Opinion wanted: 44mag barrel length

guntech said:
A challenge would be to make it a short action as well... like we used to do with Mausers... one was enough.
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I thought about that... bore out the receiver for a longer barrel stub, would need to make some sort of oversized spider to hold the receiver centered. And its difficult to set up in the chuck, I guess you could make a rod that inserts into the bolt race and hold center and drives the action. also need to shorten the bolt.

just a bit more work then I want to do... for now... it would be a challenge.

easier if the bolt locked up near the receiver, could just cut the action and re-weld it, just need some jigs to hold it
 
I've shot thousands of rounds of full bore 44 magnum cast bullet loads from a Ruger 10" Super Blackhawk, Muzzle Blast is certainly a factor,.

14" Barreled TC Contender was a bit better.

20" Marlin Sporter and Carbines were much better for Muzzle Blast.

I really like short barrels, in this case I'd try 18" to 20" depending on balance.

You can always cut shorter.

Looking forward to seeing your build.
 
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I agree with above.

Shoot it long with some data kept.
Then chawp-chawp a bit at a time.

See at what length it start tug git funny.

And, what would you charge to make one of these up ?
 
Question: with a barrel blank, to go on a n/r, manual action rifle, does it have to be custom machined/configured' by a licensed Gun Smith? or can someone DIY it, & the barrel blank can be turned into any length on a manual action, as long as it's min. 26" oal?
 
Denver Steve said:
I agree with the 16", it does look like thats where you get top velocity, in factory loaded rounds people have tested.

Velocity starts dropping off after that. If your hand loading extremely heavy rounds, with a packed case of the slowest burning powder, it might be slightly above that. But it generally looks like the sweet spot, for velocity.
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I find it funny and odd. That is the same barrel length for optimal burn for 22 LR.
 
Johnyy said:
Question: with a barrel blank, to go on a n/r, manual action rifle, does it have to be custom machined/configured' by a licensed Gun Smith? or can someone DIY it, & the barrel blank can be turned into any length on a manual action, as long as it's min. 26" oal?
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DIY.
 
woodchopper said:
I thought about that... bore out the receiver for a longer barrel stub, would need to make some sort of oversized spider to hold the receiver centered. And its difficult to set up in the chuck, I guess you could make a rod that inserts into the bolt race and hold center and drives the action. also need to shorten the bolt.

just a bit more work then I want to do... for now... it would be a challenge.

easier if the bolt locked up near the receiver, could just cut the action and re-weld it, just need some jigs to hold it
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Boring out the receiver to set the barrel in further is no big deal.
Make a bushing that threads into the receiver ring. Extends a couple of inches from the receiver.
Mount the receiver on a mandrel which is held in the chuck.
Support the extended receiver bushing in the steady rest.
Bore out the bushing and the receiver together.
Shortening the bolt is not a problem either. Tap the threads before shortening.

I would be very cautious about cutting and welding to produce a shortened receiver.
Because the action is rear locking, the cuts and welds would be between the barrel and locking abutments. The back thrust load would be across a pair of butt welds. This sort of thing has been done, but personally I would be a bit nervous. With a Mauser, the locking area is not compromised by cutting and welding.
 
I've had rifles with barrels of 18 to 20" & never kept any of them for long. While they were quite handy in the tangles, they
Barked VERY loudly and did not balance worth a darn because they were so muzzle light.
I have to add that if you want a Lee-based rifle in .44, why not just go with a .444 Marlin, .430 JDJ or the .44 Van Houten Super, or even the .430/303? It would be less fuss to get the magazine to work with a cartridge having roughly the same OAL as its original cartridge, albeit you have to iron out the creases in the magazine as there is no shoulder in the .44 calibre cartridges, unless you go to an Improved case shape, but even then there wouldn't be much of a shoulder.
 
mmattockx said:
http://www.nine35.ca/barrel-blanks.html

27" long x 1.2" OD 4140 blanks are $180.


Mark
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oh nice

I got my barrel from one of the online shops (CanAmmo I think) but they have since closed it was under $100 and I wish I had bought more then one.

Now that I have looked at some of the other factors and have a good cross section of opinions I think I will go with a 16" barrel.
 
How about flipping the velocity length question upside down? After 16 inches of length, how much velocity do you lose per inch of additional length?

That way you can know if you’re paying a price for a longer site radius or a different rifle balance and whether or not it matters to you.

My ulterior motive here is obviously to try and get you to build a little tiny buffalo rifle.
 
Silverado said:
How about flipping the velocity length question upside down? After 16 inches of length, how much velocity do you lose per inch of additional length?

That way you can know if you’re paying a price for a longer site radius or a different rifle balance and whether or not it matters to you.

My ulterior motive here is obviously to try and get you to build a little tiny buffalo rifle.
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Oh I have a Martini Henry action with a 30" 45-70 barrel (1.25" no taper) already on it for buffalo gun :)

but I like your idea

Mini Martini action in 357 Maximum :) might fit the bill

the intent of the Enfield 44Mag will be another truck gun option (next to the savage 340 in 357 Herret)
 
I don’t know anything about the Martini mini action, but if it will fit a bore that begins with a 4, I would do it.
 
Even though it’s not anywhere near a direct comparison, whatever the factory barrel length on the Ruger Deerfield in 44 magnum, that is the funnest firearm of that calibre I’ve shot ever.
 
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