My misread. Sorry.
Still not enough for my idea of a defense round. I weigh 200, and, the smallest guy that's ever attacked me was 240, at least. I wouldn't go after a 250 pound deer or hog with those 44 Special loads, and, my guess is most of the two legged types would be on some kind of meth, or speed. No thanks.
I'll stay with the loads that have worked for over 100 years:
Around 250 grains, soft lead, or thin jacket, and at least 1000 fps, .45 caliber is better then .429".
If Linebaugh, Jurras, and a bunch of other guys think 240-260 grains, Keith style or soft lead at 1200 fps makes a fantastic hunting round for the lower 49, I see no reason to
go with anything less in the .44 Special.
Gun selection hasn't changed much. Still not a lot of options out there.
AZGunner:
I just explained why I'm not carrying .44 Special, and, I did carry it, until my bulldog shot loose. Keep in mind, I don't live in a free state, permits are hard to come by, and I spent years shooting .451 Detonics, 200 grains, 1200 fps, out of a variety of Detonics guns.
Here only guns that are exempt from the Kommie Approved list are SA's.
My answer is to setup rigs for either common stuff, that have many options, like 1911's, Kahrs, or, SA guns. I'm not Munden, and, in fact, we don't get to even speed shoot on most of our ranges.
Therefore, I've gone to another Detonics, a 1911, and, a 357 snub, along with a Kahr PM9 for my solutions. Deep cover guns, only.
I think it's pretty unlikely that many .44 Special DA pistols make the approved list, and, those that do are a bit bigger then either the Detonics, or the 360PD, but, some not by much. I've always tried to stay with calibers that have lots of ammo made for them, and, are industry standard, or, allow such rounds to be shot in them as well.
I once lived in a free state: Kali in 1979. I had a 44 special, and liked it. Just wished better snubs had been around at the time then the bulldog, and better ammo.
The great thing about firearms, are that we have choices, and, depending on states, we have our choices for our situation. There is no one right answer for everyone, and, I respect your choice, and can see why you did it.
If I win the lottery, I'll be down buying a dillon in .44 special/44 magnum, and, a Freedom Arms 97 in .44 as well, along with a S&W snub.
God Bless, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.
Besides, if I'm using a 5 Shot, I want a big, heavy, fast bullet. How about a 275 grain speer, in .475 Linebaugh, at 1560 fps, with light recoil, that puts a 4 inch hole in deer, and opens up to the size of a 2 bore rifle slug?
