Looking for advice on .44 Mag

S

SER56

Inactive
Looking for advice on a .44 Mag for whitetail hunting. I’m fairly new to the sport of whitetail hunting and have had good success with a slug gun. Now I’d like to try my luck with a “large” magnum handgun. I’ve got a couple of brothers that very much enjoy this variant of whitetail hunting and say that the challenge is something to experience. Of course, along with brothers you get advice, some good, some bad, but in this case one of my brothers suggested that I post this group for experiences/suggestions. Here’s what I’m looking at so far: 1) “Most bang for the buck” – Ruger Super Redhawk 7.5”; 2) “Money is no object” – Dan Wesson 445/7445 SuperMag VH8; 3) “Smooth Action/Good Balance” – S&W (Performance Center) 629 Stealth Hunter. Any advice would be appreciated. Also, I'd be interested in any suggestions for optics for any/all of the above. We typically hunt in wooded areas, so 25 - 50 yards is my standard shot.

Thanks

Steve
 
I will have to skip the optics, never researched them.

I have two double action gp rugers in 357, they are very solid and handle lots of shooting.

When I get a 44 it will be a ruger, but it might be a single action as opposed to the redhawk double action.

Rugers are known to handle hot reloads and keep on going. Not all others can say that. The dan wesson has changed hands enough I figure I will skip them. And new S&W are not known to handle reloads like the ruger. The dan wesson is known for target shooting accuracy though.
 
Greeting's Everyone,

While I own and shoot a Smith & Wesson 5" barrel 629 "Classic",
my choice for white-tail's would be Ruger's Redhawk .44 magnum
with the 7.5" barrel. IMHO, I believe this would make a very good
choice for a hunting handgun.:) :cool: :D

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.
 
FOUR REDHAWKS

Three of my Redhawks, including the 44 Mag, are the 5.5"ers. Easier to wear and carry, better balance (for me), and more than enough sight plane for accuracy and barrel length for velocity.

My 7.5" Redhawk has decent balance, but is harder to wear.

Don't need SuperRedhawk in the 44 Mag, as the regular Redhawk has sufficient strength.

No glass; suggest visiting the SSK folks for optics advice.
 
My personal choice is the RUGER 7.5" SUPER BLACKHAWK. My gun is stainless, of course they are available in blue also.

I have no problem handling the recoil of .44Mag in this gun which presently is wearing Pachmayer grips (which may change due to aesthetics). Mine wears only open sights.

These guns are usually easy to find on the used market as mine was. Purchased about 4 years ago for $310, it is in excellent shape. Mine was a little dirty when purchased, an evening with Hoppes & Flitz has it looking new to this day. I carry it afield in a nylon across the chest holster.

The Redhawk & M29 are also fine choices, along with a DW. I don't know if there are any "bad" .44Mag out there! Your choice is really just limited by your personal taste, availability & your pocket book.
 
Check Regs in State

Just a suggestion, be sure to check the regulations of the state you are hunting in. In NC, for hunting deer, bear, or boar with a pistol, you must have a minimum barrel length of 5.5 inches. For squirrel, rabbit, opposum, etc., the barrel length must be at least 6 inches.
 
I like the single actions. Double action would hardly be used hunting and the double action guns are heavier. Look at a Ruger Super Blackhawk, 7.5 if only for hunting, 5.5 if for carring a bit.
 
As far as optics a Leupold 2X would be my choice - I have one that I have used extensively on a 44 Mag - no problems at all. The optical quality is excellent. The crosshairs clearly defined - an ideal hunting scope. The only drawback is price and some may not like the friction type adjustments.

I value crisp creep-free triggers and accuracy above all else and am quite satisfied with my 629 S&W. A single action like the Ruger Super Blackhawk would work well but I have yet to fire one that did not have excessive creep in the trigger. Also mounting an optical sight is not as easy as compared to a Super Redhawk or pre-drilled and tapped S&W. But as mentioned above the prices are very reasonable - especially in the used market.

Have owned 2 Super Redhawks. The first one back in the late 80's was a great 44. Had the best out of the box trigger of any Ruger revolver I owned. Accuracy was fantastic even when shooting open sights. The 2nd one bought in 2000 was the exact opposite. Very dissapointing! :mad: The cylinder started to bind almost immediately - was not fitted properly. Running a tight patch down the bore I could feel where the bore size changed dramtically about two thirds down the length of the barrel. Never experienced this in the dozens of handguns I have owned. Of course accuracy was very poor even when fired off a benchrest with a scope mounted - replaced this SR with my current 629.
 
Gun: Ruger Super Redhawk 9.5" barrel.

Optics: Leupold 2x EER scope.

Reasoning behind these choices:

1. Even though the shorter barreled gun may be easier to carry, and just as mechanically accurate, the longer barreled gun is easier to shoot accurately. I'm only 5'7" and I have carried my SRH for 10 hour hiking days on several different hunts. I have found a good cowboy style crossdraw rig works very well with my short body/long barrel combo.

2. 99% of the time a loger barrel means more velocity, especially this caliber in particular.

3. I use VERY stout handloads that are well beyond off-the-shelf ammo. My deer load puts a Kieth-style 240 grain HCSWC out the muzzle at around 1550 fps, and shoots very flat out to 125 yards. 6" groups at 100 yards standing isocolies style with open sights happens quite frequently. A ruger is the only pistol under $1000.00 that will handle these loads all day long(IMHO).
I have pushed it harder than that but accuracy seems to start falling off.

4. I liked the integral scope mounts on the SRH. Yes there are some exellent systems out there, but the SRH comes with the integral mounts AND the scope rings.

5. I have nothing good to say about the other optics people make, they just don't seem to handle the pounding heavy loads can dish out IME.

6. I like fixed power scopes on pistols. Less moving parts, less things to break.

7. 2X seems about perfect for magnification level. Not too much if you're lucky enough to get a 25 yard shot, but still enough to take that careful 150 yard shot with confidence.


All this is just my personal experience, your results may vary.
 
I bought a Dan Wesson 8" 44mag, did't like it, the grip and balance was off for me. Bought a Redhawk 7.5" love it, although it needs fatter grips for me, it'll handle anything I care to put through it, real good w/300xtp & H110 if you reload. I wound up with a .45 convertible ruger blackhawk 5-1/2" w/houge grips, near perfect for me. Reloading opens a whole nuther door for this gun. Look at Dissolving the myth from Linebaugh.
 
MY PERFECT DEER GUN

My 5.5" stainless 45 Colt Redhawk (wearing Pachmayr Decelerators and a Millett orange-ramp front sight blade) delivers a 300g XTP-HP at a non-wrist-threatening 1309fps.

It will make an accurate hole at a pretty good distance.
 
No advice just personal experience!

I've got two Super Redhawks in 44 mag. One is a 7.5" one is a 9.5" barrel. I also have a 5.5" barrel Redhawk in 44 mag. Love each one of them. But, for hunting here in western Oregon (lots of timber and rain with 25 to 50 yard shots most common) I carry the Redhawk almost exclusively. Easier to carry and IMHO just as effective.
 
If money is no object and you like single actions.... the only way to go is the Freedom Arms, probably the 7.5" model so it's easier to carry... accuracy you can't believe. But being more realistic, I still prefer my Ruger SBH with a 8" barrel. It's still my favorite for hunting where offhand shots are more the norm. It's strong, takes a pounding year after year with thousands of rounds thru mine. My shooting style and preferences lean towards the SA instead of the DA. I've had both but didn't like the way they felt.

I have SA with scopes and reddots and prefer the reddot for hunting. On the lower settings the dot is small enough to still be able to shoot groundhogs at 200 yards but crank it up a few clicks and it'll show up well in bright sunlight. I've never had any problems with the Tasco Propoint on my Ruger, I did have a bit of a problem with a Millett, the springs kept bending that holds the battery in place and it'd go off and come back on from time to time. That has never happened with the Propoint.

I agree with Ben on a 2 power scope if it's going to be a hunting handgun where you'll have to make an offhand shot most of the time. Not many can hold the 4 power steady enough to feel comfortable when hunting and it's also a bit much when you're trying to locate an animal in a wooded or brushy area. For what you're wanting, you'll almost have to handle the different guns and see what feels best to you. I think any of the Rugers or Freedom Arms hold up the best for heavy hunting type loads but many find that they feel more comfortable with the grip and feel of a S&W or a Taurus.

The Ruger Super Redhawk has scope mounts on top of the action which are plenty strong. I have SSK T'SOB mounts on all my handguns with either 2 or 3 rings on them. Don't scrimp on your mount, it's every bit as important as your gun, loads or sights. It's like the foundation of a house, if it's weak, then everything else is gonna fail because of it. Good Luck in your selection and hunts.
 
Since I cannot afford a Freedom Arms yet, I would get a Super Blackhawk Hunter.
"Coupled with the advantage of being able to easily mount a scope sight when desired, the Super Blackhawk Hunter has it all. It combines the rugged simplicity of Ruger's famous single-action design, with the safety of the New Model lockwork, the durability of stainless steel, and the accuracy of a target pistol, into one of the best-looking sixguns to come from a factory in the last forty years."


http://www.gunblast.com/SBHunter.htm
 
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