44 mag snubbie self defense ammo recommendations?

B

Biff Tannen

New member
Hey all! Wondering if I could get any personal recommendations (and possibly links to tests /ballistics) for self defense ammo for a 44 magnum Ruger Redhawk Alaskan (barrel is just under 2").
Thank you, stay safe, and God Bless!
 
My 2 bits...

I'm not much into magnum wheelguns. I never owned a .44magnum or .44spl but I may buy one in the near future(2013/2014).
As for carry or protection rounds, I'd suggest checking these loads, firms; the Corbon PowRball or Glaser Safety Slug in .44spl, the DPX round: www.shopcorbon.com .
Speer Gold Dot 200gr JHP(.44spl), the Starfire 200gr JHP(.44spl), the MagSafe round in either .44magnum or .44spl; www.magsafeonline.com .

Buffalo Bore has some great factory made revolver loads but I'm not sure of the .44magnum/.44spl versions, www.buffalobore.com .

In general, Id use a .44spl for carry-protection & get a frangible(PowRball, MagSafe, Glaser).
A slick CT lasergrip; www.crimsontrace.com is a cool add-on ;) . It may aid target shooting & scare off a violent attacker. Bright red dots sometimes make crooks think things over.

Clyde
 
Defense from the big creatures in the great outdoors or from our societal "problems" ?

Believe the Speer 44 mag 200 gold dot hp is rated for slightly over 1000 fps from 4 inch. Am using the same bullet, but load it to 1070 fps from 4 inch. Lot easier to control than a full power 44 mag load.

If your pistol is sighted in for heavier loads, lighter loads may likely have a significantly differing POI. Some revolvers may not have the ability to adjust the sites far enough to cover the variation.
 
With a 2" 44 magnum, I don't think that ammo choice would matter much. The fireball alone would make most things back up. I bet that the muzzle flip would be pretty interesting, too. My self-defense .44 magnum has a 7.5" barrel and I use it for woods-cruising and those self-defense chores (snakes, pigs, other irascible critters) that I might find on one of my woods-walks. I generally shoot a 240 lead bullet over a good charge of 2400. Now that I think more about it, I don't believe I've ever fired a factory cartridge in that revolver.
 
PawPaw wrote for me. Mine isn't a snubby but I do belive anything coming out of a .44 mag. will be a huge discouragement for any bad guy. I keep Glasers in mine. I have probably shot less than ten factory loads out of tens of thousands from my Redhawk. I even loaded some .433 soft lead round balls once, they work.
 
I've got one. The barrel is more like 2.5".

I like my 200 gr wadcutter loads in mine. They are stiff .44 special loads, but in a .44 mag case. Wouldn't want to touch one of these off in my Charter Bulldogs.

IMG_1322.jpg
 
In a 2 in. gun I would not even bother with a .44 Mag cartridge. .44 Spl will do the job just fine. A 2 in. .44 Mag is essentially a "flame thrower" and you're not going to really get the performance increase that .44 Mag offers.
 
I use Speer Gold Dot JHP 200 grain. It is manageable. Another option would be something with a jacketed soft point with a 240 grain bullet at 1200-1300 FPS (on the box). Those are bearable, but I much preferred the Gold Dots.

Alaskan-800x600-muzzle.jpg

Speer Gold Dots
 
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