Which 44 Special to buy?

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azgunner

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Would it be better to buy a new 44 in a Taurus 431 3in blued. Or a Rossi 720C in SS with a 3in barrel with bobed hammer new? Both guns look great. The Rossi is better to conceal, but lighter. They both are for sale at $300.00 with the box. I need help for 44 Special fans.
 
I had a 431 it was an outstanding gun. I sold it to a good friend (who still is BTW) when I got my Smith 696. A 3" 44 Special is one of the most perfect shooting packages.
 
A friend of mine swears by the old line Charter Arms Bulldogs. Based on what I saw from the one he packs around the gun seemed like it would do the trick for me.

I saw one come up on the local gun trader forum in excellent condition for $300, even though I called within minutes of it being posted, it was already sold :mad:

This same fellow does not care much for the current production of the same gun.

Good luck.
 
I've got a 941 in stainless & love it! I really like that it is stainless, but wouldn't pass on the blued one. Either would be good IMHO.
 
I've had marginal luck with Rossis (light primer strikes on 2 guns) including a 720.

The 431, however, is the model that got away. I'd love have one. Rob Leahy of simply rugged used to let me shoot his. 431s were good revolvers.
JMO.
 
I have 3 Rossi's and yes, they are easier to conceal than the Taurus but more robust than Charter Arms. My brother has a Taurus and it is a good bit chunkier. I like the Rossi.
 
A friend of mine swears by the old line Charter Arms Bulldogs. Based on what I saw from the one he packs around the gun seemed like it would do the trick for me.
Click to expand...

I'll second the vote for Charter Bulldog. Mine is one of the newest incarnations, and I love it. Not as refined as a Smith, but pretty darn decent trigger and quite accurate. It's also only 21 ounces (it is a bit of handful with warm loads). The little 5-shot carries very well.

For $350, I'm more than pleased.

Charter44.jpg
 
I have a 431 Taurus. I paid 165 OTD a couple years back for it. Sold it once for 175 and got it back for 175. It's not going anywhere.
 
I found a used S&W 296 .44 Special Ti / Scandium Airlite in mint condition at a local gun shop, always wanted one so I bought it instead of the Glock. 296's are hard to find. I still wish someone still made a high quality .44 Special like it, designed for concealed / pocket carry. I pocket carry mine and love it. More punch than a .38 and shoots better than a .357 magnum. And it's nearly rustproof. Maybe Smith & Wesson will come out with a pocket / ccw verson of their Night Guard series. I'd buy one in a heart beat.
 
I think either will serve you just fine. I own a couple of the 720's but not a bobbed hammer version. In the Taurus I opted for the 44 mag Tracker and shot mostly 44 Special from it with good results.
 
The Night Guard series including the .44 Special version had exposed hammers, and tall protruding sights which was not good for CCW defense IMO and especially not pocket friendly, and the guns were slightly larger than the Airlite 296 .44 Specials that were released about a decade ago. A lot of people call the 296 ugly with that hump covering the hammer, which is likely a reason why S&W discontinued that model. I love the 296 and the hump which lets me grip very high in awkward positions or if I need to shoot from inside a pocket.
 
Either Rossi or Taurus will serve you well.

In the 2011 Gun Digest one of the well know gun writers considers the Rossi 720 one of the best revolvers out there. He picked his best likes for being reliable and user friendly.

The 720 is sought out by many out there (it's documented at gun forums as well as in print) and is hard to find. They do not last long at Gun Broker.com, Auction Arms.com, or Guns America.com.

On the other hand I have 7 -441 and 431s in blue and stainless steel. I fell in love with one waaaaaay back when they first came out and bought a 4 inch barreled blue version. Some are shorty barreled.

I wound up trading it off for another Taurus.

Since then I've appropriated the 7 I have now just in the recent last couple of years. My love of the .44 Special in a K frame size package has a lot of appeal to me. These only have shots, but I feel I give up little and portability is issue along.

Being a short person, the 5 shot Tauri make carrying a joy compared to trying to haul around a N frame size gun.

All of 441s and 431s have been or are durable,reliable, and accurate.

Can't ask for more than that.

Auction Arms.com and Gun Broker.com where are where most of the Rossi 720s and Tauri can be found, but that is need to keep an eye on those sites very frequently.

If you want a more up to date .44 Special snub revolver in .44 Special there is this.

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=122782
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=122783
 
I have three 44 specials: Original Charter Bulldog, a 720 Rossi, and a 624 Smith and Wesson. Ratings: Accuracy and controllability goes hands down to the Smith. Concealability to the Charter but it do kick. The Rossi is much heavier than the Charter and has adjustable sights but with the underrib doesn't fit many holsters.
I shoot the Smith for fun, carry the Charter when I'm in a state other than my own which doesn't trust me or anyone else except Chicago mayors and aldermen to carry, and the Rossi when I'm wading the creek for smallies and might find the evil beaver that is cutting my trees. I usually manage to take a spill and don't always have time to tear down and clean up a carbon gun....right away.
Any of the guns you mentioned will do but none are able to handle anything stronger than factory 44 specials..don't hot rod 'em.
 
I have the Taurus 445 and like it much...

It is 28 oz with a 2" barrel and is made on the Compact frame. I bought it several years ago and I see now they brought it back out again and can be had NIB for about $300. I also have the older Charter arms bulldog that I bought more than 30 years ago. It weighs about 21 oz and for many years I carried it each day IWB.
 
One more minor thing about the charter: you can get a Barami hip grip for it. That's a super-easy way to stuff a lot of grains of lead into your waistband for late night letting out of the dog, running to the corner store, urban fitness trekking, or what have you. Most convenient grab-n-go big bore ever.
 
I have a Taurus 431 that I bought in the early or mid 90's. It's blue, has a little heft,fixed sights...a tack driver! When I got it I had a Dan Wesson 44 mag and at 15yds with the same ammo the 431 out shot the DW which had 6" barrel. The action is smooth as silk which is the first thing you notice. If I didn't know better I'd say it had action work done. Don't know if they are all like that, but I'll not get rid of this one! I'm not a Taurus fan either...I suppose if a company can produce a lemon, they produce a jewel! Just so happens I'll be getting a Charter 44spl. They are light, handy, American made and overall they get good reviews. I have read where some get a bad Charter, but generally they seem quite good. One of the worst stories was , when today on Youtube I saw a Taurus 608 being shot and the barrel shot off the gun!!
 
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