Timthinker, I agree with the last post you just made.
While I certainly hope I'm never involved in that type of situation, with all the stuff happening out there nowadays one just never knows. It sort of come's down to the luck of the draw. Hell, you can be sitting in a public place ordering a sausage and biscuit and a crazy idiot will come in and start killing people for no apparent reason.
A .44 has adequate stopping power. I would say more stopping power than one actually need's except that again, nowadays, they are all drugged up and half crazy to start with and sometimes you almost have to hit a major bone to decisively stop them.
I don't want to shoot anybody but by God I don't want anybody shooting me either.
I feel strongly that one should take care of his piece. By that I don't mean just boil it in a pan of water, dry it down and oil it and say: "Well, I'm ready"!!
Now, I agree to each his own and every man has the right to make his own decisions and every man has the right to his own opinions, and that include's me to.
I personally don't agree in the slightest with these people who spend their time and money trying to buy as many guns as they can, but it is their right.
I would rather have one gun that I can trust and depend on than to have 8 or 9 or 10 or 12 different guns that I really know nothing about.
For instance: "Hey man! I just got me a Pietta Remington .44! Damn! Now I got to get me one of those Colt 1851's! I think I want it in .36 caliber"!
Well, that's fine.. I just don't see it like that. First things first.
Okay, you bought a '58. Good, you'vd got a '58. It's look's nice and you really like the design and it feel's good in your hand. Now get the internal parts hardened up. Change barrels on it and get you one that's real accurate. Learn to take it apart and put it back together in all kind's of weather in daylight and darkness. Learn how to shoot it and load it under all conditions and in all kind's of positions. Practice, and then practice some more. The damn football game can wait. Someone will give you the score and there'll be re-play's all over television for the next 2 weeks anyway. Take the money you were going to put on the other gun and buy plenty of spare parts for the '58.
Now you'vd got something. Now you're getting your head and your ass wired together.
There's a world of difference between taking a 60 and hosing lead at a swarm of gooks trying to get over the wire at Con Thien as opposed to protecting your home against an unwelcome intruder. There's no real common ground between the two.
Make sure you have properly fitting caps. Make sure your powder is in good shape.
That .44 will fire. It will do it's part if you'vd done your part. That's a foregone fact that just can't be argued with and it will knock the living hell out of anybody it hits. It will hurt people. It will kill people. That's why it's called a gun.
After you'vd taken care of all of that then if you still want a '51 then go get it.
NOTE!! It's also a hell of a lot of fun for shooting tin cans and getting yourself a hog or a whitetail now and then....