44 special +P? why or why not?

[jason41987]

i love pistol caliber lever actions.. i like being able to go on a hunting trip carrying a box of only one kind of ammunition, and if i run out in the rifle i can just take it from the handgun.. great concept and saves a lot of money too when reloading a good general purpose round for both

my point on the 44 mag though is it is a pretty big handgun.. theres a lot of "beef" on these to handle the pressure, the recoil, and the sheer concussive force the round has on the metal and for what?..

i dont really see a purpose for most 44 magnums out there... surely im not going to carry one of these things concealed.. heck, ive read court cases where the fact a 10mm came into question as an attempt to say the guy shooting out of self defense was out to kill and that has about half the power of the 44 mag, besides weight, theres a lot of recoil which does lead to slower follow up shots and i just dont see much practical purpose for it unless im outdoors in grizzly country

ive seen some 44 special only handguns that were pretty light, easy to handle, could handle the +Ps as well but it seems most people dont make them anymore because more people are obsessed with massive magnum revolvers... i dont know, maybe im missing something here.. it just seems like in the world of revolvers, the general population avoids practical and goes straight for hollywood huge

 

[jason41987]

let me use this as an example...

ruger redhawk 4 inch barrel 44 magnum... 47 ounces
smith and wesson 629 4 inch 44 mag...... 41 ounces
charter arms bulldog 4 inch 44 special.... 23 ounces

granted the charter is a 5-shot... it seems to me like a better defense/carry revolver than any 44 mag out there

 

[saltydog452]

Post #1 was framed as an either/or. Given that, I'd have to go with a .357. The reason, I 'think' its just about the most versatile center-fire handgun ctg available.

sd.

 

[joneb]

I have a 44spl/44mag and 38spl/357mag and like them all. I am also interested in the 41 magnum, I think this maybe the ultimate revolver cartridge but I have never shot one

 

[jason41987]

if you could get a 41 special on a 357 mag frame loaded to muzzle energy levels similar to the hot .40S&Ws i think it would be a very nice carry package

lower pressures would mean you could get by with slightly thinner cylinder walls and .41 isnt a big jump from .357, on the right revolver it could work

 

[jmr40]

my point on the 44 mag though is it is a pretty big handgun.. theres a lot of "beef" on these to handle the pressure, the recoil, and the sheer concussive force the round has on the metal and for what?..

Have you actually measured and weighed some guns, or are you just assuming. When most people ask these questions they are comparing a standard 4" Gp-100 or S&W 686 with a 44 mag. When you use those guns as your benchmark a S&W 629 with a 4" barrel is 1/2 oz heavier and will fit in most of the same holsters. You don't have to use full power loads in a 44. Mid range loads are fine for 99% of applications and full power loads are available if needed.

Sure, you can use a smaller framed 357 with a shorter barrel, but if you look at the real world ballistics from 357's with shorter barrels you will find that 9mm+p will equal or often out perform it in an even smaller more compact gun. If you want a full size revolver there is no reason to choose 357 over 44.

 

[CZF]

Either of these two Double Tap loads were enough of a +P or even Magnum load for me
out of the 3 inch .44 Bulldog.


They put big holes into the targets.

Perfect if someone is looking for hot .44 Special loads for personal
or trail defense.


That said:

I'm a confirmed Ruger LCR junkie and truly wish that Ruger would
offer a Security Six or even GP 100 sized polymer framed .44 Special.

Others have wished for the same.

 

[jason41987]

ive never actually fired the LCR... fired a friends SP101 and absolutely hated it... it fit my hand about as well as a shoe... just utterly uncomfortable for my large hands... i tend to need a six shot for my hands... still though, i should give something like the LCR a try

 

[jhvaughan2]

I agree that you can only be dead once. The 44 magnum was not made because the .44 special could not stop the bad guy. 44 special was doing just fine with that.

Self defense is about shooting flesh and bone at < 10 yards. Anything else is probably combat.

.44 special, 45 Colt, 45, ACP. Honestly has anything really surpassed them for stoping people in self defense situations?
(note: I don't even carry .4x for SD.)

 

[22-rimfire]

Interesting thread. I'm not going to run out and buy a 44 Spl revolver as there really aren't many choices, but I do see the merits of the caliber in a smaller frame size relative to the 44 Mag for self defense.

For me, the 38spl is my choice for self defense in a revolver and 40 S&W in a semi-auto.

As a hunting caliber, I see no advantage over a 41 mag, 44 mag or a 45 Colt and couldn't see it as a viable choice unless you already own one.

 

[jason41987]

22-rimfire, 38 special in a revolver but 40S&W in an auto?.. if someone was manufacturing 6-shot 41 specials on a 357 frame would you switch to that?