best 44 mag barrel length

[JJHACK]

I have had a 7.5" Hamilton Bowen built redhawk, unbelievable in every way.

Especially packing in and out of the truck ( unbelievable bad!), and handling the work load I had in the management efforts I managed. It was a night mare to wear around.

Went the opposite direction and bought the S&W mountain gun with the 4" barrel. A dream to pack around, but kinda light weight and scary to shoot the bigger Garrett Cartridges loads out of.

So whats the best compromise? I adore the Freedom Arms 4-3/4" barrel, but maybe the 6" barrel is the better option?

I hate packing long barrels, but I love shooting them. Why can one of these custom guys make a telescoping barrel? Imagine that! Or one that snaps open like a switchblade knife? In our dreams!

 

[huntershooter]

What is "worse case" perceived use for the revolver?
I have a mod. 97 FA in .45 colt (4 5/8" barrel I think) that will handle any +P you care to shoot from it under 300 grs. (length of cylinder issue). It is certainly no worse in the felt recoil than the MG's IMO.
I also have several S&W "Mountain Guns" in .41, .44 and .45 Colt.
I carry the MG's much more frequently than the FA due to their double action capability.
I guess if my concern was large bear, I would carry a long gun, not a handgun for that purpose.
I would agree a 7.5" Redhawk would be less desirable to pack around all day than the MG's or m 97 FA.
Guess it's all a trade off.

 

[calaverasslim]

I have had several 44 mags, ranging from the 4" S&W up to the 7.5" Ruger Blackhawk. Didn't like the recoil from the Smith unless I shot the 44 special. Hated the Dragoon trigger guard on the 7.5" Ruger, plus the fact of trying to wear it as a sidearm. Finally settled on the Ruger 5.5". I find this is ideal both from the wearing and shooting aspect.

Each has it's plusses and minuses. You have to decide which appeals to you.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

I have .44's with 8-3/8, 6, and 2.5-inch barrels. You want a short barreled gun that will handle the heaviest loads? There's one answer - the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan. I have one and it will handle the heaviest loads you want to shoot and the recoil is manageable because of the Hogue "Tamer Monogrip" that comes with the gun.

 

[moxie]

Ruger SRH 4".

 

[farm23]

I have DA 44's in 3" - 4" - 6" and SA in 4 3/4 - 6" - 7.5". I carry the 3" DA & SA 4 3/4" the most. But depending on what I am hunting for I may carry the 6". While the 7.5" will have the best ballistics I almost never carry. On some hunts I will carry a Freedom Arms - 454 - 7.5" with a scope but then I also carry the 3". When the bank account gets bigger I will carry a FA 454 in 4 3/4" and replace the 3" - 44. With the 44 and bigger I shoot almost always SA so any future big bore will probably in SA except perhaps for a Charter Arms 44 if I find one at a good price.

 

[JJHACK]

The ballistic difference between 4-3/4 and 6" is probably marginal. I think I'm leaning towards having FA cut my 6" to their standard 4-3/4" just to pack easier.

I carry much more then I shoot. I doubt anything I hit will be affected differently between 4-3/4 and 6"

 

[Hanshi]

My old Smith .44mag is 6.5". My RSBH is 7.5".

 

[GyMac]

I have the Ruger SBH in the 5 1/2 inch length. To me, it is the best compromise.

 

[jmr40]

The ballistic difference between 4-3/4 and 6" is probably marginal.

It really depends on the load. The difference could be fairly small, or huge. This site provides some good info.

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/44mag.html

It depends on the use. If I were buying a handgun specifically to hunt with I'd want no less than 6", and 7-8" would probably be better.

But for me personally, If I were looking at lugging around a 7-8" barreled handgun I'd just as soon carry a rifle, but that is just me. I'd lean toward 4-5" and live with the loss of speed to get something more compact. But I don't hunt with my handguns either.

 

[JJHACK]

Okay, I will explain a bit more. I did not want to come off here being new as some weird guy making wild claims. However with the direction of this thread it may be important for me to share a bit of the use.

I am a Professional hunter and wildlife manager in South Africa. I find at times that carrying my .44 revolver is a lot handier then packing a rifle for some species, or in some situations.

I nearly always pack a rifle for everything. However when running around scouting and even for follow up of some animals it's just easier to get through the brush and navigate with a handgun. It became a struggle to pack around that Redhawk, but the S&W Mountain gun was a dream, hardly even knew I have it with me.

I have a FA 6" barrel 44 magnum. It seems like it will have the same issues at the 7.5" redhawk. So I wonder if cutting it down to the 4-3/4" length makes sense?

It's going in for the round butt conversion anyway, so I was thinking about the barrel length change at the same time. I need this done here, I don't have access to doing this kind of work in Africa. So as long as I am here now, why not have FA do this work?

It gives me the strength of the redhawk in the little package of the Mountain gun. Also I do not hunt with it, but I would on occasion take a shot at wounded game at greater distances like 50-100 yards if it is walking ahead or escaping to the more dense areas of bush.

 

[huntershooter]

Cutting the FA you have to 4 3/4" would certainly make it less cumbersome, but weight won't be reduced much.
Have you considered simply switching ammunition in your MG?
A 250 gr+- Keith Type SWC or WFN @ 1100 fps is certainly manageable from the MG's. This type load has outstanding penetration.
You don't indicate if you handload, but loads of this type are available through some commercial loaders.

 

[JJHACK]

Thanks, for the reply. Yes I handload. I was part of the development of the Hornady XTP line of bullets in the late 80's.
And for Randy Garretts bullets and ammo as well.

There are quite large species in Africa that require some coaxing to die, or at least stop moving in my direction. I have really liked the performance of the heavier loads available for the .44 magnum. While I was the wildlife manager for Weyerhaeuser we were responsible to remove quite a lot of bears. During this time I found that the 240 XTP driven to 1300fps would simply fold them with regularity. On the contrary shooting them in the same conditions, many snared by a foot, with a 310grain flat nose hard cast would not give much in the way of a visual impact. Those not contained by foot snare would run a hella long way to die.

It was determined after 100 or so that the lighter faster, expanding bullets were far more devastating to black bears then the stereotypical heavy hardcast were. This revelation did not come easy. The momentum from many folks that are "expert" gun writers and such were professing the amazing power and lethality of these 300ish grain .44 mag bullets.

They are right of course when the game it bison, brown bear, moose, eland, giraffe, etc. However the results were not as decisive on smaller softer game where the big bullets zipped through like a field tipped arrow. Those animals like a white tail deer or an impala for instance would leave only a vapor trail as they departed.

There is absolutely a place for those big heavy long bullets. But there is a far bigger audience of targets for the more common 240XTP at 1250-1500fps. I can shoot the mountain gun with them all. It's just not that much fun shooting those big heavy fast bullets. I think the FA will digest anything you can fit in the chamber with absolute safety.

I love the mountain gun, with the crimson trace grips it's magic in my hands when something is not co-operating with our program. I'm thinking the 6" barrel on the FA may be just right. I do need to see the velocity loss difference. If it's 50fps or less it's getting cut down. If it's 100fps or more it's staying 6". So the dilemma is where is the difference???

 

[back40]

excellent info on the bullets.

if i may ask an unrelated question...what percentage of time do you actually fire DA and under what circumstances?

as for bbl length i've always been under the impression that velocity loss can be similar to pet loads in that different bbls of same mfr and length can show different end results. in other words it's a crap shoot.

 

[Riomouse911]

It really is about the $$ of the gunsmithing vs the resulting improvement in portability. A 5" barrel is a decent compromise between the 4" and 6", and if you go custom you can choose this length.

Actual .44 mag velocity changes in FPS from ballistics by the inch dot com shooting a 165 gr cor-bon, a 225gr Cor-bon, a 240gr hydra-shok, and a 200gr Speer defense load:



7" 1385 1385 1462 1251
6" 1321 1320 1380 1197
5" 1270 1301 1367 1170
4" 1150 1250 1251 1099

 

[Nomad]

If it were me I'd go with a 4" Redhawk. They are heavy enough to absorb some of the recoil of the heavy loads and stronger than almost anything factory made on the market but still not difficult to carry. I lived and hunted in Chad and CAR for a number of years and I wish I had been able to carry a good 44 Mag or 45 Colt. Those two countries did not allow handguns back then.

 

[bluetopper]

I got the chronograph out a couple of weeks ago and my Freedom Arms 44 Mag with a 10" barrel. I carry it in the woods quite comfortably in a nylon holster with a strap over my right shoulder.

Results as follows:

180gr Sierra HP
avg. vel. 1918 fps

215gr gas check bullet
avg. vel. 1826 fps

245gr gas check bullet
avg. vel. 1630 fps

All cartridges I reloaded myself with Accurate 4100 powder. Your results may vary.

 

[JJHACK]

Thanks for the velocity numbers.

It seems the difference between 4-3/4 and 6 is not much. I have looked at the FA site. I leaning towards the 5" barrel with the inverted crown. It will end up about 4-3/4"

Now for the question on double action shots. Here is story from last week. Its a part of the text I had to provide the manufacturer of the bullets for his marketing. I had to track and finish a previously shot wounded bear.

This is exactly how the events unfolded this past weekend. My first shot was double action when I came upon him making a solid hit center of the back while the bear was turning to look at me. He folded, but was still moving and trying to get up or move his front legs. To be honest, being Velcro'ed into the blackberries, I was in no position to dwell on his intentions. I shot that second round at the same location. This caused him to lurch forward and begin to move down the hill. Either by gravity, or ??? At that point he stopped below me, I clicked off the third round then it was all over. The Loud bellowing was all that was left. I had slid down the embankment to the bear as my feet touched his back that loud bellowing sound started.

I have been quite grateful for the performance of those bullets since then! Having slid down on top of this bear, It was nice that he was done fighting! What would have been different with a Hard cast bullet? The first two shots would have been into the dirt below him rather then inside him. Would he have finished turning around and come for me? Maybe not with a spine hit, or would he have bolted away after that first shot? Again not with a spine shot. Who can know at that point in that sliver of time if you made a spine shot? At point blank a very large perforated bear that has been pushed to it's limits is nothing to fool with. It's at this time you wonder why they don't make 10 shot revolvers.

Thanks for sharing your ideas on this. It made my time visiting well worth joining!

 

[cpirtle]

Lot's of good recommendations here, and FA's are amazing in every way.

Before you jump, see if you can scare up the Talo Ruger Super Blackhawk with the 3.75" barrel.

Stout enough to handle just about any load you want. I've put as many as 100 rounds through mine in a single session with no pain.

I bought mine last winter and have never seen another locally, but they may still be available with a little hunting around.

 

[JJHACK]

It's not legal to shoot game in many states with less then a 4 inch barrel. I had thought about that talo too. I also don't have the same shooting comfort with the plow handle as I do the bisley grip.

Something about that bisley grip just feels right.

 

[MrDig]

I prefer the 4-6 inch Bbl length but I can honestly say the 7.5 inch Rugers are scarce in these parts so I've never had one in my hands.
I shoot a Taurus 44 Tracker with a 6 inch Bbl it is a little light but not intolerable for recoil.

 

[back40]

jjhack, i understand you're looking for a longer bbl to comply with hunting regs, but just a heads up, lipsey's did the 3.75" super blackhawk with the bisley grip.

here's mine...

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i agree, the bisley grip makes a world of difference.

 

[JJHACK]

It's only a quarter inch from perfection!

 

[KYamateur]

I currently own two 44s. And recently sold 1.

Smith&Wesson 629 (6 inch barrel) very comfortable to shoot with even strong loads. However I don't like to shoot too many of them because of the wear. This gun is a tack driver.

Ruger SR Alaskan (2.5 inch barrel) suprisingly comfortable. I shoot 300gr Hornady XTP loads through it. I can keep a softball size group at 15 yards. Grip is excellent to aid in recoil.

Ruger Redhawk (4 inch barrel). This was the best looking of them all, but very punishing. The steel at the rear of the grip really wore my hand out. I could not shoot this gun accurately, but probably because I knew what was coming when I pulled the trigger.

When I find a good used one I will buy a Super Redhawk with an 8 inch barrel. If I can mix the accuracy of the S&W with the comfort and build of the SR Alaskan, I believe a Super Redhawk in 8 + inch barrel would be my perfect gun. I can't comment on Single Action 44s because I have never owned any. For me they are good woods companions if I run into a feral hog so I like double action. I enjoy shooting .45s and 44 mags more than any other cartridges. When shooting for fun nothing compares to the excitement of shooting the 44mag out of the 2.5 inch ruger. I tried a S&W 500 but it is just too much for me to enjoy.

 

[Boxhead]

I like an unlugged 5" on the M29 and a 5 1/2" on a Ruger though my woods carry piece is an old Ruger flattop 4 5/8" 44 Magnum cut to 4 5/8". The DA 97 I owned was a 5 1/2" gun but I never liked the piece so down the road it went.