Why so many .44 mag/special recomendations?

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Dman23

New member
Not that i dont like the .44 mag. I have always wanted one! And probably always will.

What i meant was so many ask "what caliber should i get?" And although for many things the .44 is great, but so many recomend it over a 357/38 because it has the special caliber also for light duty. And while i would take the .44 in many ways, i have never seen .44 specials stocked anywhere. Ever. And from what i hear, its hardly inexpensive like the 38.

Minus a handloader, which if one is, probably wouldnt be asking on a forum what caliber is right for them because they are obviously into guns enough to know what they want.

Its just my pet peeve i guess because if it were recomendations for me, from forums everyone makes it seam like you can just go get cheap 44 specials like you can 38 specials. I have never seen a box in my life on store shelves. I hate to see someone get a 44 thinking the special ammo is remotely like it is for the 357
 
It's true that there is a lot less variety for 44 special compared to 38/357... on the other hand, CCI Blazer .44 special is just sitting on the shelf right now at Academy Sports (where I live at least), while 38/357 is a good bit harder to find. (strange times...)
 
44 specials are pricey but I see them every once in awhile and if anybody complains there are none in my area it's because I grab them as soon as I see them. Cheap and easy to find isn't why it is a nice cartridge to have, its the use of the same bullet but easier to shoot, shoot back up shots rapidly, makes the same size hole and is powerful enough to put down almost anything that needs to be shot without requiring a lot of noise, flash and recoil. Add that it's scary accurate and you have a winner and I cannot understand why there isn't more demand for it.
 
I wish they made it more available and cheaper like a 38. If they did i would have a 44! But with price and availability, it cant come close to my 357s. And i feel very good about that defending me from anything in the lower 48
 
I don't typically recommend it for anything other than hunting deer with a handgun. Personal preference there though. For a defensive weapon, it just has too much recoil for me to be able to make quick followup shots, and even the idea of having to fire one inside of a house without hearing protection makes my ears ring.

I haven't shot .44 special but I think that if I owned a .44 and kept it loaded for home protection it would be loaded with .44 special. If I got into hand-loading I might just develop a light .44 mag load. It is available at a local gun shop but it cost as much as .44 magnum, which is pretty expensive here in its own right.

For 2 legged threats and general target shooting I would rather have a .357 mag any day of the week.
 
Dman23
Member

Join Date: January 27, 2013
Posts: 28

...but so many recomend it over a 357/38...
Click to expand...

All generalizations are false... ;)

I disagree with your premise. It has been my experience on this and other forums that the 38/357 is recommended more often than any other caliber. Unless the person is looking for an auto loader then it is the 9mm that is recommended most.

I think you have made an incorrect proposition.

This link to a poll supports my supposition...

http://thefiringline.com/forums/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=3134

Just my $.02

alex0535

I don't typically recommend it for anything other than hunting deer with a handgun. Personal preference there though. For a defensive weapon, it just has too much recoil for me to be able to make quick followup shots,
Click to expand...

This is nearly the "template" answer to someone asking about a the 44 mag.

YMMV - I love my 44s and would never trade them. I don't recommend them over everything else.
 
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You can find .44 magnum ammo now, even with the ammo shortage.

I find the .44 magnum can be loaded down to a .44 Russian or .44 Special.

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And as you can see, a good .44 does have style.

Deaf
 

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originally posted by jglsprings:

I disagree with your premise. It has been my experience on this and other forums that the 38/357 is recommended more often than any other caliber. Unless the person is looking for an auto loader then it is the 9mm that is recommended most.

I think you have made an incorrect proposition.
Click to expand...

If your premise is that the OP claims that most folks recomend the .44 over other platforms, than I must say, no where does he say that. He only says "many" do, not "most" do....and he is correct, even if the majority of folks do recomend the .357.


He is also correct about the scarcity and relative expensiveness of .44 special ammo. At least around here.

If anyone is incorrect, it ain't him.
 
jglsprings said:
All generalizations are false... ;)

I disagree with your premise. It has been my experience on this and other forums that the 38/357 is recommended more often than any other caliber. Unless the person is looking for an auto loader then it is the 9mm that is recommended most.

I think you have made an incorrect proposition.

This link to a poll supports my supposition...

http://thefiringline.com/forums/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=3134

Just my $.02



This is nearly the "template" answer to someone asking about a the 44 mag.

YMMV - I love my 44s and would never trade them. I don't recommend them over everything else.
Click to expand...

In general i think 357s are more recomended, it just seams like 10 power hungry guys are lined up convincing someone to go with a 44 because "you can always shoot 44 specials" just like the 38. And maybe in some areas you can find it but no where i have been.

Suprising to me actually because 44s are popular! If i had one, i would want a low cost light power load to shoot.

In all seriousness, i grew up only wanting a 44. Shot one when i was 16 and was hooked. Actually never cared for the 357 until i really did my research on ammo, ballistics, and cost of ammo. If i didnt look into things more, people almost had me convinced a 44 with the special ammo was just as viable of an option. If i handloaded i would probably go 44, but for store bought ammo for cost it isnt even in the same ballpark. As i see it 44 special is only an option for recoil not recoil and cost like it is for the 357/38.
 
If someone is new to handguns/shooting I would never recommend a .44mag/special period. Lets face it, those of us that have a .44 stand a good chance that they also re-load for it. How else could we enjoy shooting them? For a newer shooter, the .357 is a much better choice simply because they will want to shoot more since it is more controlable.
 
That poll is good though. Wouldnt think by comments i see on threads it was that lopsided. Maybe 44 guys just post more? Lol
 
I have to say though 357 in my sp101s is a blast though. Sure feels like a hand cannon!!!!!! It is confortable but it definately humbles you on the power coming out the other end. I cannot imagine what an airweight s&w feels like in 357! The sp101 is still at least decently heavy.

Someday I will be able to afford to shoot a 44 and own one
 
I agree with the OP, it's overrated. 44 mags kick too much and 44 specials are too anemic as factory loaded.

Having said that my 4" Colt Anaconda and old model super Blackhawk are not for sale and I am on the lookout for a Dan Wesson 44 or 445.
 
At one time I used to load .44 Special and I had several .44 Special only Smiths and a few .44 Magnum Smiths.

That said, I've always found the N-frames to be clunky for me and my medium sized hands and I've never felt that the .44 Special really did anything that was handled as well by the .38/.357 combination. I also don't really care for the N-frames in .357 either.
 
If I may add my two cent's worth:

I shoot a wide variety of sixguns, from .22 R.F. to .45 Colt. My packin' gun is a .44 Special Ruger Blackhawk, formerly a .357 Magnum. So, as to size comparison, there is no difference between my .44 and my .357 Magnum. And my theory about guns for social purposes is that the more lead thrown, the better, so I prefer a 240 gr. .429" diameter bullet over a 158 gr. .357" diameter bullet.

As to ammunition availability, I see .44 Special ammunition offered in both a 240 gr. RNFP and a 240 gr. JHP in remnufactured ammunition at only slightly higher prices than .38 Special of the same re-manufacturer. The same is true of .44 Magnum offered by the same company. These budget priced cartridges are aimed at the cowboy action shooting market and from what few I've shot are accurate enough.

Simply put, a .44 Special/.Magnum revolver can cover anything that a .38 Special/.357 Magnum can, with the exception of being in a very small package. The .44 Magnum, even to a handloader, can be pushed to very high velocities unobtained by the .357 Magnum and retains more of that velocity at extended ranges where the .357 Magnum becomes "iffy" at those ranges.

Fortunately, I don't have to choose between the two.

Bob Wright
 
.44 special offers both a heavy payload potential and lower case pressure (and therefore lower sound pressure) for handgun applications, similar to .45ACP, which IMHO makes both of them ideal for HD guns which may be fired indoors. Both are MUCH more ear friendly than .357 mag. I have HD revolvers in each flavor.

You are absolutely correct that .44 special ammo is not common and costs a fortune when you do find it. It's one of those calibers where handloaders have a real advantage, but that may not be obvious to the casual observer.
 
After owning a couple .357's I came to the realization that a .44 does whatever a .357 can do but a whole lot better. I kind of see the .357 as overkill for a bullet of that size and weight and just overall pointless considering the .44. I don't notice any more recoil when shooting a .44 magnum of comparable size over a .357, and I swear the .357 has more muzzle blast and flash. Only downside to the .44 is it cant fit in J frames, but that's OK with me because I was never a fan of magnums in J frames to begin with, I'll stick to .38's for that application.
 
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I am a huge fan of 357 Magnum and 44 magnum revolvers. I have seen what they can do in the field and on the street. Neither are the proper choice for a novice shooter or someone adverse to recoil and/or blast. To run one rapidly and accurately takes skill.

I am prepping for my 629 PC to be my next carry gun and I loaded a special load for it, a mild 44 mag load with 185 grn LSWC-HP over 21 grains of 2400. My split times are fast enough that it is a non issue with magnums.
 
I would suggest the .357 for most people, especially if they are not avid shooters/reloaders. The 44 Mag is a great caliber but it's better for the experienced shooter who needs the extra power, great for hogs, deer etc. Go with the 357, you can always trade up if you decide you want the 44. Since I've gotten older I no longer shoot the 44, sold it to my nephew to finance a new 45 auto. I shoot mostly(99%) 38s in my 357 guns.
 
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