Which .44 Mag?

Obturation said:

I would go SA. Get a blackhawk in 45 colt, you wouldn't be giving up anything to the 44 mag and it's just cooler. You can surely find a used blackhawk for $500 thats what i would do.

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Whatever you decide to go with and for whatever it’s worth if you decide you want a SBH try shooting one first. They do not fit well in everyone’s hand. A Bisley SBH is well worth looking for if single action is what you want. I can’t speak of any of Ruger RedHawks as I don’t have any but everyone I know like them a lot.

Good Ol' Boy said:

Just as an update the same place that has the Redhawk that I was going to look at also acquired a Smith 629 6" stainless that I should be able to get for in the $600 range.

I may go look at both this weekend. I really want to.

However my state has taken a turn for the worse this week politically so I've been prioritizing.


I may have to put this "anytime" buy off. We'll see....

That Smith is extremely appealing.

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Check out the 629 for sure.

Good Ol' Boy said:

Just as an update the same place that has the Redhawk that I was going to look at also acquired a Smith 629 6" stainless that I should be able to get for in the $600 range.

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I wouldn't sell my 6 inch 629 for any number starting with a 6. Neither, would I trade it for anything in a Redhawk unless the Ruger was something very, very special beyond a standard Redhawk.

All that aside, those Redhawks are DAMN fine pistols.


Todd.

If you're losing rights stock up on lowers and pmags, glock mags, etc. It sucks but you gotta do what you gotta do. I feel so bad for you guys in VA.

On the other hand, even as a Ruger guy a $600 deal on that 629 is pretty hard to beat. The kind of deal you'll kick yourself for in 3 years when $900 is the best you can do... Maybe try the triggers on them and then decide between the two or panic buying. If neither are superb you won't feel so bad opting to panic, and if they're super sweet that's a good choice too.

Good Ol' Boy said:

However my state has taken a turn for the worse this week politically so I've been prioritizing

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Plenty of land for sale in MI. Come on over.

I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk, after changing out the small wood grips for Pachmayr’s it is a pleasure to shoot even with hot .44mag rounds.

Targa said:

I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk, after changing out the small wood grips for Pachmayr’s it is a pleasure to shoot even with hot .44mag rounds. View attachment 871219

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As soon as you swap rubbers onto the Blackhawk nuclear loads are nothing but good clean fun (seriously, my hottest loads of h110 are also the cleanest combusting)- and some gloves and it's darn near described as "soft shooting". The accuracy and relatively mild recoil are great.

I left the wood on mine for years because of the look, but eventually I caved. For a while I didn't know if I wanted a 454 trying to hang onto that thing with the woody's banging into me. With rubber I'm pretty .44 isn't enough recoil anymore!

I hope yours is also a very accurate example (most are in my experience.

It really is a joy to shoot and it always seems to end up with me on range days. I am also running stout loads with 240 grain Hornady’s with 23.7 grains of H110 that are averaging 1460 FPS out of that 5.5” barrel. I tune it down for my wife to .44special velocities using 240 grain LCSW with 7 grains of Universal averaging 847 FPS. I love the .44 and I love reloading it for it, its just so versatile.

MaxP said:

Blues Redhawk is REALLY sexy!

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Hooda Thunkit said:

I have never seen a blue Redhawk

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Tallball said:

would love to see a blue Redhawk

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Antihero said:

I had no idea blued RedHawks were rare

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All of my Redhawks are blued. My first one I bought when I went to buy a blackhawk as my first 44 mag around 2004-ish. The blackhawk was 400. The redhawk was on sale for 269 plus tax so I got it. I'd like to find a 5 inch stainless for that price. I didn't know that they had limited production until lately. It has actually made me stop carrying mine deer hunting the last few years.

As far as 44s I love the look and feel of the blackhawk but I can't say I shoot single actions that well. I grew up on cowboy movies and shows and like the pedigree of the SA. I routinely shoot 100 yards and beyond with my x-frames, my 29/629 (not so much the 329 pd, just not as accurate for whatever reason) and my Redhawks with iron sights, even my 10mm semi-autos. Even scoped I cant do well with any of my single actions. Even my freedom arms I cant shoot particularly well and I know they are accurate guns. I have a 12 inch scoped super blackhawk a friend dropped off many years ago that I can't even do well with. Same with the single sixes. I shoot my cheap H+R 929 better. Something about the round shape I suppose.
I always recommend a redhawk for anyone wanting to shoot much. I have my Smith's but I've also sent multiple smith 44s back for repair. Enough that I'd say if you want a great feeling gun to shoot a little, buy a smith but if you want one to shoot magnums in often.... not so much (smith has done a great job on the repairs free of charge and paid all shipping without complaint btw)

I don't think they were always rare. Pre-00 or so nearly every one I seen was blued. And the one I posted above was on clearence for 269.00 while a blackhawk was 400 and stainless was even higher. It was around 04 because I was driving a new truck that was a colossal piece of crap to be worked on the day I bought it. I only had that truck 04-07.
I would have bought stainless anyday back when I bought all mine. But blues were always in stock and cheaper. Oddly all my Smith's and colts are stainless because they were cheaper and available.
It wasn't until 2012 or so when a friend at work decided he wanted a 44 and we started looking that I learned that blued guns were no longer available.
I personally prefer stainless for a hunting revolver and blued for anything else double action.

Targa said:

I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk, after changing out the small wood grips for Pachmayr’s it is a pleasure to shoot even with hot .44mag rounds. View attachment 871219

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Where did you get those grips? I’ve been looking for ones to fit my SBH with round trigger guard and they say the only ones are for square trigger guard.

Her you go sir...https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013R9SFM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I shot a friend's Redhawk in .44 Mag and was very impressed with it. The key for me was to hold it with a less than firm grip and just let it recoil without trying to fight it. Great experience and I felt like I could shoot it all day long.

Try an eight shot 627. They are really neat.

Targa said:

Her you go sir...https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013R9SFM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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I really appreciate that but none of the sellers will ship to Canada and amazon.ca have none. Oh well the search continues.

I have a Ruger Redhawk 44 magnum stainless with a 7.5" barrel that I might sell.
I'm looking to fund the purchase of a BFR in 44 mag.

Good Ol' Boy said:

Just as an update the same place that has the Redhawk that I was going to look at also acquired a Smith 629 6" stainless that I should be able to get for in the $600 range.

I may go look at both this weekend. I really want to.

However my state has taken a turn for the worse this week politically so I've been prioritizing.


I may have to put this "anytime" buy off. We'll see....

That Smith is extremely appealing.

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I find the recoil on the 6" [correction: 6 1/2"] quite manageable with hot Mag reloads with the rubber grips, and this one has the full lug which also helps mitigate recoil. Light 44 Spcl reloads are like 22LRs. This has become my favorite handgun as of late, a real "blast" at the range. I may have a chance at some wild pigs soon. I took a chance on the 629, not having shot any 44s before and am well pleased. I would not be able to pass up such an opportunity you indicated Good Ol' Boy, if I was in the market for a 44 Mag.

I had two Smith 629s, one sold in an ILS purge and the other to roll over money on a gun that wasn't shot much. They both shot well though and handled perfectly. I settled on a Super Blackhawk Bisley and swear by it. I almost always shoot single action except when practicing with an SD pistol. My Redhawk is a 5.5" 45 Colt for which I would say a 44 Mag is going to likely be way out of this budget. It has a long trigger reach requiring finding the best grips for an individual. Currently though I wouldn't do anything with a Redhawk, because with Ruger's new 357 hybrid gun it is only a matter of time until the redesigned Redhawk will be available in 44 Magnum, making the Super Redhawk virtually obsolete, given resolution of barrel strength issues.

My lgs has a 6 inch 629 for 670. Looks new. They aren't known for being the cheapest place either. My next one will be a 4-5 inch though.

Being on a budget, I ended up with a Taurus 44 standard 44 magnum. It's supposedly the twin of the S&W 629 as it was developed while they were partners. I'm super happy with the fit and finish and it's very accurate too. I've only shot a couple hundred rounds so far so I'll have to see how it holds up, but for only $450 new with a lifetime warranty I'm happy with my choice. I will be buying a Ruger next though, as I just love their feel.

I think you will be happy with that revolver. I'm not certain if I would go so far as to call it a twin of the 629, but I do think the Taurus will serve you well.

I have an M-44, an older model that I purchased used from a friend back in the late nineties. I have had zero issues with it, it just keeps plugging away.

Enjoy it !

Lots of options here and all have their pros and cons. Older N-frames are great guns and I surely don't have enough of them. Treat them appropriately and they will last a long time. I treat mine as slightly stronger .44Spl's and run them around 1200fps, rather than full steam 1450fps. Both my 29-3 and 629MG are tackdrivers.





My favorites for general purpose use and holster duty are Ruger Bisleys. For me, they are the most comfortable. I have three in .44Mag. A Bisley Vaquero:



A full custom by JRH with oversized six-shot cylinder and Rowen Dall sheep grips:



And a mild custom by David Clements:



For years I thought that Super Blackhawks were uncomfortable to shoot. Come to find out, it was just the factory grips. With these properly shaped stags, it is even comfortable with the Buffalo Bore 340gr +P+ load.



The Uberti Callahan target is a sleek sixgun, barely bigger than a Colt SAA. I treat it about like the S&W's. The cylinder is too short for heavy bullet handloads anyway.



I'm primarily a single action shooter but my favorite as a dedicated hunting sixgun is by far the Super Redhawk. It is comfortable to shoot and well balanced with the optic mounted over the frame, rather than the barrel and you still get to keep your iron sights. The SRH and the custom stainless Bisley above are easily capable of really heavy loads in the 50,000psi range. Long cylinders allow for bullets to be seated out of the case. I've been able to get 330gr LFN's to 1440fps, 355gr WLN's to 1350fps and 405's to 1160fps. The 355gr is far and away my favorite heavy bullet in the .44Mag.



I haven't taken any decent pictures but have been playing with a Dan Wesson over the last year or so. Here it is with a blackbuck I recently took in Texas. Gonna have to do something about the barrel mounted scope as well.