Looking at buying 44 mag, 2" barrel too short maybe ?

Regarding Velocity in the Alaskan

Snippet from Ashley Emerson's (Garrett Cartridges) email response to a outdoorsdirctory forum member's request for info. http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com...7-Ruger-Super-Redhawk-Alaskan-44-mag-question

With some folks a main consideration on which load you choose is your gun handlingexperience and how you deal with recoil. I recently fired 12 of each load thru a Super Redhawk Alaskan 2-1/2” just to get average velocity and check for problems. Short test but no problems. Interestingly the recoil of the 330+P out of the Alaskan was noticeably easier on the hands than the same load fired out of my favorite 5-1/2” standard Redhawk.

Alaskan Test Results;

310 Defender 934fps -- (1,020 fps from 4" bbl)
310 Hammerhead 1092fps -- (1,200 fps from 4" bbl)
330+P Hammerhead 1161fps -- (1,275 fps from 4" bbl)

Data for 4" bbl is from Garrett Cart website

FWIW,

Paul
 
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Looking at buying 44 mag, 2" barrel too short maybe ?
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No problem! Just buy a used S&W .44 Magnum 629 'Backpacker', it's a 3 incher and it 'only' cost about $1000 bucks now, and send it to a gunsmith to be made into a 2 inch snub. Add around $750 more for the conversion and, VOLA, you have your 2 inch snub.

Deaf
 
I have a 38 snubby and it requires a lot of practice to be accurate at 5 yds.,that plus the fact that the recoil makes it a gun I hate to shoot, can't imagine 44 mag being any better,

44amp gave some great info. Shooting a 44 magnum out of a 2" barrel is like putting a vw bug engine in a corvette.
 
I agree with Buckhorn. You also hear the same arguments about 357 mag snubs. It is a fact that in the same barrel length the magnum still offers a significant gain in performance over a special.

My all time favorite 44 mag is my Model 69 Smith. When I was working up loads for it I was getting pressure signs and the recoil was still mild by 44 mag standards.
 
I shot a friend's 44 magnum that had a 2"-3" barrel, something like that. It didn't hurt my hand. It was dark outside and the fireball was very impressive.

If someone got a 44 magnum snubby and decided that even mild magnum loads were no fun, he could just shoot 44 specials out of it. They have modest recoil in my experience and are good for SD for anything short of bears and dinosaurs.

I think that the Rossi model that I see every now and then is 2" or 2.5". IIRC, they were a special batch made to sell at Academy a few years back. I think they are on the Taurus Tracker frame. My understanding is that many of them had QC issues. The ones I see from time to time on GunBroker seem to be factory reconditioned. Is there a Taurus version, too? I own two of the Trackers (a 22 and a 44 special) and like them both.
 
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"...A shorter barrel will always be less accurate..." Nope. Barrel length has nothing to do with accuracy.
The muzzle blast alone can, um, distract the shooter(and everybody close to him) though.
Velocity loss will be considerable as well. Kind of defeats the purpose of the .44 Mag. That being big things going fast.
"...burn all the hair off your knuckles..." Calling that sensationalism is being polite. snicker.
 
A shorter barrel is not mechanically less accurate, but almost everyone will shoot them less accurately. You may or may not see much difference between a 2" and a 3" gun, or a 3" vs a 4" gun. But when you start comparing 2-3" guns with 4-6" guns you'll see a difference. Once you get to 6-8" guns the difference is significant.

I have 44's in both 3" and 4". For what I use them for the 3" is borderline too short. I sure wouldn't want one any shorter. To be honest 5" would be about perfect for me, but those are quite rare. I'd gain a lot with a 6" or longer gun, but once you get much past 4" I'd just as soon carry a carbine.
 
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