Shot a .44mag for the first time today...

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ny32182

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It is the most powerful handgun I have ever fired. I don't know exactly what the loads were (or what the gun was, for that matter... it was a full size frame of some sort. Super RedHawk, maybe? It was single action), other than that they were 180gr soft points marked "magnum", and were Remington brand.

The recoil was stout, but not uncomfortable. It had nothing on the 2" .357mag I fired one time. After that experience, I was honestly expecting a lot more punch from the .44mag. Hell, now I might even buy one sometime, not that I really have a use for it...
 
The classic Dirty Harry, a S&W 29 with hand loaded 320 grain bullets. Powder at maximum...
There is only one word to describe it:
:D
 
If it "had nothing" on a 2" 357 then they were pretty light loads. 180 is light for the 44 and lighter bullets recoil less. My 44 load is a 240 over 22 grains of 2400 and I find this unpleasant to shoot whereas 357s are fun.
 
The classic Dirty Harry, a S&W 29 with hand loaded 320 grain bullets. Powder at maximum...
Click to expand...
Actually, Harry stated, in The Enforcer, that he used a light load, which he found more controllable than the .357 wadcutters the other officers were using.
 
tt - if single action then perhaps it was a Blackhawk.

Anyways, a gun of that sort does have a useful amount of weight and so does tame recoil quite well. Even better is to allow the gun to rotate a bit in the hand as it lifts - which all makes for a more comfortable experience.

I only find .44mag a tad less than comfortable when shot thru my 4" 629... in large quantity! :p

BTW - I think this deserves to be in the revo forum so will shunt it over. :)
 
My husband owns a colt Anaconda .44 mag I have shot it several times and enjoyed it. I am actually thinking of getting one for myself. I will probably get a S&W .44mag though since they are a little more affordable. :)
 
Blackhawk.. yeah, I think that was it. If I had to guess at barrel length I'd say about 6".

Easley is right down the road from here... I drive through it all the time.
 
Bluesbear, you are quite correct on the move. As I recall, Harry said ...." a light special load ... " This leaves to the imagination as to whether he was referring to a 44 Special load, or a "special" lightly loaded 44 Magnum.
 
Shooting a big steel revolver in .44 Magnum isn't that bad, smaller guns in weaker calibers can be considerably worse to shoot. The blast and noise can take some getting used to.

Of course, a .44 Magnum snubbie is a whole different story. :what:
 
I normally shoot factory 240 rnds. A friend of mine turned me onto the 180 rem's. They were fire-breathers compared to the 240's. Amen to the Smurfslayer. Brought one of my . 500 rnds to work today to show the boss. I think it impressed him, especially when he realized it was a handgun rnd. He He He!
good shootin
kid
 
The 180gr rounds I shot did have some impressive blast and a huge fireball, even in direct sunlight. I know I was getting up off the bench to avoid the concussion when my buddy was shooting it from the other side of the bench.
 
I love taking my 16" levergun (also a .44 magnum) to the local indoor range. People actually pack up and leave. :neener:
 
Yeah, shooting a 180 grain load is a whole different league than the 300+ grain super-hot bear loads (Hammerheads, Cor-Bons, etc). The 180s I find no problem in .44 magnum, the 300+ grain loads are IMO painful.
 
I like to show off to friends who are not too gun savvy by putting a hotly loaded 180gr into a plastic milk jug full of water at about 20 yards. The results are nothing short of spectacular! I know the exploding milk jug is more a result of the speed of the bullet than a demonstration of power. Nevertheless, when people see that plastic jug disintegrate and a gallon of water turn into a mist at the same time the concussion from the .44 hits them, their jaws really drop. :evil:
 
ttbadboy,

Yeah, Easley isn't far from Clemson, and we often go to Clemson to eat at Sardi's, Columbo's, or any other number of restaurants in the area. My wife (Missashot) and I go through Clemson often. I also used to be in a band (Liquid Mischief) that was based in Central/Clemson.

We live a few miles from the *FREE* outdoor range in the Pickens/Liberty area. We were there this past Saturday, and, last night, we cruised up to Rex's Indoor Shooting Range in Hendersonville, NC for a little indoor handgun shooting. Because of this thread, we took my Anaconda, again, and shot a box or so through it. We've shot nothing but factory magnum loads through it, and I made the mistake of letting the wife shoot it with some specials. Now, she definitely wants one. ;) Looks like we will be looking at a S&W 629 a little more seriously for her. If she liked the blued Ruger Blackhawk/Redhawks, I think I still know of one in 44 Mag for about $310 at a Greenville pawnshop, but she likes the Anaconda and the 629.
 
Hey, I can't be held responsible for causing someone to abuse their bank account. :D Sardis is a great place to eat. All you can eat crab legs on Tuesday night. :) The owner is a friend of a friend also, so we usually get good deals. There is also very good food and atmosphere at Sole; if you've ever been there. It would be a great place to take the wife.

I've always heard about that range in Liberty/Pickens, but I've never been there. Do you have directions to it from either 123 or 85? Of course I'd be coming from Clemson. I've also heard that they have rules there about the kind of guns you can shoot, rate of fire rules, etc... any truth to that?
 
The easiest way to get to the gun range would be to go down Hwy 93 to Liberty. Naturally, Hwy 93 is the one that goes right past Sardi's Restaurant. :D At Hwy 178 in Liberty, make a left toward Pickens. Just past the Pickens County Airport (airport will be on your left), you make a right at the next intersection (Hwy 178 and Breazeale Road). I think you go about a mile and a half and make a right on Cleveland Ct.....I don't recall the name of the road, but there is a huge white sign at the street that says something about the Pickens County dove field and/or something about the range.

I think, during the summer, the range is open from 10-6pm Tues-Sat. The rifle range has a one-shot per three seconds limit. Pistol range is any speed you want. You can only shoot at paper targets. There is a 100 yrd rifle range, 25 yd pistol range, archery area, and a skeet/trap shooting area for shotguns. They have a 300 yd rifle range, but it hasn't been open for some number of years. They used to have stands for placing your target any distance shy of 100 yds on the rifle range, but they have been shot up and not replaced, so, if you want to shoot closer than 100 yds, you need to supply some type of stand. I'm not sure about any restrictions on stand materials (I know wood and PVC are "ok", but not too sure about metal stands because of concern for ricochets).

I try to go out there at least one Saturday a month (we went last weekend). I don't know if we are going for a motorcycle ride or going to the range, tomorrow, since we will have a babysitter. There is a chance we may be out there, again, tomorrow, but it all depends on if we get the new rear tire for the Ducati in the morning, or if she wants to take the Harley.
 
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