DHart
Member
For years the thought of getting a .44 mag handgun would enter my head, then I'd think "no way do I want that much boom in a handgun or a gun that big." I, like many other people, just figured that a .44 mag would be too much gun for me to really "enjoy". Then when I entered the world of reloading and researched some factory offerings in .44 mag, I realized that I could shoot .44 mag for a lifetime and never even touch a full-house .44 mag hunting load. There are some tame factory loads you can buy for it and if you reload, you've just entered nirvana with the .44 mag... you can dial up almost anything you desire in the category of .44 magnum. Meek and mild .44 special loads on up to pain inducing loads (if anyone really enjoys that!)
I shoot all .44 mag cases in the gun (some folks shoot .44 special loads/cases in .44 mags), but my practice ammo is loaded down to warm .44 special recipies (200 gr. LRNFP cast moving at about 850 fps). And my defense loads are ProLoad .44 mag Tactical Lite 200 gr. Gold Dot moving at 1033 fps from the 3" tube. Very comfortable load to shoot and very potent as well.
I did run a couple of cylinders of full house .44 mag ammo through it just to get a good feeling for what that was all about. It was pretty stout indeed, but not as bad as I had expected. Still, I have little if any desire to shoot full house .44 mag ammo in this gun. But I'm very well served with "lite" loads found in the "starting load" category for .44 mag. They're comfy to shoot a lot of, easy on the gun, easy on the joints, and are quite effective indeed! So if you've been tempted to get into a .44 mag revolver, but weren't sure about it... let me reassure you... they're awesome. Main thing to take care of is get great grips that fit you well and choose ammo that you will enjoy.
I got two N-frames, actually, a 625 in .45 Colt and a 629 (.44 mag). Both of these guns are round butt N-frames with 3" barrels. The two Ahrends grips shown are interchangeable between the two guns. I LOVE these grips, they fit my hand like a glove.
Smith & Wesson Model 629-1 Lew Horton Special ~ .44 magnum ~ 3" barrel - Ahrends Rnd Grips
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Smith & Wesson Model 625-7 Lew Horton Special .45 Colt 3" barrel - Ahrends Rnd to Sq Grips
I shoot all .44 mag cases in the gun (some folks shoot .44 special loads/cases in .44 mags), but my practice ammo is loaded down to warm .44 special recipies (200 gr. LRNFP cast moving at about 850 fps). And my defense loads are ProLoad .44 mag Tactical Lite 200 gr. Gold Dot moving at 1033 fps from the 3" tube. Very comfortable load to shoot and very potent as well.
I did run a couple of cylinders of full house .44 mag ammo through it just to get a good feeling for what that was all about. It was pretty stout indeed, but not as bad as I had expected. Still, I have little if any desire to shoot full house .44 mag ammo in this gun. But I'm very well served with "lite" loads found in the "starting load" category for .44 mag. They're comfy to shoot a lot of, easy on the gun, easy on the joints, and are quite effective indeed! So if you've been tempted to get into a .44 mag revolver, but weren't sure about it... let me reassure you... they're awesome. Main thing to take care of is get great grips that fit you well and choose ammo that you will enjoy.
I got two N-frames, actually, a 625 in .45 Colt and a 629 (.44 mag). Both of these guns are round butt N-frames with 3" barrels. The two Ahrends grips shown are interchangeable between the two guns. I LOVE these grips, they fit my hand like a glove.
Smith & Wesson Model 629-1 Lew Horton Special ~ .44 magnum ~ 3" barrel - Ahrends Rnd Grips
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Smith & Wesson Model 625-7 Lew Horton Special .45 Colt 3" barrel - Ahrends Rnd to Sq Grips