Best 44 Special for Concealed Carry

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Figuring to stop drug crazed perps one might like a fatter bullet. I kind of got into the 44 Special, though I suppose a 45 Colt or a 41 would work nicely too. Staying with the special vs the magnum for much less recoil. A 44 magnum would be a beast out of a snub. I'll start by saying this one looks really good, but to obtain one could be a real trick. It is described on this web page:
The Smith & Wesson Model 296 AirLite TI is a double action only revolver chambered in .44 Special. It is built on a scandium alloy "L" frame and has a titanium cylinder giving it a distinctive two-tone appearance. In outline it resembles a larger version of the Smith & Wesson Model 649, however whilst the Model 649 has a semi concealed hammer which can still be cocked for single action use, the hammer on the Model 296 is entirely internal. Due to its somewhat unusual (arguable ugly) appearance, niche caliber, and a relatively large size for its intended purpose as a concealed carry revolver, the Model 296 proved unpopular and hence it was discontinued after only 2 years of production.
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and only 1.2 pounds.
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I recently picked up a Smith .44 Combat Magnum with a 2.75 inch barrel. I've put about 50 rounds of .44 special through it and it's a sweet shooter that's plenty accurate. I was tempted by the Charter Bull Dog because it was half the price but there were a lot of sketchy reviews for it so I bit the bullet and went with the Smith .44 Magnum, which is a little larger but the heft tames the .44 special, which is about equivalent to .45 ACP.
 
upptick said:
I recently picked up a Smith .44 Combat Magnum with a 2.75 inch barrel. I've put about 50 rounds of .44 special through it and it's a sweet shooter that's plenty accurate. I was tempted by the Charter Bull Dog because it was half the price but there were a lot of sketchy reviews for it so I bit the bullet and went with the Smith .44 Magnum, which is a little larger but the heft tames the .44 special, which is about equivalent to .45 ACP.
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I have only carried the Boomer once. I carry this a lot.
69now

69now

 
I used to carry my Taurus 445 Titanium when I lived in PA. It was a but of a handful, but I'm a little recoil sensitive. It was a ported model and gave me very fast follow up shots and returned to refer nicely. In rapid fire you could dump all five shots in a nice little group.

I think it was 21 or 22 ounces. It was a nice little gun to throw in a coat when walking the dog at night.

They don't make them anymore, but you can see them and the all steel versions for sale online occassionly.
 
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This found its way into my pocket a few times the last few winters. 165 Grain Hornady Critical Defense does not recoil as bad as heavier bullets. I duplicate that load with 165 SWC reloads for practice. Any Air-Lite or Scandium gun is just a beast recoil wise with heavier bullets. Being a little heavier the Bulldog is still not a range toy, it can get painful.
 
I carry my Charter Arms Bulldog often. I bought it used, almost ten years ago. I think there was a screw I had to tighten a couple of times, so I put blue Loctite on it. Other than that, it's been trouble free.

I like the Bulldog because it's small enough and light enough to carry easily.

Some people think it has too much recoil, but it doesn't bother me at all.

Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special

Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special

 
Purchased this in the 1980's and installed the bobbed hammer later

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The three inch barrel makes it a little long, but it is a 20 ounce handgun, and that makes if very concealable. I do think the later shorter barrels were an improvement. I am sure they all kick like holy hell. A 44 Special provides a surprising amount of recoil in a 20 ounce pistol.
 
They have a snubby Charter Arms 45 Long Colt 5-shot at my local GS new for about $500. I resisted as I am not that impressed with Charter Arms. Working the cylinder on the crane seems kind of clunky compared to the S&W. Also that is another ammo size to buy and the 45 Colt is more expensive than the 44 Special.
 
wcwhitey said:
View attachment 1084398

This found its way into my pocket a few times the last few winters. 165 Grain Hornady Critical Defense does not recoil as bad as heavier bullets. I duplicate that load with 165 SWC reloads for practice. Any Air-Lite or Scandium gun is just a beast recoil wise with heavier bullets. Being a little heavier the Bulldog is still not a range toy, it can get painful.
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Those are the 165 H Critical Defense in the Boomer. Glad I was able to find some. But, as I have a lot of Matt's Bullets on hand and reload I can make everything work.
 
dickydalton said:
Those are the 165 H Critical Defense in the Boomer. Glad I was able to find some. But, as I have a lot of Matt's Bullets on hand and reload I can make everything work.
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Nice! I bought some Hunters Supply 165 Grain SWC’s from Midway on clearance on a whim. Then noticed that Win244 Powder had good load data for that bullet. A nice combination for the Bulldogs and lighter 44’s. That bullet at 900ish FPS has both more diameter and FPE than any .38 from a snubby and about the same recoil as my Airweight J Frames. Makes the gun a whole lot more fun. With the Critical Defense it makes for a powerful pocket full!
 
Charter arms makes the smallest and lightest 44 special revolver in production. If you can find one and really give it a thorough once over it would be The Choice. If you're gonna buy one sight unseen save your money and get something different unless you're OK with sending it back-and-forth to the factory.
 
aaaaa said:
Figuring to stop drug crazed perps one might like a fatter bullet. I kind of got into the 44 Special, though I suppose a 45 Colt or a 41 would work nicely too. Staying with the special vs the magnum for much less recoil. A 44 magnum would be a beast out of a snub. I'll start by saying this one looks really good, but to obtain one could be a real trick. It is described on this web page:

and only 1.2 pounds.
Click to expand...

Charter Bulldog is going to be a lot easier to come by.
 
I carried this Taurus 431 for a winter or two. It carried easily enough a under an untucked flannel shirt or hoodie. I eventually transitioned to a SIG P220 as my cold weather gun and unfortunately the Taurus has spent lots of time in my safe.

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I had a 329PD. I still have a Bulldog. It is much more comfortable to shoot with the slight extra weight, and I don’t feel so much like I’m carrying an expensive luxury item in my pocket. But the Smith was a nice gun. I traded it in on a 9mm CZ-75B … because they’re so similar.
 
My 3.5" barreled CA is my carry in my pocket gun. Mine is in 38 Special/357 Mag and it's true that I have had to tighten screws once in a while but still it is a good, dependable gun. I would not hesitate to buy a CA in 44 Special.
 
For a number of years I carried a Taurus model 445. This gun replaced a Charter Arms Bulldog which I consider to be a terrible gun. Mine was junk from the day it came into the shop. Once to the range and I sold it.

The 445 was an excellent gun. Stainless, ported with a smooth action. The only complaint I ever had was that ammo was hard to come by.
 
My favorite “small” .44 Spl. is the GP 100 3”. It is not super compact with the full lug barrel and the standard grip, but with a GP compact grip it isn’t impossible to hide. It is a tad heavy, so a good belt or suspenders are a must if you waistband-area carry.

My S&W Model 69 .44 Mag has the 4.25” barrel so it isn’t quite as easy to hide. Both are 5-shot guns, so with either one you’ll have an L-frame sized revolver to hide compared to an equivalent 5-shot .38 SP 101 or S&W J frame.

8BA7D710-706C-4F8E-8DD3-4EDC3F7B26F7.jpeg

Stay safe.
 
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