Does .44 Mag get any easier?

Pond, with those prices I couldn't afford to shoot at all. You should really look into a simple reloading setup. I know that components are probably cheaper here, so you can extrapolate the prices. If I were reloading .44 Mag (with my used brass) it would probably cost me somewhere around $10 per box of 50 using plated bullets, less for cast lead.

I cast my own bullets, so for 44 Mag it would cost somewhere around $2 to $4 a box of 50 depending on where you get the lead (scrounged from tire shops, or purchased) and the type of powder you use. Faster-burning powders are cheaper to use since they don't require as much.

Again, you should extrapolate the prices to what you have there. After purchasing the reloading equipment and with brass on hand you'll need powder, primers, and bullets.
 
I think a lot of folks want the MAGNUM guns, until they try to shoot'm. :rolleyes: Most people with 357 magnum run 38 spls through them and run 44 spl instead of the magnum load.

There are hunters and recoil junkies out there and so there is a market for them. I think your average shooter wants no part of them.

I know you really, really wanted that Redhawk. It's a heavy gun and soaks up the recoil of the 44 mag as well as any out there. It wont get any easier IMO. Try and swap that thing for a 45 colt if you get into reloading or try to find a nice 45 acp revolver. If you keep it reload the 44 spl and don't beat yourself up. You're s'pose to enjoy shooting your guns. ;)
 
I can imagine shooting full load .44 Magnum out of a 4 inch gun could be more stressful than out of a larger pistol. Sad to hear you can't get .44 special loads and that reloading would be difficult as well.

I have some nice "gel palm" fingerless bicycle gloves that I can wear if the gun hurts my hands, but I have only had to use them when shooting light J-frame S&W revolvers with +P loads. :rolleyes:

What bothers me more than the actual recoil is the "blast". So when shooting any real "blaster" I wear the quietest foam earplugs along with a very suppressive set of ear muffs. I can't hear a thing, and it makes all the difference for me! :)

- Thomas
 
I cant even imagine living in a country with firearms laws like Estonia, and in the grand scheme of things they have it vastly better than many many places.

That being said, some folks just never do enjoy the stouter handguns no matter what. Just find what you like and move in that direction.

I do think reloading would fit the bill, so the OP has some research to do. Another option might be to purchase the least expensive decent .44 Special available so that the license will allow .44 Special to be purchased at any shop. Some deals might be able to be found.
 
I just don't enjoy shooting these stout loads...
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Exactly! Cast your own bullets and use 6.5 grains of Unique under cast-lead 240-255 grain bullets. Unless you are shooting at big game, there is no reason to shoot full-house loads. The above load will put the fun back into shooting for you.
 
My 44 mag loves Winchester white box 240 grain SP. I've found this to be a really accurate and soft shooting round. This round will out shoot Hornady leverevolution in my gun. My 44 mag is much heavier then your 4inch gun so I don't know how much of a difference it will make for you.
 
I remember I did not like shooting my Dads 4" 29-2 when I was growing up, even with his reloads. The shortest 44 I've ever owned was 5.5" and both of the 44s that I own now are 7.5".

I can get max load velocities or better with starting loads most of the time. The longer barreled 44s are a different breed than the short ones. Everything is easier with a long barrel, except carrying it. But with the right (expensive) holster that becomes moot too.
 
Shooting a bigbore magnum requires a bit different technique than most other handguns. First and foremost, the gun absolutely must have a set of grips that fits your hands well as grips make a huge difference on a heavy-recoiling gun. What you want, ideally, is a grip with enough palmswell to fill your hand well but not so large thay you have to take an uncomfortable or unnatural grip on the gun. When griped in the most comfortable and natural way, the guns barrel should be aligned horizontally with your forearm and the trigger should be able to rest easily in the distal joint of you first finger.

Once you've got the right grips, you need to understand that you simply should not try to "muscle down" like you would with a semi-auto or smaller caliber revolver. While semi-autos and revolvers up to and including .357 Magnum are best gripped and held tightly to resist movement under recoil, this simply isn't a good technique with a larger, heavier recoiling revolver. I'm a fairly large individual and I can "muscle down" a .44 Magnum, but doing so exacerbates recoil to the point that the revolver becomes unpleasant to shoot within 20 rounds. The better technique is to "roll with the gun" and not fight the recoil so much. While you still must hold on to it, there's no need for a white-knuckle death grip on the gun, just accept that it's going to roll a bit under recoil.

Finally, don't overdo things. Trying to shoot 100 rounds or more in one sitting with a .44 Magnum isn't going to do anything but wear you out and help you develop a flinch. I personally find a 50-round box in one sitting to be plenty and much more than that simply isn't fun anymore. Also, don't try to shoot your .44 after you've fatiqued yourself by shooting lots of rounds through other guns. I usually shoot my .44 first when I take it to the range with other guns because I'm starting fresh with the heavy recoil and it also makes the other guns seem more pleasant afterward.
 
I did considerable competition shooting with my Redhawk. I loaded down to what I called "powder puff" loads. I mainly used hard cast bullets I bought. I sometimes used 180 gr. but most were 215 gr. Both gave, of course, less recoil than the 240/245s.
I don't like to discuss my loads on forum. But, I'll say this, when downloading be as cautious as when loading up seeking max. safe. Too tiny a charge can and will give excessive pressure. Some call it detonation but true detonation is an explosion. That never happened. But, the great recoil and loud report are end of the world scary. :eek:
I can't imagine buying expensive ammo for the amount of shooting I used to do.
 
But, I'll say this, when downloading be as cautious as when loading up seeking max. safe. Too tiny a charge can and will give excessive pressure. Some call it detonation but true detonation is an explosion. That never happened. But, the great recoil and loud report are end of the world scary.
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I would add two additional cautions about downloading. First, its best to use a fairly bulky powder that fills the case well so as to reduce the chance of mistakenly double-charging a case. IMR Trail Boss seems to be a very popular powder for this sort of application. Secondly, don't download to ridiculously low levels because doing so increases the chance of a squib which might leave a bullet stuck in the barrel. While a bore obstrucition, if recognized immediately, is simply annoying as it must be removed, an unrecognized bore obstruction that has another cartridge fired afterward can be extremely dangerous.
 
my first 44 mag was a 7 1/2" ruger redhawk with wooden grips. it is a good gun and accurate. i'm not real recoil sensitive, the big redhawk does have a kick but the cost of ammo keeps me from shooting till i'm sore.

a few years ago i picked up a taurus model 44. it is a blued 4" 44 mag with rubber grips and a ported barrel. i figured it would make a nice trail gun. well much to my surprise it is as accurate as the longer ruger and much more comfortable to shoot even with the shorter barrel. the ported barrel and rubber grips really make a difference in how many rounds you can put down range comfortably. it also makes a difference in how quickly you recover for follow up shots.

the ruger is a very good gun and the recoil does not bother me. the taurus is much more comfortable to shoot than the ruger. i like the looks of the wooden grips on the ruger but i may switch them to rubber some day. it you are recoil sensitive i would suggest rubber grips on whatever brand you buy. the porting on the taurus probably does as much to tame the recoil as the rubber grips so i would recomend porting also. i guess this advice would be even more important on any more powerful calibers also.
 
If you download, you need to use powders that are suitable for low velocity loads. IMR Trailboss is excellent, and it has so much bulk that a double charge will run over the case, even if you are only using four or five grains of it.

A .433 roundball for muzzleloaders (122 grains) makes the ultimate powder puff projectile for a .44 magnum. The trick is finding a powder besides black powder that is suitable for this projectile. I have had good luck with Blackhorn 209. A very consistant 1100 fps with recoil about like a .38 Special. I have tried fast burning smokeless powders but the velocities are all over the place.
 
Damp the Vibration

Some high impulse revolvers transmit a vibration out the backstrap, that imparts a sting beyond disciplinary. Pachmayr takes that out. Then you can enjoy the "shove that we love." We bought these giant slayer guns for their power. I just can't see down loading them that much. They weigh too much to shoot 38 level loads. I think many reloaders seek to reach the performance levels of even a few decades ago. In my view, most factory ammo is already downloaded.
 
I have a 44M RH and a 45LC RH. I shoot one of them every week. My experience with it is -

The factory Hogue grip with exposed backstrap on the 4 inch RH was painful to shoot magnum loads with. I have replaced them with Pachmayr Presentation grips and the Uncle Mikes grips which both cover the backstrap. I'm still trying to decide which grip is better for me.

I only shoot 50 rounds per week. More than that and my hand starts to hurt.

After you find grips that are comfortable, reloading is the next step.
 
As an aside, I have often gone to the range with my .45 ACP, and also took along my 7.5 Redhawk. I start out with a few cylinders full of 240 grain JHPs. Then, I switch to the .45....and my accuracy with it is suddenly just phenomenal. To me, it's the same principle as training for a foot race while wearing ankle weights, and then taking them off on race day. All I know is, it works for me [not to mention how much fun it is to let off that first round of .44 while among a bunch of unsuspecting guys shooting 9 mils and such:cool:].
 
Do you really need a .44 Mag? Unless you're really into handgun hunting larger game it is just a lot of recoil and noise you might not need. I carried one for years but now stick to the .45 Colt. I can do all of what I want with the .45 and it's a lot more pleasant to shoot. In reality there noting around where I live that needs a .44 Mag. I can also use standard factory ammo if I'm so inclined.
 
Do you really need a .44 Mag? Unless you're really into handgun hunting larger game it is just a lot of recoil and noise you might not need. I carried one for years but now stick to the .45 Colt. I can do all of what I want with the .45 and it's a lot more pleasant to shoot. In reality there noting around where I live that needs a .44 Mag. I can also use standard factory ammo if I'm so inclined.
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While .45 Long Colt is a fine cartridge, there are certain advantages that a .44 Magnum has over it. The .44 Magnum offers both a better selection and better availability of ammo, which might be of particular concern to the OP since he lives outside the U.S. and seems to have issues with ammo availability.

Secondly, most facotry .45 Long Colt loadings are rather sedate and more comparable to a .45 ACP. While boutique makers like Buffalo Bore, Double Tap, and Grizzly do make more powerful .45 LC loadings, it is doubtful that ammo from those makers would be available to the OP.

Finally, the .44 Magnum is better suited to a DA revolver than .45 Long Colt is due to its more prominent rim. .45 LC was originally designed for a gate-loading revolver so it only needs a small rim, more analagous to semi-rimmed semi-auto cartridges like .32 Auto and .38 Super, because the rim is only used for headspacing. When chambered in a DA revolver, the small rim of the .45 LC is more likely to "jump" the extractor and fall back into the chamber, making it a royal pain to get out.
 
I'm not a big guy - 5'10", 180lbs. and I actually really enjoy shooting the .44Mag. I shoot .44mag out of both the Ruger Blackhawk and a Ruger Super Redhawk. The Blackhawk is a 6.5 inch barrel while the Super Redhawk is a 9.5 inch barrel.

I must admit I do enjoy shooting the .44mag out of the Super Redhawk more than the Blackhawk. The larger grip of the Super Redhawk fits my hands better and as such allows me to control the recoil better.

Try changing the grip - I find the Hogue One Piece Wrap Around grips ( http://www.amazon.com/Hogue-Ruger-GP100-Redhawk-Rubber/dp/B000JVQPBI ) to be the most comfortable however I am fine with the factory grips that came with the Super Redhawk so I kept those. I replaced the grips that came on the Blackhawk with the Hogue grips which makes the grip larger and more comfortable for me to hold.

You guys are also getting raped in ammo prices. I can get Winchester white box ammo for around $35 per 50 rounds. That's $70 per 100 or roughly 28 Euros per 100. I reload my own but once in a while I purchase some for the brass.

Now about ammo - I do find shooting Buffalo Bore ammo ( http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=9 ) to be pretty punishing but its also rather expensive. Nonetheless I can load some pretty hot rounds that are similar in recoil. They're not fun to shoot more than a couple hundred rounds before my hand starts telling me its time to stop.
 
Oh boy!!

I have some serious thinking to do. I'd even call it soul searching!

Right now I can't find a local .44 mag brass stockist. I can't find dies to fit .429 either. So reloading is already going to be tough unless I buy factory loads and reuse them: expensive!

The only real reason to reload is the .44 Mag. The only reason I have to own the .44 Mag is I had bought it as a woods gun against any angry game, that I've, so far, never laid eyes on! The only other reason is that I simply like the gun: but that is an expensive reason!!

I've since found out on another thread that really spray is more consistaently effective, and whilst .44 is better than .45, it's all relative. Can I justify keeping anything up to €900 locked up in a gun I find hard to enjoy on full loads and may not be able to get the necessary reloading gear for?!

As I said before that could pay for a new Norinco 1911 and a used Vepr 308:eek:!!!

On the face of it, it doesn't look good!!:(
 
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