A .44 Magnum Conclusion

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  • august1410

    Marcas Registradas
    Apr 10, 2009
    22,561
    New Bern, NC
    Also as nobody has mentioned it yet, what about 45 Long Colt? It can be loaded in a wide range from soft cowboy loads to hard hitting bear loads and there are plenty of options available.

    Also a viable alternative I have not considered yet.
     

    Zorros

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 10, 2017
    1,407
    Metropolis
    In the 70s I read it was decribed as a police rd by one of the sage gun writers of the time. More omph than the .357 mag and easier to shoot than the .44 mag. I looked at the wiki and the claim is it was the suggestion of jordan, skelton and keith for an intermediate magnum rd for hunting and LE. Is The .41 really easier to shoot than the .44?
     

    august1410

    Marcas Registradas
    Apr 10, 2009
    22,561
    New Bern, NC
    In the 70s I read it was decribed as a police rd by one of the sage gun writers of the time. More omph than the .357 mag and easier to shoot than the .44 mag. I looked at the wiki and the claim is it was the suggestion of jordan, skelton and keith for an intermediate magnum rd for hunting and LE. Is The .41 really easier to shoot than the .44?

    It is. The only time I had an issue shooting .41 was with the original wood magna stocks on a S&W model 58 and vintage Remington ammo. It was as stout as a .44 Magnum.

    Since then, the wood magnas have been replaced with a Hogue monogrip and modern ammo has been used. Today, we shot it with some Remington defense ammo and it was as stout as the vintage stuff, but tamed by the Hogue grip.
     

    eightshot627

    Active Member
    Apr 10, 2008
    239
    Thurmont
    A S&W X-Frame (460/500) grip on a round butt N-Frame is very comfortable to shoot. The X-Frame grip has the back strap covered.

    Walt
     
    Last edited:

    Huckleberry

    No One of Consequence
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 19, 2007
    23,307
    Severn & Lewes
    Try it w/ 44 Special. Save the 44 mag stuff for Bears. :-)

    Elmer Keith and I approve.

    44 Spl is the answer. Save the 44 Mag for bears, hunting and grins&giggles at the range.

    Just like leaving the 357 in the drawer and loading 38+P or +P+ in J or K frame magnum, GP100 or SP101 especially any snubbie.

    Marlin 444 makes a great companion rifle since you can load the same bullet in all 3 rounds
     

    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    First, I love shooting .44 Special, .44 Magnum, it doesn't matter. IMHO it is one of the most accurate handgun cartridges ever conceived and with practice, it can be mastered.

    I'm surprised the .41mag isn't more popular simply because it is easier to shoot, has a flatter trajectory and ballistics are pretty close to the .44mag.

    I shot a S&W Model 57 exclusively in IHMSA big bore revolver matches from 1982-1984 before switching to a Model 29 from 1984-1988. I love the round. It was devastating on 50, 100 and 150 yard targets but, wasn't always consistent about knocking down Ram targets at 200 yards. I had to do some experimenting with different loads and bullet weights before finding a combination that could do it consistently.

    The .41 Magnum was doomed to obscurity because it wasn't widely adopted by the law enforcement community, which was S&W's intended market. A few agencies adopted it but the .41 never gained mainstream acceptance because officers who tested it believed there wasn't enough difference in recoil between a .41 and a .44 Magnum to justify the slight edge in performance over their .357 Magnum revolvers. They felt, like, why not just carry a Model 29 and load it with .44 Special? .44 Special nearly duplicated the 200gr. LSWC law enforcement load for .41 and .44 Magnum was always there when needed. Bottom line, .41 Magnum didn't deliver what S&W promised: a significantly more powerful cartridge than .357 with only half the recoil of .44 Magnum. What they got was a round just slightly more powerful than .357 that recoiled damn near as bad as a .44 Magnum.

    Meanwhile, hunters and competition shooters were the .41 Magnum's biggest fans. Unfortunately, there weren't enough of us out there to sustain production of Model 57's, 58's and a variety of factory loads to shoot in them. Nope, back then, if you committed to .41 Magnum, you committed to reloading for it because the 210gr Remington JSP was the only factory Magnum-level load available and it barely scratched the surface of what the .41 could do with the right bullet and powder.

    .41 Magnum is the round that made me want to learn to reload. I started with a set of RCBS carbide dies and a Lyman turret press. :D

    A 41 Magnum is on my need to buy list.

    I'd love to have one, too. I just don't have time to reload these days and that's just about what I'd have to do if I wanted to shoot it more than once a month.
     

    PapiBarcelona

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 1, 2011
    7,343
    Also as nobody has mentioned it yet, what about 45 Long Colt? It can be loaded in a wide range from soft cowboy loads to hard hitting bear loads and there are plenty of options available.

    No doubt about that.

    One of my favorites is my SRH Alaskan. I dont reload metallic but some of these hot 45 colt loads are knocking on .44 mags door. All the factory 45 colt ammo I have is no slouch either

    I usually shoot at least 1 cylinder full of .454 whenever I take the Alaskan out. Its really not that bad, short barrel doesnt use the load to its full potential, heavy revolver; very manageable although its the only gun where it feels like someone punched your palm after lighting off all 6 with a cylinder full of casull - weird recoil shock travels up my arm.

    I still believe my SP101 with full power .357 mag has worse recoil and more "bite" into my hand than the Alaskan
     

    AlBeight

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 30, 2017
    4,371
    Hampstead
    I am quite fond of my pal's Model 58. It's a first year model and with modern loads and a Hogue monogrip, it's a delight to shoot. I do reload, so if I were to get a .41 down the road, ammo wouldn't be such a problem. I think the issue with this particular .44 was the Pachmyer grip and the grip profile of the Redhawk. While the .44 Magnum Taurus felt flimsy, I never got rocked like I did with the Redhawk.
    The Taurus didn’t rock you because it was compensated (small holes on top of barrel next to front sight) and has a nice soft-ish rubber grip. Shot my Taurus 44 all the time about 10 years ago, one day shot side by side with a friend that had a non-compensated Colt Anaconda. I didn’t like that recoil at all from the Anaconda, same exact load. Quite literally felt twice as bad, and quite snappy, whereas the Taurus was a bit louder but more contollable and way less “snappy”. I never shot any reduced loads or 44 Specials out of this either, only 240 gr XTP magnum loads. Even then it still is a bit tough to shoot for too long. Truth be told, a box of 50 per trip was about all I could manage back then, both physically and financially.

    The Blackhawks & Redhawks have the older cowboy-style grips which are an acquired taste to those of us that prefer modern styled pistols. These are not ergonomically designed. Think about it, if this was the best grip design they’d still be making wheelguns in this grip style (replica style and continuance of the original models non withstanding). That’s probably why that frame style magnum bit you so hard (I never have and would most likely nevershoot one simply because they are not comfortable in my hand to begin with). Grip comfort means a lot to me, in fact I bought my Taurus Raging Bull 454 Casull in lieu of the 500 S&W I went to buy because it too felt wrong in my hand. The undercut beneath the trigger guard was more pronounced than the Taurus and the guard rested heavy on my middle finger. I fugured that would be very uncomfortable to shoot, the Taurus felt just right.

    I also recommend (just my opinion) that nobody shoot the Thompson Contender pistol in 44Mag or larger. The gun is crazy light, non-compensated, and that stupid metal stabby-hook under the trigger hurts really bad when it smashes into your support hand on every shot. Shot a buddy’s 3X, then never again.

    I’m curious though what year Taurus you had? My 44 was circa 1996 I think, and my 454 was 2008. These are solid guns and both were very well reviewed back then. I have heard bad things about Taurus recently, maybe your sloppy feeling revolver was one of these newer ones? Anyway, just curious on this part.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,877
    No , the Redhawk is a modern DA revolver . But Joe's experience illiustrates the need for proper fit to Your Hand for the grips on a magnum or big bore revolver.

    Begging to Defer , but SA revolvers ARE well suited for comfortable shooting of hard kicking cals . They're Supposed to roll in the hand instead of slamming into the web of your hand .

    But there are some questions of personal preference in grip shape for SA .

    I am one of the aprox 1/3 for whom the square back trigger gaurd of the Super Blackhawk painfully assaults my knuckle . I much prefer the more traditional Blackhawk/ SAA shape for all around use.

    For really heavy kicking ( meaning more than level of 240gr .44mag ) the Ruger Bisley handles the recoil even better . But for me doesn't point as naturally . Likewise the Freedom Arms grip also is good for extreme recoil .
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,877
    Meanwhile , I like the .41 . Three Band gave a good background . Despite that, here's Devil's Advocate :

    .41 Mag is a Handloaders proposition. But as long as you accept the necessity of handloading , there are additional options :

    .44spl loaded warm in strong revolver.
    .44mag loaded Medium . ( R-P and CCI used to have popular Medium .44 loads , with 240gr lead bullets loaded to nominal 1,000fps , but no more . These were pleasant to shoot , yet were sufficient for deer, not withstanding Md's arbitrary Regs .)
    .45Colt loaded to Black Powder Equivalent, or a touch more . ( With careful powder selection can be done just inside modern SAA presures , or easily at bottom end of Ruger Loads .)

    If you want a big bore revolver , but really want to use factory loads only , the best choice for variety is .45Colt in Blackhawk or equivalent strength . Everything from powder puff to BP Equiv , to heavy loads is available, and easier to find than Medium Vel .44mag .
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,591
    Glen Burnie
    There's another conclusion one can come to when it comes to the .44 Magnum:

    Reload.

    As others have mentioned, a .44 Mag loaded down can be quite mild and enjoyable to shoot, not to mention being considerably cheaper to shoot than trying to buy .44 mag ammo.

    Here's a target I shot with my reloads - six shots at 25 feet with 9.0 grains of Unique under a 240 grain lead bullet.
     

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    Pale Ryder

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 12, 2009
    6,234
    Millersville
    I am one of the aprox 1/3 for whom the square back trigger gaurd of the Super Blackhawk painfully assaults my knuckle . I much prefer the more traditional Blackhawk/ SAA shape for all around use.

    I think it's 3/3 that get assaulted, just some hate to admit it. I don't shoot my BH much mostly a safe queen. Need to take er out, forgot how much she kicks.
     

    Striper69

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 31, 2014
    1,400
    Iowa
    I believe I have finally come to grips with the fact that .44 Magnum just is not for me. As I have gotten a little older, I have realized I have less to prove and don't need something big and bold to make a statement.

    I had owned a Taurus .44 Magnum and traded it because it was expensive to shoot. It was okay, but really didn't quench the thirst. The caliber was good, but the revolver felt cheap.

    Fast forward a couple of years and the .44 Magnum itch reappears. A buddy has a Ruger Redhawk with a 5.5 inch barrel he tells me I can borrow for as long as I want. Cool, I thought. A quality .44 that does not feel cheap. We meet up and I get the Redhawk. It's got hard Pachmayr grips in place of the wood grips that come from the factory. That's a plus. I don't want a big wheelgun slapping against my hand, anyway.

    A buddy of mine and I get out to the range today with the Redhawk and his .41 Magnum S&W Model 58. I have had plenty of range time with the Model .58 and figured it would be fun to compare it with the .44.

    He had some 210 grain Remington .41 Magnum and I had a box of Winchester White Box 240 grain .44 Magnum.

    We loaded our revolvers and put them head to head.

    The first thing I noticed was the Pachmayrs were no friend to my hand. Even with a firm grip, the checkering of the hard rubber bit into my hand. I have small hands and where my hand sat on the grip, the checkering bit into my palm. I manage to walk away with the target shooting equivalent of rug burn on my palm between my thumb and forefinger. I was all over the place with the .44 at about 10-15 yards. I hit the target, but without any consistency. I attribute this to being uncomfortable with the gun digging into my hand. I shoot hot .357 regularly am pretty accurate.

    While the Redhawk is a solidly made revolver, I am no fool and I know when it's time to throw in the towel. It's not really made for a guy with smallish hands. I did much better with the Smith and Wesson .41.

    29595488_10160108535785585_1489207890415664804_n.jpg


    29572914_10160108509255585_8214181939048483916_n.jpg

    Gloves?

    I reload my 44 Mag but even with the heaviest load in the Hornady manual I had no problems with the grip etc. I load and shoot mild loads with no problems whatsoever.

    The noise is another story though. :D
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,877
    I was going to suggest 9.2gr of Unique under a 240 swc , but lots of ways to get into that neighborhood.
     

    manderson

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 3, 2008
    1,243
    You need to reload with the 44mag. Most of the commercial stuff is brutal.

    This thing is a blast to shoot and insanely accurate.

    Freedom%20Arms_1.jpg


    Freedom%20Arms_2.jpg
     

    dist1646

    Ultimate Member
    May 1, 2012
    8,758
    Eldersburg
    If you don't like hand loading for the .41 mag, check out Georgia Arms. Prices are not bad. I use factory loads and hand loads for the .41's I have.
    Just imaging if Eastwood had used a .41 magnum in the Dirty Harry series!
     

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