Outside of 4-legged protection, why 44 mag over there calibers?

[Styx]

This is really a multiple part question... What are your thoughts on the S&W 629 3" and 44 mag in general? What is a good price for the modern IL 3" 629? I ask because there's a 3" S&W 629 and 4" 686 SSR Pro for sale locally I "think" for a good price. I'm leaning towards the 629, but I'm trying to come up with practical reasons for a .44 when I don't live around bears or large animals. Does anyone else who doesn't hunt or do outdoorsmen activities near dangerous quadrupedals regularly have role for a 44 mag revolver?

 

[Y-T71]

Best I can do is: they're fun!

Mild to wild!

(But, it's definitely better if you reload IMHO)

 

[conan32120]

Think .44 special

 

[DAver7]

“but I'm trying to come up with practical reasons for a”
??????
ya want it ya can afford it Go get it

 

[halfmoonclip]

About anything big enough to handle .44 Magnums ends up pretty big, which is what it is.
Have two .44Mags, a Hunter and a Mountain Gun. Neither sees a huge amount of range time, but they are still fun to shoot, and not going anywhere.
For the OP, this is the wrong place to go, to find anyone to talk you out of a purchase.
Moon

 

[WestKentucky]

A good 44 is good for a lot of things. For me it was good enough to teach me that I don’t need a 44 because for me 357 is enough. I can do anything I need done with the 357 so no need to go to a bigger, more expensive to buy, more expensive to feed handgun. Everybody should do it at some point because they are great guns, just not a real necessity for some.

 

[JeffG]

Just because it's a .44 doesn't mean you have to shoot full house loads, or shoot anything but targets. Nobody flinches, (no pun intended) when you intend to carry a .45 1911 pistol, but a .44 mag, are you nuts? A very workable hard cast Keith style semi wadcutter, is about as effective a load as you could find, animals, attackers, or targets. Get rid of the Dirty Harry stigma, and carry and enjoy! My 3 3/4 inch .44 Ruger Vaquero is my off-pavement gun, and it is fully capable in a wide variety of tasks.

 

[243winxb]

S&W 629 3"

$800 or less is a good price, used.
New $950
Magnum loads will not be fun, muzzle blast. The guns weight, 39.6 oz, is a lot for every day carry.

Factory ammo prices should be compared between 44 & 357, unless you cast bullets & reload? Depends on how much you shoot.

 

[Mannlicher]

actual need is not that important a consideration when picking up a new revolver.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

44 is a great all around cartridge. However, I am also a real fan of the 41mag if you're a reloader. 41 will do almost anything a 44 will do with less felt recoil.

 

[SKILCZ]

 

[tominboise]

I mostly use my 44mags (have 4 of them) for long range shooting. Because it's fun to do so. I rarely carry them in the woods, altho I have hunted with them a few times. If one could only have one revolver, a 44 mag would be a good choice.

 

[Barmcd]

I have two S&W Model 29s, a 4 and 6”. Both see plenty of range time with 44 Special and at least one cylinder of 44 Magnum just to remind me why I shoot 44 Special. I bought the 4” to carry outdoors when I lived in Alaska and the 6” more recently just because.

 

[KnightHawk]

Personally Styx I would buy both. If you’re short on funds and can only afford one, then that’s why credit cards were invented.

But that’s just me.

Well I live rurally in the interior of Alaska. So I always consider 4 legged critters first, but that’s a seasonal consideration, and 2 legged critters secondly.
A properly loaded 44 magnum will do both with authority.
Summertime I have 2 - 44 carbines, one by each entrance door to my house and my 4 inch 29-2 close to hand. Summertime loading is Lee 310 over the stiff load of H110. This load I feel very comfortable with for critters around the interior including inland Grizzlies. For coastal Brown Bears I will carry something bigger, generally a rifle with my 44 backup. When I was on the Islands a lot I carried a 5” SRH in 480 with 410’s for backup.
For fun loads I will load 180, 200, and 250’s over a mid range load of 2400.
But, for every day use around the homestead I will have a 3” Ruger SP101 stuffed with 358-429’s weighing in at a little over 170 over H110. It’s lighter and fits nicely in my back pocket.
My shop is 100 feet away from my house so I keep a 4” model 19-3 loaded with the same H110 and another in the house. There’s a second 357 Security Six loaded the same in a different location in the house.
Summertime 357’s, winter time 38’s 158 hp for 2 legged critters.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I owned and loved a 5" 629 that I still regret having to sell at the end of 2020 for financial reasons.

It was an accurate shooter and served as our nightstand gun for over a decade. My 4'11" wife could shoot it well using 240g SWC Trailboss handloads. It looked huge and intimidating in her hands, recoil and muzzle flash were quite mild and the "cowboy" loads could still put large, effective holes into things. We determined that it was easier for her to shoot than a several other revolvers and autoloaders producing a comparable wallop.

 

[HB]

I wouldn’t buy one unless you reload. I like to shoot mine with jacketed bullets fast at far away rocks but they are also capable with mild loads up close.

They are much heavier and bigger than you might imagine however.

 

[Y-T71]

There's something special about schmackin' stuff with a 240 gr lead SWC over 8-10 gr Unique.

And it's something that can be done all day long without your hands/wrists putting up a protest!

*ETA*
This thread has a distinct lack of pictures!
Couple of 629's with a 25-5 thrown in just because

 

[shoebox1.1]

^^^^^ I like the way this is going and here’s my 624 no dash. My 200g 44 wadcutters are super fun over 5.0g of AA2, soon to play with red dot

 

[shoebox1.1]

This 44 spc was the reason I got into hand loading. I always wanted to but was “scared” because I didn’t know how or have help. Found a local mentor from here and a year later I’m off to the races!!

 

[BobWright]

As for me, Magnum calibers are not the best choicefor urban carry. However, Magnum revolvers, i.e. the .357 and .44, can be loaded with .38 Special or .44 Special ammunition which makes a better defensive load. Asfor me, Ihave chosen the .45 Colt Ruger Blaxkhawk for my constant companion.



Bob Wright

 

[PapaG]

I've been a 44 fan since I was about twelve and happened on a 1860 Colt. Since then, a SAA, a Colt New Frontier, A few Rugers, Charters, and a Rossi and Taurus. 90% of my shooting is specials but the Magnum is my deer gun.
Hiking companion at my farm, either my 624 or my 431. Deer time, 29 or Super. I have 357s, like them, but the 44 Special can do about as much damage with much less fuss.

 

[Y-T71]

^^^^^ I like the way this is going and here’s my 624 no dash. My 200g 44 wadcutters are super fun over 5.0g of AA2, soon to play with red dot View attachment 1265247

That's a fine looking revolver sir!

Personally, I'm partial to 4" barrels but, when I was living in Ohio, they had/have a 5" minimum barrel length requirement for deer and, at that time, S&W didn't catalog a 5-incher so, 6" it needed to be.

I also started reloading when I bought my 629.

At 18 years old, I realized pretty quickly that, if I wanted to shoot as much as I wanted, it wasn't going to be with factory ammo!

 

[.308 Norma]

if you're a reloader. 41 will do almost anything a 44 will do

Except for being available in a wide variety of different guns.
I too am a real 41 Mag fan, and if the Smith Model 69 I have would have been available in 41 Mag, that's the one I would have instead of the Model 69 44 Mag I actually do have.

 

[.308 Norma]

Does anyone else who doesn't hunt or do outdoorsmen activities near dangerous quadrupedals regularly have role for a 44 mag revolver?

Probably not what you meant, but my wife (of almost 54 years BTW) tipped over hundreds of metallic silhouettes with a couple of 44 Mag revolvers back in our IHMSA days.
Other than that, though, no - neither of us have any real use(s) for the 44 Mag revolvers we have.
After we quit the IHMSA game, my wife sent one of the 10.5" Super Blackhawks she used (she sold the other one) for shooting silhouettes back to Ruger to have a more "practical" 6" barrel installed. More "practical" for what, I don't know. I guess fond memories don't need to be "practical."

 

[WisBorn]

My 44 mags
Ruger SRH 44mag 7.5" = hunting & range
S&W 69 44mag 4 1/4"= hiking & range
My 357mags
Taurus 605 357mag 2"= carry & range
S&W 686 357mag 3" = hiking & range
My 41 mage
Taurus 415 41mag 2 1/2" = carry and range
Ruger BH 41mag 4 5/8" = walkabout and range.

They all are good options for the range! With the availability of everything from mild to wild for all 3 cartridges you don't have to be a handloader to enjoy them.

My local Ace has both the 686 and 629 in 4" for $900. If you have a 38 special and 10mm! I would recommend the 44mag. With 44special or 44mag cowboy loads the 629 would be a lot of fun.
The 357 would be a better all around gun.