Help with .44 choice

[12GA00buck]

I'm looking for a revolver to serve as both a hunting sidearm with full power .44 mag loads and a HD/ potencial concealed carry with .44 special cor-bon
s. I have medium/small hands. I'm looking for something with a heavy steel frame to tame the recoil some; but compact enough for daily carry. Does this revolver exist? Also can anyone recomend specific load choices for bear defense? Typically when I'm out for a hike I carry my 12GA stuffed with slugs for bear defense, but alas there are many times when I dont feel like toteing a long arm. Also, if I'm hunting small game a .22LR, I still want so have something bear capable. Thanks for your advice

 

[mnrivrat]

What comes to mind ,that you might look ,at is the Taurus Tracker in .44 Mag.

It is a 5 shot medium frame gun (K-L) and carries about as well as many .357's. It comes with a ported 4 inch barrel . This is about the only medium frame .44 Mag I can think of.

ps: In this gun I would recommend a 260 grain semi wad cutter in hard cast for bear. I wouldn't go heavier than that.

 

[woo18]

Try a S&W 629 (Trail Boss) with a 3 inch barrel. At first I thought this would be too big and bulky. Surprisingly, it is not.

 

[LeonCarr]

12GA00buck,

The new Ruger Redhawk .44 Revolver with the 4 inch barrel would be my choice for a combination woods carry/concealed carry handgun. For bear protection, some good factory loads are the 300 grain Federal Castcore, or any of the 300 grain and heavier FMJ/hardcast bullet loads from Buffalo Bore or Cor-Bon.

Keep in mind that shooting 300 grain loads from a 4-inch .44 takes a lot of practice, and has a lot of recoil. If you are new to the .44 Magnum, I would start out shooting Cowboy Action type .44 Specials, then once proficient move up to 240 grain .44 Magnums, then the 300 grain .44 Magnums.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Stainz]

The 4" Redhawk isn't available yet. Besides, a 5.5" weighs 49 oz, while a 7.5" is 54 oz... the 4" will likely be 45 oz. The non-fluted cylinder Trail Boss 3" 629 is pricey, when found, and weighs 40 oz. The more common, and less dear, 629 Mountain Gun weighs less - 39.5 oz - and has a tapered 4" tube. My choice, at 41.5 oz, would be the standard 4" 629 - available all of the time. It has larger trigger and hammer surfaces - great for gloved hands. In fact, I replaced my long time favorite 629MG with a new standard 4" 629 this year. You can easily find them used, too (I saw a LNIB example for $500 yesterday. The last Trail Boss I saw was over $700!)... although new, they will certainly still be affordable ($630-$650 locally).

If you get a 629, do yourself a favor and order a Hogue '.500 Magnum' grip from S&W Accessories - $35. Try any S&W .460/.500 Magnum at your dealer's for the grip's feel - they all use them. I have one on both my 4" 629 and it's 6" sibling. They cover the backstrap with recoil-absorbing rubber - great feel. Of course, still expect some muzzle rise with hot rounds. They really helped me.

The 629's will take any normal, ie, SAAMI-spec'd, .44 Magnum round. Not the 'Ruger/T-C Only' rounds, of course. I reload a milder (880-920 fps) 300gr LSWC, and it is fine all day long in my 629's. I also load .44 Specials and Russians, too - but please use a properly sized chamber brush to clean the shorter cases residue before loading .44 Magnums! The low speed .44 Special 200 gr Speer Gold Dot (#4427), as loaded by Speer in both brass and their Al-cased Blazer line, or Georgia Arms, etc, in Starline brass, is a perfect house round from the 4" 629 (I chrono-ed 875 fps from mine.). Good luck!

Stainz

 

[swampdog]

I've got a 629 MG. Love it. Like Stainz said, 200gr gold dots make an excellent "house round". I've kept the square butt hogue's on mine. The x-frame grip mentioned doesn't fit my hand very well. Hogue also makes a round butt, rubber grip that might fit smaller hands even better.

While the MG kicks considerably more than my 7.5" SBH, it's not that unpleasant, especially if you work up to it as suggested.

Our bears are much smaller than yours. Something to think about. Is that shotgun really that heavy?

No heavy revolver is going to be comfortable to tote in a cheap holster. This guy is in your area and specializes in what you are looking for. He does very nice work.
http://www.simplyrugged.com/

Have Fun

 

[Confederate]

I have to go with the 629 folks. Good gun, robust, and I like the 4-inch barrel overall. Ruger really has to do something about their "horse gun" mentality. They need a smaller, portable gun for the backwoods and I'm beginning to think they'll never catch on.

 

[LeonCarr]

I have a 4-inch 629, with the factory Hogue grips (not the .500 Magnum recoil absorber kind), and granted it is lighter and easier to carry than the Redhawk, but you pay for it when you pull the trigger with greater recoil and muzzle flip from a gun that is almost a half pound lighter than the 5 1/2 inch Redhawk. There are always trade offs with concealed carry type handguns, and I would rather have a "Horse Gun" when shooting a .44, especially with 300 grain hunting loads.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr