I got rid of my 44mag revolvers, and most of my 357mag ones too. I've shot a lot over the past four decades and can handle the recoil of the 44, 454, and 500, but I started to ask myself why. If I needed the extra range the magnum velocities offer, I might get another 44, or more likely a 41mag. I'll take a 45colt over a 44mag any day. And by 45colt I mean 45colt, not 45colt magnum as people seem to want to make it.
I know there are situations/tasks that merit a magnum, but the magnum trend seems similar to the huge pickup truck trend. When I was a kid you could reach over a the side wall of a pickup bed and grab your gear. Now, you need a step ladder 'cause the trucks are so darn big. For what? I don't get it. People must be fording deep rivers and hauling two tons of iron ore on their way to the mall. I'm glad people have the options available to them these days, whether it's big guns or big trucks, but neither the truck or the gun make the man. When I got rid of the magnums and picked up the lower pressure rounds like the 45colt, 44special, and 45acp my hearing improved, my carpal tunnel went away, and my accuracy improved. Each to his own, but I don't enjoy magnum recoil unless there is a very good reason for using a magnum.
