.44 mag vs "misc."

P

Pond James Pond

New member
I have a .44mag revolver.

I like it and will use it as a woods gun when work finally abates long enough for me to have a summer.
I have often followed and sometimes started threads on which calibre/platform is best and I know that there are hundreds of options and thousands of opinions.

However, I started think about those other options. I really like the .454 casull SRHs. There is something about them but then I also thought about the likes of the Desert Eagles in .50.

The .454 is far more powerful than the .44, I think that is agreed, but how does the .50 AE compare to those two revolver calibres?
On paper I understand the DE to be more powerful than the .44 Mag.

Is that the case in real life?
If so, how much more so?
And, is there a reason why many still favour the likes of the .44 over the DE? After all it has a greater capacity, is allegedly very accurate and seemingly more power.
 
If a gun isn't fun to shoot there is no point in having it at all. The .44 mag. is at the top end of recoil tolerance for most people. There are a lot of documented stories about nerve damage to hands, wrists and elbows from severly recoiling handguns. More power isn't always necessary. My 'woods' gun is a Ruger Single-Six 22lr.
 
If a 4" 44 mag won't do the job I'll carry a carbine in an even better chambering. But that is just me. I have no use for a handgun that is larger than many of my rifles.
 
Far as recoil goes, seems I've fired some max. 44 loads out of lighter 44's that gave as much if not more recoil then the DE. 50.

No doubt the weight of the DE was the reason for less felt recoil...

...and too, the weight of a DE .50 is the very reason I wouldn't choose one for a woods gun.
 
And, is there a reason why many still favour the likes of the .44 over the DE? After all it has a greater capacity, is allegedly very accurate and seemingly more power.
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Shooters can walk into any store that sells ammo and find 44 mag ammo. For reloaders the components are still easier to find. If six rounds of 44 mag won't take care of the task at hand then you probably missed a lot. The 44 mag is capable of some of the finest accuracy obtainable in the centerfire handguns I have owned.
 
There is something about them but then I also thought about the likes of the Desert Eagles in .50.
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Desert Eagles are "picky eaters". There is a spreadsheet on Magnum Research's website showing recommended ammo. Random other ammo may not reliably feed or cycle the action. Lead bullets or bullets with visible lead on the base may foul the gas system.

.50AE
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I forget -- do you handload?
 
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If you have hands big enough to fit the grip of a DE then it is a viable choice. Bullet selection and availability for the DE sucks. Are you a hand loader??? If not you better get into it just to keep ammo available. DE's are also pretty much an all or nothing affair; they don't eat reduced loads. I don't know of any off the shelf carbines for this caliber.

44's on the other hand has readily available ammo in bullets ranging from 180 gr. on up to over 300 gr. You can get reduced loads over the counter and can load your own from powder puff power levels to pretty dang stout. Carbines are available for this caliber from several manufacturers. You also have a wider range of platform choices as far as size, barrel length, and weight are concerned.
 
Pond, James Pond:

When I was seriously hunting big game, I carried my 6 1/2 inch model 29 Smith & Wesson. I wore a holster that raked forward on my right hip placing the revolve sllightly to the rear. The pistol was a out of the way but it was readily available. During the last few years I carried my 625 four, .45 Auto rim in the same rig as the modle 29. Considering carry comfort I can't tell the difference in carrying either revolver.

Semper Fi.

Gunnery Sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
The .454 is far more powerful than the .44, I think that is agreed, but how does the .50 AE compare to those two revolver calibres?
On paper I understand the DE to be more powerful than the .44 Mag.
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Apples to apples comparison: Both from Double Tap

50AE Bonded JHP 300 muzzle energy 1223 ft/lbs muzzle velocity 1355 fps

44 Magnum Nosler JHP 300 muzzle energy 1161 ft/lbs muzzle velocity 1365 fps

Personal experience is the 50 is more push in the hand and louder but I have no more problem with it than I do shooting a 185 gr 44 mag, the 240 gr and the 300 gr bullets are easier to shoot.

Didn't do no scientific tests, just lined up 2 in a row 1 gallon jugs of water and both guns destroyed both jugs.

Then put up 1 jug in a row of ice frozen at 0 degrees and I made a lot of slush with both guns, maybe a bit more damage with the 50 but that is subjective eye ball judging, not objective weighing and measuring.

Dos centavos from this old dinosaur is go with the 44 mag. I can find that anywhere, I can only get 50 AE special order and that is a pain in my old tookus.
 
Thanks for the input.

For the record, this is not me thinking of ditching the .44 and I will be handloading for it as soon as my press arrives, which should be early next week. Bullets are on order, spent cases are sitting at home, then it is just a case of buying some powder and primers and I can start experimenting!

The reason for the question was purely curiosity.
People often extole the virtues of a big-bore calibre as a woods gun when there are larger aminals around, and most of those calibres are in revolvers, but there are guns like the DE and I just wondered why it was seeminly overlooked in this capacity.

Pickiness of ammo and difficulty in obtaining it would go a long way to explaining why they are not often a first choice...
 
I will be handloading for it as soon as my press arrives, which should be early next week.
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Cool! I forget which one you were ordering. The Lee Classic Turret?

People often extole the virtues of a big-bore calibre as a woods gun when there are larger aminals around, and most of those calibres are in revolvers, but there are guns like the DE and I just wondered why it was seeminly overlooked in this capacity.
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Even in the more common chambering, it's inflexible. It does tame the recoil of the .44 pretty well, I will say.
 
The .50AE Desert Eagle pistol is also a load - it weighs 4lb, 6oz, per the Magnum Research Website... almost as much as a carbine. You're going to need suspenders to hold your pants up if you try to carry that thing on your belt! :D
 
With a super red hawk, it is possible to handload the 44 mag to near 454 Casull power levels.

And if you don't handload, Buffalo Bore makes these uber-hot 44mag ++P loads (for only $2 per round !)
http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=54
340 grain hard cast flat nose, 1470 ft/sec out of 7.5 inch revolver, resulting in very Casull-like 1650 ft-lb energy......

When I shoot my wifes 9 inch SRH with standard factory 240 grain (900 ft-lb class), the recoil is very tolerable. Shooting a 100 rounds is not a problem. When I shoot 300 grain loads in the 1200 ft-lb class, I can really feel the difference... After 12 rounds, I can start to feel the wear and tear in my hands and wrists. I have not yet shot the ultra heavy duty "Casull-level" 340 grain loads. I imagine it will be an experience!
 
James,

I went through the same thought process several years ago. There are more powerful cartridges, but they really do not do anything a 44 magnum does much better.

A 44 magnum loaded with 240-300 hardcast lead loaded at accepted (published load data) maximum levels will penetrate an adult moose from stem to stern. What else do you need? OK a 45 has more frontal area, it has a bigger diameter, I doubt anything you shoot will notice .027 of an inch. The larger meplate starts to work against you. When you get much bigger that the meplate on a 240 grn Keith SWC you start losing penetration. Maybe that is where the 454 comes in.
 
I just had the chance to handle a DE 50 Sunday, didnt get to shoot it. My impression was that its a very cool looking gun, gas recoil in a pistol. The reality of it is that its just to dam big to really use. Kind of like a cartoon gun. Everything especially the grip is scaled up to behemoth sizes. If you have hands big enough to handle this (unfortunately for my wife I dont) than you dont need a gun.
Other big caliber revolvers are very interesting to me. .460, .480, .500, 45/70 etc...
 
Tried the DE 44 it wasa picky eater,Traded to SRH 454 & never looked back.The 454 is to me anyways a handloaders dream,Just load to what you need not to forget the 45 colt fall in there & that makes for a great range gun,really pleasent to shoot.Then when you want to turn heads load up the 454's.The power band of the 454 just covers all my needs,And not as costly as the DE.:D
 
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