I Just Bought My First .44 Magnum

[Anthony]

Hello Everyone,

Over the weekend I picked up a .44 Magnum at the Market Hall Gun Show from a collector there. It is a blued Model 29 with a 4-inch barrel. Although I have shot and carried Model 57/657s in .41 Magnum for years, this is my first .44 Magnum.

Any tips on ammunition, grips, accessories, etc. from the long time .44 Magnum users on THR?

 

[Deanimator]

I've got 4" and 6" Model 29-2s. With .44 Specials, the 4" is very pleasant to shoot. With Winchester 240gr. softpoint white box, it's a real bear. I've only shot the 6" with the hot stuff. It's easier to shoot, but still pretty violent.

If you're going to do a lot of shooting, I recommend:

1. Get a decent set of grips. I like Pachmayrs. I don't know what grips came with the gun, but unless you think you'd like Mike Tyson rapping your knuckles with a ruler like a nun, I wouldn't shoot any Magnums with either magna grips or the S&W "target" grips. With Specials, magnas, targets or even the "notch" grips on the M1917 are just fine. Pachmayrs and Hogues are even better. I consider them mandatory with Magnums.

2. Stick with .44 Specials or light .44 Magnum handloads for most of your shooting. The older 29s don't hold up as well with a steady diet of very hot Magnum loads.

These are great guns and if taken care of, tack drivers.

 

[Baldy]

I would say you are in for a lot of fun. The other poster covered all the things to be aware of. Just enjoy and safe shooting.

 

[svtruth]

My current favorite

I have a 7.5" SS Redhawk with Rubber Pachmeyer grips that is great to shoot and just got a SS Vaquero. It is also great, even with stock wood grips. Their Den Mother is a Rossi carbine, also in .44 mag.
I can tell they will push me into reloading for this supremely adaptable caliber.
Good luck.

 

[GotGlock]

I have a Taurus model 44(N-Frame equivelant) with a 6.5 inch ported barrel, I've shot some SERIOUS rounds through it and its the most satisfying gun i have ever shot. I get a big after a good range session. Its a pussycat with 44 special rounds, and with everything except a full house magnum load, thew porting does a good job of keep the barrel down and the weight of the revolver helps with the recoil. I ordered a set of wood houge grips for it, the stock rubber grips do a good job of cutting recoil but they just don't fit my hands well.


Wallyworld Winchester 240gr. Jacketed soft tips are good rounds for hunting, if you want some of the real "fun" stuff Look up buffalo Bore.

 

[GotGlock]

And night shooting is the best.

Taurus .454

 

[Anthony]

Factory Loads?

Any particularly good factory loads to try?

I have heard many good things about the Federal Classic 180-grain JHP in the full Magnum formula.

 

[GotGlock]

The winchester 240gr jacketed soft tip is a good round, it gets good reviews.

http://www.midwayusa.com/ebrowse.exe/browse?TabID=3&Categoryid=7513&categorystring=653***691***

check that out, they have reviews for factory ammo.

Personally i like the heavier stuff, your shooting a magnum, might as well make it a heavy bullet.

www.doubletapammo.com has some 44 loadings that hit like freight trains, those are the next rounds i want to experiment with.

 

[Marshall]

Win Silvertips are a good factory load. Enough power for hunting deer sized game and won't kill your hand. Very accurate too, at least out of my Rugers.

 

[Deanimator]

Any particularly good factory loads to try?

For what purpose?

For deer hunting, you can do a lot worse than the Winchester white box .44 Magnum they sell at Walmart. Not only is it relatively inexpensive for factory .44 Magnum, it's also accurate and hot as Jessica Alba at Chernobyl. With that load, good grips and maybe gloves are your friends. If I were a handgun hunter, it'd be what I'd use.

 

[LeonCarr]

Another vote for WWB 240 JSP. Averaged 1416 fps out of my 7 1/2" Ruger Redhawk, with one inch six shot groups at 50 feet.

Shooting gloves are nice for extended shooting sessions, along with Pachmayr or Hogue grips.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Majic]

What ever you were comfortable with on the M57 will work just fine shooting the M29.

 

[timothy75]

Leon, that very suprising data as the factory only claims 1180fps I believe. I do however remember thinking it was pretty hot stuff.

Anthony, like everyone else I also favor the 240gr JSP, if you'd like to try an affordable gas checked SWC, PMC offers a 240gr going 1300fps I believe, in 50rd boxes for the same price as WWB. Good luck

 

[LeonCarr]

timothy75,

Keep in mind that the .44 factory ballistics are measured from a 4 inch barrel, and my barrel is 7 1/2 inches. In some cases velocity will increase 50-75 fps per inch of barrel, depending on the barrel.

With a 7 1/2 inch barrel, I can typically get 1500 fps plus with a 240 jacketed bullet with handloads that are under book maximum.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[timothy75]

Thanks, I did catch the barrel length but often the manufacturers are optomistic or give pressure barrel stats. Very good info thanks.

 

[dogngun]

I really don't like rubber grips, but I use them on my .44 Smith. I have a Model 29, 5", and I'd recommend CCI Blazer .44 Mags as well as their .44 Specials. They are very consistant, and cheap to practice with.
Go to the CCI site and check their ballistics on these rounds-you will be impressed.

I love the .44's, too, but a good grip really helps a lot.

Enjoy.

Mark

 

[Anthony]

180-grain Loads

How about the 180-grain loads at 1500 to 1600 fps...who makes the best?

The gun is a general purpose piece so a range of uses would be best to comment on.

 

[SWMAN]

I put Pachmayr's Decelerator on my 629 6" and shoot 240 Winchester soft points. I put them on all my .357s as well. They take the sting out of the recoil.

 

[Indy]

44 Mag

On my 629 I bought Pachmayr grips as suggested by the other gentleman. I especially looked for rubber grips that covered the backstrap. The backstrap really impacted the heal of my hand. I must agree with all the comments on ammunition. I plan to reload some 44 magnum loads at the lower end of the charts. The plan is down the "to do" list, but I hope to try them soon.
Indy

 

[Deanimator]

I must agree with all the comments on ammunition. I plan to reload some 44 magnum loads at the lower end of the charts. The plan is down the "to do" list, but I hope to try them soon.

I also plan to start reloading for both of my Model 29-2s. I plan to mostly load Specials, since they're more efficient with the Bullseye, which I intend to use. I need to order a set of dies, which for me is relatively high on my to-do list. Penn Bullets makes a full wadcutter bullet, which I plan to use.