Help me pick a .44 revolver!

N

nwills

Member
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Location
Oakville, Ontario
Just got the itch to pick up a .44mag revolver.

I pretty much exclusively shoot 9mm from my Glock which I reload on my Dillon 650.

I plan on picking up all the conversion parts for my reloader for .44 ammo.

Now the question is....what to buy?

I don't have a whole lot of money so I was hoping to keep it south of $800?

Any suggestions?
 
ben hunchak said:
Do you want SA or DA? Blackhawk or Redhawk.
Click to expand...

No preference between SA and DA....something that's quality and fun to shoot.

I looked at Ruger and it's definitely a good option. I think it'll be closer to $1000 with taxes?

I guess anything from S&W or Colt would also be out of my price range?

Any feedback on Taurus?
 
troubleinxs said:
I have been looking at getting a Bulldog in .44 Special. It can be loaded pretty hot and can be had for $449 @ Epps.

Mark
Click to expand...

$449 ! The price is definitely right.

Never heard of Charter Firearms before.....If it works well...at that price that may be just what I'm looking for!

I have plans to purchase a nice 1911 in the next few months and plan on spending a good amount of money to get something very nice....the .44mag is something I always wanted for fun....I don't feel the need to purchase a high end "classic"...as long as it works well...it'll do.
 
I have shot .44 mag ful loads from both a revolver and DE and have to say that I would not digest alot of these if I bought a .44 mag. The .44 special can be loaded hot or not as you wish. It is coming back into popularity as it still has more than enough power but can be had in a smaller package. The Bulldog is a five shot revolver. Will probably be my next purchase as I have .380,9mm,.40 and .45 already.

Mark
 
troubleinxs said:
I have been looking at getting a Bulldog in .44 Special. It can be loaded pretty hot and can be had for $449 @ Epps.

Mark
Click to expand...

No it can't. I've had a 44 Bulldog for years, it's a gun meant to be carried lots and shot little. If you stoke it up with full power 44 Special handloads (which are only slightly less powerful then 44 mag loads), you will be sending it in for repair in short order. Just as FYI. - dan
 
Owned a bunch of 44's: a S&W M29-2, a Dan Wesson, two Rugers (Redhawk and Super Redhawk), Llama Super Comanche and a Desert Eagle.

By far the best looking was the M29, pure ### IMHO and a classic. The wooden grips ones are not a lot of fun with full house loads. Rubber grips fix that easily but not as pretty.

The most entertaining is the DE but it was also the most expensive to run (reloading is a must). A faster way to send 8 rounds of 44MAG down range has not been invented yet.

Both Rugers were nice but fugly (sorry Ruger fans). That said, the Super Redhawk could be shoot with some really hot loads without a lot of drama. It's a tank and way comfortable.

The Llama was my first: simple, mean and built like a vault. Pretty, nope but a hard hitting dependable wheelie. Not a lot of fun with full house loads as the grips blow. Also didn't like the stock 8 3/4" barrel length, much better at under 5" now.

The Dan Wesson would out shoot all the others. Swappable barrels and grips are pretty cool. Bigger than a M29, smaller than the Super Redhawk. Very nice to shoot even with the wooden grips.

Need to add a SA 44Mag, maybe a Super Blackhawk or the like.

Really haven't found a bad 44MAG yet. Some I really liked, others not so much but all fine firearms.

The Carter Bulldog isn't in the same league as any of the above, however, it's a good basic affordable 44 Special revolver. A 44MAG player it is not.

There you go, my 0.02$
 
Ruger Redhawk 44mag 4.2" ('nough said)
Designed to shoot a steady diet of 44mag...not as an afterthought.
I've been waiting for mine for over a year now but word has it they have landed!:D
 
I would choose a S&W Model 29 or 629 if you plan on loading to no more than current factory ammo ballistics (240-250 grain bullets at 1200-ish fps). If you want to go heavier and/or faster, get a Ruger Redhawk. If you buy used, you can probably find something in your budget. Stay away from Charter Arms and Taurus.
 
dan belisle said:
No it can't. I've had a 44 Bulldog for years, it's a gun meant to be carried lots and shot little. If you stoke it up with full power 44 Special handloads (which are only slightly less powerful then 44 mag loads), you will be sending it in for repair in short order. Just as FYI. - dan
Click to expand...

That is just what I was getting at, you would rarely use full power loads (only once in a while when wanting a big bang). We are talking about a gun that will be used for plinking and for the fun of shootong a large caliber. A .44 special and the bulldog work fine for that. Actually it is used extensively in the US as a defence gun. .44 special is considered a great self defence round as it packs a punch without too much recoil. Review are pretty much all favorable and when there are problems the company stand by its product. At half the price of most .44 magnums and not your primary gun I see no negatives.

Mark
 
I like my Redhawk. The Rugers seem to be a bit cheaper new and used than a S&W in similar condition. For me, the S&W isn't worth the extra $, but if you have the extra $ I can understand thinking it is - taste is very individual. Since I was only going to afford used, the Rugers' reputation for being more robust than the S&Ws was a factor for me - not that I expect to shoot enough full power .44Mag loads to wear out either gun, just to reduce my worry that a previous owner had used up too much of the gun I happened to get.

If I didn't dislike stainless steel guns, I'd probably have bought a Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 Special, as they are cheaper new than my blued Redhawk (they only make them stainless now) was used.
 
Last edited:
troubleinxs said:
That is just what I was getting at, you would rarely use full power loads (only once in a while when wanting a big bang). We are talking about a gun that will be used for plinking and for the fun of shootong a large caliber. A .44 special and the bulldog work fine for that. Actually it is used extensively in the US as a defence gun. .44 special is considered a great self defence round as it packs a punch without too much recoil. Review are pretty much all favorable and when there are problems the company stand by its product. At half the price of most .44 magnums and not your primary gun I see no negatives.

Mark
Click to expand...

The fun of shooting a large caliber for me, is the BOOM! I'm only hitting paper, so I need the visceral experience of 25 gr of H110 igniting and pushing 240gr of lead through 10.5 inches of barrel, with a final velocity over 1500 FPS, ending with a big smile on my face, my whole arm pointed straight up. Personally at that point, I couldn't give a damn if the whole on the paper .429 inches or .22 inches. The fun is the Boom.

If the fun for you is the size of the hole, then enjoy your moderately loaded 44 specials in your bulldog. If the size of the hole is what matters, check out the 45 options available, a bigger hole, with a boom that can be downloaded all the way to powder puff levels.

The reason they are so popular down south, is they are cheap, and they are light. When you are going to carry something around all day, you want it to be as light as possible, a 4 lb gun would leave you pretty lopsided by the end of the day. That is what people mean when they say it meant to be carried a lot, and shot a little. It's meant for constant use, in the sense, it'll always be ready for a couple shots because you always have it with you. Not in the sense that you can pleasantly shoot the thing all day.
 
nwills,

The Blackhawk would probably be the cheaper way to get into the game and still have a built like a tank handgun. I've seen nice lightly used one go for $400-$500

400px-RugerBlackhawk357.jpg


Personally, I'm waiting for my Redhawk to show up. My train of thought is that if I want less recoil, I will go to a smaller caliber.

400px-RugerRedhawk.jpg



*-*-*-*-*-

This been said, I still want to pick one of these... eventually.

orig.jpg
 
What I'm really looking for is maximum BOOM! I want something with serious kick and muzzle flash. Hot loads in .44 magnum a must.

I figure that under that scenario a well built revolver is important....I plan on reloading so I'll probably cycle a fair amount of rounds through it so I want it to be well built to handle hot loads repeatedly.

Will a shorter barrel cause less recoil? Otherwise...what's the advantage of getting a long one in the .44 mag revolvers?
 
The best looking is the Smith and Wesson model 29 (imho). If you want to be loading hot and shooting lots, I would go with a Blackhawk. I went with a model 29 , love the look, and love the trigger.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom