What's Special about the 44 Special.

[Buckeye63]

Same revolver , takes 5 minutes to switch hammers

 

[d2wing]

I like the 44 Special because I can still shoot my .44 Mag with it. Due to arthritis and injuries, I gave up shooting 44 mags.

 

[.455_Hunter]

I have owned a few .44 Specials over the years, but have condensed down to just two outstanding platforms- a 4" 624 and a 5.5" blued Ruger Bisley Flattop.

 

[Old Hobo]

Maybe someone has already said this. I didn't read all of the replies.

Commercial loadings for the .44 Mag. are often for hunting ... i.e. dropping a thick boar hog or other nasty/evil monster animal. For self defense against human felons / nut-cases, the hunting rounds could be over-penetrative -- actually, very much so. Thus, there are now commercial loadings for the .44 Special tailored to the purpose of self defense. The .44 Mag case has lots of volume ... maybe too much so for light loads. The .44 Special case is likely more conducive to accurate/effective loads than the .44 Mag case.

I'm no reloader, so those who reload these cartridges can better speak to the topic of case capacity issues ... effects on accuracy, effects on velocity deviations, pressure levels, ... all of that. I do know that having a whole lot of empty case can result in negative effects. Is the powder up against the bullet for one shot, then back against the primer for the next shot, ... ? In rifle cartridges, loading light can cause over-pressures which is counter-intuitive yet oh too true / dangerously true.
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[CraigC]

Maybe someone has already said this. I didn't read all of the replies.

Commercial loadings for the .44 Mag. are often for hunting ... i.e. dropping a thick boar hog or other nasty/evil monster animal. For self defense against human felons / nut-cases, the hunting rounds could be over-penetrative -- actually, very much so. Thus, there are now commercial loadings for the .44 Special tailored to the purpose of self defense. The .44 Mag case has lots of volume ... maybe too much so for light loads. The .44 Special case is likely more conducive to accurate/effective loads than the .44 Mag case.

I'm no reloader, so those who reload these cartridges can better speak to the topic of case capacity issues ... effects on accuracy, effects on velocity deviations, pressure levels, ... all of that. I do know that having a whole lot of empty case can result in negative effects. Is the powder up against the bullet for one shot, then back against the primer for the next shot, ... ? In rifle cartridges, loading light can cause over-pressures which is counter-intuitive yet oh too true / dangerously true.
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That's the catch, the .44Special is really a handloader's cartridge. Factory loads are typically anemic. Those that aren't, like the Buffalo Bore 255gr at 1000fps load, are nearly three dollars a shot. Only the handloader can enjoy the full spectrum of the Special's capability without having to get a 2nd mortgage.

 

[Choctaw]

Skeeter Load. 'Nuff said.

 

[bannockburn]

.38 Special

But with the Colt, I'm just carrying and shooting a Colt. That makes me very happy - but when I'm carrying the .44, I'm carrying a little piece of Elmer and Skeeter and the rest, and that makes me positively joyful.

Pretty much the same way I feel about the .44 Special. I'm more that satisfied with the revolvers I have now; it's just something about the .44 Special that conjures up so many good times, reading the works of Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton, that made me want to get one. So I did just that...a Ruger Flattop Blackhawk!