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

[357-8-times]

I just ordered a Model 629 .44 mag and would like to use it for home defense and need advice on ammo selection.

I do not live alone and also have neighbors in the same building on all sides, although the walls are made of 1.5" thick concrete over steel mesh (not flimsy baseboard.)

Thx.

 

[Jeff F]

Winchester silver tips in .44spl look pretty good. Probably any of the .44 spl loads will do a decent job, I would look for a hp or swc design over a round nose lead design.

 

[Matt Almeda]

Hi,
Have you looked into frangible ammo?
I've used it pretty heavily in autoloaders and I have not been disappointed.
However, I know the projectiles can be difficult to find for the .44 because of low public demand so my second choice would be for any .44 loaded that I could shoot accurately and straight.
In my 3 inch, I use the "Personal Defense" 240 grain Hydra-Shok from Federal. It's only exiting the muzzle at 1180 fps so not moving along too rapidly. I'm not decieving myself, I know all rounds will probably shoot clean through my house walls at close range but because of the distance between houses, I don't think it will have enough energy to penetrate and be lethal at my neighbors house.

 

[JERRY]

for a short barreled gun id opt for the Cor-Bon .44spl load, it is quite a bit faster that the other loads in this caliber and that will help ensure descent expansion.


for a longer barrel, say 4" or more, the Gold Dot or STHP are good choices.

 

[JERRY]

duplicate post.

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

I have found that, in a 629, the Speer Short Barrel Gold Dot .44 Magnum rounds work well. A 200 grain bullet at 1050 fps (over my chrono) works out to be equivalent a .45 +P ACP load. Recoil is nothing to speak of if you're used to shooting a .44. The gaping bullet expands well and also penetrates adequately. If I still owned a .44, I'd still be loading these rounds in it for self-defense.

 

[22-rimfire]

I have found that, in a 629, the Speer Short Barrel Gold Dot .44 Magnum rounds work well.

That would be my suggestion as well. You really don't need 44 magnum loads for home defense. You don't even need a 44 anything in reality, but that is what you have.

 

[357-8-times]

I figured that JHP in some defensive brand like GoldDots/HydraShoks was the way to go, just the .44mag, .44spl or .44spl+P part I was uncertain about (and still am actually.)

Will mags in HP overpenetrate? Will spls manstop? Is spl+P a happy medium?

My 629 on order is a 7.5"

 

[32 Magnum]

.44 Spl loadings

Triton is back in business and is making "Quick Shock" (3 piece fragmenting) .44 SPL 240 JHP ammo. I got four boxes of 50 from Sportsmansguide.com, they were around $17/box plus shipping which was around $8.

 

[Bill B.]

44 Special Cor Bon 165 grain JHP's 1065 FPS.

 

[hamourkiller]

Remington 240 gr hpt full bore loads! Why have the war horses only to let the shetland ponies out?

 

[moxie]

Recommend .44 Special rounds. If you are worried about penetration through the walls, use Glaser Blue. If not, then the 200 gr. Blazer GDHP rounds are the ticket. Silvertips are also OK for this role.

 

[tblt]

44 mag

outside 44 mag .I would go 357 mag before 44 special more knock down power.
Inside the house go with 44 special.
Just the bang of the 44 mag would kill someone inside the house

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

I figured that JHP in some defensive brand like GoldDots/HydraShoks was the way to go, just the .44mag, .44spl or .44spl+P part I was uncertain about (and still am actually.)

Will mags in HP overpenetrate? Will spls manstop? Is spl+P a happy medium?

My 629 on order is a 7.5"

The Gold Dot Short Barrel Magnum load is actually in between a "real" Magnum load a Special load. Pretty wimpy when compared to some Magnum loadings. However, it's designed for one to defend oneself again human beings, where most Magnum loadings are designed to kill four-legged creatures.

I've never seen a +P .44 Special, but the .44 Special is capable of a lot more than you'll find in factory loadings. A ~250 grain bullet at 750fps is probably about all you'll find from the "big three" factories.

When you say "overpenetrate" you have to be specific. Overpenetrate a bad guy? Over penetrate a car? Overpenetrate walls? Any self defense loading that provides adequate penetration within the human body will also penetrate multiple interior walls. There's no magic bullet which will sense when it hits anything but it's target and stop. I'm no fan of Glasers because of their fragmentation. They can produce ugly-looking, but shallow wounds. I prefer bullets that hold together and reach vital organs.

 

[Golddog]

The .44 Mag has almost no self-defense value in home defense situations, unless you expect bears or Martians. Recoil makes follow-up shots difficult, and the noise level could permanently damage hearing for everybody in the house. Since the best .44 Special rounds essentially duplicate .45 ACP ballistics, with much less noise and recoil than the Magnums, what's the point?

 

[357-8-times]

So the almost-unanimous decision for indoor home defense is .44 spl? Does anyone think the mag would be better for some reason?

As for overpenetration, the idea is that the bullet should not be able to go through the badguy and have enough power to continue through the two sides of the wall and making it into another room. That would be bad, even if it would drag the bad guys kidney into the next room with it...

 

[GaryP]

hamourkiller said

Remington 240 gr hpt full bore loads! Why have the war horses only to let the shetland ponies out?

What about family members in the next room, neighbors, etc!

 

[22-rimfire]

If you only have a 44 mag revolver, go with it. It is needlessly overpowered for home defense. 38spl's from a 357 mag is what I use.

 

[batmann]

My primary home defense weapon is a S&W .44M 'Mountain Gun' and I keep it loaded with Glaser 'Blue Tips". This load should be perfect for what you want.
Hope this helps.

 

[lanceman193]

44 Special is perfect for home defense.I like the Blazer 200 gr.Gold Dot hollow points.Hit what you shoot at and they will damn sure work!

 

[Socrates]

Why bother having a 44 magnum, if you buy into the self-defense ammo bull?

Here's an example of a 44 magnum HP, 180 grain, going nearly 1600 fps, yet it barely penetrates 12.6"
http://www.brassfetcher.com/180grHorn44mag.html

Such loads are easy to shoot, compared to 240's, and, the light bullets can be going REALLY fast, and still not penetrate much.

I'd consider 12.6" on the barely acceptable side of penetration, very safe for your situation.

http://www.brassfetcher.com/.44 Magnum.html

Seems it must be possible to find a round that goes near 1800 fps, and, might get you, maybe, 14-16" of gello. With the 180's recoil is mild...

Plus, chances are good the fireball is going to blind the guy.

If you go the heavy bullet route, go with 250 grain, or more bullets, moving at least 950 fps, ala Lee Jurras.

By the way, being able to move a 180 grain bullet 1900 fps is HUGE for home defense, with a super soft bullet. The combination of explosive impact, coupled with likely bullet fragmentation, puts the 44 magnum into near a rifle category for home defense. The major advantage is you can have one hand free, open doors, etc., something you can't do with a rifle. Also, you can carry it in positions you can't with a rifle, yet, you are very near rifle ballistics with such loads.

 

[BigBlock]

The .44 Mag has almost no self-defense value in home defense situations, unless you expect bears or Martians. Recoil makes follow-up shots difficult, and the noise level could permanently damage hearing for everybody in the house. Since the best .44 Special rounds essentially duplicate .45 ACP ballistics, with much less noise and recoil than the Magnums, what's the point?

I agree completely. After seeing what my new blackhawk can do to a propane tank with Remington magnum hollow points, I can't think of any situation where I'd ever want or need that inside my house. Outdoors it's a different story....

 

[Socrates]

Excellent point by BB. I'd try different loads, and make sure I don't use Remington.

With low recoil, flash suppressed powders, something like www.buffalobore.com uses in certain cases, or stuff you can handload, you can have low 44 magnum ballistics, with no recoil to speak of.

It just kills me that people advocate 125 grain 357, at 1500 fps, but, say .44 magnum and a similar ballistic area, and they get all 'way over powered'.

 

[tipoc]

There have been some good ideas here for you 357-8-times. What I'd suggest is that you pick up a few boxes of .44 Spl and head to a range that allows you to do some fast shooting and try a few brands of ammo out and see what you and the gun like best. You may want to try Socrates' ideas on the .44 mag as well.
You'll want a load that you can shoot fast and accurately. Most of the JHP loads available will not overpenetrate, provided proper shot placement of course. The Glazer is an idea if you are very concerned about overpenetration.

Ol' Elmer Keith considered the .44 Spl. the best round available for self defense and superior to any other in a wheelgun. This was "back in the day" of course, but his comments on it are still valid IMHO.

You can check out a few of the options available here...www.midwayusa.com

tipoc

 

[Socrates]

It's not really my idea. Lee Jurras has probably over a half million rounds of 44 under his belt, and, he really liked the low recoil 180 grain bullets.

If penetration is required, use a flat point, or thick jacket. If it's not, a thin walled HP. Up to you. When you start looking at recoil for light bullets, even moving fast, and a 180 is a lot lighter then the 230 grain 45 ACP standard, or the 240 grain 44 magnum standard, in a large gun, like a 44 mag, you get very little recoil, but, you can get a lot of blast, depending on how fast you want to go.

The 180s are moving essentially in the same weight, and, if you want, the same velocity as the 10mm, 41 magnum, or 45 Colt, with very little recoil. Finding ammunition that uses quality powder, unlike Remington, is really important, to minimize the blast. Your times should be the same as a 357 or better, thanks to gun weight, and light bullets.

He also suggests that a .44, with a 250 grain bullet, moving at least 950 fps is also very effective. Take your pick. Light fast, heavy slow, both work.

Another good idea is to use a recoil calculator, and figure out how much recoil you are really going to get with either type of load, and that heavy a gun.