Are you a fan of the 44 Special?

[Arizonan]

Here is my take on this caliber. I own two weapons that are chambered for this round. A Taurus 431 and a Rossi 720. I do my own reloading and I carry Blazer Gold Dots for defense. I carry both as ccw weapons. I love this caliber. I think the weapons I have and the caliber I've chosen are very, very good for a defensive ccw sidearm.
I do have a nice S&W 9mm and a Sweet Ruger Speed Six I rotate in my ccw line up. But I am drawn back to the "Big Bore" caliber every time. It is fun to shoot, fun and easy to reload. And in my opinion just near perfect as a defensive caliber. Anyone out there have the same thoughts? Or maybe different ones? Love to hear what my fellow shooters think.

 

[MCgunner]

Well, I have been a .357 magnum fan for a long time, at least for my belt carry. Most days, I pocket carry a .38 special and it ain't broke, either. BUT, if the .44 or big bore suits your fancy, it'll work, too. Individual choice way I see it. My way ain't the only way.

I do have a bit of fancy lately with .45 Colt in a concealable weapon, but recently ordered a Taurus 605 Poly, 19 ounce .357 magnum. What I like about it is that I can feed it with the same speed loader I have for my little .38 snub. I've BEEN carrying a 3" M66 which works, but it's a bit heavy at the end of the day and I carry my reload for it in a speed strip, .38 +P feeds both BUG and belt guns. When I get the 605, I'll probably keep the speed strip, but add a speed loader when I'm headed for the big city. I don't belt carry unless I'm going to Sodom or Gomorrah or somewhere similar with lots of zombies lookin' to take their fair share. Around here, I feel .38 is all I really need. But, I can arm up for the trip to Sodom pretty quick with a holster and the .357.

 

[dickydalton]

44 Special is....... Special. The first three in my 44 Mag are 44 Specials.

 

[bannockburn]

I have always had a hankering for .44 Special since I first started reading Skeeter Skelton's stories in Shooting Times magazine many years ago. Finally got one a few years back with a Ruger Flattop Blackhawk. Definitely plenty of .44 Special goodness in this revolver to go around for quite some time.

 

[PointOneSeven]

The part that intrigues me most is that this old, slow round can handle hunting, personal defense, and plinking (reloaded of course). I think it's fantastic.

 

[MCgunner]

The part that intrigues me most is that this old, slow round can handle hunting, personal defense, and plinking (reloaded of course). I think it's fantastic.

Not unique in that. The .45 Colt is older.

 

[mikemyers]

Maybe I'm looking in all the wrong places, but finding 44 Special ammo seems almost impossible. I used to reload, but don't have anything set up right now. Any advice on where to find either new, or good reloads?

 

[dickydalton]

Not unique in that. The .45 Colt is older.

The 45 and the Special are fun. That's why I bought a New Vaquero 45. If I want horsepower I have a 460 and 4 44 Mags. 900 FPS is a joy to shoot for me lately, and I admit to doing a lot of the Holy Black now that I am older. 1 year to retirement, wish me luck.

 

[Arizonan]

44 ammo is scarce. Reloading components are hard also. Just keep looking. Reloadingg is such fun. And when I can reload 50 round's for $6.00 it makes it that much more enjoyable.

Just got to stay vigilant when. Looking for ammo and reloading. Good luck.

 

[Walkalong]

I'm a long time fan of the .44 Spl.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Yes I am. Don't own one yet, but I will.

 

[Ditchtiger]

Bought a Jackass rig yesterday for my 44 special ultra lite.

 

[Legionnaire]

I want to be a fan of the .44 spl, but since I started reloading, I just load .44 mag cartridges down. I'd be more of a fan if I had a revolver that was actually scaled to the .44 spl cartridge. Some of the S&W revolvers have short cylinders, but the frames look no smaller than those for the .44 mags.

What I'd really like is for Ruger to come out with a 5-shot .44 spl built on the GP100 frame, offered with a 3-inch barrel. The 3-inch GP100 cries out for a .44 mag cylinder.

 

[Ed Ames]

I grew up hearing about how special .44 special was, from someone who loaded down his .44 magnum to special levels for everyday use. He had a 6" no-dash m29 he bought new in 1960 and fired tens of thousands of special-level rounds through, with the occasional full house load to keep himself honest.

Personally I just can't bring myself to get a .44, special or not. I reload .45 ACP, Colt, and Casull, and my ".44 special" niche is filled by .45 ACP and/or colt.

 

[Fireforger]

Yes, big fan. Have three, none Rugers thankfully. I've also become a fan of .44 Russian as a result of lightening loads in my lightest revolver. I reload a lot so ammo is not an issue with either round (even casting own bullets). But I do think the .44 Special is about as good as it gets. Wish I could get a single shot or lever action rifle chambered specifically in that round. It'd be a good companion for my revolvers. I'm working on it...

 

[WestKentucky]

I don't dislike the special but I don't particularly care for it. Where I am at I'm much more likely to need a flat shooting gun than a slower more rain bowed trajectory. Flat and fast chases down stray dogs and coyotes a lot better. They are brave and plentiful around my hunting spots. I do like 44 but in the mag flavor. My contender though sees a lot of special level loads in mag cases though.

 

[Monac]

Fireforger, I was very surprised to find out that the only difference between the 44 Russian and the 44 Special, when introduced, was 5 FPS in velocity and zero in bullet weight!

http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/threads/44-russian-ballistics-vs-44-special.133567/

I suppose 44 Russian ammo is loaded light today, because the only revolvers for it are very old.

 

[krupparms]

A few years ago I picked up a old Charter Arms Target Bulldog in .44spl. It has been a nice bedroom gun. It is alot of fun to shoot! Glad I put back some SD loads & some cowboy action shooting rds for it. Yeah I like the .44spl.

 

[Dframe]

I'm a big fan of the 44 special. I have around 8 of them. Everything from a Sheriffs model SAA to a bulldog and love them all. Very little the old calibre can't do. and they're handy and lighter than most 44 magnums.

 

[Drail]

Been a huge fan since the 80s when I bought a Charter Bulldog and took up reloading. I think it may be one of the best cartridges ever invented - right up there with the .45 ACP. It's still my everyday CCW cartridge - now in a S&W 696. I also love how it shoots from a Winchester rifle with 300 gr. handloads. We call it "Thumper". It will flat RING a steel plate.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Sure!

There's 0 wrong with the .44spl.
It's not as practical as a semi auto pistol caliber but it can protect you.

Rusty

 

[Tony_the_tiger]

I can dig it.

Lipsey's Ruger Bisley Flattop 44 Special 4-5/8" featuring stabilized Maple burl by Tim's Grips and three of my favorite rounds - the Buffalo Bore 255 grain "Keith" SWC, Corbon 200 DPX, and Buffalo Bore 200 grain HCWC. CraigC has graciously accepted the task of tooling some leather for her...

 

[bannockburn]

Tony the tiger

Really like the look of your Bisley, especially with those maple grips!

 

[RealGun]

I have the Taurus 431 and 441 (among several other guns/calibers), definitely favoring the 441 adjustable sights. I like the caliber a lot, especially as it suits my logic for what constitutes a good defensive caliber. Favorite big bore carries would be the 441 and my Kimber CDP II Pro (Officer grip and Commander barrel, aluminum frame).

The drawback is that a gun truly designed for 44 Special (or 45 Colt) carry is 5 shot on a medium frame and best carried with a speedloader that the owner knows well enough how to use proficiently.

I don't carry .44 Special often yet. I am partial to my latest in 327 Federal Magnum with 6 rounds in a smaller frame (SP101), relying on a speed strip reload.

For reloading .44 Special, I am using lead with Hornady Cowboy dies, with which I am not satisfied yet.

I see some have made this yet another gun porn thread, but I didn't read the OP that way.

 

[HexHead]

I regularly carry a Charter Bulldog with 200 gr. Speer Gold Dots. I'm waiting on some 200gr Nosler JHPs, and then I'll start loading .44 Special. Since I'll be loading it, I also plan to get the new S&W Model 69, their L-frame 5-shot .44 Mag.

I sure wish someone made a modern DA snubbie in .45 Colt.