal 125gr jhp

the .357 has a sharper recoil, more report and muzzle blast. the .44 allowed faster followup shots.

i now own a 696 that came with a mag-na-ported barrel. i would say it is comparable to shooting .38 ball ammo (159gr LRN {non-+p})

[Prodigalshooter]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I think you've given me a the kind of info I was looking for, an excuse to buy a different gun!(like I needed an excuse;) )
I'll see if I can find the appropriate gun(s) at the local range(s)
for some testing. :cool: