What do I want after a 44 magnum?

Ever thought of getting a .44 Magnum rifle? A 20 inch barrel will add 400 to 500 fps to your loads and put the .44 in another category of power. It is no trick to get 1,800 fps out of a 240 grain bullet and 1,500 with a 300 grain bullet with a Marlin 1894.

Well that is the question isn't it? If you have the dough, I personally would go after a freedom arms 454 Casull or 475 Linebaugh. Always wanted one, but it has never been practical for me to spend that much money.....or well, lets just say I like having more options and variations, and find it difficult to grow my firearm fund enough to make a purchase that large, I always end up breaking down and buying a less expensive model on my want list. Anyway....

I do enjoy my 500's (I have a John Ross performance center 5" 500 and a BFR 10" 500) Both are accurate and a hoot to shoot. They are in a whole different league than what you are used to, and you might find them too much making that big of a leap.

Haven't fired a 460 S&W, but that would have the versatility advantage of shooting mild to hot 45 colt, 454 Casull, and 460 S&W.

You might look into finding a Dan Wesson 445 Supermag, if you reload you can use the same dies and shell holder/shell plate as on your 44 mag, same bullets or heavier, ones. And brass is available from Starline. It packs quite a punch, as it can be loaded much hotter than your 629.

If you're looking for "more" I would buy a .460 S&W Magnum. You can fire .45 Colt and 454 Casull ammo in it as well as .460 S&W Magnum ammo. (oh yeah, 45 Schofield ammo too)

sounds like you have a decent bit left in your 44mag get some hotter rounds and see what you think

Good morning
You could move up the bullet weight scale to 280-300 grainers. The 44 Mag with those bullet weights becomes a whole different creature.
Sold off my last 44 Mag about 1980 when I decided to settle on 45 Colt & 41 mag. Happy I did. But if I only had 44 (actually a .43) Mag I would not consider another caliber unless it was a good step up like the .475 revolvers or the .50´s. It is plain silly to move to .45 unless it is to the 454 Casull or 460 S&W. Those would be meaninful powerfactor advancements.
There is also the 445 Supermags DW revolvers. I have a 414SM and that is a big step up from 41 mag as 445SM is above 44 mag. You could plan on 300 fps + with a 6" barrel.
Mike in Peru

You could move up the bullet weight scale to 280-300 grainers. The 44 Mag with those bullet weights becomes a whole different creature.

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Yep! The .44Mag with heavyweight cast bullets, like this 355gr Beartooth at 1250fps is another critter entirely.

Well, what would appeal most to you?

If you want versatility, nothing beats (IMHO) a .460 revolver--.45 S&W, the various .45 Colt loadings, .454 and .460.

Of course, no .460 is going to be as sleek as a FA .454. Can even get it in .500 WE.

And if you simply must sit at the top of the hill, then sure: .500 S&W. But there's nothing at all wrong with a nice, sturdy revolver in the "lowly" .45 Colt, either.

BTW, I love the 629, but it doesn't have the reputation for durability with top loads that other (Ruger) revolvers do, so I agree with your concerns there.

Congrats for working up to the .44mag, however a standard 240gr load as others have said is toward the lower end of the .44's potential. A 300 or 320gr bullet pushed at 1350fps will really open your eyes on what the .44 can do. It will also alter your definition of what recoil is.

To extend your analogy, you seem to have developed a taste for Jalapeños before you take a big bite of a Habenero or a Scottish Bonnet why don't you give some Cayenne a try. I like spicy food as well...much hotter than most like it, however my limit seems to be just short of the Scottish Bonnets and just short of the .475 Linebaugh. I can go hotter or bigger, but it becomes less enjoyable beyond that point.

Just don't start feeding your 629 a steady diet of the 300+ grainers. Smiths are well known to start getting a bit loose if you continually hammer them with hot loads. Once and awhile is no problem but don't make it your normal range routine.

Yes, you can shoot a bunch of different cartridges in a .460 but I wouldn't call any X-frame the king of versatility. Don't think I'd buy a 5lb revolver and then shoot powderpuff .45S&W loads in it either.

Ooh, bit by the big-bore bug. Hard to go wrong with a slick .454 Casull.

Maybe the answer is still a .44, just in a smaller, lighter package. Perhaps the S&W329PD or a 2.5" 629? Or even an Airweight J-frame .357 magnum.

Just an alternative philosophy, namely from the point of ammo expense and still getting a lot of excitement for your buck. For instance I get similar enjoyment out of my 3" SP101 and my 7.5" .45 Colt Ruger Bisley. I've currently got an order in for a 4.25" Freedom Arms 97 in .45 Colt for the same philosphy. Thought about going bigger with a .475L but figured I'd just try to master high-octane .45 Colt out of a smaller 5-shot package rather than further complicating my reloading logistics and having to buy more expensive components.

If you want recoil try a T/C Encore in some huge African Magnum like .458 Win Mag up to .600 Nitro, a recoil junkies dream gun.

460 but I wouldn't call any X-frame the king of versatility.

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Depends on what I meant by versatility, doesn't it there, Craig, ol' chum? If I meant (as I obviously did) variety of ammo, then I think the .460 revolver's versatility is hard to match: .445 and .357 Supermag revolvers are also extremely ammo-versatile, but of course don't have the "top-end" that the .460 does.

Of course, if it's just X-frames that don't float your boat, maybe a BFR?

Don't think I'd buy a 5lb revolver and then shoot powderpuff .45S&W loads in it either.

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I have. It's a great way to introduce folks to bigger calibers like the .460--"see, this big ol' revolver isn't that scary after all!" And work them upward. Just like shooting powder-puff loads out of a .357 or .44 Mag.

Hey, OP: maybe you'll like this--I've loaded .45 S&W (or .45 Colt cowboy load), then .45 Colt self-defense, then .45 Colt hunting (think Buffalo Bore), then .454, then .460 consecutively in the 5 chambers of the .460. Then demonstrate it for the interested person. The progression is stunning--still surprises me! And then let them try it for as many shots as they want: not macho, just keep going if it's still fun.

Last guy, he stopped at the first shot. Guy before him did all five, with a huge smile--pretty fair target, too.

Heres one handgun company thats over looked that can give you 400 different choices in calibers to choice from. -http://www.competitor-pistol.com/

I've probably put close to 2k rounds through my Ruger SRH Alaskan 44 mag and eventually felt the itch to move up in caliber as well. Spent about 6 mos searching but finally got my hands on a SRH Alaskan .480 and with the big holes and unfluted cylinder it was love at first sight but it just wasn't as fun and pleasant to shoot as the 44. I would describe the muzzle blast and recoil almost .357 magnum like. I should've experimented more with different loadings I suppose (only had 400 gr bullets on hand) but decided to let that gun go.

Have you tried a Desert Eagle in 44 mag yet? Same fun caliber but wow, so fun to shoot in it's own special way and it's a much different experience than shooting a revolver

One step up from the .44 Mag would be either the 480 Ruger or 454 Casull. Personally, I think the X-frame is just too big.

http://www.magnumresearch.com/Browse.asp?Category=BFR:Revolvers

magnum research bfr 45/70=450 marlin

There is nothing like a Freedom Arms 454!

The way I see it, you either step up big, or step up small. How much more do you want? Super Red Hawk in 454 Casull is a nice, affordable, small (but very significant) step. 500 S&W magnum if you want to just go all the way.

As has been said, if you reload - going all the way can still be made manageable if you decide it's too much.

Okay, a personal quirk...

I'm going to gush about the .475 Linebaugh. Back before the .460 and .500 S&W, the .475 was (IMHO) the king. Penetration ability was legend. Now, it's more like the .41 Magnum: if you've got the .454 Casull below it, and the .500 above--then, who needs it?

What can I say: I think it hits a sweet spot, as the .41 does. For guns, there's FA, there's Magnum Research--or you can go custom.

More factory loadings than you'd expect--light up the 440-grainer from Buffalo Bore if you need a thrill! Long-term, it's a reloading proposition, of course.

IMHO, if you want a heavy sixgun that will take all game on the planet yet still comfortably carry in a belt holster and not require a sling, the .475 still IS the king. Period. All the X-frames add is weight, bulk, pressure, velocity, range, muzzle blast and recoil. Same for the rifle-cartridge BFR's. Nothing useful.

A revolver in 475 Linbaugh/480 Ruger would be my choice. I went from a 41 mag to the 480 Ruger. I learned that the 480 Ruger is big enough for me.

After learning to handle the recoil of the 41 mag, I actually started shooting more 357 mag's. Prior to shooting the 41 mag, I was always a bit uncomfortable with the recoil of the 357 mag in a normal steel framed revolver.

About your 629. All the reading suggests that you're right to not want to stuff big heavy fast moving loads in it. The 629 is a balanced gun in that it is sized to be able to still carry around reasonably well yet still survive the power of stout loads. The general opinions I read from forums such as this is that there's enough folks which have shot the N frame guns loose to suggest that you don't want to move up much more in power for more than a few shots.

But I agree with the folks that say you have not hit the top of the heap for .44Mag. A Super Blackhawk or Super Redhawk will let you climb higher up on the .44Mag ladder. Another option would be the single shot Contender pistol. Those things can be loaded right to the max pressure recipes and still laugh off the punishment. And for range giggles I don't see the need to load one at a time being a big deal. Hell, it'll give you time to consider what you're about to unleash...

Mind you all this means you will need to get into reloading to get the most out of these guns. You can play with various powders and bullet weights to enhance the recoil or to go for the biggest and baddest fireballs. The case volume and wide variety of bullet weights in both jacketed and cast makes for a wide range of combinations to keep you experimenting for a long time.

My own early experimenting with .44Mag loads has been mostly geared towards achieving fireballs which would set a dry prairie fire to burning.... But I'm also looking at playing with bullet weight and powder loads which will generate a HUGE push rather than a nasty SMACK style of recoil.

So all in all yeah, a new gun isn't a bad idea. But you aren't finished yet with what the .44Mag can do by a long shot.