Question for those of you with .44 Magnum experience...

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Question for those of you with .44 Magnum experience...

Posted: 10/26/2003 8:24:57 PM EDT

be honest, is it overkill for concealed carry? great fire-power, no doubt. but aside from it being probably too big and heavy to carry in the first place, would the enormous recoil and flash make it far too impractical as a personal defense weapon?

Posted: 10/26/2003 8:29:16 PM EDT

[#1]

Not only that, but .44 Mag is overrated as a protection round. Rarely will you get the Marshall One Shot Stop Clan and the Fackler Jello Blob Clans to agree on something, but they agree on .45 mag.

Great hunting round, but not controllable enough for self defence, and over-penetrates terribly.

Posted: 10/27/2003 3:35:55 AM EDT

[#2]

To really get the most from the 44 mag you need a fairly long barrel. On the otherhand, the 44 special is a pussycat.

Posted: 10/27/2003 4:10:18 AM EDT

[#3]

You gotta be kidding me!
A .44 Mag for CCW?
Okay, I've heard of it before. People do it. Whatever turns you on, if you want to be an idiot.

Posted: 10/27/2003 4:36:55 AM EDT

[#4]

Another vote for NO. For CCW, you want something easy to conceal and control. Now as an "all-around" handgun, I like my S&W 629 mountain gun. It's small and light enough to throw in my camping gear, "just in case." No way I'd use it for CCW, though.

This thread reminds me of the guy I saw at the local range with a 2" bbl .454 Casul...

Posted: 10/27/2003 5:44:02 AM EDT

[#5]

Gentlemen,

There is only one handgun that can guarantee first round incapacitation.

Posted: 10/27/2003 5:59:55 AM EDT

[#6]

Yup, way overkill...forget the Clint Eastwood re-runs.

It's only a movie.

Posted: 10/27/2003 6:01:52 AM EDT

[#7]

one of my carry guns is a Scandium 329 with crimson trace laser grips. it's a great weapon under a jacket or cargo shorts but a bit big under anything lighter. when I carry it I usually load it with 44 special HP ammo.

with 5-6 1/2" long barrels the recoil is manageable

practical? well there are better choices but someone like an Elk guide that goes into town once a week or so may want to pack the weapon he carries on a daily basis.

Posted: 10/27/2003 6:03:52 AM EDT

[#8]

Agreed, the 454, or 500 S&W would be far better.

but seriously, I have a 7.5 inch Ruger Super Blackhawk, and I cannot imagin useing a 44 mag for carry

Posted: 10/27/2003 6:17:11 PM EDT

[#9]

I own a S&W 29 Classic, 5" barrel. Great gun, a bit too long to carry easily.

There's several versions that are a bit easier such as the Lew Horton Mountain Gun, a 3" barrel, round butt S/S model 29.

As the others mention, .44spl is a bit easier on recoil. No problem with muzzle flash regardless of ammo, IMO. At least in the daytime.

Posted: 10/28/2003 7:48:03 AM EDT

[#10]

I typically carry a full size Glock. For grins, I tried a 5" 629 for a weekend. It's freakin' big, and very heavy. I would not want to carry it regularly.

Since I load my own I can choose any bullet and velocity I think is appropriate. Load it down and it matches .45 ACP performance. Load it up and you can punch big holes in bad guys, whatever is behind them plus fry 'em with muzzle blast (make mine medium rare, please).

Any handgun is difficult to shoot well, and the .44 Magnum is more difficult than most. All of these factors make a standard size .44 mag a real PITA for concealed carry use. You could do it, but... (emphasis on the "You").

Posted: 10/28/2003 11:15:51 AM EDT

[#11]

Its simple. Ask yourself what you have to gain by carrying a large, heavy, uncontrolable in rapid fire, six shot weapon over a high quality, reliable 9mm, .40S&W, or .45ACP semi-auto in the flavor of your choice?

Posted: 10/28/2003 5:10:08 PM EDT

[#12]

I carry a dehorned 3" 625 in 45 LC as a fanny pack gun and a 3" 629 when I'm hiking in the woods here in PA.
The Game Wardens like to give you a hard time if you have a semi-auto in the woods during hunting seasons, even if you aren't hunting or are carrying concealed. So I carry the 629 or 625 then. Load of choice in the 629 is the CCI Blazer 200gr GDHP.

N-Frame revolvers are big and heavy, even with short barrels, but they are controllable in rapid fire even with full house loads. The 200 gr Gold Dot hollopoint is a great bullet for CCW.

Posted: 10/29/2003 7:01:52 AM EDT

[#13]

You can buy 44 mag personal protection ammo that actually works.........I bought Garrett's 250 gr. hardcast weight forward wide meplat ammo at 1000 fps, that would be good for 2 and some 4 legged predators.....but, of course that is my woods gun, not easy to carry concealed a 7 1/2" Super Blackhawk...........I don't see it on their website now, though..........

Posted: 10/29/2003 7:32:38 AM EDT

[#14]

I carry it when in the woods when bears or lions are a concern and I am not overly concerned with someone knowing I am carrying.

I would not, could not, carry it concealed in town.

Posted: 10/29/2003 8:46:19 AM EDT

[#15]

But....you would be able to say...
"Did I fire six rounds or only five?....
"Seeins this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and it can blow a man's head clean off...now you gotta ask yourself... Do I feel lucky?....
Well... Do ya punk?....."

Damn! It would almost be worth the bad back you would get from packing that big bastard around.....

Posted: 10/29/2003 9:31:59 AM EDT

[#16]

I favor the general opinions expressed and Lumpy's observations that there are better CCW weapons than the .44 magnum. My personal preferences would be the .45 ACP or the 9mm for CCW, which are the ones I personally use.
In the woods hunting, here in PA, it's another story. Automatics are illegal during hunting season. It is then that the .44 magnum or .480 are my preference. With the Sportsman's permit and the CCW permit, they can be carried either concealed or openly, with some minor precautions, to keep it all legal. My personal preference then is open carry while hunting with the bandolier holster for easy accessibility whether seated or standing. Course, hunting for black bear or mountain lion....doesn't make much difference shooting 6 or ten rounds....since the distance you would shoot at such varmints allows basically two shots...one at a distance and one point blank in your face...so any more than two rounds are unnecessary luxuries. <grin>
RugerCal 480 (Mike)

Posted: 10/29/2003 9:54:35 AM EDT

[#17]

I have a S&W 629 Classic 6 1/2" and I believe it to be a very powerful gun. I also have a .50 Desert Eagle which kicks even more ass. I would think that the only way a .44 is going to be accurate if you are going to be firing magnum rounds out of it would be to have at least a 5" barrel. Anything less and you might be downing the little old lady behind your attacker. I don't see the practicality behind carrying a heavy gun that is nearly 1/2 a foot long. Personally, I would go with a .40 Springfield XD or .40 Beretta 96FS. But if you want your attacker to piss their pants, go for the Desert Eagle.

Posted: 10/29/2003 11:50:47 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
I would think that the only way a .44 is going to be accurate if you are going to be firing magnum rounds out of it would be to have at least a 5" barrel. Anything less and you might be downing the little old lady behind your attacker.

If you can't keep all 6 rounds from a quality revolver, regardless of barrel length or caliber, in anything larger than the 9-ring of a B-27 silhouette target at 25 yards, then you simply haven't been practicing enough. And at normal CCW distances, even a snubbie has enough barrel to shoot a very small group.

Posted: 10/31/2003 10:16:03 AM EDT

[#19]

I'd love to see a 2 inch grouping at 25 yards with a .44 magnum round out of a little 3 inch snubby. Care to post your target?

Posted: 10/31/2003 4:38:31 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
I'd love to see a 2 inch grouping at 25 yards with a .44 magnum round out of a little 3 inch snubby.

I didn't do it but I've seen it done. It's not unusual, IMO.

Posted: 10/31/2003 9:15:56 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
I'd love to see a 2 inch grouping at 25 yards with a .44 magnum round out of a little 3 inch snubby. Care to post your target?

Actually, I said the average shooter could keep all six shots in the 9 ring of a b-B-27, which is the full size silhouette target, so that would only require a group size of about 5".

That being said, I'm not an average shooter, and can usually keep all shots in the X-ring at 25 yards, even with a 3" 44. But then, I shoot a lot and shot competitively for a long time. I have no doubt that I can shoot a 2" 25 yard group with any of my 3" N-frame revolvers. Should we ever find ourselves in the same place at the same time, I'd be happy to prove it.

Posted: 11/1/2003 10:31:56 AM EDT

[#22]

David, your 3" N frame with the bobbed hammer in the pics in the other thread gives me serious wood! It is beautiful, what other info can you tell me about it? Did you mod it or did you but it that way? It was a 625 right?

Sorryociffer

Posted: 11/1/2003 11:03:28 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
David, your 3" N frame with the bobbed hammer in the pics in the other thread gives me serious wood! It is beautiful, what other info can you tell me about it? Did you mod it or did you but it that way? It was a 625 right?

Sorryociffer

It's a 625-3 originally in 45 LC redone by the S&W Performance Center. It had a 4" barrel cut and recrowned to 3" (allowing a full length ejector rod), bobbed 7# DAO trigger pull, ball detent lockup, tritium front sight, Weigand rear sight blade and the cylinder has been milled to accept full moon clips. The cylinder was proofed for +P loads and will work with 45 LC, 45 ACP,460 Rowland, or 45 WinMag. I carry it with a 265gr SJHP 45 LC load that clocks 850 fps out of the short barrel. Back that up with a couple of moon clips loaded with 230gr Hyra-Shok 45 ACP.

The Performance Center bill was over $1000, plust the cost of the gun. I bought it used, in excellent condition, for less than 1/2 the cost to duplicate it. It's my favorite N-frame at the moment

Posted: 11/2/2003 8:20:18 PM EDT

[#24]

beautiful piece!

Posted: 11/2/2003 8:33:09 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
Its simple. Ask yourself what you have to gain by carrying a large, heavy, uncontrolable in rapid fire, six shot weapon over a high quality, reliable 9mm, .40S&W, or .45ACP semi-auto in the flavor of your choice?

Nothing but style, my friend.

- 629 Mountain Gun owner (rarely, but sometimes carried).