A .44 Magnum Conclusion

IronEye · Mar 26, 2018

Lots of good advice.

If you don't reload take a look at loads like Georgia Arms 44 Mag 240gr Lead Semi Wadcutter. Only 1000FPS.

http://www.georgia-arms.com/new-44-rem-mag-240gr-lead-semi-wadcutter/

Drops recoil (estimated for my gun) from 16FP to 9FP. That's a huge difference. Plus they're fairly cheap ($25 per 50 rounds).

Some Cowboy loads are even lighter.

Speaking of recoil - the gun weight has a lot to do with it. The recoil for heavy 357 loads on my 27 oz SP101 is about the same as full power 44 Mags out of my 3 pound 7 1/2" barreled 44 Mag. That's mathematically. In real life the SP101 was much worse - until I installed a set of grips that was only slightly larger. 1/4" of additional trigger reach made a huge difference in perceived recoil.

John from MD · Mar 26, 2018

manderson said:
You need to reload with the 44mag. Most of the commercial stuff is brutal.

This thing is a blast to shoot and insanely accurate.

My wife and I visited the Freedom Arms factory in Freedom Wyoming back in the late '90's.

They showed me how they were built and they are fitted almost like clocks. :shocking:

I couldn't afford one then when I wandered around in bear country and I sure as hell can't afford one now that I'm retired but they sure are nice guns. :thumbsup:

Huckleberry · Mar 26, 2018

dist1646 said:
Just imaging if Eastwood had used a .41 magnum in the Dirty Harry series!

He would have talked with a lisp, shot limp wristed and dressed more colorfully to blend in fabulously with the San Franweenie lifestyle?

J/K

Czechnologist · Mar 26, 2018

Huckleberry said:
He would have talked with a lisp, shot limp wristed and dressed more colorfully to blend in fabulously with the San Franweenie lifestyle?

J/K

Bill Jordan weeps.

Tracker · Mar 26, 2018

august1410 said:
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.

If you want to continue to borrow your buddys Redhawk. Try reloading 44 mag cases with Hodgdon Trail boss. They have data on their website for 240grn LSWC clocking 830-917 fps. That would be a sweet plinkin load. Think I'll whip up a batch of those for myself!

j_h_smith · Mar 26, 2018

Having owned large caliber handguns all my life, I feel that for ME, I have found that I can shoot anything, but I don't care about the recoil. I did have a 50 Beowulf AR50 pistol for more than a year before I built a SBR. Even that was fun to shoot. Does it kick, yep. But I can't say it's never hurt my hands before. You must learn to absorb the recoil from the hands, to the wrists, to the forearms and then all the way to the shoulders. I have a technique that works for me. Maybe you just need to find a comfortable way to shoot the revolver.

I'm sure if you take the time, you will find a way to shoot that revolver.

Good Luck!

jimbobborg · Mar 27, 2018

I've owned ONE .44 Magnum. It was a Taurus with a 4" ported barrel. I shot hunting ammunition out of it. The grips it came with helped a lot with recoil. At the time, I had owned a 10mm S&W for a while, so I was accustomed to some recoil. I shot the Taurus well enough to pass the CCW class I was taking.

Magnumite · Mar 27, 2018

I shot my 5.5" Redhawks steadily for lotsa years (since 1985) and did well with them in Hunter's Pistol Silhouette and bowling pin shoots. I now only have one but don't shoot it nearly as much. I use these loads in the Redhawk and my other 44 Magnums and they perform well, fulfilling all my practical 44 Magnum ammo needs. The following information is performance out of the present 5.5" Redhawk. Substituting lesser quality bullets will cause accuracy deterioration, of course. That cost me a few turkeys in one silhouette match.

I use a 240 grain JHP with 15.7 grains of Blue Dot or 23.0 - 24.0 of H110 for a standard magnum level load. Over the chrony for many years it has given single to low double digit standard deviations and velocities of of 1275 to 1300 feet per second, dependent on the lot of powder, and is highly accurate.

For 100 meter silhouette I use a 240 grain lead with 10.5 grains of Unique for 1050-1100 fps. Even though this load goes trans sonic it is silhouette accurate.

For bowling pins I typically used a 240 grain lead bullet and 5.7 - 5.9 grains of Bullseye, a very manageable non-creampuff load in the Redhawk. These are good for 900 - 925 fps and drove the pins about twice the distance off the tables as the 230 45 ACP loads did. They used to tease me by saying we lost time in the walk to retrieve pins when resetting the tables. There is more power in this load than most realize. It will penetrate both sides of heavy gauge 55 gallon drums using even soft lead bullets.

Czechnologist · Mar 27, 2018

Don’t be afraid of the .44 Magnum. There is nothing magical, supernatural, mysterious, forbidding, or even sexy about it. It is simply an honest, big gun that will do you a job if you will bother to become familiar with it.

Alea Jacta Est · Mar 27, 2018

Missing a(nother) Model 29

They all are a joy to shoot...Joe knows. He's handled them.

AlanInSilverSpring · Mar 27, 2018

j_h_smith said:
Having owned large caliber handguns all my life, I feel that for ME, I have found that I can shoot anything, but I don't care about the recoil. I did have a 50 Beowulf AR50 pistol for more than a year before I built a SBR. Even that was fun to shoot. Does it kick, yep. But I can't say it's never hurt my hands before. You must learn to absorb the recoil from the hands, to the wrists, to the forearms and then all the way to the shoulders. I have a technique that works for me. Maybe you just need to find a comfortable way to shoot the revolver.

Slow Mo starts at 1:50. You can see the shockwave travel from the gun up into his shoulders.

Is there really a way to "comfortably" shoot something like that ? At 3:25 he says (almost laughing) "that's about all the fun I want at one time". If Miculek has a tough time with it I think I'll pass

august1410 · Mar 27, 2018

After some revisiting of the issue, the .44 Magnum round is not the issue. The issue is the combination of grips and gun, which can be an issue with any gun you shoot. If I owned a .44, I certainly would reload for it, as I did when I had the Taurus. I loaded a really nice .44 Special that was a great round. I think it's safe to say that I won't be buying a .44 any time soon. I can shoot the caliber just fine, but the combo of gun/grips this go 'round wasn't ideal.

dist1646 · Mar 27, 2018

Huckleberry said:
He would have talked with a lisp, shot limp wristed and dressed more colorfully to blend in fabulously with the San Franweenie lifestyle?

J/K

Nah! That would be David Soul in Magnum Force! :lol2:

teratos · Mar 27, 2018

I have an ultralight S&W 329PD. Not fun at all with full powered .44 Mag loads. Soft shooter with .44 SPL. Give that a try before you bag it.

Biggfoot44 · Mar 28, 2018

The squareback trigger gaurd on the Super is indeed an instrument of torture . Plain Blackhawks , Bisleys , Freedom Arms etc are fine .

Bigfoot21075 · Mar 28, 2018

Funny, My Colt Anaconda is my absolute favorite gun to shoot and I am accurate as heck with it. It is comfortable and easy to use.

byf43 · Mar 28, 2018

I absolutely love shooting my DW 44VH-4 and with VH-8 barrel assemblies.

Here's a pic of the VH-4 set-up w/ Pachmayrs.
Used the DW as shown, to take a 265 lb Boar in Tennessee, at 7 feet. One shot. "Boom. Thump."

S&W mdl 60 Ladysmith (NRA serial # 197 of 300 made) shown for comparison.

trickg · Mar 28, 2018

AlanInSilverSpring said:
Slow Mo starts at 1:50. You can see the shockwave travel from the gun up into his shoulders.

Is there really a way to "comfortably" shoot something like that ? At 3:25 he says (almost laughing) "that's about all the fun I want at one time". If Miculek has a tough time with it I think I'll pass

Yep - that's a lot of pushback in a very short amount of time, and no matter what you do it's going to travel all the way up your arms and through every joint in your wrists, elbow and shoulder along the way, unless you can find some way to suspend the laws of physics.

Tebonski · Mar 28, 2018

Handload using lead or plated bullets at mild speeds and pressures. You can't beat bullseye or unique powders. Have fun again. No need to batter yourself. You can always use .44 special cases in the .44 mag.

Gutshot · Mar 28, 2018

Bend your knees and hunch your shoulders forward ! Also try some .44 special, leave the mags to the young uns! Best wishes from Florida,
Watch out for that clown Sherrif in no Carolina that wants to wrest our guns from our cold dead hands.

A .44 Magnum Conclusion

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