44Magnum The Most Versatile Handgun Caliber

[Jaymo]

Yessiree, I love .44 mag.
Know what I love even more than .44 mag?
.44 Special. Extremely versatile.
Load it down to mouse fart gallery loads, or up to the current excuses for .44 mag ammo offered by RemFedChestSpeerAdy. Perhaps even more versatile than the big Mag.
But, as I said, I do love the Mag.

 

[silicosys4]

The .44 magnum is the most versatile, in my book, for what I would want it for. My buddy has a 3" barrel Astra Terminator .44 mag that is actually pretty concealable.
I could carry it for backup against anything. This includes everything from dark alleys to African lion hunts.

wouldn't you know it, i liked it so much i twisted his arm until he agreed that one of my 9mm's would work for him much better than that Astra...and dang I sure do like it, in some ways more than a s&w, of which i have several, but no .44's

so far it has loved 240gr. keith style swc's at everything from 700fps 44 special loads to 1200fps magnum loads. It shoots 240gr. xtps at 1100fps very accurately. It is concealable if need be, and I can shoot it accurately enough to take deer if need be out to 50 yards comfortably.

very versatile.

 

[Eb1]

Must go 22.0 with imr4227 with a 240 grain lead slug. That is what I use and it is great. Another is 20.5 A2400 with a 240 XTP. Shoots the same poa as the above load.

 

[jack44]

I read a story in FF&G about a guy that used a 357 against a black bear, shot it 3 times and all 3 didn't go deep enough to stop the bear! lucky his friend stop it with a 44 mag.

 

[CraigC]

He probably used the wrong bullet. Choosing the right bullet is important for any application but critical with the .357 and something like deer, hogs and black bears. IMHO, too many people judge the .357 to be the hammer of Thor because it makes a lot of noise. Much like with 12ga slugs, perception is not always accurate.

 

[Jaymo]

Craig, I agree completely about the .357, and conditionally about the 12 gauge slug.
So many people think a 125 grain HP is ultimate hammer of death.
It's a great manstopper, when run full tilt boogie.
It's darn sure not a bear round.

The Rottweil Brenneke slugs are like the hammer of Thor.
Then again, they're harder than Foster slugs, they're solid, and they're larger diameter than sabot slugs.
Foster slugs are fine on deer, but on anything tougher than a deer, I use the Brenneke slugs.
Still, not a "be all, end all".
Personally, my favorite longarm for hogs is .444 Marlin with 300 grain bullets.

 

[gamestalker]

The 44 mag is no doubt one of my favorites, but I haven't really ever considered it as the most versatile. It's a big bore magnum cartridge, so it's versatility is limited in that respect alone I think. I did however carry one on my hip for a number of years, and that was even when I owned a snub .357 mag. as another option. So I agree it can be applied in most situations, but it's still not necessarily the best choice as a daily carry piece unless you live where the brown bears are a constant concern.

I've since quit carrying my 44 mag. on a regular basis, but I still prefer a wheel gun, and do carry one of my snub .357's with H110 / 296 under 158 gr. Gold Dots.

GS

 

[Mr.Revolverguy]

Where are the details with this statement?

 

[CraigC]

My problem with the Brennekes is that they're not solid. They have a quarter inch deep skirt and a hole almost all the way through them. For their large diameter, they're not very heavy. Even their heaviest 1 3/8oz is only equivalent to a 225gr .45 bullet.

 

[mavracer]

Craig you might want to check your calculations 1 3/8 oz is 600 gr

 

[Eb1]

You can say what you like about which is more versatile. I will choose the .44 Magnum over a .357 Magnum every time. And I will tell you why.
One day at a firing range there was an elder gentleman shooting a S&W .44 Magnum. I was shooting my XD9 and was with a friend. He was asking me what that guy down there is shooting, and I said a .44 Magnum it looks like.
I then mentioned how I'd never own one, blah, blah, blah. This was me telling my friend this blasphemy against the .44. I never had any experience with one.

When we were leaving the elder man said to me, "come here son. I want to share something with you." I was shaking in my shoes. My friend was there, I thought I had pissed off the old gent, etc. He just loaded up the cylinder and said, "shoot these, and tell me what you think when you're done." So, I popped off all six. He had loaded it down to a pleasant non-snappy recoil. Way less snappy than my 9mm. It was very accurate, and I instantly fell in love with the cartridge. I ended up with a Ruger SBH and not a S&W double action, but nevertheless I loved the mild to wild factor. Even the mild would do what most people would want to do.
It was nice having that power with little recoil and great accuracy.

To end the story: The old gent just smiled when I handed it back to him, and he said, "Now what was that you were saying about a .44 Magnum?"

 

[Boxhead]

Just entering here but I have planted more than a few 1 oz Brenneke MP (the milder ones) from my SxS Ugartechea slug gun into hogs and deer and have only recovered one. A run-away "Texas heart shot" at ~40 yards that entered just right of the tail and was recovered in the 170# boars throat. All have been bang flops.

My toy below that shoots two pairs of said slugs inside 2" (many time a bit less) at 50 yards with 'em landing right on top of the front sight. At less than 7# and with 25" barrels it is a joy to use.

Back to sixguns, I am a great fan of the 45 Colt but own more 44 Mags for some good reason....

 

[41 Rem Mag]

44 is a great caliber....One of many

I really enjoy shooting the 44 mag @ the range, I also take my 41 , 10mm, 357 and 327 mags. I do not believe one size fits all but I do like the magnum line up, you can take them to the max for hunting or protection or you can throttle them down for an enjoyably afternoon. That is assuming you reload, Greg

 

[CraigC]

Craig you might want to check your calculations 1 3/8 oz is 600 gr

What I meant is that the sectional density and therefore propensity to penetrate, is equivalent to a 225gr .45 bullet. That's only slightly better than a round ball of the same diameter. Their 1 1/8oz slug is actually worse. A 600gr .730" slug 'sounds' scary until you put it into perspective. I've killed enough deer with a .535" round ball at 1850fps to know that I do not want to depend on one to stop a bear.

 

[charlie echo]

the 44RM has the right, proven, balance of power, versatility, and controllability. My wife shoots our 44RM revolver fine: It's mostly about attitude, athletic (slightly forward leaning) yet balance stance, and breathing control while shooting...the same basics applicable in shooting anything: 22LR, 308, 12 gauge slugs, arrows, or the golf ball with a 7-iron.

 

[Jlr2267]

Personally, my favorite longarm for hogs is .444 Marlin with 300 grain bullets.

That is a pig's worst nightmare