.44Mag for home defense?

H

Hal

New member
Yes/No/Maybe?
What's your thoughts on it.
I'm not looking for a reccomendation as far as buying is concerned. I already have a Smith Model 29-2 4", and yes, it does do duty as my primary Gatekeeper(AKA: HD gun). I was reading this earlier:
http://www.evanmarshall.com/towert/stoppingpowerfigures.htm

and have a problem believing anyone that has practiced with a .44Mag can be less effective w/it than a .357Mag. I simply can't see how something, (compared to the .357Mag, 125gr,) w/more frontal area, more mass, more velocity and more muzzle energy can be less effective. It don't add up! Lots of times the aspect of noise is also raised. Personally, I can't tell the difference between a .357Mag and a .44Mag, especially if the .357 is used in a snubbie. Also, there's usually a 12 ga recommendation for the ultimate Gatekeeper, made from time to time. I've been driven out of an indoor range by more than a few 12ga shooters in adjacent stalls, but have yet to have a .44mag shooter drive me out.Recoil maybe? (See above about practice) I'm kinda curious as to how others view using a .44mag.
 
Maybe

RAE,

I have four .357 magnums, two S&W 627 Special Editions (all stainless, "N" Frame, five-inch barrel with full under-lug) and two Ruger KGP-141s (the four-inch stainless GP-100). I believe these revolvers are outstanding in every respect. The KGP-141s -- along with one of my 1911A1s -- are my preferred home defense handguns, because of their accuracy, quality, reliability, durability, and so forth.

However, I continue to have a real concern with their use in home defense, particularly when loaded with a substantial .357 magnum round (e. g., 158 grain HydraShok): Carry Through. I am troubled that a round intended for the BG could enter an adjacent town home and hit an innocent with plenty of velocity remaining. Obviously, this worry is magnified with misses as contrasted to carry-through.

Now I provide all this background information because I believe the .44 magnum is an even more powerful round than the .357 magnum, for the precise reasons you have stated. Therefore, my carry through concerns would be even greater with a .44 mag.

Significantly, so much depends on your individual personal defense circumstances. For example, it's obvious that my carry through problem is greater in a townhouse (or an apartment) than it would be in a single family home, particularly a rural one.

Accordingly, IMHO, the .44 mag may be a fine personal defense alternative, if you are sure: (a) that carry through is not an issue and (b) that the muzzle flash, noise, and recoil recovery are not going to reduce follow-up shot time or accuracy.
 
I'll probably have a .44special snubby for HD someday. In my situation, if I fired a .44Mag in the house I would be very likely to kill someone a block down the street. Too much penetration.

I would still opt for the twelve gauge if time would allow it.

My 2 cents.
 
I think the 44 is a much better choice than the 357 as long as gun fits your hand well enough for single handed fire [for defense you might only be able to use one hand, two hands whenever possible].

I have a 4" SW 629 & it is my nightstand gun. So far I have only used two main loads CCI-Speer's 200 GDHP in 44 special for nightstand use & Federal's 300 Castcore [a LBT hardcast bullet under different name] for hunting.

I have some Winchester 44 mag Silvertips on order. If I can shoot them fast enough, with precision, in DA mode I will switch to the magnum silvertips.

I have Marshall & Sanow's first two books. I find it interesting that the 210 silvertip has a higher OSS than the 180 JHP. Even though the 180 makes more jello salad :)

If you haven't looked at the Speer 200 GDHP load for the 44 special you should. It has the biggest hollow point I have seen on any bullet. And the external ballistics are almost equal to the 45 acp. I wish someone would factory load that bullet in 44 special brass to ~900 fps.
 
My first choice for a lot of things is the .38/.357 but the .44s are right up there. Iffen twas my .44mag pajama gun, I would have it stuffed with .44spec. Have practiced a bit with .44spec in 3" bbl and they all rapidly go where desired. Since I don't handgun hunt no mo; my .44 is always stuffed with 230gr hollow pt specials.

Sam
 
Frankly, a 22 sits by my bed every night.....

I suggest that a well-practiced 44 Mag shooter with the right load is well defended.

Don't care if you understand why the 357/125g JHP is considered more successful in a defense role; use what you like (and can handle).

I choose both....
 
It's awfully hard to beat a .44 or .45 SWC bullet, loaded at around 850-900 fps. Enough penetration to reach the vitals and enough frontal area to do the damage.
 
Let me start off by saying that I have a 4" 629 at my nightstand gun. I do think that full power 44mag shots are too much for home defense. While I agree with the frontal area comments, much of the potential energy isn't absorbed by the perp as the bullet penetrates too far. The way I deal with the problem is to hand load. 200g XTP's over a healthy dose of Univ Clays does the trick. I load hotter than a 44spcl, but not much. These allows for easier follow-up shots, less muzzle flash, less recoil, and less problems with over penetration. Last note, don't use hard cast bullets for HD, even with moderate loads they will go through a stout pine tree. I like XTPs becasue the expand rapidly.
 
Well besides the cartridge itself .44 Magnums are usually extremely well tuned!

Not to mention the sight of having an M-29 stuck in your face being a deterrent.

Everyone recognizes it from the Dirty Harry movies.

dh10.jpg


http://www.movietours.com/harry/intro/
 
I would not use a .44 Mag. for home defense, mainly because of the risk of overpenetration. My house gun is a 4" 629, but it's loaded with .44Spls.
 
Actually, I have had a .38 Special snubby in my face. It is hard to ignore. So I don't totally agree with Zorro, except that you are more likely to notice a larger object.

Supposedly the reason the .44 Magnum is not as effective as a .357 Magnum is the amount of absorbed energy. The .44 Mag overpenetrates (goes through the target), wasting all that energy. The only part that counts is what the body absorbs.

I'd choose hot loaded .44 Specials for reasons others posted.
 
I have a 629 VComp. Personally, I find the muzzle rise with .44Mag to be enough that it significantly slows down my follow up shots. I'd use .44 Spcl if it was going to be my self defense gun (which it isn't...). But I've seen other folks who can control .44Mag better than I. I think either round is easily enough for self defense, provided you can control it and you consider the possiblity of over penetration.

M1911
 
Sure, I think it's a great choice, as long as you expect to be attacked by bears. :)

I would only want such a beast if I lived alone with no nearby neighbors. Otherwise, I honestly think it's a bit irresponsible to use a gun with that much overpenetration potential when there are other choices available. I also would be concerned about how using a .44 mag for defense would look to the public (i.e. the jury).
 
I've shot 180 gr. remington JHPs over an ungodly wad of WW296 (H-110 in disguise) and had it mushroom out to a nice half-dollar pancake after just a 2x4. I hit a prarie dog with it, and it about lit the parts on fire after the initial dog explosion. I cannot in any way imagine this bullet overpenetrating worse than a 158 gr. out of a 357. If you connect, BG will have a crater and will be smouldering. Nothing wrong with that, I think. I guess in darkness the five feet of flame out the front and the basketball flash out the gap might be a minor distraction, though.
 
Anyone know any .44spcl loads that would be especially well suited to HD? Low flash, etc. (given the previous post).
 
Using a .44 Magnum for home defense is like using an ax to do surgery - just waaayyy too much gun. You've got major problems with recoil, accuracy, and God help anything behind your intended target.

A .38/.357 or .45ACP has plenty of stopping power (IMHO).
 
Assuming you survive the encounter and the BG does not:

1. What practical effect would lighting off a .44 indoors, presumably without hearing protection, have? And would it be worse than a .357? I dunno, something to think about.

2. What is the local DA going to think? I know, such things should not matter, but believe me, they do. Are you a gun nut with a Dirty Harry complex? I bet you were just waiting for some poor, innocent child to stumble into your house at 2AM so he could make your day, right? *Sigh* Stupid, but it could happen.

3. Even more likely, what is the attorney for the dearly-departed's family going to say when they take you to court for wrongly perforating their dear, sweet, innocent (burglar) son?

I'm not advising you not to use the .44 ... if its what you have and it works for you, do it. But remember, you have 3 fights to survive: the actual fight, the criminal legal battle, and the wrongful death suit. Make sure you survive the first, but try to position yourself to survive the other two as well.

Mike

Edited for grammar.
 
Legally the 44 shouldn't be any different than any other caliber. Since most any gun one would pick for defense has been used in a movie, if movies matter in the court room, the arguement could be made for any choice of gun [9mm, 1911, 357, shotgun, lever guns & SA revolvers--your just being John Wayne? or Cowboy Eastwood?, 50 bmg, etc].

As to overpenetration we know that many shots will miss target in the real world because of stress, movement, etc so concern about over penetration should be focused on what the rounds that miss target will do. And if it is a real big concern one can always use Glassers or such.

For lowered powered loads for the 44 mag that are suitable for defense consider. 44 Special hollowpoints they are basically equal to 45 acp my pick is the CCI Speer 200 GDHP. Corbon and others also offer 165 hp for the 44 mag that are loaded to 45 acp levels or some to 45+P acp levels.
 
Glamdring, you might want to try Pro-load, I believe they load a 200gr. 44spl. listed at 900. Of course that is just the listed velocity, but I believe they also use the Gold-Dot hollow points. While I haven't shot any of these in my ruger SB yet, I plan on picking up a box next after I run out of silver tips.
 
I had posted prev. about handloading 44mag's down to near 44spcl performance. If you don't handload or are parnoid about the legal ramifications of using handloads, I'd opt for Georgia Arms, 200g Speer Gold Dot 44spcl. If it weren't for the lead, you could use these bullets as shot glasses.

By the way a 22 pointed in my face will get my attention.

tjg
 
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