Thinking about getting out of 44 Mag

[CoalTrain49]

I guess some people just don't like reflex dots. I never was a fan until I shot my neighbors Ruger with a reflex dot.

I had an old Ruger MKII in my safe for about 25 years, maybe shot it once in all those years. I put a Vortec dot on it and goes to the range every time I take a pistol now. I routinely shoot it at 50 yrds. with good results. Reflex dots are becoming very popular on pistols these days for one reason. Accuracy.

 

[leo96150]

Ooooh. I have a 5161 (the smaller framed .45 ACP version of this) and could see one of these on my belt for backwoods hiking.

Ditto. I would not pass up the .45ACP if I found one. I think that the .45 Colt is too similar to the .44 , but the .45 ACP, ooooh yeahhh.

 

[WrongHanded]

Perhaps the easiest way to make this decision is to shoot some other .44 mags and see if you like any of them. If you don't, maybe it's just not the cartridge for you. If you do, you might have a better idea of what replacement you want.

Side note: An undesired Blackhawk makes a great "truck gun", in my eyes. Especially given the range a magnum handgun cartridge can offer.

 

[rduchateau2954]

So sell the gun and hold off on the dies.

What about a Desert Eagle in 44?

Sorry guys, I completely forgot about this.

I think I'd save them and maybe pick up something like an older 5" S&W

 

[rduchateau2954]

Ok, let's be specific. What's wrong with the front sight?

Why is the Fastfire comical? Weigand makes a great short little base that is perfect for that type of red dot. Lots of folks shooting revolvers with an optic.

View attachment 759650

The front site is huge. It's so wide that at 50 yards it covers the entire target. It's ridiculous on a 7.5" gun.

I actually have the small no drill Weigand base. The problem was with the base and the rmr it stuck up way above the gun. It wasn't great to shoot and looked super dumb

 

[rduchateau2954]

Have you tried a S&W 29 or 629? My shooting skills are par, and a 29
makes me look good.

A model 29 makes EVERYBODY look good!
So does a 28, which must be why I'm so darn handsome......357 is all the magnum I need, lol.

That is what I'm looking at for a replacement down the road. Not really sure if I'm gonna stick with 44 or go down to 357. Either way I'll hang onto the 44 reloading stuff for a while

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Sorry guys, I completely forgot about this.

I think I'd save them and maybe pick up something like an older 5" S&W

That's a great idea.

 

[rduchateau2954]

What do you do with this gun?if it's just a range toy sell but if you wish to hunt with it issues can be resolved easily enough.

A little of both. However I have a handful of short range hunting guns, and I don't gun hunt. The thought of throwing a couple hundred more bucks at it is not appealing.

A quick trip to cylinder and slide or any other reputable gunsmith could fix any issues you have.

There isn't anything wrong with it. I just don't know if I wanna spend all this money to cut down the barrel and have a new sight installed, or grind down and replace the sight, or buy a scope for it.

 

[rduchateau2954]

The standard front can be seen better if holding at 6 oclock, in the white part of the target, below the black bullseye.

I would change the Ruger rear sight first. Something with a flat blade and adjustment that will not fail with use.

Like this discontinued model. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/7...-revolver-all-models-steel-blue-white-outline
Millett Series 100 Adjustable Rear Sight Ruger Revolver

That's another issue, not a lot out there for some reason.

What do you find objectionable about the front sight? I, for one, like the Ruger front sight and have installed one on a Colt Single Action Army mated with S&W rear sight.

When I needed a taller blade on one Super Blackhawk, I had my gunsmith mill off the blade and slot the ramp so optional blades could be pinned in.

Bob Wright

The sight is just too darn big. The front is super wide, the notch it super wide. Make my SR1911 look like it has target sights.

 

[rduchateau2954]

Heck if I know.
View attachment 759724 View attachment 759725

Ad about an inch and a half to the height and try again. I had pictures but deleted them.

And I just picked up this mount for my Redhawk in .44 Mag.

http://raptor-eng.com/raptor_rev_b_004.htm

If you buy a Redhawk, the front sight is easily changed out. There are some nice options out there.

I'd have to go with an older Smith if I replaced it with another 44. The Redhawk just isn't my jam.

 

[rduchateau2954]

If you dont like the blue sight, some "white out" in the grooves can change that and its cheap

It's got a coat of white and a coat of florescent yellow on it atm. My only other thought was to make a stripe down the center.

Sell it and the dies and go .357!

There new Ruger match champion sure is purdy looking.

 

[rduchateau2954]

I would park the 44 in your gunsafe and search for the replacement that will make you happy. There is plenty of time later to divest from .44 mag or just sell the firearm or get the pistol modified.

No hurry. Find the replacement. Shoot the replacement for a few months before making a move on the .44.

I can not count the number of posts on this site that lament letting a firearm go and regret the decision later, sometimes much later.

This has been on my mind since September. Put about 700 rounds through it and the things I didn't like just kept getting harder to overlook.

I'm trying to think of what I would want the finished product to be if I went nuts. I don't really wanna cut it down because the only real thing I want a big ole single action for is hunting. It's a little too valuable as a DIY project gun, I keep coming back to a 7.5" gun with really good sights that I can play with at 100 yards.

However that is gonna take some serious gun smithing and I haven't been impressed with the limited aftermarket sight options.

 

[rduchateau2954]

Is the front sight really the only issue? You could try painting it. I like psychedelic colors.

Here is how I proceed: Degrease the sight. Grease the sides of the sight, Chapstick works well, so any paint dribbles don't adhere to the sides.

Paint on a layer of white nail polish. Let dry, paint on another. Now top that with whatever colored nail polish you like. The white undercoats make the topcoat color pop. Currently I'm using Neon Bora Bora, sort of an electric coral pink-magenta. Women use all sorts of nail coloring these days, from deep black to bright white and even some colors I hadn't heard of. You might not need to go shopping to get your supplies for this project.

The only actual requirement is that the color is one you're not likely to encounter in nature, so the sight doesn't get lost against the target.

The paint job is not permanent but it is durable, and cheap and easy to renew. It is also easy to remove, using nail polish remover, if you decide you made a mistake. I can see how a man with a hot pink sight might feel that way. But it was that or Lilac Frost.

Or mount some optic you find less amusing.

Already done. Coat of white, coat of florescent yellow. Doesn't change the width though. Thought about trying to paint a center stripe but that would be challenging. Also thought about having it drilled and tapped for a gold bead or a piece of fiber optic.

My tiny wisdom to the OP: If you like the gun but not the front sight, have a competent smith change it.
(Emphasis on 'competent' here.)

If you just don't get giggly enjoyment from the gun any more, time to consider your next gun purchase.

That's it. No more wisdom to offer.

That's what I'm struggling with. If I do spend the money, will that fix it or will I be back here in a year? I keep going back and forth.

 

[rduchateau2954]

I don't know why someone would give up on a cartridge because they don't care for a platform.

I get that there are not any revolvers the OP cares for as a replacement, at least that the OP has seen.

Doesn't mean some googling couldn't turn something up.

I do like the older Smith's. I also like the Ruger 10/44's and Henry lever guns. If I do sell this black hawk the reloading stuff will stay. I've no problem throwing it in a closet for a few years.

For more context, are you shooting bench rest or free hand and at what range? In other words, what are you expecting from your shooting and ability to see the front sight clearly?

A little of everything. My favorite range has an 18 yard pistol, and 50, 100, 200, 300, and 500 yard ranges. I do load workup from the bench at 18, some offhand at 18 as well as offhand and bench at 50.

The issue is the front sight is so wide that you're pretty much just aiming at the target itself at 50 yards, there is no aiming for the bull.

 

[rduchateau2954]

If the problem is that typical .44 Magnum guns are too big and clunky, there's Smith and Wesson's Model 69, a 5-shooter .44 Magnum on the L frame, and I am optimistic that Ruger will follow along with a .44 Magnum GP-100. (They already make the GP in .44 Special.)

It's difficult to fault the cartridge. If you want less hurrah and bother you can load .44 Specials or midrange magnums. Bump up the power to full magnum levels and you have quite a bit of energy on tap for hunting uses.

That's really not an issue, it's such a beast of a gun plus with it being a Bisley that even the full house magnums are pretty manageable.

I load a 240gr cast lead SWC over 8gr of w231 for an all day mouse fart load.

I doubt we'll see a .44Mag GP. Apparently S&W is more comfortable with a narrower safety margin than Ruger.

Yeah I can't see Ruger moving away from their big built like a tank 44 mags either.

 

[rduchateau2954]

View attachment 759787

http://www.ruger.com/products/vaqueroStainless/specSheets/10596.html

I love mine. My favorite .44 ever.

Those sights would give me nightmares. Plus I think I'd want a DA gun if I went small. I've did consider selling it for like a 5.5" sbh in stainless but it just doesn't appeal for some reason.

 

[rduchateau2954]

I guess some people just don't like reflex dots. I never was a fan until I shot my neighbors Ruger with a reflex dot.

I had an old Ruger MKII in my safe for about 25 years, maybe shot it once in all those years. I put a Vortec dot on it and goes to the range every time I take a pistol now. I routinely shoot it at 50 yrds. with good results. Reflex dots are becoming very popular on pistols these days for one reason. Accuracy.

Exactly, my Burris RMR I bought for my Ruger MKIII. With a Burris mount in the rear dovetail I could defeat pop can armies at 50 yards all day.

It just doesn't work perched on top of the black hawk.

 

[rduchateau2954]

Perhaps the easiest way to make this decision is to shoot some other .44 mags and see if you like any of them. If you don't, maybe it's just not the cartridge for you. If you do, you might have a better idea of what replacement you want.

Side note: An undesired Blackhawk makes a great "truck gun", in my eyes. Especially given the range a magnum handgun cartridge can offer.

That's just it, it doesn't offer the range. The sight is just too big. It's not optimal self defense and it's not ethical for hunting when your front sight covers most of the critter.

 

[CraigC]

There's nothing wrong with the width of the front sight. You don't need a tiny sight to shoot tiny groups. I would suggest zeroing so that the bullets cluster just over the top of the front sight. It shouldn't be covering anything.

 

[MidRoad]

Have you tried out a Redhawk? If you want a blued gun there's a distributor special one out now.
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/products/redhawk/specSheets/5014.html

 

[.308 Norma]

I would suggest zeroing so that the bullets cluster just over the top of the front sight. It shouldn't be covering anything.

Back when we were shooting IHMSA, we called it "aiming at 6:00 O'clock." Even the 50 meter chickens, let alone the 200 meter rams look pretty small over a handgun's sights. We sure didn't want our front sights covering up part of the targets, so we "aimed at 6:00 O'clock." Did pretty well that way.

 

[WrongHanded]

That's just it, it doesn't offer the range. The sight is just too big. It's not optimal self defense and it's not ethical for hunting when your front sight covers most of the critter.

That's just the nature of iron sights. The front blade on an M1 Garand at 300 yards is far wider on the target than the grouping it can accomplish. The shooter must use the center of the top of the blade.

You say you might step down to .357 Magnum. Do you expect to find a smaller front sight on a revolver chambered in .357? If a narrower blade is all that you truly require, buy a gun that will allow you to switch the sight and order a custom blade that is narrower, or with a slot in the center or it, or whatever you think you'll like. You could always send the one you have to a customer shop that will do the work and re-blue the barrel.

 

[Blacksmoke]

Thanks for sharing these thoughts. This helps me reflect on my situation. While I really like the blued Redhawk 5.5 I own, it lives in the safe. Too big and heavy for the self defense I feel a need for. Since my leg went out, I do not hike much anymore, so this cannon is no longer needed. I prefer a lighter revolver for SD, something .38 Special and 4 or 5 inches.

 

[rduchateau2954]

There's nothing wrong with the width of the front sight. You don't need a tiny sight to shoot tiny groups. I would suggest zeroing so that the bullets cluster just over the top of the front sight. It shouldn't be covering anything.

That was the thought process behind painting a center stripe on the blade.

 

[rduchateau2954]

Have you tried out a Redhawk? If you want a blued gun there's a distributor special one out now.
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/products/redhawk/specSheets/5014.html

They just don't do it for me. A different 44 would be a S&W. I wouldn't mind a Ruger 357 though.