What is the correct barrel for 44 mag revolver used for at range?

[MikeInOr]

Of course there is no right or wrong answer, I thought that was kind of obvious.

I have been considering purchasing a 6" barrel for my Dan Wesson 744... I find it interesting that the most popular answer is 6" in either heavy or regular barrel. There are some Dan Wesson regular weight 6" barrels floating around and CZ carries new 6" heavy barrels for a very decent price. With the 8" heavy barrel on the Dan Wesson it is too front heavy... so I am thinking of going with the regular 6" barrel. I think I am going to try some of the loads listed in this thread this weekend with the current 4" barrel before I decide to purchase a 6"... but I am kind of thinking a 6" is inevitable one of these days.

 

[CajunBass]

I said 4", but only because I have a "thing" for 4" barrel guns. I suppose whichever you like/have is the best for range use.

I load my own ammo to warm 44 Special levels. Paper doesn't take a lot of killing.





629-4, the only 44 Magnum I've still got. Now that I think about it, I've never fired this one, but have owned and fired other Model 29's, and a Ruger Super Blackhawk.

 

[Charliefrank]

I voted for the 8". Strictly shooting off the bench at the range, the longer sight radius allows me to shoot more accurately. Just my findings/opinion.
For extended sessions of full power loads I prefer the rubber grips.

 

[AABEN]

The longer the barrel makes it more accurate for target shooting but for hunting I like the 8in in a S&W 29 I have target guns 10in they are for bench shooting a Dan Wesson 375 and a S&W 29 yes you can hunt with them also the Dan has taken deer,s

 

[MaxP]

The longer the barrel makes it more accurate for target shooting but for hunting I like the 8in in a S&W 29 I have target guns 10in they are for bench shooting a Dan Wesson 375 and a S&W 29 yes you can hunt with them also the Dan has taken deer,s

Not necessarily. With open sights, many shoot the longer sight radius better than a shorter one, but the barrel length should have no affect on accuracy.

 

[BigBlue 94]

Not necessarily. With open sights, many shoot the longer sight radius better than a shorter one, but the barrel length should have no affect on accuracy.

Aye, a bullet our of a 2" barrel is going just as 'straight' as one out of a 10" barrel. The longer barrel can add some velocity, which can stabilize bullets more, but doesnt mean itll shoot any straighter.

Remember basic physics: an object at rest will always be at rest without an external force acting upon it. So as long as the rifled barrel is longer than the bullet is wide, itll give proper linear support for going in a straight line, because the bore is straight. Once out of the bore, the only force acting on it is air.
This can be seen easily with a paintball gun. Since the projectile is a sphere, it has no axial or linear stability, allowing it to move oddly as it exits the support of the barrel. Now take into consideration the 'flatliner' barrel available for a Tippman 98 marker. This barrel curves at the breech, and gradually straightens out. It looks kinda like a banana. This puts a forward spin on the ball, acting like the rifling in a firearm. This controlled spin effectively doubled the range and nearly irradicated the hook and slice actions of the flying paintballs.