.44mag, .44spl or .44spl+P ammo for home defense?

[glockman19]

I shoot Federal Hydra Shok's, Speer Gold Dots out of my 5" S&W 629

 

[hamourkiller]

Rifle like power from a handgun, when the BadGuy is in the house and a few feet away should not be dismissed because over penetration fears. Rapid shock and loss of coordination is greatly desired when the the home is the battle ground.

Concealement is not a concern as you are at home, so pick a handgun with some weight and blow his insides out his back side.

I fail to under stand why people will shoot deer with more powerful ammo than they will shoot a human enemy come to kill and or rape their families! Come on fellas, shoot the most powerful load you can control and work up from there.

Test out some of these guns on deer or hogs, .38 special works but takes time and bleed out is slow, reaction to being shot is not fast.

.357, 45acp and 45 L Colt seem to kill the same with the .357 having more range.

The 41 and 44 mags with standard 210gr and 240gr bullets have quick effects on the animals. They react with wobly legs and loss of coordination. Bleed out is quick and massive, internal organ peices come out the exit holes. Have recovered two Remington HPTs expanded to .72 caliber or greater. When the BG is in my face I want maximum power per shot. If given any chance at all the CAR-15 will be brought to bear and handgun issues will be moot.

Now to the arguments of shotguns, look to Texas for some real life proof.

San Antonio, 70+ "Old Coot" kills burglar with buckshot as he tries to run man down.

Dallas, 70+ Old Man kills two and wounds one burglar using buckshot. Plus gets Rebecca Aguilar fired.

Pasadena, 60+ Old Man kills two burglars with 3 loads of buckshot.

In the end YOU have to live or die with YOUR choices, get good with what ever gun/load you choose. Mental preparedness to defend ones self and family is the bulk of the battle.

(Dont forget to train the rest of your household militia on how to react to an invasion and or gun fire.)

 

[rcmodel]

If not only for the vastly excessive penetration of most .44 Mag loads, there is also the Shock & Awe of firing one inside a room. And the slow recovery from recoil for fast follow-up shots if needed.

You are better served with any of several .44 Special loads already mentioned.

The common old Winchester Silver-Tip, a 200 @ 900, ain't too shabby, and is usually pretty easy to find.
http://www.winchester.com/products/...ymbol=X44STHPS2&cart=NDQgUytBQ1ktVyBTcGVjaWFs

The Speer Gold-Dot short-barrel .44 Mag load also looks good on paper, but I haven't tried it.


rcmodel

 

[tipoc]

Recoil is a funny thing, that is it's subjective, felt recoil that is. Every 180 gr. load I've tried in .44 Mag tends to kick harder than the 240 gr. loads. This is I think cause they are reaching for extra velocity with the lighter load thus muzzle blast increases as to me does felt recoil. But than that's me and one reason I prefer the .44 Spl. for defense at between 900-1000 fps. But 850 or so works as well.

This is the reason I encourage folks to try various rounds to see what works best for them.

tipoc

 

[Socrates]

A 180 grain bullet, in a loaded 629, at 1600 fps, gives you "Recoil Energy of 11 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 15 fps."

A 250 at 950 fps

Recoil Energy of 7 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 12 fps.

A 180 at 1900 fps

Recoil Energy of 16 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 18 fp

For comparision:

My 360PD, with 125's at 1204

Recoil Energy of 15 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 36 fp

Or, my FA with 400 grain bullets at 1350 fps Recoil Energy of 37 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 27 fps.

Or my 45 Detonics Kimber Custom II with 230 grain bullets at 1100 fps Recoil Energy of 12 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 18 fps.

Or better, drop the 180 grain bullet down to 1400 fps and you get Recoil Energy of 9 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 13 fps.

What's that? Two pounds of recoil different from the 44 special load I consider the bottom line for heavy bullets?

Some people around here need more 44 magnum trigger time, or just heavy revolvers...

Also keep in mind there is no bigger area of abuse then what powders the big three use in 44 loadings...Yes Martha, with the wrong powder, I can make your 44 special recoil like a full house 44 magnum...

 

[Redhawk 44]

Use either the Cor Bon 165 44Spl at 1160 and very effective, it is a Sierra bullet made especially for Cor Bon. Or either the Gold Dot in 44Spl or 44 Mag in the Short Bbl loading.

Having known Elmer Keith personally and shot thousands of his 44/250 SWC design, this load will go right through your mild steel walls if fired at +P velocities, (1,000fps and beyond). The HP loads in 44 SPl won't penetrate the walls and are very effective.

 

[Socrates]

The HP loads in 44 SPl won't penetrate the walls and are very effective.

Same can be said of light weight 44 magnum Hps.

 

[Stainz]

The Speer #4427 200gr Gold Dot HP was designed to fully open at 800 fps. This is the bullet employed in the Blazer Al-cased 200gr GDJHP .44 Special round and the Georgia Arms similarly priced, but in new Starline brass, version. The local Academy chains had the best price on the Blazers, but buying four boxes of them with s/t vs 200 of the GA Arms with s/h is within pocket change of each. That became axiomatic when one of those Blazers split it's case in my 696. I carry the GA Arms in my 2.5" 296 - it makes the same 802-805 fps as the Blazers. Folks have reported it's opening to .76-.79" plus in brisket, wet newspaper, etc. The 296 does say 'Howdy!' when you light one off, but it's like a plinker in a 4" 629.

Stainz

 

[Yooper]

I think there may be too much consideration given to the possibility of collateral damage in a shooting. There is a much greater potential for collateral damage by missing the target completely than by over penetration. If we limit ourselves based upon that, we may as well throw snowballs at an assailant.

I think any 44 load which approximates the 45 ACP or 45 Colt ballistics would be fine for self defense. They have worked well for more years than I have been alive.

 

[tipoc]

I think there may be too much consideration given to the possibility of collateral damage in a shooting. There is a much greater potential for collateral damage by missing the target completely than by over penetration. If we limit ourselves based upon that, we may as well throw snowballs at an assailant.

Yooper makes a good point here which is why any of the good JHP rounds mentioned already can do the job. They will expand, or should, and limit what potential damage can be done from either overpenetration or a miss that penetrates a wall, etc. A hard cast lead SWC bullet at 1000 fps is a good hunting round, and can leave a good blood trail to follow, but not the best choice for self defense.

It also seems to me that choosing a load for the .44 Special that one can shoot well under adverse conditions is a more important consideration than bullet weight or velocity. Shot placement trumps caliber.

I wouldn't count on any handgun round to stop a fella but the odds of doing so are increased if the bullet hits the right spot. Pick a round that you can shoot well at speed and that the gun likes and practice with that a lot. You minimize the chances of overpenetration or the more common problem of missing by making solid hits in vital areas.

tipoc

 

[Deanimator]

.44 Special. I like the Federal 200gr. LSWC-HP, that looks like a bigger version of their .38 Special "FBI" load. I also like the CCI "Blazer" 200gr. JHP. I don't recall if either is +P or not. Both are very pleasant to shoot out of my 4" S&W Model 29.

 

[def4pos8]

In .44 Special, 200-grain, cast, SWCs work great for practice and will work, in a pinch, for defense as SWCs are good bone breakers. I prefer Hornady's 200-grain XTP for defense. I handload mine to about 950fps out of my four-inch Model 21s. Anything above 850fps will work when close.

Hornady's TAP loads work if you don't make your own or are concerned about being labeled a "gun fanatic" by a prosecutor or jury.

You don't need hyper-velocity stuff for defense when indoors.

 

[sgt127]

250 GR Kieth Semiwadcutters at about 800 FPS are a pleasure to shoot. I bought several boxes of it when Black Hills made a special run for Thunder Ranch. I think anything with that big a flat point, hard cast even at 800 FPS is gonna leave a mark.