New 44 magnum Owner Questions

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Hi everyone, I have just bought my very first revolver. It is a Taurus Model 44 in 44 magnum , 6 inch barrel , SS finish. I am planning on taking it out to the range this weekend but was wonder ammo recommendations. I am very new to revolvers and magnum calibers, I have heard that the model 44 cant handle full power loads ?? What does that all apply to , Buffalo Bore and other hot loads like that or Just stander Remington 240 grain at Walmart ? Any info or tips would be great ;) thanks
 
Most folks who use their .44 mags very much usually load their own ammo.
For good reason.
Start with the mildest ammo you can find.
Even .44 Special, until you figure out how to effectively shoot a big revolver.
Check out Jerry Miculek's web site and youtube videos for some tips, too.
 
I've never heard that before. If it cannot handle industry standard pressure ammo for .44 mag, they cannot stamp ".44 mag" on the barrel. You will be fine shooting whatever standard ammo you can find on the shelf. Ammo designated as "target ammo" should have milder recoil. You can also shoot .44 Special in it, but they tend to cost quite a bit more than .44 magnum.
 
It should handle most normal factory loads... maybe stay away from the hottest stuff like the hottest Buffalo Bore... I general... the hotter the loads, the faster any gun will wear )

you can also shoot 44 specials in that gun, which will recoil much less, & make practice easier
 
Thankyou all for the fast replies and good info. One other question i forgot was what do you guys think about shooting ammo like blazer aluminum case 44 mag ? I see it for very cheap and ballistics show it is not near as hot as Rem or Win etc.
 
I found the aluminum case Blazer to be filthy dirty, but its cleans up easily as long as you avoid Blazer lead bullets. I've never seen Blazer auminum cased lead bullets that did not lead up the barrel in whatever they were shot in. Their jacketed bullets are fine, but leave a lot of smoke and burn residue.

If reloading is on the agenda, you might want some ammo with reloadable brass.
 
... & even if reloading is not in your immediate future... reloadable brass is a sellable commodity... so if you save up 100 or more reloadable cases, they can be pretty easy to sell to a reloader to supplement future ammo purchases
 
I shoot mostly 44 special out of mine.

It should be fine with any standard 44 magnum ammo. Just don't buy the hottest stuff you can find (such as Blackhawk Only loads) and you should be all right.
 
Ok , How much are you guys saving when reloading for the 44 mag / 44 Spl ? I reload shotshells but i dont save much cash doing it. I see 44 mag is any where from $ 30 - $ 50 for factory 50 rds. I would be nice to see that $ 20 -30 for 50 rds of reloads.
 
The stuff they sell in stores as 44 mag are a far cry from real 44 mag performance.
This is one of the reasons people reload this caliber is to obtain full bore magnum loads.
Also the costs to reload vs store bought are substantial.
So my advise is shoot what you can afford and save up and get started reloading so ya can feel the power and welcome to the world of BIG BORE MAGNUMS!:D
 
Ok , How much are you guys saving when reloading for the 44 mag / 44 Spl ? I reload shotshells but i dont save much cash doing it. I see 44 mag is any where from $ 30 - $ 50 for factory 50 rds. I would be nice to see that $ 20 -30 for 50 rds of reloads.
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It costs me about $10 a box of 50 for good clean quality cast 240gr cast SWC loads at full magnum velocities. For deer hunting loads with premium bullets, 240gr Hornady XTP its maybe double that.
 
I have loaded a lot of 44 Mag over the years and still do . Reloading offers a big savings also you can load what you like to shoot . I load full house for hunting and lighter lead loads for fun . You can not really shoot a 44 Mag and not load for it .
 
It has been many years since I sat down and figured it out, but when I first started reloading 44 magnums I broke it down to .25 per round if I could use the brass 5 times. That is easy to do if you're not loading terribly hot loads. Now since I came up with that number the cost of reloading components has gone up considerably. Perhaps some other reloaders have more up to date numbers to share, but bottom line is reloading is cheaper especially for a 44 magnum.
 
The gun should be fine with any factory ammo. Some people (me included) find the recoil of the 44 Magnum too much for comfort. Others can't get enough of it. My friend used to think nothing of burning through 500 rounds of full power 44 Magnums in his Dan Wesson in an afternoon. If you don't reload you should consider getting started to save money.
 
Primer = $0.03 each
Bullet - Hornady 240 XTP jacketed bullet = $0.30 each
Powder - 25 grains each at $28 per pound = $0.10

You'll be at just under $0.50 per cartridge shooting jacketed bullets.

Lead bullets are less than half the cost of jacketed, $0.10 each, but you'll want to do a little research if you're looking for maximum velocity without leading the barrel.

You'll be at about $0.25 per cartridge shooting lead bullets.
 
I've shot a lot of different types of commercial loads in my S&W69, and the lightest .44mag load seemed to be S&B (Sellier&Bellot). Federal American Eagles were hotter than I expected, but well below Hornady, and even farther below DoubleTap and Underwood. But even the S&B .44mag are much hotter than any of the .44 Special's I've shot ... there is a BIG gap between any .44mag and any .44 Specials. I'd recommend shooting a few .44 Specials first, even though they are expensive and hard to find lately.
 
I've shot a lot of different types of commercial loads in my S&W69, and the lightest .44mag load seemed to be S&B (Sellier&Bellot).
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Ooohhh, the shame!!

When I first got my 4" Redhawk, having no idea about big-bore revolver technique, I found the S&Bs too hot to handle!!! :o

However, I've now been reloading for about two years and I managed to get some really screamers and boomers out of the S&B brass that those first tentative shots left me with!!
:D
 
I practice with the loads (except bullet) I hunt with. I do keep mild loads on hand for others to shoot in it, but most of the time, when my friends want to try it out, they will be disappointed if they don't feel some pain.
 
For factory ammo (both shooting and hunting) I like Magtech 240gr SJSPs. I don't have a chrono so I don't know how fast they are but they seem to be "moderate" - about middle of the road. They aren't excessively dirty either. Normally, they are priced about the same as budget ammo.
 
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