Looking for a shorter barreled 44 mag, 4” or about.  Friend is looking to get one for himself, and he’s been eye balling several.  Anacondas are nice but pricey.  Rugers are getting kind of stupid on their prices as well it seems.  Thoughts on the Taurus line?  Tracker,’model 44, the raging hunter, etc? Other ideas?

I've got a 4" Anaconda.  I like it a lot.  Bought it back when prices were lower though.  I've never been impressed w/ Taurus revolvers.  I'd get a Ruger before I got a Taurus.

Does S&W still make a 4 inch .44? They also used to make a 3 inch iirc.

I love 4 inch 44 Mags, don’t care for 3 inchers. Go Smith & Wesson or you’ll be paying more for one later.

Astra terminator. 2 3/4. One of my favorites

I'm a S&W guy.

Either a 4" standard barrel 29 or 629 or a Mountain Gun.

If you run across an old 3" barrel gun marked "629-1" or "29-3" it's from the run in the mid-80s. Pretty collectible really.

S&W has made newer snubs, but I'd much rather own a 4" gun.

I have the model 69, its 4.25" but I love the thing.

A 4 inch M29 is manageable, always great quality, even new ones.

4 inch Rugers are excellent, but Lord are they ugly.

44 Magnum less than 4 inches is not pleasant to shoot.

Taurus revolvers are of lesser quality, I have never seen one I would own. YMMV.

I've got two 44 magnum revolvers and they're both under 4". One is 3" and the other is the 2.5". I recommend S&W 629s for class and performance. Rugers arent as nice looking (and seem pricier much of the time) though they're also good revolvers. I tend to like Ruger's GP versus the bigger frames. Taurus has never impressed me and their customer service is slooooow the one time I had to use it.

Ruger Alaskan is the answer if you want less than 4". At 4", I wouldnt mind a 629 or a Redhawk (the latter is a little longer than 4").

There is no way I would get a Taurus in any caliber, especially a magnum caliber.

3.75" Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley

It's a handful, but not as bad as you'd think.

At one point I was shooting quite a bit of IDPA.  Then I just got fed up w/ the idiots running the range (Bulletstop Wichita KS) and quit.   Quite a few guys in our group were gaming the whole thing as far as they could w/ light loads and all the gear they could come up with.  I was seriously joking about going revolver w/ my Anaconda and shooting max loads of slow burning powder w/ light bullets for the fireball and  concussion effect.   It would be good if you could blow all the pasties off the targets.

I owned a 4" 629 and despised it. I won't say I'm really all that recoil sensitive, but the snap of the 4" and the way a S&W comes back at your hand made it highly unpleasant with hot loads. I landed up shooting mostly 44 special reloads through it. Finally, I traded it in on a Ruger Super Redhawk with a 7.5" barrel and was MUCH more pleased with it.

I guess to me, 44 magnum is best wen it's HOT, and the SRH can take the abuse I can dish out with super hot hand loads. I wouldn't try that on the reg with the S&W.

Again, this is all personal opinion...but range shooting, I never saw the point in short range 44 magnum blasters, I like stretching that SRH out to 50+ yds.

If I really wanted a 44 in a shorter barrel that I'd use for short range target work, I'd probably get something like the GP100 in 44 special. I currently own a Charter 44 Bulldog and it's for VERY short range work.

I believe all or most of the Less than 4" 629s were distributor specials like my LEW HORTON 3".
Wouldn't want it as my only 629 but it is a lot of fun. Still a pretty heavy and beefy revolver so not as hard to shoot as one might expect.
Velocity drop from the short barrel isn't as bad as I expected either

I find the 4inch M29 to be the right spot for me. I shoot magnums occasionally but mostly it get a steady diet of 44 Specials. I nicknamed it Thumper.

Find a Dan Wesson 44. Carried one for years. Built And locks up like a bank vault. Were so accurate they won all the top spots in silhouette competition back in it’s heyday. Can have 4, 6, or 8 that I know of.  Believe they made 10 and 2, also. But not certain. I had the 744(stainless) with the 8 vent heavy barrel for deer and black bear. Switched in the 4 inch vent heavy for packing while hiking and stuff. Put Pachmyer rubber grip on and the recoil was non issue even with full power loads of the 80’s and 90’s. Looks are relative thing, but I thought that pistol was gorgeous. Barrel change In 5 minutes tops.

Now if Ruger would just make THAT gun with a 4.62" barrel I'd be doing cartwheels.  Followed soon after by a trip to the ER.  I'm too old to do cartwheels.

For the love of all things gunpowder Ruger...make this frickin' gun!

I love my 4” S&W 629.

Haven't gotten around to getting a Model 29 yet, though a 4" is on my short list.  This 3.75" Ruger Bisley Blackhawk is sure fun to shoot though.


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You could not go wrong getting a 4 inch 629.  I have one and love it.  Carry it deer hunting with a shoulder holster.  Also have a 8 3/8 inch 29 which I really enjoy shooting.

If you get a 4 inch Smith & Wesson

Might see if Magna Port is still in business

Made a big difference with full house loads

Short barrels give you more flash than substance.  They are louder (but that really doesn't matter as even a 6 barrel is loud).  At night if nothing else both you and your target may end up loosing your night vision in a "flash".

What shoulder holster? I got a 4" one recently.

Same here.

Yep.  The model 69 is Smith's "real" Mountain Gun.

Tony

Depends on how much you're gonna shot it i suppose. From experience, the Taurus revolvers and their brand as a whole arent going to hold up over time if you plan on shooting a lot. Nature of the beast. Im not talking its going to blow up in your hand after a few hundred rounds, but parts breakage and out of timing are reasonable concerns.

Rugers are steep but what quality stuff isnt these days. If you want to shoot a lot, go Ruger or Smith. Ive shot short barrel magnums and i think the sweet spot for .44 is right around 5". Much shorter than 4" and the get snappy. The only exception is the Ruger SRH Alaskan, its pretty tame even with warm 300 grs in it but the smiths are pretty snappy. Only problem is Ruger and some of the others dont really make 4-6 .44's at least not in DA/SA revolvers. Smiths are expensive when you find one as that barrel length is fairly uncommon.

Im in a similar boat as you but I much prefer 5" so i believe im going to pick up a Ruger SRH in .44 and have the barrel cut and recrowned at 5 or 5.5" to get what I want.

Bianchi X-15 Holster for both the 4 inch and the 8 3/8 inch. Wide straps and belt loops make it very comfortable.

I have a 5.5" Redhawk but if I get another 44 magnum it will be a Ruger Alaskan.

Im close to pulling the trigger on a Ruger Redhawk Kodiac.

I like .44 magnums in that 4-4.5" range.  Long enough to get good velocity but short enough not to be unwieldy.  The S&W's are nice.  Mines a 629 V-Comp but pricey.  If you plan on shooting hotter ammo or think you might want to sometime in the future get a Ruger.  I absolutely love my S&W but it's limited by its strength.  I plan to add a Ruger to my collection so I can shoot heavier loads without harming the gun.

I bought a 4” 29 a couple years ago, surprisingly easy gun to shoot, wasn’t so sure when I first bought it what the recoil would be like, pretty accurate as wel.

I guess I'm of a different camp... I like the 3" barreled .44Mags and Special Smiths. I've carried both of these quite a bit. I save the 300 grain Prvi Partizan and 305gr Underwood's for the bottom M629-5 Mountain Back Packer... I shoot the 240 to 255grain Keith's out of the M29-3 Lew Horton Special. They carry well concealed and point nicely for me... faster on target than longer barreled maggies. I mostly carry the M24-3 Lew Horton Special with juiced 255 grain pills from Underwood rated at 1050fps now as it's a load as it's more than hell on 2 and 4 legged assholes in the south. I sold my M629 6.5" DX as I could forget about concealed carry in the woods and presentation time was retarded. YMMV... Pics of my 3" babies below along with the recently sold DX...

M29-3LHS top... M629 Mountain Back Packer bottom...

M24-3LHS

M24-3 & M629 "MBP" underlug view

M629 DX and M629"MBP"

Ruger GP100 in .44 Special 3" and shoot Keith or Skeeter loads.  Probably be just fine with that.

I love my V-Comp. Yours is much cleaner than mine...

Having shot S&W Model 29s, as well as owned and shot a Ruger Super Blackhawk and now own and shoot a Ruger Redhawk, if'n I were to buy a new one right now it would be the Ruger SBH 4 5/8".  Nothing wrong with my Redhawk, but I enjoyed the SBH a lot more than any other .44 Magnum I've shot.  I know it's over 4", but not by all that much.

My understanding is the real short S&W guns (under 4"?) were distributor specials. My 3" 629 is a Lew Horton. Interesting gun , full lug makes it a pretty chunky item and it isn't as bad to shoot as one might expect. Wouldn't want it as my first 44mag or my only one but it is lots of fun. Not sure of the current availability or value but I have seen several like guns around in the last 20 years or so.

As others have said My experience with Taurus over the years has been poor, at the least the Taurus revolvers in general have poor triggers and good luck ever finding afyermarket grips for them


Just checked the S&W websight (PITA to navigate)

They make 4" in both stainless and blued.

The performance center has a 629 stainless in 2 5/8

Also a 2 3/4 inch L frame with 5 shots (model 69)

Lots of used .44s here!

On a whim I put in a GB lowball bid for a Taurus Tracker 44 mag. Dammit, I won. Didn't really want the gun but I figure for the price I'll give it a try.

So... I'll have some thoughts on the Tracker next weekend.

I liked that it is a magnum and I have that option but I figure to mostly shoot specials in it.

I'll play recoilman with my Rugers.

BOOM!!!! 6 awesome shots and i am good....
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It's not always that clean lol.  I do like how easy it is to keep clean.  They are just super sweet revolvers to shoot

They make both 3" and 4".

Looks great with those grips.

I have a 4" and use a Galco vertical shoulder holster. I like the system and they have a number of add-ons for it. You can also get various strap widths so I went with a wide set as an extra. Changing to another firearm you just switch the holster out and/or accessories for that particular one. I always got the best deals on them with Optics Planet. I would use Galcos web-site for the correct item number and buy it from Optics. I haven't used them in a number of years but I've read postings since about them saying they have things in stock then when you buy it, your on back-order, I can't verify one way of the other on that.

As for the OP, I prefer S&W for D/A's. The majority of my 6XX models are 4". I like the design and operations over other makers like Ruger and Colt but that is all subjective so you may want to handle a few before you settle on an unknown. .44 magnum is about the top of my comfort limit now. I don't load up rip snorters and I probably wouldn't push it anyways weather a Ruger or not. If I wanted more, I'd just move up to the next caliber like a 454 Cas. or an X-frame like the 460. It's kind of like red lining an engine all the time when the make had the same car but built with the power/speed you wanted in the first place.

Took my new Taurus Tracker .44 mag to the range today.

My initial thoughts:

Before shooting I looked at a new S&W 69 4" the store had. Fit and finish was much nicer on the Smith than the Taurus. That said, the Tracker I have is blued and the 69 is stainless. The trigger on the Smith is also much better. The Taurus does not suck, it's just a bit rough compared to the Smith. The Smith also seemed to have a lighter DA pull than the Taurus did, but the SA pull was pretty close between both. Being that the Smith had a very nice SA pull this simply means the Taurus SA pull ain't too bad although slightly heavier, no creep on either SA trigger
pull.  Both guns fit in the hand well although they did have a different feel and not due to the grips themselves but possibly due to the grip backstrap shape. The Smith felt like it had more weight forward where the Taurus felt like it sat back in the hand more. The Smith has Pachmayr (I think) grips and the Taurus its version of something rubber with a squishy feel. The Taurus grips worked well enough with .44 Specials but Pachmayrs should be used with .44 mag loads. The Taurus grips are just too soft.

The Tracker does very well with .44 Special loads. I shot 200 grain RNFP cowboy loads (light Trailboss load) and these felt like a mild .38. Great plinking or perfect for a new shooter, no recoil load. Gun shot to point of aim at 10 yards. I also ran some Underwood 190 gr LSWHPGC and 255 gr SWCGC Keith loads through the gun. These will wake you up with muzzle blast but were fairly soft recoiling compared to .44 mag. Grizzly 260 gr WFNGC were also pleasant but loud from the ported barrel. Recoil on all these loads was maybe a 5/10 although the muzzle blast was more like a 7 or 8/10. All shot to point of aim at 10 yards.

Next were some 240 gr PMC semi-jacketed HP .44 magnums. These are exciting. Muzzle blast 10/10. Recoil is 10/10 on a gun this size although it was not abusive. The Taurus grip does a decent job of helping with .44 mag recoil, but it could be better. I suspect Hogue or Pachmayrs would be a needed addition if prolonged .44 magnum use is intended. These rounds shot a bit high at 10 yards.

I also shot the same .44 magnum ammo through my Ruger Bisley SBH 3 3/4" barrel. Even though the Ruger is heavier and has the Bisley grip, it felt no more "controllable" with magnum loads than the Tracker did. I suspect better grips on the Tracker will make a nice change allowing faster follow up shots and less readjusting of the hand needed due to the squishy fins the Tracker grips have that allow the gun to shift slightly under recoil.

I paid less than $400 for the Tracker brand new so I'm plenty happy with it. I will most likely relegate this to 90% .44 Specials and tonight I am working up some loads with 240 gr SWC and 2400 that should be fun. I'll put different grips on it to simply measure how that configuration handles .44 mags but probably won't make a habit out of blasting magnum ammo out of this revolver.

After my first range day I'd be happy making the Tracker a backpacking/hiking sidearm if in black bear/big cat country. It feels good, shoots well enough, has a great balance, and is fun to shoot. More range time will tell me more.

That said, now I am really curious to see how that Smith 69 shoots compared to this Tracker.

I like the 4" S&W . . .



1972 29-2


Of course a P&R N frame needs leather of the proper vintage . . .

I would buy a Ruger Super Redhawk if the would make a 3" or 3 1/2". For some reason the 2.75 jusk irks me.

I guess because all the S&W N frames I own are 3 or 5 inch

The S&W M69 is also made in 2.75 inch.  If I had to have a small 44 Magnum, this would be it.  I would add the Pachmayr Diamond grips.  These cut the recoil down.  

The 4.25 inch M69 would be the one for a more all around revolver.   The Keith 44 Magnum load for the trail and the Skeeter 44 Special load for practice.  I would expect about 1150 fps from the Keith Magnum load and 875 fps from the Skeeter Special load.

Find an old Dan Wesson.

If you search hard enough you might even find one with removable barrels.  I have both a 4 and 6" for mine.

I have one. LOL haven't even thought about it in years.  Max fireball.