44 mag opinions?

I am talking about factory loads as I know very little about loading up the 45 colt. To me it's dated technology and there are better performers out there, like the 44 Mag.
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Before you make your mind up about the .45 Colt do some research, you'll be pleasantly surprised. There's some excellent reading on the .44 & .45 in these articles regardless of your opinion.

http://www.customsixguns.com/writings.htm

Whatever the .44 Magnum will do, the .45 Colt will do with roughly 1/2 the barrel length, pressures being nearly identical. From the limited pressure testing we have done, we have found that whatever the .44 Magnum will do, the .45 Colt will duplicate with about 5,000 psi less pressure. This is with standard bullet weights. As the slugs get heavier the gap widens.
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t-star said:
that's the reason that most of us use 44 special loads for practise- i don't have a SINGLE 38/357 in my battery, and won't have- you can download the 44 to be just about as mild as the 38 , realitve to the SIZE of the gun- as for your friend, he has the saying BACKWARDS- it's the 357 the bear is gonna shove, not the 44- there's folks on this board that CARRY A 454 CASULL OR BIGGER- these are VERY EXPERINCED people who have dealt with bears for years-and gave atc's - those of us who don't carry 12 guage or 45-70
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Shooting a charging bear is a very serious matter. The only thing worse then having a Grizzly Bear on top of you, is having a Wounded Grizzly Bear on
top of you. So when you point your revolver at a bear and pull the trigger, it's a really bad time to discover how much the gun kicks. If you're not willing to
practice with the load you will actually be using, then why even bother using a reduced load, just pull the trigger and yell "BANG!"
 
358 BLR said:
Shooting a charging bear is a very serious matter. The only thing worse then having a Grizzly Bear on top of you, is having a Wounded Grizzly Bear on
top of you. So when you point your revolver at a bear and pull the trigger, it's a really bad time to discover how much the gun kicks. If you're not willing to
practice with the load you will actually be using, then why even bother using a reduced load, just pull the trigger and yell "BANG!"
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you think i don't KNOW this-?- i was offering a way to use the 44 and get used to it- lets face it, unless you HAVE an wilderness atc, you WON'T have a revolver anyway in this country- it's NOT PERMITTED AT THIS TIME-
 
Katana said:
I'm sure there are and a .22 will "do the job" if placed in the right spot but were talking about your life and I wouldn't want to gamble with it trying to decide on a 45 colt or a 357 Mag. There also has been a grizzly shot not to long ago by a hunter. After skinning he found that it had been shot 6 times with a .357 (Mag I presume) and still live after that!!! It was one of the biggest recorded in that area but those animals are out there. These are just my opinion but the lowest I would go is 44 Mag. Better suited would be 454 Casull. I will gamble with my money but not my life.
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If you are protecting yourself at close range with a handgun, and shoot the bear in the body, it doesn't much matter which cartridge it's chambered for, you're going to die.
 
Boomer said:
If you are protecting yourself at close range with a handgun, and shoot the bear in the body, it doesn't much matter which cartridge it's chambered for, you're going to die.
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Dammit Boomer there goes my coffee again! :D:D

That would be true for most rifles too.
 
True indeed

Boomer said:
If you are protecting yourself at close range with a handgun, and shoot the bear in the body, it doesn't much matter which cartridge it's chambered for, you're going to die.
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I carry a S&W 629 in the 5 inch version for work. I use it for IDPA with full loads all the time. I shoot very proficiently with it but I shoot a lot throughout the year.

At the time I could not find a small Redhawk but I would seriously consider it over the S&W.

At this time, my choice for shooting a bear is about the 15 yard mark with a head shot or if the bear is on top of me to shove it in the throat/head area and pull the trigger.

Shooting body shots and shooting past 15 yards is a very bad idea in my mind when dealing with a bear.

Greg
 
A good friend of mine, here on Vancouver Island, has a S&W M629 (stainless) that he carries while log scaling up and down the west coast. On them steep mountain sides, way up there, he's encountered many a bear and some can be down right unfriendly.

He has the correct permit to carry during the course of his work and carries it on his hip in a black synthetic holster with a velcro stick'em flap.

The stainless version of the M29, the M629, makes good sense in a high humidity work invironment. The M629 would be my choice.
 
Sorry for reviving the thread.

I currently narrowed my selection down to Redhawk with either 4.2" or 5.5" barrel.
Which would be preffered with ATC in mind.

Please, voice your opinions.
 
you should be able to aquire a 5.5 very easily- the 4,2 might take a little longer and cost more- i got mine as a standard stock item at wsl- for 739- later i saw 4,2s at tse for 1k- the extra inch one way or the other doesn't matter much
 
Who is WSL?
Would barrel lengh affect bullet velocity with 5.5" giving higher # vs 4.2" and thus more power transfered into target?
 
I like then both when loaded hot with 300+ gr wfn bullets, and I like the Blackhawk/superBH I just like the extra safety margin in the thicker cyl. walls of the .44 over the .45 Colt's when using heavy loads.
 
the difference od a 7.5" barrel and a 4.2" barrel for wilderness carry is a moot point.... with proper holsters each is just as easy to carry.... so I would pick the ruger super redhawk in 454.

and I have.... just I got mine from camp cook and got it cut down to 4.2" same as he had done on his carry guns and it is a dream to shoot. I use 45 colts for IDPA shooting so I can learn the trigger and learn how to rapidly reload using HKS speedloaders.

if the time ever comes you bet I know how to use it and reload it fast.
 
TY, saw it and subscribed to it too.
Just wanted to see opinions on .44mag, thus posted in this thread. Well, I may reconsider the caliber afterall :D
 
Go with the Raging Bull, and you can afford to strap one to EACH hip! :D:D

454SS5M.jpg
 
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