New .44 Special GP100 range report

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I'm with eastbank. Started with a 44 Special Colt SAA that wouldn't shoot worth a damn.
When the Taurus 441 was introduced, I grabbed one as soon as possible.
That was more like it:
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And, finally, S&W came along with 624s and 696s.
Bought all three 624s 3", 4" and 6-1/2". All were so-so shooters due to oversize cylinder throats.
Later, the 696 made up for all the pain. This little beastie has .430 throats and shoots lights out.
696-1.jpg
 
Has anyone else went to a GP44?

I bought the stainless 3 incher, as it was the first DA from Ruger,
in .44 Special.

About a decade or so of me writing to them asking for a .44 Special.

The finally gave us the Single-actions, then the GP44s.

I've shot it with 240 grain ammo and it grouped nicely, if only a bit to
the right.


It has far less recoil than my old Charter Bulldog with the
exact same ammo.



Will try some 200 grain ammo next.

Carry load is Double Tap 200 grain Gold Dots,
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but I have my
Walthers, in both 9mm and .45 ACP, for CCW.

The new grips might help my shooting as well.

pch44.jpg
 
Thank you for sharing!

I really like .44 special.

Here are some chronograph results I produced using a 2.5" and a 4-5/8” barrel

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Buffalo Bore's 200 grain hardcast wadcutter was very compelling from a short barrel. I expect they would go slightly faster and be a whole lot more pleasant to shoot than they were out of the 296. At over 900 ft/s, they should clear the cowboy loads by several hundred ft/s and serve as a fine hiking round.

hUa6xz8.jpg
 
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I thought I would really want one. But after seeing them. I will stick with my Rossi 720. I have a vintage 4in GP100 in 357. Bought it back in the 90's. I will never part with that beauty. But the 44 Special is a round I love to shoot and reload for. I use my Rossi in my CCW rotation. The new Ruger hasn't given me anything I already don't have. I hope many folks take a good long look at the gun and caliber though. The 44 Special is just that.... Special.
I'm glad to see another Rossie 720 lover. I had a 3" for several years and it was a fantastic gun. Probably regret selling it as much as any I've ever sold. I'd consider buying a new GP100 and trading for another Taurus 750 if I could find one that was as smooth as the one I sold.
 
I have been carrying a 696 3 in. since 1996. Every day. The thing you need to know about these snub .44 Spl. guns that are built on a frame designed for .357 rounds is that the forcing cone is very very thin. There simply is not enough room in the frame to fit a large heavy big bore bbl. shank into it. What that means is they are strictly limited to moderate .44 Spl loads. With a 200 gr. bullet loaded to around 900 fps. they will last a long time. But if owners insist on feeding them a steady diet of Buffalo Bore or Corbon or handloaded high velocity/light bullet rounds they will not hold up. When S&W first introduced the 696 almost imediately they started seeing them returned by idiots who tried to make a .44 Mag. out of them by using hot loads. I believe that was the main reason they dropped them after only a few years. I have seen some unbelievable photos of 696s returned to S&W with cracked forcing cones and one where the forcing cone didn't crack but flared out like a trumpet bell. The gun is fine for what it is but it has limits that quite a few guys refuse to accept. I am fairly certain that Ruger is going to see the same problem over time. My 696 is still as tight as they day I bought it but it has never seen any high velocity/high performance loads. 200 gr. @ 900 fps. is plenty of power and it is much easier to shoot. People need to be realistic and understand that if they want a .44 Mag. revolver then they should just buy one and not push a Ruger GP or S&W L frame .44 to the point of abuse. The S&W first production 696 (1996) was one of the last handfitted revolvers they ever built and then the company went downhill very fast. I bought the first one I could find and I think it is the finest CCW gun ever built. I paid less then $400 for it and would not sell it today for any amount. I am a big fan of Ruger and their GP revolvers but the forcing cone issue is still there when it is chambered for a big bore round. Just don't push it. Avoid the Buffalo/Corbon stuff.
 
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The Ruger .44 Special GP is hard for many to understand.
In that frame, it has thinner forcing cone walls & simply is not built for magnumizing.
The .44 Special Blackhawk can be loaded quite a bit heavier.
Denis
 
I have been carrying a 696 3 in. since 1996. Every day. The thing you need to know about these snub .44 Spl. guns that are built on a frame designed for .357 rounds is that the forcing cone is very very thin. There simply is not enough room in the frame to fit a large heavy bbl. shank into it. What that means is they are strictly limited to moderate .44 Spl loads. With a 200 gr. bullet loaded to around 900 fps. they will last a long time. But if owners insist on feeding them a steady diet of Buffalo Bore or Corbon or handloaded high velocity/light bullet rounds they will not hold up. When S&W first introduced the 696 almost imediately they started seeing them returned by idiots who tried to make a .44 Mag. out of them by using hot loads. I believe that was the main reason they dropped them after only a few years. I have seen some unbelievable photos of 696s returned to S&W with cracked forcing cones and one where the forcing cone didn't crack but flared out like a trumpet bell. The gun is fine for what it is but it has limits that quite a few guys refuse to accept. I am fairly certain that Ruger is going to see the same problem over time. My 696 is still as tight as they day I bought it but it has never seen any high velocity/high performance loads. 200 gr. @ 900 fps. is plenty of power and it is much easier to shoot. People need to be realistic and understand that if they want a .44 Mag. revolver then they should just buy one and not push a Ruger GP or S&W L frame .44 to the point of abuse. The S&W first production 696 was one of the last handfitted revolvers they ever built and then the company went downhill very fast. I bought the first one I could find and I think it is the finest CCW gun ever built. I paid less then $400 for it and would not sell it today for any amount. I am a big fan of Ruger and their GP revolvers but the forcing cone issue is still there when it is chambered for a big bore round. Just don't push it. Avoid the Buffalo/Corbon stuff.
I agree, the 44 spcl is a great cartridge for self defense, and an L frame gun makes a lot of sense if appropriate loads are used.

The situation you described is exactly the reason I wish someone would chamber an L frame in 41 mag. If you want magnum velocity from an L frame, lets do it right rather than trying to rev up a 44 special to stupid levels or butcher an L frame into a two piece barrel abomination.

Unfortunately the 41 mag is such a niche cartridge now a days I doubt it would ever happen.

I'm picturing a GP100 with 3" and 5" barrels in a 5 shot configuration.

Basically what Ruger is already offering, but it'd have more meat.

I'd like to pick up 5" 44 special GP some day. It'd be a great woods walking gun.
 
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I have been handloading for various .41 Mag. revolvers for 30 years and in my opinion shooting a serious load from a 3 in. revolver would not be something that you would want to do for more than 5 or 6 rounds (if that much). I have fired hot loads from a 3 in. round butt S&W N frame and it was just brutal (as in "slap yo mama" brutal). Everyone at the range who shot it had their thumb ripped open from the cylinder release even after they were warned to keep their thumbs clear. Used a lot of bandages that day. Most people would hand the gun back to you after 2 rounds. But when loaded down to 900 to 1000 fps it's doable. The .41 was possibly the best cartridge that Elmer Keith gave us. From my 7.5 in. Ruger Bisley a good .41 load will knock a 40 lb. steel ram off its perch like it was hit by a truck from 200 yards out. For CCW use it is kind of ridiclous from a 3 in. snub. A .44 Spl. @ 850 fps. is PLENTY of cowbell for use on predators.
 
I wasn't a fan of the factory grip, so I changed it out.

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Second the interest in a 5-inch version.
 
I agree 100% I carry loads using either a large flat point semi wadcutter or a full wadcutter. They tear stuff up really well. Fired into a row of 1 gal. water jugs they will consistently penetrate four jugs. The first jug is shredded into small pieces. Every time. The best .44 Spl. commercial load for those who don't handload is the Speer 200 gr. Gold Dot hollowpoint. I have tested hundreds of them and they all expanded to around .700" Every time. Plenty of cowbell. And from a L frame 696 the recoil feels like a big .38 Spl. Just a big friendly shove. Much more fun than the Buffalo Bore/Corbon stuff (and cheaper). I once handed my 696 to a 75 year old Grandmother one day at the range and she fired a round looked at me and said - "Oh, this is FUN to shoot!" And then proceeded to empty it and wanted to do it again. True story........
 
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TEC

.44 spl in even lower tier loads will put a hurting on what ever it hits especially with a flat point bullet or semi wadcutter, no need to worry about magnumizing it.


Couldn't agree more.


Plenty of cowbell.


Say! Drail, did you ever chrony those Speer 200s? Curious as to how fast they travelled away from that 696.

Meanwhile, I do have some 200 grain XTPs...

For my single action .44 Spl-chambered guns, I love a 250 grain lswc or wfn at around 1000 fps. That's about halfway between a .45 auto and a .44 Mag, but with a slightly heavier slug. I certainly didn't think of it, I was only reminded of it by those great sixgunners that have gone before us (and those with us today such as Copeland, Taffin, Seyfried and Pearce. Thank you! gentlemen).
 
Speer claims you can get 850 fps. from a 3 in. bbl. but the one time we mine on the clock it was more like 825 fps. That's good enough for my purpose - I do think the Chrony we used was a little off. Other people have told me they got even less than I did with a 3 in. gun. They do hit exactly where my sights are indexed and the ballistics are very close to the original specs for the yet to be adopted .45 ACP. back in 1910. I have read that Browning wanted a 200 gr. slug going 900 fps. (can't argue with that) but the Ordnance Board decided on a 230@850. Seems to have worked out pretty well. The Germans sure hated the 1911.
 
I had easily gone a couple of decades without a Ruger DA revolver, and could have gone even more. . And then they Just HAD to make a 44 special! Damn it anyway.
 
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