What's better in .44 magnum, Ruger or S&W?
- Thread starter Viper99
- Start date
Shot my 629 Classic 5" yesterday and would have to say it is easily my favorite over an SAA style Sauer. I also shot my 6.5" NMBH Flat Top 41 mag and feel like I could project that I wouldn't like the 44 SBH as much.
The 629 has the Pachmayr Diamond Pro grip, which really makes the gun feel like a complete package, both for me nd the larger young man I let handle the gun and shoot it, promising not to flip the cylinder like the last time I did that with another gun ( and fellow).
The 629 has the Pachmayr Diamond Pro grip, which really makes the gun feel like a complete package, both for me nd the larger young man I let handle the gun and shoot it, promising not to flip the cylinder like the last time I did that with another gun ( and fellow).
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FrankenMauser
New member
It's due more to Bill Ruger wanting a major safety margin in his firearms, than it is to being investment cast.
I have and shoot both ; S&W Mountain Gun 4" barrel, and SBH Ruger. (as well as various S&W and Ruger Blackhawk 357s). Both great guns, and I love them both. I don't shoot +P much in either on a regular basis. No need, no desire. If you can, get your hands on both to load, shoot, and reload each. I can't imagine having to deal with the Ruger single action reloading in the field with a bear, big crazy pig, or group of bad guys giving me a hard time.
stagpanther
New member
FrankenMauser
New member
So don't.
We understand your point of view, but adding 4 posts to make your point isn't going to change our opinions.
I carry a Super Blackhawk when I'm in bear country (it's for the moose and illegal aliens, as much as the bears
). If I can't get the job done with 6 shots, then I should have started running sooner...
There are a NUMBER of reasons, the superiority of reloading speed with the swing out DA gun is just ONE.
And you need to look back further than 40-50 years, more like 100-120 to see the origins of the DA's popularity. Back when officers, and the bad guys, went on foot, or rode horses.
What you see is the guys operating in towns, mostly on foot, preferred lighter guns. City cops, beat cops, walked a lot with their guns. Size & weight does matter. Remember back in those days, the gun was NOT the primary arm of the cop, it was the nightstick, or just their physical power. The .32 was a popular police revolver for city depts. for some time.
Guys that operated in the country, Sheriffs, state patrol troopers, etc, often favored bigger guns. They rode more than they walked a beat. They wanted a gun that would put down a horse, something that was a more common thing for them than for a city beat cop.
Big bore DA revolvers have never been all that common/popular for police, over all. The same caliber SA gun is lighter. And, rapid reloads weren't "on the radar" (because this was well before the invention of radar
).32s gave way to .38s, horses to automobiles, and fast reloading, more powerful guns became a more useful thing and even a need. This lead to .38 Special, then later .357Magnum becoming the arm of choice.
This is, of course very general, and is meant to show how the DA's reload speed alone wasn't the only thing considered.
The S&W m29 is a great classic revolver, but the Ruger SBH fit my budget a whole lot better. Mine is the 5.5 inch barrel with the fluted cylinder. It carries and handles easier (for me) than the longer barrels. I had a 7.5 inch years ago, but now I prefer the shorter lengths.
buck460XVR
New member
In a thread with 120 posts, it's common for folks to post 4 times or more in attempt to validate their opinion. Not a big deal...odds are you and I have done it many times here ourselves.
These Smith vs Ruger debate threads have been going on since the internet and the first gun forums were created. Odds are they will continue until this rock quits orbiting the sun. I get in them any more only to add a little comic relief to threads that generally get increasingly heated until they are finally closed. Both are fine guns and have their good points and flaws. We are lucky to live in a time and a place where we have such a vast quantity of different, reliable, quality built firearms to chose from.
I don't carry mine because they are heavy, bulky guns to conceal. I have practiced "rapid fire" though, working the hammer with my off hand, and suggest that you might under estimate the capabilities of the SA paired with some developed skills. The DA advantage comes if you should have to reload (you missed).
