Which .44 magnum revolver

What is it with the latest fascination for really short barreled large caliber revolvers??? I think that any .44 Mag revolver with a barrel under 4" just loses velocity without being that much lighter or easier to carry. After all, they tend to be BIG guns.

I have found that a 4" .barrel to be about the right size for woods carry although in reality a 6" carries about the same. Remember, I am talking about carrying it in a hip holster. If the weather is warm and I am not wearing a coat, I prefer to use a shoulder rig.

If I am just hiking, I always take the 29
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For hunting I usually bring the 629-4 Classic DX. This gun is crazy accurate.
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Yes barrel length does affect energy but what energy remains is still quite large. The following gives ballistic for calibers. Note that a 45 ACP which is considered having good stopping power, its muzzle energy is for a 230 GR bullet @900 fps 440 FT/lb, Note this was a quick calculation so it might be off a little.
44 MAG Using the test barrel and the same ammo for each test. Link below
12 inch: 1541 fps 1100 FT/lb
8 inch: 1433 fps 975 FT/lb
4 inch: 1150 fps 704 FT/lb
3 inch: 1015 fps 485 FT/lb
A 3 inch might be a little less than half the power as a 12 inch 44 mag but the 3 inch is still above the 45ACP.’
The big advantage of the 44 mag is that you can shoot specials which can still meet ACP levels and if you miss you can scare the you know what out of the bad guy with the flash and noise.
http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/
 
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I believe I have the best solution to the barrel length issue.
Get one of each.

Granted there not all Mag's
 
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The 44 Mag Pistol

I have several 44 Mag pistols (5 to be exact) The one I shoot the most and if Maryland ever enact a CCW law the one I would choose to carry would be my Taurus Tracker 44four inch barrel with ports. It is light and not bulkey and has a good sights and points well and I find it is accurate. By any standard a good pistol. When I go to my Uncle's farm in West Virginia, no matter what rifle I hunt with my Taurus Tracker is on my hip.

V/R
J.Budd
 
Well I WAS going to say "Get a longer barrel"

Mrgoosell said:
Which .44 magnum revolver
In the market for a 44 magnum revolver 4" or less for the barrel. What do you guys recommend??

A co worker of mine has a taurus 4" 44 mag i think its a tracker. Ive shot about 100 rounds with it. So my question to you is why is a 4" 44 mag a bad choice for a shooting gun?
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I WAS going to recommend a longer barrel, but that suggestion has been beat to death (except for the advantage of having a longer sight radius). I have .357 Magnums in 4", 6" and 8" and the 6" and 8" shoot much more accurately (in aimed fire) than the 4" solely because of the sight radius.

The 4" DOES have the advantage of being able to be carried more comfortably and, if desired, concealed.

Post #19 (Bob Wright) is right on and Ozzieman's post #42 has the added benefit of the link to the web site I was going to cite.

The Redhawk vs the Super Redhawk though has not been mentioned. While the Super LOOKS larger, it really isn't all that much.

The Redhawk has a single-spring system where the Super Redhawk has separate springs for the trigger return and the mainspring (the same as the GP-100). The Super also can use the same grips as the GP-100.

The Redhawk has a full grip frame and smaller grips. The Super Redhawk has a post (enabling grip makers more latitude in grip shape) and comes with larger, softer grips which mitigates the recoil.

Your friend's Taurus probably has the ribbed, super-soft grips that cushion the recoil. A 4" Redhawk with standard wood (not the target grips or aftermarket rubber grips) grips will make you intimate with the 44 Magnum recoil. Some people like it. Some don't.

Lost Sheep
 
highpower3006 -

I really like your gun, I have exactly the same model and you're right, it's crazy accurate (and beautiful as well).

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I had what I assume was the forerunner of the 629 "back in the day"....as in before kids (i.e. early 70's).....in other words it was a 4" 29 in nickel finish....shot several thousand rounds through it up to and including Super Vel (the Buffalo Bore of it's day) without any issues or loss of accuracy at all....good luck with your decision.
 
Well, If you could afford one I would look for a Dan Wesson 744VH pistol pack. The gun uses 4 removable legnth barrels, a 4", 6", 8", and 10". It's like getting four guns at once.

Here is a pic of my Dan Wesson 15-2VH pistol pack in .357 magnum, and I LOVE IT!

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I wish dan wesson were still making them. I would love to have a set in several calibers. Same with Colt, fantastic revolvers that I missed out on.
 
jason_iowa said:
I wish dan wesson were still making them.
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I believe they are still making two models, 445 Supermag revolver called the Alaskan Special (itself similar to the 7460) and the 715 series stainless revolver in .357 Magnum.

Not sure, though. Still kicking myself for selling my Monson-built pistol pack and cannot bear to even go to their web site.

Lost Sheep
 
...I am so happy with my 629 Performance Center...
Even full load charges are easy to handle and the trigger is very smooth.
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:)
 
I know how you feel about the pistol pack Lost Sheep. My dad gave me a pistol pack a few years back, and it is one of my favorites. The day I get rid of it will be when I pass it on to one of my kids when I'm an old man.
 
I have to agree with some here that a .44 Magnum of ANY type is just too
much recoil to absorb with a shorter barrel. I have a SBH 7.5 inch and a
5.5 inch. The strength of the Blackhawk is awesome and I happen to like my
single actions way more than my doubles. .44's shine with longer barrels. If it is a carry weapon....well..thats another story....but everyday "shooting guns" are just much better served with longer barrels...just my 40 plus years experience with them. YMMV:)
 
In the market for a 44 magnum revolver 4" or less for the barrel. What do you guys recommend??
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I agree with the 4" or less. 6" is nice for target shooting. For carrying, fighting, defending yourself, 4".

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