.44mag question

[chaco]

I'm thinking of getting a 44 mag. What do you the members recommend to get? It will be used mainly for self defense and to carry around the property because big bears have been hanging around lately. Thanks in advance for your help!

[BarryLee]

If I could locate one I’d get a Ruger Redhawk with a 5.5” barrel.

[aiming fluid]

I have a SW model 29 with a 4" barrel that packs around pretty easy. For sure you won't be undergunned in the lower 48.

[Pond, James Pond]

5.5" RH Seconded.

I have the 4.2" For me it's perfect.
The only length I'd be willing to go up to would be the 5.5". Still comfortable to carry for me, not to long for discreet carry (necessary where I live), but longer for a few more FPS, longer sight radius and a touch more recoil suppression!

Beyond that, I'd be looking at Super Redhawks. (That as well as someone in the market for a used kidney....)

[kahrguy]

I to would go with the red hawk for the heavy 300gr + loads out there for dangerous game.

[mxsailor803]

I've got a S&W 629 with a 6". It is a little long for what you are wanting but they do have shorter barrel versions.

[batmann]

If your main reason for getting one is to carry for protection, I would say go with a S&W 629 Mountain Gun. The are lighter and a lot easier to pack around all day.i put the X frame Hogues on mine and shoot standard 240 gr HP. If I need a heavier round, I load it with some Double Tap 250 gr HCSWC.
The nice thing about the .44 M is you can shoot some pretty stiff .44 Special loads as well. You will find, as I did, you don't always need the extra power of a hot magnum load.

[Bob Wright]

I'd suggest something like these:



Not a .44 Magnum (bite my tongue!) but a .45 Colt. Loaded with a 350 gr. bullet and a hefty dose of H110 or IMR4227, nothing is more devastating, that can be held in one hand, than one of these at close range.

Bob Wright

P.S. These are Ruger Blackhawks. (As if you wouldn't know.)

[spacecoast]

No disrespect intended Bob, but with a bear charging at me the last thing I would want to have to remember is to cock my SA revolver. For most shooters I think a DA is a better choice and would result in faster follow-up shots.

[mxsailor803]

Spacecoast has a valid point Bob. So i'll just send you my mailing address and you can send those old SA's to me

[newfrontier45]

...the last thing I would want to have to remember is to cock my SA revolver.

If you have to consciously 'think' about cocking a single action, you haven't spent enough time with them. If you don't spend enough time with an SA, you probably don't spend enough time with a DA either. Proficiency is critical with either choice.

[rclark]

If you have to consciously 'think' about cocking a single action, you haven't spent enough time with them.

+100

And have to agree with 'proficiency' comment with DA as well... The few times I tried to hit something shooting 'DA' mode, I might as well have been shooting a shotgun (not quite that bad ... but ...) .

[spacecoast]

If you don't spend enough time with an SA, you probably don't spend enough time with a DA either. Proficiency is critical with either choice.

No offense intended, and I know we have some very good shooters here, but I would wager that I am more proficient with a DA revolver than a majority of those likely to read this. I shoot Bullseye regularly with iron sights using DA for timed and rapid fire and hold my own against very good shooters using high-$ semis with red dots.

[newfrontier45]

Do you have to consciously think about pulling the DA's trigger? Do you have to remind yourself that it's not a 1911 and you don't have to flick the safety off? Of course not, this is no different. If you had spent the same amount of time and effort with SA's, you wouldn't be thinking about cocking the hammer either. It would just be a natural part of shooting. No different from 1911 shooters instinctively flicking off the safety.

[eldermike]

If you actually want to hit the bear with a first solid killing hit I suggest you cock the single action. It should be second nature to cock a revolver as you are coming onto target.

I watched a large black bear cross one of our costal road ways. I counted his progress in (bang - bang -gone). You might get a second shot off, but better count on one.

[spacecoast]

Part of your point was that those of us who do not instinctively shoot SA are not proficient with DA either, which is bull.

Making the effort to cock a SA hammer wastes time that you may not have. Rapid Fire is much easier in DA if you are proficient with holding a revolver on target using DA. In a SD situation, you would be foolish to employ a method that requires more time and manual dexterity. I don't see/hear of a lot of SA revolvers being employed for SD, do you?

[newfrontier45]

Part of your point was that those of us who do not instinctively shoot SA are not proficient with DA either, which is bull.

I apologize for that, was not exactly what I intended and it came out wrong. However, the rest stands.

I don't see/hear of a lot of SA revolvers being employed for SD, do you?

Yes, I do. Personally, I do very little DA shooting. By contrast, I do A LOT of SA shooting. Tens of thousands of rounds every year. So yes, it is much more natural and instinctive for me to draw and cock a single action than to pull a S&W and start yanking the trigger. So which is really the best choice for me? The gun I spend the most time with or the gun YOU spend the most time with? Proficiency trumps any perceived advantage the DA might offer. The hammer should be on its way back as soon as the sixgun clears leather so the "wasted time" notion is nonsense. Like I said, it is absolutely no different from flicking the safety off on a 1911.

I don't know why you DA shooters get so bent when someone suggests that your choice is not best for everyone. Mindset and proficiency are vastly more important than choice of equipment.

[ClydeFrog]

For my input, Id look at a Ruger Alaskan Snub in .454/.45LC or .44magnum.
You can add a CT lasergrip too; www.Crimsontrace.com .
A Taurus Judge or maybe a Smith & Wesson Gov revolver in .410 shotshell .45acp or .45 Long Colt.
That wheelgun could handle snakes hogs coyotes maybe bears.
I'd avoid the S&W model 29 or 629 .44magnums. They have the craptastic lawyer locks that so many gun owners & S&W purists despise.

The Ruger Super Redhawk is robust, strong & easy to maintain in the field.

For a anti-personnel round or protection, Id carry a .44spl like a Glaser Silver Safety Slug or maybe a MagSafe. DPX, Buffalo Bore, Speer Gold Dot offer great carry loads too. DO NOT use reloads or hand loads for concealed carry/defense.
Ammunition isn't cheap but a factory round is far more prudent.

[BigJimP]

I'd recommend a 3" or 4" model 629 S&W...( or a model 29 ) ....they're affordable and good solid guns.

I think a 6" is ok ....but its a little too heavy to drag around every day.

[spacecoast]

I don't know why you DA shooters get so bent when someone suggests that your choice is not best for everyone.

If you will examine my first post on this thread you will notice that I said (emphasis added)

For most shooters I think a DA is a better choice and would result in faster follow-up shots.

If you want to use a SA revolver, or even a musket, then have at it. When Jerry Miculek shoots 12 rounds in 3 seconds, I don't see him doing it SA.

[newfrontier45]

Nor do I see Bob Munden firing six shots in the blink of an eye with a DA. There are DA shooters and there are SA shooters. Jerry is a DA shooter. I wouldn't expect him to be very good at all with an SA. He (and you!) prefer DA's and that is fine. What I'm trying to make you understand is that proficiency and mindset are vastly more important than any other single factor.

For most shooters I think a DA is a better choice and would result in faster follow-up shots.

If they are proficient.

The statement you made that caused the discussion was:

"......the last thing I would want to have to remember is to cock my SA revolver."

The response was appropriate and correct. SA shooters don't "think" about cocking their guns. They just do it automatically. If you have to "remember", you're not proficient. Basically, you are not a proficient single action shooter telling proficient single action shooters what is and what is not possible with THEIR chosen weaponry. You have no basis for this other than personal bias.

FACT: I am better with a single action that I am with a double action. Therefore, a double action has no advantages in my hands. Only disadvantages. I have nothing against them and I am not unfamiliar with them. I probably own more DA's than many DA shooters. I simply enjoy SA's more, I shoot them more and I am more proficient with them. If you want to believe that a DA in 'my' hands would be better than the SA that I am more proficient with, you are just plain wrong.

[eldermike]

When I draw a revolver the hammer is back, not sure how it got there but it's there, I might as well shoot the first round with a zero creep low force trigger. Otherwise I would have to lower the hammer and then shoot it double action which would take up a bunch of time.

[Brutus]

Gentlemen,
I have been told that single action is for accurate, aimed precision shooting.
Double action is for when the bear is chewing on your head.

[Bob Wright]

Well, I sure didn't mean to start a tempest in a powder keg.

My suggestion for the Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt was its ability to handle the big slug, a 350 gr. cast lead bullet. The 350 gr. .45 is one of the best to penetrate bone, muscle and tissue. In short, it gets to where it will do the most good. Few other revolvers can handle a steady diet of these slugs.

As to speed, I once killed three cottonmouths in about as many seconds without moving from my tracks, the last shot as it slithered between my legs. This with a Colt Frontier Scout single action .22 L.R.

I do not believe anyone can get off shots any faster with a DA revolver or substantial caliber, such as heavy loaded .44 or .45. These guns kick, and I have the hammer cocked before the gun comes down out of recoil.

Bob Wright

[spacecoast]

A minor tempest, but it's interesting that other than your picture, all the guns suggested on this thread are DA.

Personally, given the OP's situation I would likely be carrying my 6.5" S&W 629-4 Classic DX in a comfortable crossdraw holster. What a great gun.