44 Special vs. 357 Magnum

74A95 said:
What's the difference in weight when built on the same frame?
There's only so much you can get from a max pressure of 15,500 psi (44 Special) compared to a max pressure of 36,000 psi (44 Magnum).
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Well, they're not usually built on the same frame. That's the whole point.

As for power, I've never felt that I've needed the full power of the Magnum.

The .44 Special is plenty potent in good handloads........have you read Elmer Keith?
 
The Verminator said:
Well, they're not usually built on the same frame. That's the whole point.

As for power, I've never felt that I've needed the full power of the Magnum.

The .44 Special is plenty potent in good handloads........have you read Elmer Keith?
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Which company makes both that are not on the same frame?

I've read Keith. Are you advising people to load the 44 Special past SAAMI pressure limits to be fired in 44 Special revolvers? Sounds like a dangerous road to go down, with real liability concerns.

People can wildcat anything, and that includes the 44 Magnum. Buffalo Bore loads 44 Magnum +P and +P+.
 
Which company makes both that are not on the same frame?
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Ruger. The .44 Special Flattop is on the medium frame, the .44 Mag is on the large frame. Prefer the .44 Special Flattop any day.... And 'this' .44 Special can be loaded beyond SAAMI .44 Special power levels, but not to full .44 Magnum level. Of course, you understand, you do have to 'read between the lines' in your 'research' :) ...

...with real liability concerns.
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That of course is your opinion... Some of us do believe in personal responsibility for the loads we use ... Research is key...
 
74A95 said:
Which company makes both that are not on the same frame?

I've read Keith. Are you advising people to load the 44 Special past SAAMI pressure limits to be fired in 44 Special revolvers? Sounds like a dangerous road to go down, with real liability concerns.

People can wildcat anything, and that includes the 44 Magnum. Buffalo Bore loads 44 Magnum +P and +P+.
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The point is that there are choices to be made to get a .44 Special that is lighter than a .44 Magnum. I'm not going to start researching it.

As for reloading, I'm not advising anything except common sense.
 
74A95 said:
Which company makes both that are not on the same frame?

I've read Keith. Are you advising people to load the 44 Special past SAAMI pressure limits to be fired in 44 Special revolvers? Sounds like a dangerous road to go down, with real liability concerns.

People can wildcat anything, and that includes the 44 Magnum. Buffalo Bore loads 44 Magnum +P and +P+.
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Various Charter Arms models and Ruger GP-100 revolvers are available in 44sp on smaller lighter frames that aren’t available in 44magnum.
 
people, people; i didn't mean to open a can of worms.

i only asked if the op had a reason for choosing spl over mag.
they did and i'm satisfied. thank you.
 
Last edited:
Pretty far from a Bulldog…….
My point was that all common 44spl’s are not created equally.
The 69 Smith, a 44 Magnum (a great woods companion depending upon your location) is a totally different animal than what the OP originally was asking opinions about.
 
Pumpkin said:
Pretty far from a Bulldog…….
My point was that all common 44spl’s are not created equally.
The 69 Smith, a 44 Magnum (a great woods companion depending upon your location) is a totally different animal than what the OP originally was asking opinions about.
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No.

You have to read more carefully.

The link is about the Model 696, not the 69.
 
Still,
Far from a Bulldog!
Buffalo Bore doesn’t even recommend some of their loads for the Bulldog.
It’s in a different class of revolver than a Ruger or an L or N frame Smith.
That’s my point.
 
The OP has a GP100 and a BH 44spl.
All this stuff about frame sizes and semiauto or not are irrelevant.
Have a nice day.
 
I started with the 44 Special in 1975 when I bought a Charter Bulldog. I also started reloading then, making 44 and 357 rounds on my desk, in my cubicle, in the barracks. Wanted a 44 Special and 44 Magnum because I read Skeeter and Elmer. The Bulldog was all I could find at the time. My first handloads of 7.8 - 8.0 grains of Unique with a 180 grain JHP. I think the max load was 7.5. I split the cylinder open, right down the thin side of the chamber. I sent it back to Charter and they replaced it, also threw in a set of, then new, rubber grips.
So definitely don’t max load a Charter Bulldog. But a Ruger Blackhawk, 240 grains at 1000 fps is fine. I would be willing to take the same chance with a Pietta or Uberti 1873 in 44 Special also. Or 3rd generation Colt SAA.
 
I never understood the modern love affair with the Charter Bulldog .44. Back in the 70s I could understand because 20-25oz .357's were not a thing and I'd rather have a .44 than a .38 in the same size revolver, but the Bulldog today is simply a weakly made revolver that doesn't hold up to frequent range trips. Sure, Charter will fix them when they've been shot loose, but I'd rather have a .45 in like the Taurus Public Defender.
 
TruthTellers said:
I never understood the modern love affair with the Charter Bulldog .44. Back in the 70s I could understand because 20-25oz .357's were not a thing...
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Well, the fact is that light .357s WERE a thing in the 70s.........Charter came out with the Target Bulldog in .357 in 1976.

(Being a very old guy with a little bit of working memory remaining--I remember these things.)

Not a bad little pistol, but it sure did kick like a mule at 20 and a half ounces (yes, I had one--for a short while).

Light guns are popular.......often it's just that people carry a lot and don't shoot much so they don't realize there's a problem.

I've never been an advocate for the extremely light guns in .44 Special.........they're really not practical. Smith and Wesson made the Model 296 in .44 Special at 19 ounces........they ended that in two years or so.

There were, however, satisfied customers of the Charter Bulldog .44 Special.

The serial killer David Berkowitz was one. He killed six and wounded several others over a period of about a year in New York back in the 70s. He flat terrorized that city with his .44.

Probably not a good reference since he was insane.

Anyway, there are some good steel frame .44 Specials available that are a bit lighter and less combersome than the larger N-Frame magnum versions and the 696 that Hickock45 loves so much is one of them. The Ruger is also nice and old Hitch has also reported favorably on that one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-GdiGxAcWI
 
357 is marginal deer cartridge , 44 special will be the better choice. This ain’t from the tables put together by the “experts”, this is from years of pulling the trigger on meat. Big slugs tooling along at 800 to 1000 fps do a nice job on deer and hogs.
 
I am also a fan of big bullets, but I disagree with the .357 being "marginal". IF the .357 is "marginal", it is because the shooter is, not the cartridge.
 
Drm50 said:
357 is marginal deer cartridge , 44 special will be the better choice. This ain’t from the tables put together by the “experts”, this is from years of pulling the trigger on meat. Big slugs tooling along at 800 to 1000 fps do a nice job on deer and hogs.
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The OP didn't mention hunting deer, but since you mention it........

BOTH the .357 and the .44 can be and are considered by some to be marginal deer hunting rounds.

It depends on a lot of things........type of hunting, size of deer in that area, distance and likely shots that may be taken and ability of hunter (in shooting and choice of best ammo).

This sort of assumes (maybe too optimistically) some wisdom on the part of the hunter. We now have a lot of inexperienced people running amok in the deer woods.

It's ok if you're an expert and choose your shot and distance as an expert.

In my state the .30 Carbine round in a rifle was illegal for many years due to its lack of power.

In a rifle and with a proper bullet, that round is quite comparable to the .357 Magnum in killing power.

Things have gotten a lot looser in recent years. I think the DNR is desperate to keep numbers of hunters up and license revenue coming in.
 
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