Barrel length & Quality on Accuracy in 44 ma

The longer the sight radius the less being off a fraction of a tiny amount in lining up the sites on the target will make in where the bullet ends up. This is where a longer barrel gun usually has an advantage. If you strap a longer barrel gun into a steady rest it should not have any meaningful accuracy advantage over a shorter barrel gun in the same steady rest. The accuracy of the gun is not dependent on barrel length. The ease of aligning the front sight and rear site on a target should go to the longer barrel gun all else being the same. Good sites on a short barrel gun should easily out shoot lousy sites on a long barrel gun.

Theoretically if you are using a red dot site or scope the barrel length should not make a noticeable difference in accuracy of the gun.

There are other considerations that come into affect like projectile velocity, bullet drop and less affect from the wind on a faster traveling bullet. But for hand held pistols these considerations should be negligible for most shooters of average ability.

I have a Dan Wesson 744 with interchangeable 8", 4" and 2.5" barrels. When I use a red dot on the DW there is no difference in accuracy between the barrels as my technique is 100 times more pronounced than any differences in the barrels.

Knock down power is going to be affected by barrel length and should be easily computed by comparing the muzzle velocity of the same load from the different length barrels. Generally the longer the barrel, the faster the bullet will travel and the more energy the bullet will have especially when using a Magnum cartridge like .357 mag or .44 mag. Faster bullets will also drop less than slower bullets which makes figuring how much you have to hold the sites above the target easier when taking longer range shots.

Another consideration is a pistol scope is usually easier to attach to a longer barrel revolver than a shorter barrel revolver.

Most pistol hunters use longer barrel pistols, there are reasons for this. My Dan Wesson 744 gives me the best of both worlds due to the easily interchangeable barrel lengths.

I have 3 .44s. 3" SW 629, 6.5" (5.5" actuall barrel) taurus raging bull and 7.5" ruger SR and i find 5.5" taurus the most accurate. So i'd say barrels around 4" up to 6" are the best option for .44 mag. At least when it comes to commercial ammo. If you handload and charge with different powders, then it's another story, you just have to experiment to see what's best in which barrel lenght.
Longer than 6" might be a bit barrel heavy to aim longer, even with revolvers with no barrel underlug, like ruger SR.
4-6" absolutely the best option for .44 mag commercial ammo. The most accurate, most balanced and possible to aim longer. As for hunting, 6" is the king.

On a 44 Magnum and other cannons using magnum loadings, barrel length is needed to give the load enough time to burn to peak efficiency. Otherwise you get the fireball and dirty gun. A shorter barrel just makes it easier to carry on a belt and quicker out of the holster.

I don't think the accuracy with a Freedom Arms will be impacted much, if any, by the barrel length. And, guns with a tight cylinder gap (like Freedom) tend to shoot a bit faster than things with a larger gap.

If you want small and handy I would also look at their 97 as it should be a bit lighter. May not have the 44mag option there, but it will be a close range proposition with a short barrel so other rounds may be worth thinking about. I have a 83 but keep eyeballing the 97 myself.

The big revolver guys of old seemed to prefer the 5.5in barrel which it often where I fall. Shorter is neat but you give up a fair amount in a mag for that bit of neat.

Lots of personal preference in the end. The deer in VA won't care though as it will put them down just fine.

I have various 44's with barrel lengths that range from 2.5" to 9.5".

In general the ones with longer barrels are easier to shoot well, due to the longer sight radius.

This can be offset somewhat by how well the sights, grips, and balance of the revolver suit you.

Using my situation as an example... I have some 4" revolvers whose grips, triggers, and sights suit me extremely well. I can shoot them as accurately as many 6" revolvers, even though the 6" ones have the advantage of a 2" longer sight radius.

However, I've never fired a 4" revolver that I could consistently outshoot my 7.5" SBH with. The SBH has decent sights, and that 3.5" advantage in sight radius is just too much to overcome. Lining up the sights on a long barrel like that is like playing a game in easy mode.

For your second question, it’s really up to the ability of the hunter and the expected hunting ranges that makes the most impact on a 4” or 6” revolver for hunting.

If you’re hitting your vital zones with proper hunting loads at 50-60 yard hunting ranges with a 4”, you’ll be fine with either gun. If you can only do this with the 6”, go that route. If your shots will all be extended-range ones, say roughly 75 or beyond, I’d seriously rethink the two options you list and use a handgun better suited to that type of hunting

If the Hunter can’t hit their vital zone targets every time with either the 4 or 6 inch revolver, practice until it’s done or use another means for hunting.

Stay safe.

Conventional wisdom is that iron sights and shorter barrels are quicker, longer barrels are more precise.

Barrel length alone has no bearing on raw accuracy potential. What it does affect is the human factor. Factors related to balance, sight radius and overall handling. Install an optic and most of the advantages of longer barrels goes away.

I'm primarily a cast bullet shooter and have always contended that any difference in velocity is negligible. Even if it's 100fps, it ain't really enough to matter. That said, a well put together short barreled gun can easily match a longer one for velocity. My JRH long cylinder .44x4 5/8" shoots just as fast as 7½" guns.

Tallball said:

I have some 4" revolvers whose grips, triggers, and sights suit me extremely well. I can shoot them as accurately as many 6" revolvers, even though the 6" ones have the advantage of a 2" longer sight radius.

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This resonates for me as I have always seemed to do better with 4" DA's and ejector length (4 5/8" - 4¾") SA's. Nowhere is this more obvious than the 4 5/8" Ruger Bisley. Given an accurate sixgun with proper grips and sights, everything just seems to come together with that configuration. A 7½" gun does no better in my hands. Although I think 6" is a real sweet spot for DA's.

IMHO, for hunting - a barrel of approx 6 in is optimal balance between precision shooting and handling.
Sure 4-5" is handier, 7 or so gives better ballistics and sight separation (if iron sight).
Have 6" on an FA83.
Also important is sight type or configuration.
FA has a number of iron sight variations.
I have a fiber front sight and their safari rear.
This works well, as the front is a good fit into the rear notch.
Very quick in tight bushy areas,
Probably not optimal for metallic shooting.