Short Barrelled .44 Magnum Revolvers

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Mike H

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I hate to post questions that arise from watching some B movie Shoot 'Em Up, but this one has bugged me for a while.

I've seen several movies featuring .44 Magnums with barrel lengths of less than 4 inches, they appear to be 2.5" or 3". Now I've never seen a big blaster in anything less than 4 inch, and they look pretty short with that ! Someone educate me, is there a 3" Bbl or shorter .44 Mag, if so what is it and has anyone ever fired one ?

Regards

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Mike H
 
mikeh,--i think 3 and 2.5 inch barreled .44 mags. are not all that uncommon.i think distributors like lew horton have occasionally had them for sale.i beleive they would be limited run items.i also have seen short .44 mag stories in some of the gun magazines.these were about custom built revolvers by some gunsmith.i think a gun like that would mostly be shot with .44 special loads,but it would have the capability of magnum loads.i have a 4 inch s+w629 and have never fired a shorter .44 mag.hope this helps to answer your question.----arthur
 
MikeH I have seen quite a few Snubby .44 mags
and they are not all that uncomfortable to shoot. You get alot more muzzle blast and more recoil due to the decrease in weight but they aren't that bad. S*W made a mountain gun for a number of years with a fluted cylinder 3.5" barrel with short underlug and it is a great little gun. A friend of mine who's dad is a smith in Alaska
made a 2.5" 629 that wasn't very fun to shoot
because of muzzle blast but when you are hiking in Bear country you need a big gun.
 
Like many other current weapon designs, this one was once just a Gunsmith custom job. Once popularity was strong, the Factories started doing it themselves.

The most common snub .44 was the S&W 29. From my recolection, they were 3" barrels. I also believe they did the same thing to the .44spl. model as well, and possibly others.

I believe Fred Dryer's character on the NBC cop show "Hunter" carried a snub .44 for at least a season.

I will add that these weapons are probably very difficult to fire well. Most of us who have fired medium and small .357 can atest to the brute force generated by firing full house magnums in small guns. I can only surmize the force generated by a snub .44 mag.



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"By His stripes we are healed..."

PeterGunn
 
Smith has made shorter than 4" barreled guns for distributors in both .44 Spl. and .44 Mag., both blue and stainless. I have a 3" M29 which is a smooth and beautiful gun. It is loud and you know when you touch it off, but the workst in recoil is the 4" .44 Mag. Mtn Gun in my collection (yet I like it a heap!).

A new York distributor years ago used to offer less than 4" Astra .44 Mags called the "Terminator." I'd like to have had one, but didn't have the bucks when they were available.

The used 3" Smiths show up from time to time at guns shows in my area, but aren't a common item. Lew Horton recently offered a less than 4" with an unfluted cylinder--there may still be some around.
 
Although barrel lengths shorter than 4-inches are near to useless for hunting, they are often deployed successfully for close-quarters defense against dangerous game. We recently had a customer follow three of his friends into heavy cover after a wounded Alaskan grizzly, just to have the bear circle around and launch an attack from the rear. Our customer, due to the circumstances of the moment, was armed only with a 2.5-inch barreled S&W 44 Magnum and was required to deal with this bear at a distance of just 15-feet! Fortunately, the pistolero had his gun in his hand and not his holster as the quickness of the attack would have precluded his getting it into action from a holster. Well, he quickly turned and fired a round into the charging grizzly and knocked the bear down with a well placed shot. He then quickly proceeded to empty the remaining rounds into the bear and that charge was over. The shooter was firing our 310-gr SUPER-HARD-CAST bullets and, although the barrel was short and the velocities were low, only one of the six shots were recovered as the others completely penetrated the grizzly. If you would like to see a photo of the grizzly and the greatly relieved shooter check out our website www.garrettcartridges.com . Personally, I think barrels shorter than 4-inches are a little too short for big game at close quarters, but on this occasion it did a very fine job.

Randy Garrett
 
I owned one of the 3" barreled M29s with Round Butt. It was a nice piece, but, IMHO the power in the magnum revolver rounds with their slower burning powder requires a longer barrel to get the advantage over the standard chamberings, therefore, I sold it. Similar with the 640 357 snubby, which I also sold.

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Be mentally deliberate, but muscularly fast. Aim for just above the belt buckle.
Wyatt Earp
 
Randy, in connection with your story about ole griz, it's interesting to note that a six inch barrelled gun would have been just as handy in that specific encounter (as well as probably more effective), but might have been left at home because it wasn't as easy to pack in the woods.

That said, it takes a lot of guts to follow a wounded griz into the deep cover with any kind of gun, though it must be done.

Thanks for the account.
 
I just acquired a SW mdl 29. It's a Lew Horton special that has a 3" barrel. Just shot it last weekend at my brother-in-laws ranch. For such a small package, it's neither loud nor has a heavy recoil. We shot both .44 Mag and .44 spcl rounds through it. It will be getting a new set of grips, though as it bit both of us in the web of our hand. It currently wears a really small set of grips. I think a new set of Badgers looks great and only about $60. Bluebook says NO SW 3" barreled revolvers made (mdl 29 OR 629), except Lew Horton specials. Standard Catalog of Firearms listed 5000 made for him in early '90's. This would be a great ccw. Most people probably won't agree, but loaded with .44 spl, quite controlable and will do the job. Jim
 
About five years ago I attended a Smith & Wesson day at a local range/store. I was able to put 10 rounds of .44 Magnum through a short barreled 629. My curiosity was completely satisfied. The fireball was enormous and the recoil was painful.

Been there, done that, not again.
 
The Smith and Wesson 629 Trail Boss is readily available and it has a 3" ported barrel. I shot mine quit a bit with 300 grain loads put together for carry in grizzly bear management areas.

A 3" ported .44 with full house loads of 240 grains or more is not for everyone. In fact, 300 grain loads in the Trail Boss are down right abusive and will induce flinching in recoil conscious shooters. Anyone telling you otherwise is full of testosterone.

I am a Master class PPC shooter and I have competed for many years with a Power Custom revolver in .44 special. I am no stranger to the "N-Frame" big bores. Still, I developed such a dislike for the snubby .44 magnum that I finally sold the thing. In my view, only the most experienced shooters are capable of shooting such a handgun fast and accurately. I believe most folks would be better off with something a little tamer for serious social encounters.

As for following a wounded grizzly bear into thick cover armed only with a handgun...well I suppose I shouldn't even go there.
 
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