danm,
My reference to the .44 as a relatively poor choice is based more on the cost per round than anything else. Good factory ammo aimed at the defensive market is far too expensive to use for practice. Reloading a round similar to say a Cor-Bon .44 Special is an option, but more trounle than buying a box of .45ACP off the shelf for about half the price. Oleg stated he wanted a factory round and in that context, I think the .44 family is down the list from other rounds. Most of the factory rounds are loaded as hunting ammunition, and as such, isn't a real good choice for defence. With the right load, and the right gun, a heavy .44 Special to a mid range .44 Mag can be a very good defensive weapon if you have the time and money to put into practice with it. I didn't mean to infer the .44's had no place, and in fact, I sometimes keep a Smith Model 29 4" barrel, loaded with silver tips as a house gun. However, I do practice with it before I use it as such when it's the .44's turn as house gun. IMHO, handloads have no place in a defensive gun, and the pickings in .44 are pretty slim in factory ammo. The good stuff comes with a pretty high price tag. I handload a round that has a similar recoil and muzzle blast as the Silver tips. Most other people don't go to that bother though. I do have some old factory loads, 240 gr cast lead hollow points, at just under 1100fps, produced by Remington some years ago. These were/are great defensive rounds, but just never caught on, and were discontinued. There are a lot of choices for a defensive gun and ammo combo that are easier and cheaper to shoot, that are more effective.
