.44 mag self defense
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For me, it would be hard to control at speed with slow follow up shots.
Remington used to make a Medium Load .44 Mag. It was a 240 GR lead Semi-wadcutter at about 1000 FPS. That was pretty managable. Something along those lines, or a .44 Special would be more useful for me as a defense gun.
I have several .44 Mags and Specials. The full house Magnums are more of a specialty round for me..like...big furry things that can kill me and eat me defense rounds.
IF you can shoot it fast, control the recoil and feel comfortable with it...go for it. It will likely go through a two legged threat, but, the odds of that happening AND hitting an innocent in the background are quite remote unless you lived in NYC or other very densly populated area.
Remington used to make a Medium Load .44 Mag. It was a 240 GR lead Semi-wadcutter at about 1000 FPS. That was pretty managable. Something along those lines, or a .44 Special would be more useful for me as a defense gun.
I have several .44 Mags and Specials. The full house Magnums are more of a specialty round for me..like...big furry things that can kill me and eat me defense rounds.
IF you can shoot it fast, control the recoil and feel comfortable with it...go for it. It will likely go through a two legged threat, but, the odds of that happening AND hitting an innocent in the background are quite remote unless you lived in NYC or other very densly populated area.
madmo44mag
New member
I use to carry a 44 spl with a 2in barrel.
The spl with a 180gn JHP was a pretty easy shooter with quick follow ups.
Any load even near mag velocities will be hard to get a follow up shot on very fast.
I worked both sides of that fence for a long time until I was convinced the 44 spl with a 180gn JHP was the way to go.
The spl with a 180gn JHP was a pretty easy shooter with quick follow ups.
Any load even near mag velocities will be hard to get a follow up shot on very fast.
I worked both sides of that fence for a long time until I was convinced the 44 spl with a 180gn JHP was the way to go.
It is an outstanding round to use for that purpose IF you can shoot it well and IF you live and carry in places that are not crowded.
I have used the 44 magnum to kill deer, antelope, elk, bear and was with a friend when he killed a 1600 pound moose with one. So its effectiveness is well established.
However the 44 magnum is a round designed from it’s inception as a hunting round. In other words, it’s supposed to step into “rifle country”
With hollow point bullets of the lighter weights the 44 mag can be extremely effective without the extreme penetration that you will have with the heavier and tougher bullets.
So in a nut shell, the 44 mag is a very good fighting round in the same way a 30-30 rifle is a good fighting round. But it may not be the best pick depending on where you live and where you travel.
I have used the 44 magnum to kill deer, antelope, elk, bear and was with a friend when he killed a 1600 pound moose with one. So its effectiveness is well established.
However the 44 magnum is a round designed from it’s inception as a hunting round. In other words, it’s supposed to step into “rifle country”
With hollow point bullets of the lighter weights the 44 mag can be extremely effective without the extreme penetration that you will have with the heavier and tougher bullets.
So in a nut shell, the 44 mag is a very good fighting round in the same way a 30-30 rifle is a good fighting round. But it may not be the best pick depending on where you live and where you travel.
I have a S&W 629 Trail Boss in a 3"....that's a pretty nice gun / its ported by Mag-Na-Port as an RSR gun .../ RSR was a big distributor for S&W and had a lot of "special" guns made...and the 629 3" Trail Boss is one of them....
Once in a while, I will practice with it at the range...out of an N frame belt scabbard style holster....and the weight of it makes it reasonably easy to shoot / the porting helps reduce some of the muzzle flip ....but follow up shots on a .44 mag vs the same size gun in a .357 mag are more difficult and a little slower. I have rubber Hogue, finger groove, grips on my model 629 and that helps a little on recoil....
All of the .44 Mags are heavy guns...not that easy to carry for Defense...but it can be done with a good belt / and maybe suspenders. I have carried mine in the woods ...on a belt / and in a shoulder rig..../ but unless I'm in Grizzly country, a .357 Mag is plenty of gun in my view / and carrying a K or L frame S&W in a 2 1/2" or a 4" is more practical.
I'm not a Taurus fan....but I'm not saying they are terrible guns either...but I like the S&W a lot better.../ but they're more money.
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If you decide to go with it .....do some practice with it....drawing from a holster and double tapping a target in under 3 sec ...and see how you do ...at anywhere from 3 yds to 10 yds probably. Then add a second ...and try Triple Taps out of a holster...and see how you do.
If you put a box or two a month thru it ...if you're reasonably accomplished with revolvers in general ...I think it'll probably work for you.
But I will tell you that I can put 10 boxes a day thru an N frame S&W in .357 Mag....and a couple of boxes a day thru the 3" model 629 is about all I want to do ...and while I have some arthritis in my hand and wrist / and maybe you don't ...a couple boxes of full power loads of .44 mag is quite a bit...
My 3" Trail Boss 629 ...is the bottom gun in this photo / the other 2 guns are .44 mags as well ( a model 29 Nickel / and a 629 DX model - both S&W in 8 3/8" barrels....
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=82120&d=1340222605
Once in a while, I will practice with it at the range...out of an N frame belt scabbard style holster....and the weight of it makes it reasonably easy to shoot / the porting helps reduce some of the muzzle flip ....but follow up shots on a .44 mag vs the same size gun in a .357 mag are more difficult and a little slower. I have rubber Hogue, finger groove, grips on my model 629 and that helps a little on recoil....
All of the .44 Mags are heavy guns...not that easy to carry for Defense...but it can be done with a good belt / and maybe suspenders. I have carried mine in the woods ...on a belt / and in a shoulder rig..../ but unless I'm in Grizzly country, a .357 Mag is plenty of gun in my view / and carrying a K or L frame S&W in a 2 1/2" or a 4" is more practical.
I'm not a Taurus fan....but I'm not saying they are terrible guns either...but I like the S&W a lot better.../ but they're more money.
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If you decide to go with it .....do some practice with it....drawing from a holster and double tapping a target in under 3 sec ...and see how you do ...at anywhere from 3 yds to 10 yds probably. Then add a second ...and try Triple Taps out of a holster...and see how you do.
If you put a box or two a month thru it ...if you're reasonably accomplished with revolvers in general ...I think it'll probably work for you.
But I will tell you that I can put 10 boxes a day thru an N frame S&W in .357 Mag....and a couple of boxes a day thru the 3" model 629 is about all I want to do ...and while I have some arthritis in my hand and wrist / and maybe you don't ...a couple boxes of full power loads of .44 mag is quite a bit...
My 3" Trail Boss 629 ...is the bottom gun in this photo / the other 2 guns are .44 mags as well ( a model 29 Nickel / and a 629 DX model - both S&W in 8 3/8" barrels....
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=82120&d=1340222605
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If you have to use a .44 load it with a quality special
It was never intended to be a self defense cartridge. It can work, but .44 mag frames tend to be large and heavy. You'd be better served with something less.
My buddy has that S&W Trailboss and it's a handful with magnum rounds. I shot it once(stupidly) without my ears on. I will never make that mistake again.
It was never intended to be a self defense cartridge. It can work, but .44 mag frames tend to be large and heavy. You'd be better served with something less.
My buddy has that S&W Trailboss and it's a handful with magnum rounds. I shot it once(stupidly) without my ears on. I will never make that mistake again.
Nyetski on a jet ski.....
I'd say no way Jose.
The KE level & vel of most .44magnum rounds makes it less than ideal for general carry.
Even the often mentioned, pop culture icon; Inspector Harry Callahan stated in the popular film; Magnum Force, www.imdb.com that he only used .44spl wad-cutters in his big Smith & Wesson N frame.
There are a few .44magnum rounds out there that may work. Glaser Safety Slugs, MagSafe, Corbon, Black Hills, etc but Id highly suggest using a factory made JHP or better yet, a frangible like MagSafe or Glaser Safety Slug in .44spl .
Noted gun writer & sworn LE officer Massad F Ayoob wrote about sworn LE agencies that allowed the .44magnum. He explained that only 3/4 metro PDs really authorized or sanctioned it's carry on duty but even those sworn agencies quit allowing the .44magnum after a few years.
Muzzle blast, recoil, marksmanship, etc were all considered major problems for US law enforcement to allow the .44magnum.
I'd say no way Jose.
The KE level & vel of most .44magnum rounds makes it less than ideal for general carry.
Even the often mentioned, pop culture icon; Inspector Harry Callahan stated in the popular film; Magnum Force, www.imdb.com that he only used .44spl wad-cutters in his big Smith & Wesson N frame.
There are a few .44magnum rounds out there that may work. Glaser Safety Slugs, MagSafe, Corbon, Black Hills, etc but Id highly suggest using a factory made JHP or better yet, a frangible like MagSafe or Glaser Safety Slug in .44spl .
Noted gun writer & sworn LE officer Massad F Ayoob wrote about sworn LE agencies that allowed the .44magnum. He explained that only 3/4 metro PDs really authorized or sanctioned it's carry on duty but even those sworn agencies quit allowing the .44magnum after a few years.
Muzzle blast, recoil, marksmanship, etc were all considered major problems for US law enforcement to allow the .44magnum.
Biff Tannen
New member
If I was confronted by an angry hog or bear, I'd LOVE to be carrying one!
That's if you can even buy any.....
Another point is the lack of any type of .44magnum or even .44spl factory loads in about 60/75% of CONUS.
I wouldn't be surprised if you went into a local gun shop or hunting retailer, asked for a factory made .44magnum JHP & the sales clerk burst out laughing at you.
Another point is the lack of any type of .44magnum or even .44spl factory loads in about 60/75% of CONUS.
I wouldn't be surprised if you went into a local gun shop or hunting retailer, asked for a factory made .44magnum JHP & the sales clerk burst out laughing at you.
For a week? Try forever.
And full power 357 rounds are at least as loud - maybe louder. Years ago, I conducted this as an experiment. I was out in the open, but without hearing protection (I know - dumb!). Both guns (686, 629) had 8-3/8" barrels. Both had full-house rounds - Remington hollow points, if memory serves. There were several of my buddies there. The general consensus was that the 357 was louder; but both were excruciatingly loud.
For home SD, my nightstand gun is a 686+ 3"bbl. I have 38+P ammo in it - for just the above mentioned reason. I'd do the same with a 44 Mag - loaded with 44 Spl.
.44 Mag is readily available in my area....but at least check the cost of the ammo in your area..../ its about $ 35 a box in my area for 50 rds...
...if you don't reload for that caliber / it can get pretty expensive if you're going to practice with 4 boxes or more a month....and you should practice with it quite a bit in my opinion - to remain at least "tactically accurate with 95% or more of your shots" out to 30 feet or so...say in a 8 1/2" X 11" rectangle over center chest area...( like I said before draw from a holster and 2 shots in under 3 sec .....and draw from holster and 3 shots on target in under 4 sec...) / .... if you're really considering carrying a .44 Mag...is probably good enough -- not lightning quick like the high end shooters...but for civilians, I think its a fair standard.
It will take some work to shoot this caliber accurately ...especially in a 3" or 4" barrel ..... with full power .44 mag loads....
my reloads ( 240 grain JSP - Montana Gold bullet ) are right at $ 12 for a box of 50 rds...with the bullets making up most of the cost at $ 370 for a case of 1,950 bullets....which will give me about 39 boxes...so almost a 1 yr supply for me in that caliber, because I don't shoot it that much.
...if you don't reload for that caliber / it can get pretty expensive if you're going to practice with 4 boxes or more a month....and you should practice with it quite a bit in my opinion - to remain at least "tactically accurate with 95% or more of your shots" out to 30 feet or so...say in a 8 1/2" X 11" rectangle over center chest area...( like I said before draw from a holster and 2 shots in under 3 sec .....and draw from holster and 3 shots on target in under 4 sec...) / .... if you're really considering carrying a .44 Mag...is probably good enough -- not lightning quick like the high end shooters...but for civilians, I think its a fair standard.
It will take some work to shoot this caliber accurately ...especially in a 3" or 4" barrel ..... with full power .44 mag loads....
my reloads ( 240 grain JSP - Montana Gold bullet ) are right at $ 12 for a box of 50 rds...with the bullets making up most of the cost at $ 370 for a case of 1,950 bullets....which will give me about 39 boxes...so almost a 1 yr supply for me in that caliber, because I don't shoot it that much.
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A 44 Magnum is a fine gun for SD with the right load. I would stick with something under 200 grains in full power flavor, Corbon makes a nice 160 grn JHP. My choice in my 629 PC is a mid power load like WW Silvertips or PMC Starfires.I would stay away from Glasers and the like as they cause too shallow of a would to count on.
Every gun store I have been in for the last 20 years has had 44 Magnum ammo, must be a regional thing.
If you are going to use hot loads you need to master the gun, my split times with maggies are just a hair slower than with my cowboy loads. On the USMS qual I shoot my snubby 629 better than my Glock.
I don't care what ANY Hollywood character say's about the 44 mag.
Every gun store I have been in for the last 20 years has had 44 Magnum ammo, must be a regional thing.
If you are going to use hot loads you need to master the gun, my split times with maggies are just a hair slower than with my cowboy loads. On the USMS qual I shoot my snubby 629 better than my Glock.
I don't care what ANY Hollywood character say's about the 44 mag.
FloridaGuy
New member
I have a .44 Magnum as a home defense gun. I have the S&W Model 629 with a 4" barrel. I load my own ammo for it using 240gr. Jacketed Hollow Points. It is a great shooting gun. I shoot at least 50 round through it every weekend. I am thinking of getting another one with a shorter barrel.