44sp as Concealed carry & Safe revolver Carry?

Personally I find a gun with a long double action trigger to be a safer carry gun than a single action with a safety. It's just too easy to accidentally bump the safety off. When I carry a revolver, I always keep it fully loaded especially since I only have five shots.

By the way, the last time I checked the 357 Magnum is a lot more powerful than the 44 Special.

I prefer revolvers for the home defense/concealed carry routine mainly because of their simplicity.
If a self protection situation should occur, a mere pull of the trigger is all it takes versus jacking in a round and/or fumbling for a safety.
I think that the High Cap Magazine in the autos is an attraction today but as my Buddy in law enforcement tells me, "If you have to shoot more than one round, you ARE in trouble".
Stick with the Charter .44 Special.

Modern revolvers almost always have firing systems that block discharge of a full chamber under the hammer if dropped or shocked on the hammer. It is not necessary to have an empty cylinder under the hammer any more unless you are carrying a relatively old single action.

All it does is rob you of the last round the cylinder could hold, revolvers will turn when actuated and this will be the last chamber presented if fired until empty. You might want that round badly.

"Safeties" as such are to my knowledge found on SA semi auto's exclusively. There are many, many people carrying recent design revolvers fully loaded safely.

The vast majority of people who carry revolvers as CC or OC defense weapons carry modern design double action, and fully loaded. A good percentage of them are doing so with revolvers modified to be double action only. The attraction being that double action provides a faster less complicated response and elimination of the hammer spur allows a snag free smooth presentation.

The only concession to safety most would feel necessary is a holster that covers the trigger and trigger guard until the weapon is drawn and "presented". Many feel that the likelihood of an ND is far less with this configuration than with a semi-auto, safety or no.

If it is what you are comfortable with the .44 spl. is an excellent choice for a SD weapon. Comparing it to .357 mag brings up the age old (and insoluable) debate between wide, heavy and slower bullets and lighter faster bullets. At the contemplated close ranges of defense weapons the advantages of high velocity .357 bullets diminishes over the much heavier and slower .421 bullets.

Shoot what you personally use best and never doubt the utility of the .44 spl. for close defense work. It is a powerful "stopper".

I bought a M396 Night Guard (scandium alloy L-frame/2.5") when they came out for the same reasons the OP stated. Without getting into the slow/heavy vs light/fast debate, choose your JHP ammunition carefully because not all 44 Special JHPs will expand adequately at snub barrel velocities.

All modern revolvers have, what is referred to, as "hammer blocks". The hammer can't make contact with the primer, or in the case of frame mounted firing pins, the hammer can't touch the transfer bar, under any condition, unless the trigger is held to the rear, and kept there.

It is the safest system out there, even over slide-mounted safeties on semi-autos. You can take a hammer and beat the revolver hammer until it breaks, and the firing pin will not strike the primer.

Ruger SA revolvers made before 1973, and certain Colts are not safe to carry a round under the hammer. These are the exceptions, and not the rule.

The DA revolver, in DA mode, must be intentionally fired. It cannot fire on its own.

You really need to set your wife straight. Intentional ignorance of facts has its own set of pitfalls. Don't contribute to it. It will be your life on the line, not hers. And if you can use, and trust, a revolver, then that should be your decision, with no interference, even from a loving wife.

I carry a S&W Model 696, L frame, in .44 Special. I practice with it, and I trust my life, and my family's protection to it. I would never carry an empty chamber in that, or any other revolver.

In 1911, John M. Browning, produced the finest semi-automatic pistol ever; the Colt Model 1911. It was designed to be carried in condition one - cocked and locked with a round in the chamber. That design has been around for over 100 years. Why would anyone think it was unsafe, when carried as designed?

From a pure "power" perspective, the .44 Special isn't. It, and calibers in .45, rely on mass, not velocity. A large bullet traveling at moderate speed (800fps-1100fps), will stop using their inherent size. Bullets under 185gr, generally work better driven faster, like the .357 margnum.

Carrying the gun should be in a holster you can readily draw from and wear comfortably. Tension which readily breaks to allow a clear draw should be your goal. Thumb snaps and loops hinder this action, and could get you killed. A holster which covers the cylinder is ideal. Galco, Bianchi, and Done Hume, are among those that make good concealment holsters. There are a lot of great holster makers out there. Haunt the web pages, and you'll be able to make an intelligent decision. You may go through several before you find one which serves your purpose. Don't let a few bucks keep you from getting the right rig for you.

Most modern revolvers have a transfer bar safety buildt in-- this is better than the manual safeties on semis because you don`t have to do anything as the safety works by itself.

Get a decent holster--one of the main causes of accidents is something getting into the trigger guard by accident. A good holster covers up the trigger guard until you draw the gun.

I have an old Taurus 44 special for my house gun. I love that bullet! If i were to buy an new CCW gun I would get a 357, practice with 38s, and probably load it with 38 plus Ps depending on how much it kicked with 357s. But if you like the feel of the Bulldog, go for it. 44 special with personal defense ammo is one of the better choices but you probably won`t be able to prove it because it gets used so seldom so there aren`t many stats. My opinion is that it`s about the same as 45 acp.

Great caliber one of my favs....I have 3 44Spl wheel guns and I reload for it. Unfortunately I live in a non free state. If I could I'd carry my s&w 624...

Don't worry just carry

As many have already stated the revolvers of today have the bar type safeties on them so really for the revolver to fire you really have to pull the trigger.I am an enforcement officer and still at times and situations carry a wheel gun.Don't worry about having an open cylinder.I love the .44 spec. Caliber and love the older Charter Arms I will say however that I saw a new one recently and I was not as pleased as I was with older ones.

I have two 44's in my carry stable, the first is a 1st Gen CA Bulldog and the other a S&W 696-0. Both are great guns, though the Bulldog is on the lite side and lets you know it there when fired, not unplesant but there. The 696 however is a dream to shoot, recoil is very minimal and very plesant to shoot, ripidly and accuratly, and very controlable due to it's weight. I carry the Speer 200gr Gold Dots and am very confident while carrying either of the two. If I do my part they will do theirs. You don't have to bother carrying an empty chamber under the hammer, it isn't necessary with modern revolvers. Just get your self a good holster and practice, practice, practice. Pick up a 696 if you can find one or an older Bulldog if you can find one. (I'm not all that impressed with the newer one's but then you could get lucky), also there is the S&W 21, 24, 624, 396NG all 44 spls or a 2.5- 3 inch 329 or 629 with the option of using 44mags. There are options the only limit it your wallet O BTW if you intend on practicing much with the 44 spl ya may also want to look into reloading as the 44 spl aint cheep to shoot. Trust me I know......

The wife isnt to happy with me wanting to get a gun without a safety for carrying. I did mention that i would not have one in the chamber where the hammer hits. but this did not sway her.... She is into guns, and is going with me for Concealed class, but would rather have a saftey even though we are both revolver fans.....

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The transfer bar and hammer block systems have been well covered. Charters are safe to carry fully loaded.

As for the safety: The absolute best, or worst, safety is between your ears. Watch where the muzzle is pointed, always handle it with respect as if it is always loaded and keep your booger hook off the bang switch. And when you are ready to shoot, be sure of your target and what is beyond it. Simple.

Even on guns with manual safeties, I might use them, but I always proceed as if they aren't there. And as another member stated, the 10 to 13 lb DA trigger pull is a safety in and of itself. Of course, you must still be mindful of shirt tails and other items finding their way into the trigger gaurd when holstering. But that is true of any platform, manual safety or no.

Load 'er up with no empty chambers and be content. .44 is a good, solid handgun defense cartridge with quality ammunition. But so also is .38 special, which I rely on even more heavily than .44, but to each his own.

Another affordable option in addition to the Charter are used Taurus 5 shot 44 specials. I picked the one up below with a 3" barrel for $268 last year. I carry it in a FIST #20 leather IWB holster on a bullhide belt from thebeltman.com. It's not as comfortable to carry as my 4" S&W Model 19, but it is pretty decent.

In the late '70s I bought a Charter Arms .44 spl. Bulldog as my SD weapon.

I love revolvers and in my life I have had the priveledge of owning and shooting some of the finest ever made. I would never put that Bulldog in that category, but it was perfectly acceptable to me for it's purpose and never failed me.

That being said, Charter Arms has gone through many changes and (I believe) did make some unacceptable for SD purposes guns. From what I hear the newer iterations have regained reliable, affordable status and will serve their purpose.

There is no doubt in my mind that I would PREFER a Smith (preferably pendennis's 696). However if I owned the CA and did my homework to the point that it always worked, I believe I would trust it to do it's job, pick up it's lunchpail and go home.

That dear friends is the objective.

I was going to type the following . Rswartsell saved me the trouble...

Modern revolvers almost always have firing systems that block discharge of a full chamber under the hammer if dropped or shocked on the hammer. It is not necessary to have an empty cylinder under the hammer any more...

The only concession to safety most would feel necessary is a holster that covers the trigger and trigger guard until the weapon is drawn and "presented".

If it is what you are comfortable with the .44 spl. is an excellent choice for a SD weapon...

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I've been known to pocket carry a S&W 296 .44 special loaded with Corbon DPX (I really like this round for snub .44's) in a pocket holster crafted by Robert Mika. I also have an IWB rig for it made by lobo gun leather which shows excellent workmanship and utility.

Cluster Bomb wrote -

I tend to not agree. The 44spl does most damage and comes to a hault, inflicting more damage than a 357's clean through the body and chugging along possibly killing an innocent by standered...

oh and don't insult the wife again, or there will be consequences...(to me by the wife lol as she reads this as well)

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To the contrary. A .357 magnum in a JHP configuration gives up a tremendous amount of energy, creating a huge wound channel by expansion. It gives up so much energy that it's unlikely to over-penetrate. The danger lies with a RN projectile, which will over-penetrate, even at medium velocities. The large caliber rounds, .44 - .45 are typically loaded with HP or SWC projectiles. At the same medium velocities, their size creates a similar wound channel as the .357 caliber JHP, and giving up energy much more quickly owing to their larger frontal area.

With the .44 Special, one of the better ammunition selections is the Winchester 200gr STHP. That's my load of choice.

About the wife - No insult intended. Enlighten her with your newly-found knowledge. Push back the frontiers of ignorance.

On the relatively few times when I want to carry a snubby, and a .38 Special in my side pocket isn't enough, I go to a Taurus model 445 (.44 Special, 5-shot, 2" barrel, blued steel, unported) revolver carried in a IWB holster or coat side pocket. The bullet doesn't have to expand to make a big hole because it's expanded when it leaves the bore. The chambers are fully loaded because a mechanical (not manual) transfer bar safety will prevent any possibility of an accidental discharge.

Works fine for me.

To the contrary. A .357 magnum in a JHP configuration gives up a tremendous amount of energy, creating a huge wound channel by expansion.

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Not really. What you are refering to is a temporary channel, that you can see in jelly, but not in wounds. So-called "energy" doesn't really do anything either. What does matter in the channel that's made by the bullet, and big is better.

High powered/high velocity rifles are another matter, but handguns - especially short barreled ones - don't generate enough velocity.

Many years ago, I carried a Charter Bulldog .44 Special. It weighed the same 19 oz. as a steel .38 Chief's Special. With a little work, it would fit pretty much any holster that fit a J-frame S&W of the same barrel length. I eventually swapped off my first Bulldog, then got another in the mid-80's. Unfortunately, that one "evaporated" in my divorce a few years ago. I still miss it. The gun isn't made to shoot constantly, but it sure is nice to carry. I had a lot of fun reloading for mine.

These days, I generally carry a 4" alloy frame 1911. I tend to like bullets that come "pre-expanded," like .44 and .45 caliber. With 9mm or .38 & .357 you depend on bullet expansion for stopping power. If a .44 or .45 bullet doesn't expand properly, it still makes pretty big hole. I never felt inadequately armed with a .240 grain .44 SWC over about 7.2 grains of Unique.

Not really. What you are refering to is a temporary channel, that you can see in jelly, but not in wounds. So-called "energy" doesn't really do anything either. What does matter in the channel that's made by the bullet, and big is better.

High powered/high velocity rifles are another matter, but handguns - especially short barreled ones - don't generate enough velocity.

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Have to agree with Old Fuff. He hit the nail on the flat part!

Dave

The wife isnt to happy with me wanting to get a gun without a safety for carrying. I did mention that i would not have one in the chamber where the hammer hits. but this did not sway her.... She is into guns, and is going with me for Concealed class, but would rather have a saftey even though we are both revolver fans.....

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The desire for a "safety" is an emotional response that a lot of people have, and logic generally doesn't sway that emotion. As others have mentioned, carrying an empty chamber with a modern revolver is completely unnecessary, and depriving one's self of one of the five shots a Bulldog has (20% of its capacity) could be a mistake you don't live to regret.

Since your wife is a shooter, she should be easier to sway than someone with no interest or experience with guns. Just ease her into the idea. Modern revolvers don't have safeties for a reason, they are completely unnecessary.

As for the Bulldog, I had a recent version before a friend talked me out of it. It was a good little gun, but not really up to my favored .44 Special handload, which pushes a 255 grain Keith SWC at about 900-950 fps. The only .44 Special currently in my inventory is a Ruger Vaquero with a 3 3/4" barrel and it stands up to those handloads just fine. My dream is that one day Ruger will produce a SP101 with an enlarged cylinder window and a 5 shot .44 Special cylinder, basically a tough as nails Bulldog. I'd buy three.

Careful with the Charter Arms. Find out when it was made. You pick up a pig. I own a bulldog 44 spec made in the 70's. For up close and personal, IMO, nothing is better.

No reason to have empty chamber under hammer. It will not increase/decrease safety. The ultimate safety is ones trigger finger.

Regarding the wife, perhaps find a .22 revolver just like that Bulldog that she might enjoy shooting. If she keeps an open mind, wife will discover it all is not so bad.

By the way, the last time I checked the 357 Magnum is a lot more powerful than the 44 Special.

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Not out of a snub.

.357 suffers tremendously when you start dropping below 4" of barrel. Lots of slow-burning powder, so, like any magnum, it needs some tube.

Without even resorting to max loads, I can push a 210 gr. SJHP out of my 2.5" Bulldog at 985 FPS average for 450 ft/lbs. Some of the really hot Buffalo Bore .357 will match or exceed that from 3" guns, but remember, I'm still loading under max-I can push it if I want to. Recoil in the 20 ounce Bulldogs is pretty stiff even with that load, though, and I just don't see another 50 or 100 FPS changing the game. This load has more than enough power to get the job done, and it does it with a lot less noise and muzzle blast than a .357 snub.

Unless one finds the Bulldog a little too chunky and is more inclined to carry a S&W airweight .357, I see no reason to go .357 over .44 Spl.

These are, in my opinion, the best rounds for carry in a .44 special short-barreled revolver.

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Corbon 44 Special DPX Report.htm

They are a pretty penny, which is due to the production costs of an all copper Barnes X bullet custom made for Corbon. That said, I have yet to find a better carry round for the 296 (limited to a 200 grain bullet per S&W guidelines) and I think you'll find the above review interesting.

Another view of the hollow points fired (left to right): Speer 200-gr. Gold Dot handload, discontinued Corbon 180-gr. XTP, handloaded Rainier 240-gr. Funnel Point, and Corbon 200-gr. DPX.

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Can anyone recommend some good Factory rounds, Like Corbon or something?

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The Corbon DPX is a great load if you can afford it, I use Speer 200gr Golddots either Georgia Arms or CCI Blazer.
I suppose the 165gr Corbon or Hornady Critical defense loads would work ok too but I tend to like heavier bullets and better sectional density for penatration.