I might buy the .44 Mag for my 44th b-day

Mn Fats said:

If you make it to 95 yrs old, I have a suggestion...View attachment 758424

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By the logic of thread, I should buy a .375 H&H this year.

Oh wait . . .

"...Too bad there aren't a lot of 65 caliber firearms out there..." Only takes one. The Enfield percussion carbine of 1835 was .65 calibre.
A Ruger Super Redhawk is the size of a Desert Eagle with the grips of a GP 100. Fits normal sized hands where an "N" frame does not.
"...my .30-30's will kick a..." Too much felt recoil for the power of the cartridge.

OP was thinking model 29 S&W and I would say "go for it"...... However, I was once looking for my first 44 Mag. and had it narrowed down to a Mod. 29 or a Ruger Redhawk. Wound up with a Redhawk because I got a good deal on a barely used one. Either one is great, so if you're in the market don't narrow your choices to just a Model 29. Check out some of the various Ruger 44's also and you could go with whatever make you get the best deal on and still be the happy owner of a quality 44 Magnum.

If you are also willing to check out some single actions might I suggest the Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter? The full length top rib on the barrel makes for a rather splendid looking gun.... at least to my eyes.

meatballs said:

What say you?

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I say that's a splendid idea and happy birthday.

I'd go for a 5" myself. I love 3" and 5" revolvers.

1KPerDay said:

"...my first 1911 in 2011,

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Genius at work, 1KPerDay: You've opened a whole new venue! Instead of being limited to the size of the hole in the barrel to denote each year as we age; following your splendid example, we can now choose model numbers of guns to coincide with our birthdays. I'll be 75 next year so I might choose between a Winchester Model 75 or a CZ Model 75, for instance. If I live to be 100, the Winchester Model 100 rifle or the Beretta Model 100 pistol come to mind. Brilliant!

1KPerDay said:

I got my first .30-06 in 2006, my first 1911 in 2011, my first .45 Colt for my 45th birthday...

I'm kinda in between now... maybe .460 S&W? 1917 Enfield? .470 Nitro? .480 Ruger? 1918 Browning?

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Now you have me looking for a 67 caliber.

I had the same idea on my 44th birthday but never followed through. At 50 I got my first, a 629-2. I wanted a 29 but they were scarce so went for the 629. Two weeks later a 29-2 came up for sale so I bought that one too. I've had others but these I've kept along with a 29-8 MG.

Big fan of the .44s and even have a few model 624s and one 24-3. Haven't shot them much last couple years as now it's rifles. But, I'll keep my .44s.

I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned the model 69. I like mine a lot

One thing about getting a little further along in years...it sort of opens the field a little bit. Now we can buy all those guns we missed back a few years ago! (my wife just rolled her eyes and shook her head!) I'm already working on my list!

Mark

If you can find a 629 Mountain Gun, maybe look that way. It's a bit lighter than the regular M-29 barrel profile, and a good bit lighter than the underlugged classics. Makes for a easier packin' day if you wear it out on the trail or while fishing...and still packs .44 Mag punch if you need it.

You can't really go wrong with a 29. I had one. Unfortunately it was stolen. Replaced it with 2 RedHawks 7.5 44Mags. And I love those too. The triggers weren't as smooth as the 29. But about 2 hours of modified dry firingwhile watching tv and some fine lapping compound changed that.

Do it! If you are a gun guy, you will never regret adding a 44 Magnum to your collection. It is the most versatile caliber out there, especially if you handload.

You can use 44 Russian, 44 Special and 44 Magnum Loads which can be used for everything from plinking, small game, large and dangerous game and home defense, and do it all with authority...

The S&W 629 is excellent. I prefer the Ruger Super Blackhawk in the Bisley configuration... very sweet shooting handgun.

Let us know what you decide...

.44s rock! Enjoy!

I currently own a 29-2(6&1/2"), 6&1/2" 629-4 Classic, 4" MG 629-4 so, would highly recommend them.
Steve

RPZ said:

For finesse, S&W 4" or 6". If you want brute tough, the standard Ruger Redhawk with 5 1/2 " barrel. I'd take either at a coin toss.

I'll be 60 in October; maybe I should get my first .600 Nitro

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So with the birthday theory, the older one gets, the more recoil he can handle----- Somehow I missed something here. I'm 66, so what's available for me? However, I do love the idea of another reason to buy another gun though!

A trimmer, lighter revolver that still manages recoil is the .44 Magnum S&W L-Frame 5-shot Model 69. It is available in a 4.2" barrel and a 2-3/4" barrel. I have both and find them easier to shoot than the N-Frames because the Bore axis is lower in relation to my hand. These guns are designed differently than the production L-Frame .357 Magnums, with several enhancements that make for a very strong action tailored to the .44 Magnum.



This is my long barrel Model 69. I carry this one as a hunting sidearm. It's loaded with Buffalo Bore 255 grain hard cast Keith style SWC-GC Magnums. I replaced the factory sights with XS Systems Express Sights. Large diameter white front sight with tritium insert and shallow "V" rear single white post sight. Dot sits on top of post, like on an express rifle. Verrry quick to acquire. Great for dawn and dusk shots. I also replaced the factory grips with a set of the Hogue Sorbothane Tamer grips that come with the .500 Magnum. Easy to shoot with. I carry it in the Diamond D Guide's Choice chest rig as shown in the above picture.




The bottom revolver is my .44 Magnum short-barrel S&W Model 69 shown below a 5-shot Ruger GP100 that is chambered in .44 Special for size comparison.

I replaced the factory sights on this model 69 with a C&S rough country fixed rear and a tritium night sight on the front. This revolver also had its factory grips replaced with a set of Hogue Sorbothane Tamers. I generally carry Buffalo Bore 255 grain cast SWC .44 Specials in it, but I also carry a speedloader full of BB Magnums as well. It rides in a Galco OWB open top pancake holster.



For comparison, this is my 6-shot Performance Center Model 629. It is heavier than the 4.2" barrel 69 by a few ounces, is rather snappy and has more muzzle flip because the Bore axis sits higher in my hand. I keep this one as my "Mule" gun when I go riding around the property. I changed out the factory grips for a set of Pachmayr Diamond Pros. The 69's are much easier to carry.

I'd get a Ruger Talo 44 mag Vaquero (polished stainless steel) if I were you, classy little SA!!

I own and have owned a bunch of 44's. My favorite is EASILY my Super Blackhawk 7.5". The grip shape and balance make the recoil pretty easy, it has nice big adjustable sights, and is my most accurate centerfire handgun out of many.

Here's a really ugly EAA Thor 44 mag. I have a reputation locally as a collector of ugly guns so I have to maintain that. It's a single shot.



But not all of my 44's are ugly:

I'd look for one made about the time your were born. Sometimes it's a little hard to get an exact year with Smiths. Anyway, that would be cool.

Hmmmm?

I guess that .480 Ruger will be in my near future!