.44 Magnum Self Defense Loads for a S&W M-29

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

Anthony

Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2002
Messages
572
Hello Everyone,

In my twelve years of carrying a handgun concealed, much of that time has been spent toting one of my Smith & Wesson N-frame .41 Magnums in either a 3 or 4-inch barrel flavor. Recently, I ran into a collector selling off a few revolvers and finally found a lightly used Model 29 in .44 Magnum with a handsome blued finish and a 4-inch barrel made in the 1980s.

What are the best antipersonnel Magnum loads to consider for my new revolver when carrying it on the street?

Please note I am looking for some nice warm Magnum loads with well designed bullets for the job. Not a lightly loaded Magnum or .44 Special loading I could easily match in my Colt Lightweight Commander or Glock 30.

Thanks for the help.
 
Not in My Book

Using a .41 or .44 Magnum revolver is not a flamethrower.

It is a handgun I shoot accurately and quickly.
 
I would say either the Remington 240 SJHP or

the Federal 240 Hydra-Shok. Both of these rounds have great bullets driven at .44 mag speeds.
 
For self-defense, two things must be kept in mind. The first is collateral damage. A 44 mag is capable of quite a bit of it. Heaven help you if you miss. The other is public perception. Many people consider all gun owners to be paranoid nutjobs. Many of same said people also consider themselves quite the experts on firearms. Don't ask me why. I once heard a co-worker tell me that a 44 magnum will penetrate 20 people without stopping. He also told me his father went elephant hunting with his 10 gauge. To these people ( and some of these people might be on a jury) the 44 magnum is so powerful that only a paranoid nutjob would own one let alone use it for self-defense. I would hate to go to jail because I shot a home invader with a gun that the DA thinks only a gun-nut would use.
 
This is Texas we are talking about.

Point taken, but down here in Texas I am not the only guy toting one of these Model 29s around for self defense. Although by no means common I would say there are quite a few of us.
 
According to Massad Ayoob, it's very common. Even guys carrying 45s have been given the hairy eyeball by Law Enforcement.
 
Massad Ayoob carries a S&W M-629 Mountain Gun at times.

Thank you for the disertation on legalities, but I have been to LFI-I and graduated from the class and am planning to attend LFI-II this coming summer. Mas himself carries a S&W 629 Mountain Gun at times. In his case, usually when he is teaching with it or using it on a hunt.

When he saw two of us at the class brought .41 Magnums to the class he asked what we loaded them with. We both answered "Silvertips" and he was happy so far as ammunition went. In fact, his most common comment was to kid us to death about our Elmer Keith Commeratives revolvers along with a story about himself carrying a .41 Magnum revolver briefly on duty in the 1970s.

When I asked him this same question recently he admitted he was not sure about current ammunition, suggested Glasers or an old Corbon load he wasn't sure was still in production, and to be careful of overpenetration issues as many loads were designed for hunting.

This is Texas, not New York City, so the legal aspect does not concern me as much as it might if I lived elsewhere in the country. Further, these are not my only carry guns and typically use something else when appropriate.
 
My load

I shoot pins, plates and targets with my M29 4 inch using a light 200 grain handload.
I keep the same 4 revolver loaded with PMC 180 grain JHP or a Remington 200 Grain JHP.
It hits to point of aim with the above and I find no need to change.
 
good .44mag/.44spl loads for concealed carry/protection

I'm looking into a new Ruger Alaskan snub .44magnum and can offer these thoughts;

I would use either the Glaser silver safety slugs or Magsafe load in .44spl or maybe the Speer Gold Dot 200gr JHP in .44spl.

If you really want the .44mag round, I'd check the Corbon .44mag 165gr JHP or W-W SXT 240gr JHP.

Full power magnum loads may be too much for urban areas or for places where you are near large groups of people. Stick to the fragmented loads(Glaser/Magsafe) and you'll be ok! ;)

Rusty
 
Being ok?

This topic of overpenetration has been around a long time.
I'd like to read a honest problem about a round that went through a bad guy and harmed anyone.
I would rather have a round that will take out my targets spine if I were to target there upper chest.
With the many jacketed 9mm and 45 ACP rounds that are fired at people over the last 90 odd years, I have not read anything about rounds fired that passed through there intended target and harmed others.
I have read about missed shots and rifle bullets. I haven't read anything on pistols rounds.
I want to read a true story.
I'm still happy with my .44 Remington Mag JHP 180/200 grain.
I will admit to having better second shot placement with A less powerfull round. But thats not the point of this discussion.
 
Earplug
I live in an apartment with paper thin drywall separating me from my neighbors. There are literally dozens of people living less than 100 feet from where I'm sitting. To disregard overpenetration would be completely irresponsible. A 44 mag might be fine for someone living in the sticks, but is completely inappropriate for someone living in the city. I don't know if there are any documented cases of rounds going through BGs and killing someone else, but I do know I'd hate to be the first one.
 
Speer offers a short barrel Gold Dot Magnum load. It drives a 200 gr bullet at ~1075 fps out of a 4" tube. More than enough for self defense while still being easy shooting.
 
I too live in a thin-walled apartment and use .44 Specials for house-gun duty until I can get my hands on some Silver Safety Slugs.

For carry ammo I use mild .44 JHPs. Usually a 240 grain bullet in the 1150-1180 range, though ammo in that range is hard to find. Most of the 240 grain stuff is at 1,325 FPS, which is a bit to much for follow-up shots (for me at least).

I'd like to try a 180 grain bullet at 1,350 or so FPS, if anyone made it. Or a 200 grain bullet at 1,250. Seems to me that the Speer shot-barrel load, a 200 grain JHP at, what, 1075 fps?...is a bit on a the mild side. Those ballistics can be duplicated in a 4" barrel by .45ACP +P, I believe.

Doesn't mean it's a bad round, though. Speer's loads expand consistently and provide excellent penetration. I just prefer a touch more energy out of a .44.

Some folks say you can't get "hydrostatic shock" (I believe that hydrokinetic trauma is a more accurate description of what people are thinking of when they say this) from a handgun round. Sure you can! You just have to try harder. :D

At any rate, .44 Magnum is a big fat round with a lot of potential. At it's very worst, it's not going to be any worse than .45ACP, which is pretty good in of itself.
 
I sometimes carry a S&W Trail Boss{ a 3 inch .44 Magnum} I load it with Glaser Safety Slugs when I am carrying in a crowded envirioment. They do not have over penetration issues and have been just nasty on my homemede ballistic gel tests.

I would hate to serve time for a pass through bullet hitting an innocent bystander.
 
Can you say SILVERTIPS? 210 grain work "oh so well". They have a warm place in my heart. What ever you carry, make durn sure you shoot a live animal with it, so you will know in your bones that it's gonna work. Do not take anybody word for it. This is always, a do it yourself kinda thing.
 
Anthony: I don't mean any criticism at all, but I'm curious as to why you carry such monsters. Both calibers are fine, and the guns are exceptional. I would worry about excessive penetration unless I were out in the wilderness and in .44 mag would choose a good 185gr JHP load unless, of course, you were out in the wilderness. In short, before recommending any load, we'd have to know what you were interested in protecting yourself from and under what conditions.

The reason I'd choose light bullets is for maximum velocity. It will still penetrate cars, trucks and whatever, but even light .44 loads are going to plow through a person and keep going, wasting considerable energy and hopefully not hitting anyone else.
 
I don't know if I'd qualifty .44, and certainly not .41, Magnum as "monsters". They CAN be, but you don't have to use full-on hotloads, just like you don't have to use Buffalo Bore 180 grain hunting ammo in a J-Frame.

Personally, I believe that if you're only going to have six shots, make 'em count. Overpenetration can be a concern depending on your environment. But if you're worried that a bullet will go through your assailant and into a bystander, consider what'll happen if you miss.

Besides. If a 125 grain .357 bullet at 1,400 fps is good, then a 180 grain .44 bullet at the same speed is better. As long as you can control it, and you're using proper bullets (as opposed to, say, hard casts), it's not "too much", I don't think.
 
Besides. If a 125 grain .357 bullet at 1,400 fps is good, then a 180 grain .44 bullet at the same speed is better.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily.

Keep in mind that most 125gr JHPs stay in the body of the person being hit. That means 100 percent energy transfer. Any energy expended after the .44 mag bullet exits a person is wasted. Thus it's entirely possible that a .357 mag 125gr JHP would have greater stopping power.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
I Just Bought My First .44 Magnum
Replies
19
Views
853
Deanimator
Deanimator
6
  • Locked
Cheap .44 Magnum
Replies
16
Views
1K
chaim
C
G
  • Locked
.357 magnum vs .44 magnum recoil?
Replies
21
Views
23K
MrBorland
MrBorland
Badger Arms
  • Locked
44 Magnum in a S&W 696?
Replies
7
Views
1K
sgt127
sgt127
MrDig
  • Locked
  • Poll
44 Magnum
2
Replies
38
Views
2K
Remllez
R
Back
Top