.44 magnum, is it practical????

.44 Special. That slow boat?
Last time I shot a rabbit with a .44 Special went like this...
Aim, squeeze... boom.. not BOOM!!! just boom...
Then long pause as bullet "travels" to target (insert theme from Jeopordy here) then "thump!" goes bunny.
 
I think you would be better off to start enjoying shooting, and purchase guns to do so with, rather than worrying about shooting people with them.
 
The .44 is a good defense gun in that if you hit the guy he will 99% of the time stop what ever it was that you needed him to stop. But you shoot it well you will need to practice a lot!!! It is not a gun that you take to the range once a year. And then think you are ready to fight with it.

Also if do not live in the country it really will over penetrate.

But it still is a fun gun to take out and blow us stuff with.
 
I like the Glock 23 (40 S&W). But if you like revolvers, go with a 357 and load it with 38sp +P's (125 gr HP's). My primary home defense weapon is a 3" Ruger GP100 357. Nice gun. Have several Glocks too. Since I have no expereince with actually shooting anyone, I read a LEO's account of the 357 mag-125 gr HPs on the human body..... scarey. Keep a loaded 12ga with No. 4 shot as a backup...

44 Mags are too darn big for anyone not used to shooting the heavy recoil revolvers. Admittedly, they are lots of fun to shoot. But, I wouldn't do it indoors.
 
As the (very happy) owner of a 5.5" Ruger Vaquero stainless .44M, echo comments on both sides: if not intending to hunt or "be" in bear country, go with the .357. - .357 can handle anything shy of the bears (mountain lion, bobcat, etc.). But if you plan on being in dangerous animal country and/or hunt, the .44 offers the ability to fire the lesser .44 Special rounds 95% of the time which is an stellar SD/HD round. www.georgia-arms.com apparently has an "enhanced" .44 Sp. round now as well - a nice tweener to shoot in your .44M. If the answer is still maybe to hunting/camping in dangerous territory, and still like the idea of a big bore - the .45LC is a good choice also, especially if you reload.

Main reason for a .44M over a .45 LC is the versatility espcially to find/shoot factory full house or lesser loads--that are "more clear" choices what you're shooting--for the function intended--vs trying to figure out the full house vs lessened .45 LCs for various uses -- Meaning "most" .44 Mags, especially to novices, are essentiall "full house" out fo the box, and .44 Specials, by comparison, pussycats (in the controllability/noise & commotion dept) = Clear choice for hunting/camping vs home/self defense. That said, the typical .45 LC, as was stated, has less pressure and close to .44M in "practical" ballistics, and is probably fine "as is" for both duties. So there: I just about talked in circles and contradicted myself! Still: slight edge to the .44M platform for overall versatility and esp if you don't reload. And: just because :)
 
As the (very happy) owner of a 5.5" Ruger Vaquero stainless .44M, echo comments on both sides: if not intending to hunt or "be" in bear country, go with the .357. - .357 can handle anything shy of the bears (mountain lion, bobcat, etc.). But if you plan on being in dangerous animal country and/or hunt, the .44 offers the ability to fire the lesser .44 Special rounds 95% of the time (i.e., when not hunting) which is a stellar SD/HD round. www.georgia-arms.com apparently has an "enhanced" .44 Sp. round now as well - a nice tweener to shoot in your .44M. If the answer is still maybe "no" to the sometimes-overkill nature of the .44M but "yes" to occasional hunting/camping in dangerous territory, but you still like the idea of a big bore - the .45LC is a good choice also, especially if you reload.

Main reason for a .44M over a .45 LC is the versatility espcially to find/shoot factory full house or lesser loads--that are "more clear" choices what you're shooting--for the function intended--vs trying to figure out the full house vs lessened .45 LCs for various uses -- Meaning "most" .44 Mags, especially to novices, are essentially "full house" out fo the box, and .44 Specials, by comparison, pussycats (in the controllability/noise & commotion dept) = Clear choice for hunting/camping vs home/self defense. That said, the typical .45 LC, as was stated, has less pressure and close to .44M in "practical" ballistics, and is probably fine "as is" for both duties. So there: I just about talked in circles and contradicted myself! Still: slight edge to the .44M platform for overall versatility and esp if you don't reload. And: just because :)

In short (?), with the .44M configuration you know you have "it" (whatever) covered!
 
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invssgt - now cut that out!!!

You can't go and bring reason, logic and non-hype (not to mention real evidence) to a discussion about the .44 Rem Magnum. ;)

Get with the program bub..

Everybidy knows the .44 Rem Mag flashes like an arc welder, kicks like having your hand hit by a Kenworth, penetrates like a quark, booms enough to shatter windows.... :D
 
I hope you have a big house, and expect grizzly for home invasion. If the situation ever came up on hd if you shot the invader the bulliit would go thru wall and probably kill anyone walking by. Big is not always better.
 
invssgt - now cut that out!!!

You can't go and bring reason, logic and non-hype (not to mention real evidence) to a discussion about the .44 Rem Magnum.

Get with the program bub..

Everybidy knows the .44 Rem Mag flashes like an arc welder, kicks like having your hand hit by a Kenworth, penetrates like a quark, booms enough to shatter windows....
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Yup... radical talk like that could get a man in trouble for sure ;)

Long time ago I knew a fella that had a .45 Colt SAA; kept it loaded full-up with Remington 255 lead factory loads. There were the old lead bullets with a teeny little flat point on the end. Well, he finally managed to drop it on a hardwood floor one day, it lit on the hammer, and one of those big lead bullets departed the muzzle at maybe 850 fps... scorched his britches leg on its way through two interior walls, the exterior wall, and on to wherever stray bullets go that never are heard from again. Made a nice round hole in the cedar siding on the way out.

His missus was not amused, as she was walking through the dining room when the bullet crossed it.

A lot of people think that any bullet weighing over 180 grains is going to shoot through everything in sight, regardless of that bullet's construction or design. But then a lot of people simply repeat "knowledge" or "research" they have gleaned from the idjitnet, instead of just heading out to shoot something, and see for themselves.
 
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A 44 magnum, loaded with 44 Special Silvertips is a good HD weapon.

Make it a 4 inch N frame, and it doesn't get any better.

2944c6pf.jpg


Then.....when you want to step up to Magnums, you already have the gun for it.
 
The .44 Magnum would be a good home defence tool if loaded with .44 specials or even better a "medium velocity" (i.e. light) .44 Magnum like Winchester 210grn silvertips. If it is strictly for home defense, a .357 would probably be better as it overlaps the light .44's ballistics and can be had in a more compact package that could be used for concealed carry if needed. But if you want something that can do double duty as a hunting and home defence (not concealed carry) gun, a .44 will do alright. As to overpenetration, the walls of most houses these days are pretty thin and anything more than a .380 will probably go through them. You just need to be concious of your target and what's beyond it. If you can, try to get down on the floor and shoot up. That way if the round passes through the target it will hit the ceiling and roof rather than a wall and a familiy member (unless of course you live in a two story home and there may be people above you). The best idea is to know where everyone is. Damage to your home is much eaisier to fix than damage to a person.
 
I agree with the 44 crowd here. Hype from neophyte 44 users created the misnomers about its recoil & unsuitability for general use. It's about as versatile as it gets. You want 357 ballistics? Download slightly. You want light & fast? Pop in some 180's. 45 type rounds? 44 specials. Woodwalking/camp defense? 240's/300's, take your pick for your area of the country. The ability to reload makes anything possible with the 44M.

The way people talk, you'd think that the only choices in 44 ammo is either 44 specials and bear stomping loads. This couldn't be further from the truth, although if you don't reload your choices may be somewhat more limited. I've (re) loaded 44's from so light that there was NO muzzle rise all the way up to 300g overmax (guarenteed to get your attention!).

Is it an ego thing that makes some feel that to have a 44 they have to leave the lighter loads alone and buy the bear stompers? (tsk-tsk). No wonder they sell them off with 6 rounds out of the box of ammo...

I went ahead and put meprolite nite sites on my Redhawk. Does double duty now as a bedside gun and for the dusk walk back to camp, woodswalking/hunting. 44's are possibly the most versatile handgun round extant.
 
.44 Special loads are pretty mild - similar to standard .45ACP, no big deal, especially out of a typical big .44 Magnum revolver. Unfortunately, the number of factory .44 Special loads is smaller than the number of .44 Magnum loads. Most of what's out there for .44 Special are Cowboy loads/bullets. There is one nice Speer Gold Dot defense load for it though, and even one (twin) CCI.

If you are a handloader and working with a revolver, there is no arguing that you have enormous flexibility to go down in power from the chambering stamped on the barrel. I suppose you could argue that everyone should have a .500 S&W, because they can be loaded down to where the bullet practically falls out of the barrel and still function ok in the revolver action. Most shooters are not handloaders though.

I think the .44 Magnum is a fine choice, but if you don't handload, and want it for defense and range... I think the .357 Magnum is a better choice. :D Cheaper, softer shooting and more widely available ammo. All the power you need for range and defense, and still allowing some judicious CXP2 hunting. The .357 is also a good choice, it's just a step down on the power curve is all - that's not necessarily a bad thing, just as the .44 Magnum being a step up is not necessarily a bad thing - depends on your intended applications.
 
I have a Glock 21 and also a 6" S&W 629. Both are awesome. You cannot go wrong with either. The 629 is a little pricey to shoot though. The average box of .44 Mag is around $20. 45ACP is usually between $8.50 and $12 per box.

JR
 
You're right CC! Being so deep into 44's and it having been so long since I've even bought any 44 factory ammo, I don't really have much idea of the offerings for it.

If you are a handloader and working with a revolver, there is no arguing that you have enormous flexibility to go down in power from the chambering stamped on the barrel. I suppose you could argue that everyone should have a .500 S&W, because they can be loaded down to where the bullet practically falls out of the barrel and still function ok in the revolver action. Most shooters are not handloaders though.
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Nah, I wouldn't go that far. .500 S&W is just too damn big (pistol size) to be very versatile. My dad is just itching for me to get one and eggs me on about it constantly. I can't justify buying one, its just too new and componants are limited, few & far between and expensive. It's too specialized at this time and still doesn't have near the versatility of a 44 and for my purposes, wont do anything my 44 wont.

For a non handloader who might want SD concealability, the 357 may indeed be a good choice, the guns can be had smaller and the ammo selection is indeed very wide, good point. Like I said, I've been 44ing for so long that I can't quite justify a 357 for myself and needs, (yet), choosing either a 44 or Colt 45 to cover both ends of the spectrum.

(Whats CXP2 hunting?)
 
CXP2 Class game is medium-large game, including deer, antelope, black bear, hog, goat, sheep. Something around 80-300lb, usually thin skinned and not extremely dangerous.
 
P.S. Regarding CXP Game Classes, better info

I have seen this around a fair amount, but had to do a search to find out where the terms really come from - a poster on nodakoutdoors forum has a nice discussion of them, apparently designated by both Federal and Winchester, as a useful description classification of game according to the characteristics of a proper round for hunting it (penetration/expansion characteristics). This is quoted from the nodakoutdoors post, I thought quite useful:
Winchester calls these "CXP" classes, from CXP1 through CXP4, and has registered CXP as a trademark. CXP stands for "Controlled eXpansion Performance." Federal lists Usage numbers from 1 through 4 for rifle hunting ammunition. But with or without the CXP designation, the numbers 1 through 4 represent the same four basic types of game in both ammunition catalogs.

CXP1 class game is composed of small game, varmints, and small predators. Typical examples would be species like prairie dog, woodchuck, and coyote. These call for bullets that expand very rapidly or fragment on impact. The Hornady V-Max, Remington Power-Lokt, Sierra Varminter and BlitzKing, and Speer TNT bullets are good examples of the type.

CXP2 class game are generally light framed animals with relatively thin skin and light muscles and bones. These are primarily deer, antelope, sheep, goats and black bear. They typically range from about 75 pounds to perhaps 350 pounds. According to the 2002 Winchester Ammunition Guide rapid, controlled expansion bullets are best for this class of game. In appropriate calibers the Federal Hi-Shok, Hornady Interlock, Nosler Ballistic Tip, Remington Core-Lokt, Sierra Pro-Hunter and GameKing, Speer Hot-Cor, Swift Sirocco, and Winchester Power Point are proven performers.

CXP3 class game are large framed, heavy animals with tough skin, heavy muscle tissue and large bones. I would guess that these animals range from 500 to over 1000 pounds, and would be represented by such game as alg, elk, moose, zebra, kudu, eland, and brown bear. Bullets should be designed for delayed, controlled expansion and deep penetration. Premium bullets like the Barnes X-Bullet, Nosler Partition, Hornady InterBond, Remington Core-Lokt Ultra, Swift A-Frame, Federal Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, Speer Grand Slam, Winchester Fail Safe and Partition Gold, and Woodleigh Weldcore are often recommended. But in appropriate calibers more traditional designs like the Remington Core-Lokt and Winchester Silvertip have also proven very successful for a great many years.

CXP4 class game are the extra large and dangerous game often referred to as thick-skinned game. These are primarily African species like Cape buffalo, rhino, and elephant, but also include such species as Asian and Australian wild water buffalo and American bison. These creatures run from an average weight of about 1000 pounds for Cape buffalo up to 12,000 pounds for African elephant. Calibers from .375 on up are usually recommended. Expanding bullets for animals this large should be very heavily constructed such as the A-Square Dead Tough, Barnes X-Bullet, Fail Safe, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, and Weldcore. Solid (non-expanding) types designed for maximum penetration are the traditional choice, and widely used in Africa for rhino and elephant
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