Need advice on .44 mag

H

heydeerman

Inactive
this is my first of possibly many on this forum. I found it looking for info on .44 mag revolvers. I have not been into the gun seen very much. I am primarily a bowhunter and I use traditional equipment only. I am in the market for a handgun to hunt whitetail and small game with. I have a friend who shoots birdshot out of his .44 at small game. I am looking for something that will hold up to hunting abuse.
I have looked at a SW 629 (?) and have looked into the Ruger Super Redhawks, Taurus Raging Bull, Colt Anaconda, and the Thompson Center Contender. I am leaning toward the Taurus mainly because of price but I want a good gun and dont mind spending the money.
I would like to hear the ins and outs concerning these guns. I know of the recoil but am not scared of guns.
 
My vote is for a Ruger, but I am biased. I have had my Blackhawk for many years and love it. I can (could when I was younger and could see better)punch half dollar groups at 25 yards with iron sights. Never had a group larger than my hand. It has doubled in value from when I bought it, and is still as tight as the day I bought it. I have heard good things about the TC and the Colt, never anything about the Taurus or the S&W. Just my biased opinion. I look forward to comments on the Taurus and Smith.
 
Stay away from the Taurus

I have seen several come to the shop with problems after not that many rounds. There a copy of a S&W and never as good.
There are some questions you need to ask your self. Is what your going to hunt dangerious.
If not then go with the contender. You can load rounds in a contender that will break a smith and quickly turn a Ruger old. Pluss for hunting if the 44 is not enough then you can always go bigger. There are some rifle calabers for the contender that are most amazing.
If not that then go with the ruger.
 
Contenders are tough. I like the style of the 629 in 6" barrel and halflug. The Rugers are the modern Webleys. They are ugly, hold up to just about anything and are reliable. The Taurus M44 is a nice frugal choice. I have even tried the Commanche and found it a decent bargain line up. They have the Commanche IV in 44 Magnum.
 
Safety question

I am putting alot of thought into this and have a safety question. Can a hammer be cocked and the safety engaged?

Also, Any thoughts on the SW 629 Light Hunter?
 
usin a good old fashioned sixgun like a Ruger Blackhawk or Super Blackhawk is akin to the recurve bow IMHO.

Double actions like the Red Hawk - Anaconda - S&W and Taurus are akin to a compound.
 
My Preferences.

I recommend the Ruger Bisley Vaquero (5.5 inch barrel) or Super Blackhawk (7.5 inch barrel), depending on how much steel you want to carry. Both are extraordinarily well-built firearms capable of withstanding much punishment.

Remember, both of these offerings are single action, but for the applications you've mentioned, I see no real advantage to double action. It has been said before, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a better value than Ruger--new or used.

Another fine single action product from Ruger is the New Model Blackhawk in .41 Magnum. They have a 6.5 inch variety that looks exceptionally nice. I'm currently compiling a list of reasons why I need to get one so I can offer an irrefutable sales pitch to my wife when I get back to the States.

Regards,

Indigo
 
If your interested there were some awesome deals at the last Lima Ohio gun show.Really good prices on used guns.There`s another gun show at lima this weekend at the allen co. fair grounds.This is the best show in NW Ohio.Both days,Sat. and Sun.
 
heydeerman, . . . let me help you with some of your questions.

No: None of the Anaconda, Ruger Super Redhawk, S&W revolvers, or the Ruger Super Blackhawk are cocked and locked type firearms. The safety is the hammer in the down position, with the exception of some of the older Rugers had a half cock position (if I remember correctly). You carry it till you see your quarry, then you cock and shoot it (or use double action if the gun is so equipped: Anaconda, Ruger Super Redhawk, S&W 626 & some others.

IMHO, the best money buy is the Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 mag.

The Colt Anaconda recoil is harder on your wrist because the firing chamber sits lower into your hand than the Redhawk. I traded away my Anaconda just for this reason alone.

The Ruger Super Blackhawk is a fine pistol, but being a single action, it is a lot slower to reload than the Super Redhawk, something to remember when hunting.

For personal reasons, I have never had a S&W pistol in my house, and in all liklihood, . . . never will. They also have been proven by some of the gun magazine tests to be the least durable of the three (Ruger, Colt, S&W).

The Super Redhawk is a large, heavy weapon, . . . yeah it is. But as a previous poster testified about his blackhawk, . . . the Redhawk will shoot out to 100 yards, far more accurately than you or I will be able to hold it.

Additionally the Redhawk comes in the box the second from the bottom in price range (Taurus being the bottom), so you save some bucks there, and they throw in a set of scope rings at no additional cost (the others don't to the best of my knowledge).

Anyway, . . . welcome to the wonderful world of hand gun hunting, . . . it is a challenge, . . . but it is also a lot of fun.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
First, welcome to the forums...I have had three S&W's...one 29 and two 629's...I would also stay away from the Taurus...having said that I do have a Taurus 92 9mm that has shot thousands of rounds without a single hickup of any kind with all types of ammo...even handloads...
It is just that I like the S&W more, and will pay for the extra quality.
My favorite though is the 5.5 inch Ruger Redhawk...I had a 7-1/2 ich model and found it too long for easy carry in the woods after a while. The 5.5 inch is perfect for me....although I would really like it if it was a 4 inch. The Rugers are a bit larger and heavier than the Smith, but it is my first choice in factory revolvers. My second choice would be the S&W...they come in 3 (backpacker?) 4, 6, and 8 3/8 inch lengths, (sometimes special factory runs will produce other barrel lengths) so I suggest that you pick them both up, handle them...shoot them if you can, and then decide.
Try different barrel lengths as well...then get a good, comfortable holster...otherwise it will be uncomfortable to carry for very long...let us know what you get...If you do get the Smith 4 inch...take a look at the Galco holster made for this gun....you will need a good belt as well to keep it from flopping around on you. Hope this helps.
 
usin a good old fashioned sixgun like a Ruger Blackhawk or Super Blackhawk is akin to the recurve bow IMHO.

Double actions like the Red Hawk - Anaconda - S&W and Taurus are akin to a compound.
Click to expand...

Aww comon, Then you would say a Bolt Action is also akin to a recurve, with a Semi-auto being a compound? A single action can be made fire ready as fast as most bolt action rifles :rolleyes: .
 
I've got a Taurus M44 in 44 mag and its very accurate and reliable though I have only put 800 rounds through it so far. I have eight Tauri revolvers and have had trouble with one of them. Course I also have 18 S&W and 5 Dan Wessons but currently no Rugers. I would recommend a Ruger Super Blackhawk for a hunting pistol. They are a tough, no nonsense design and are widely available used and not too expensive. Anyone who hunts deer with a bow will have no trouble cocking a sigle action revolver to fire it. :)
 
I got to this site kinda late in my game of hunting for a pistol. After talking with as many folks as I could I have narrowed it down to the Ruger Super Redhawk. Found one nearby and will pick it up tomarrow. I want to be able to pull off at least one more shot pretty quick so I went with the DA. Planning on hunting small game as well as whitetails. I also wanted to get one new as I will keep this gun. My Dad recently passed and he left me a little money and wanted to buy a nice hunting handgun as a momento. Thats one reason I wanted to get the best I could.
Now, I would like to get some info on ammo. I will be practicing for a 75-100 yard shot as well as close range.
I would also like to know if anyone else hunts small game with bird shot out of their .44. I have a bud who does and he uses factory loaded bullets. He is going to give me a box to try. Got plenty of time to practice and might be able to shoot some skwerls and bunnies before season closes here in Ohio.
I'll post this on the hunting forum as well.
Thanks for the input so far. I found it very helpful.
 
I'm not too sure what the bird shot is you refer to. I use what I refer to as snake shot out of my old model 44 super black hawk, I also shoot it out of my model 29 SW.
It's been my experience if whatever I'm shooting at is over 10 to 15 feet away they are not effective.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top