.44 Special or .45acp Concealment Guns?

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Deanimator

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I know that S&W and Taurus have both made 2"-3" smaller frame revolvers in .44 Special and .45acp in the past. I don't think Taurus does anymore.

Back in the '70s, I knew a guy who had a Charter. It was a decent gun, but quality varies.

I'm thinking about something no bigger in frame size than an L frame Smith.

What decent quality .44 Special or .45acp concealment revolvers are CURRENTLY available.
 
I have a fairly new Charter Pug in .44 Special...around a thousand rounds through it so far and no issues whatsoever. It's not as fine as my Smiths, but certainly a serviceable carry piece with better than needed accuracy.

They are also coming out with a new Pug in .45 ACP and .40 S&W.
 
I have a Charter Pug too. It's my truck gun. I think it's a very serviceable revolver, nice and light for carry, reasonably accurate at typical handgun range, and it goes bang every time.
 
I love .44 Special but there's a much better ammo selection available for .45 acp; gotta take that into account.

Of course, if you reload it doesn't matter.
 
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I also have a Charter arms 44 bulldog...

Mine was made about 30 years ago, and have put several thousand reloads through it without any problems. They are light and the recoil is stiff, but it is a carry gun plain and simple . Well known writer , John Taffin has been using the Charter bulldog for years for self defense and has given it a big plus in many of his articles. I carry mine from time to time as a back-up companion to my Colt detective, when I am out and about with my wife , especially at night. Just looking at those big lead 240 gr bullets gives me some peace of mind.
 
They are light and the recoil is stiff, but it is a carry gun plain and simple.
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I remember the recoil on the Bulldog being sharp, but after thirty years, I don't recall what ammunition my friend was using. Given that my 4" S&W 29-2 is absolutely pleasant to shoot with Blazer 200gr. Gold Dots, I don't think they should be too bad in the Charter.
 
I had one in SS with a bull barrel. My carry load was the 200 grain Silver Tips but I did alot of reloading so I shot alot of 210 grain hard cast SWCs.

I don't rememebr the kick being bad but recoil has never really bothered me.

Another gun I shouldn't have let get away! :banghead:
 
I also use the Speer Gold Dot 200gr JHP in both my CA Pug and my S&W 696. Great load!

Recoil is fine with either one...I expect that the Smith *will* last longer...but the Pug carries *so* well.

I agree that good .45 ACP *is* easier to find.

I am already saving my pennies.
 
Bear in mind that .45 ACP cases are a fair amount fatter than .44 Special cases, and this adds up when you put 6 of them together. For that reason, you will find some smaller guns in .44 than .45, and with CCW on the rise, the once-rare .44 Special cartridge seems to have come back from the dead.:)
 
5...both the Charter Pug and Smith & Wesson 696 are 5 shooters.
Click to expand...

I've always wanted a nice 3 in 696.

One thing I've always wonders, having not handled one to measure it mind you, is why can S&W only get 5 .44 Specials in the same space that 7 .357 Magnums can be fit into?

It will never happen, but I would love to see a nice carry revolver in .44 Special built as a six-shooter.....strong, but not Magnum strong.
 
It's tough to beat an 18-1/2 oz, 2 1/2", M296 for big bore concealment. Five rounds of Speer 200gr GDHP in .44 Special will get most BG's attention. And if not, "Is that a speedloader in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

As far as "currently available", M296's are on Gunbroker and Gunsamerica fairly regularly.
 
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The charter Bulldog carries great. The Blazer 200 gr.HP are the cats meow. I only wish I could carry a 240 gr swc @ 1000 fps when in the woods. Informed sources say no for the Bulldog.
ll
 
I've always wanted a nice 3 in 696.
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Nice revolvers. I had one for a while but got rid of it because I found the "L" frame a mite big for a five-shot revolver (the same size as my seven-shot 686+- one can debate the merits of a .44 Special vs. the .357 Magnum, I suppose, but I like the extra three rounds in a self-defense weapon).

I do have a Taurus Model 415, five-shot revolver (significantly smaller frame than the Smith L frame), chambered in .41 Magnum that I like a lot. It has a little more punch than the .44 Special, .45 Colt or .45 ACP and the recoil is not as bad as you might think. I'm able to fire quick muliple shots and still stay on target. Mine is the all steel frame; I imagine the same revolver with an alloy frame (which could also be had) might pose a problem with controlling repeat shots.
 
falnovice said:
One thing I've always wonders, having not handled one to measure it mind you, is why can S&W only get 5 .44 Specials in the same space that 7 .357 Magnums can be fit into?
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There's only so much room in that frame cut-out so the largest cylinder that will fit will not accomodate 6 .44 cartridges.
 
Probably not very good as a carry weapon, but what I think would be a load of fun would be a seven or eight shot .44 Magnum X-Frame, deliver some hunting-level power and long-range shooting potential while taming recoil of full-house magnums as much as humanly possible.

It's probably a foolish idea, but I like the thought of it.
 
With the right size grip, the Ruger Super Red Hawk Alaskan, is very concealable.
Now granted it does weigh 41 oz, and would have to be carried OWB, but I have, and do carry mine occasionally.
I keep it loaded with .44 Specials, with an additional 6, in a Tuff Products speed strip. and another 6 .44Mag in another speed strip.
You just never know when you'll encounter a bear. :D
 
I didn't buy a 696 when they were on clearance sale! :(
But speaking of the recoil taming six shooters and Tuff Products, here is a pic. This carrys well in a good rig.

695733ca.gif
 
The S&W 696 has to be the greatest carry gun that S&W ever made and I was lucky enough to find one as soon as they hit the dealers. Unfortunately the ammo companies have relegated it to a handloader's caliber. (Same thing with the .41 Mag) If someone does not handload they are missing out on a huge selection of fine guns and calibers. I also have an original Charter Bulldog and I wish that platform could be brought back to the level of quality of the early models. If you can find a .44 Spl. snub in good shape jump on it. Then handload for it.
 
3 years ago I bought a new Bulldog, it was the worst piece of junk I ever bought. Ended up with a Taurus 445 which is almost the same gun.

As much as I like the .44 Spl unless you reload ammo is almost non existent. I'd rather have a .45 acp but I don't think anyone makes what you want.
 
rcmodel

S&W has never made a .45 ACP in anything smaller then the N-Frame.

They have made the Model 396 .44 Spl in a 5-shot L-Frame at various times.
The Night Guard model is the only one currently made.
Click to expand...

I love .44 Special but there's a much better ammo selection available for .45 acp; gotta take that into account
Click to expand...

Yep, they said it so I don't have to.

These are your best bet's
 
S & w 396

Just bought it and haven't even fired it yet. I'll report on that later.

The grips shown cover the backstrap and feel comfortable but they cause me a bit of a reach for the trigger. Same grips size as a K frame, same reach as S & W target stocks.

I put Hogue Bantam finger groove rubber grips on it which moved hand/trigger finger a little closer but left backstrap exposed. Will decide later which feels better...too cold to shoot right now. I hand load, ammo's no problem.

S & W 396 night guard 5 shot .44 spl, 24 oz. L frame.
model396nightguard_02.jpg

With Hogue Bantam's
model396nightguard_04.jpg
 
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