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Old December 9, 2012, 09:35 PM   #26
AZ-Quailhunter
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I have some of each....and I love shooting all of them. .44 Specials do not have to be "purpose" specific to enjoy. I carry one all the time while messing around in the desert. Great every day field gun. If I care to go hunting...I will certainly have a magnum with me. But most of my camping, small game hunting, and target shooting fun can be well accomplished with the .44 Special. It is still my favorite cartridge to reload and shoot.
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Old December 9, 2012, 09:49 PM   #27
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At last count there were 9 44 specials in my safe and exactly 1 magnum. The Magnum is nice for when it's needed, BUT it seldom is. The vast majority of 44 magnums fired every year are just for entertainment. Nothing wrong with that, but many people THINK they need one when they don't
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Old December 10, 2012, 10:43 AM   #28
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Some cartridges fill niches better than others. .44 Special for fast double-action, target, self-defense, plinking, hunting small game, can be used for deer. etc., etc. .44 Magnum...hunting.
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Old December 10, 2012, 02:12 PM   #29
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Actually I got ORIONENGNR's ( edited... 396 ) ... & IMO, it's the perfect gun for both carry, & the 44 Special cartridge, when I got it from him, it had both the wood grips pictured, & a set of rubber grips ( I started out being a big fan of rubber grips... as I became more of a seasoned shooter, I still like the rubber on my "heavy hitters" but prefer wood on my carry guns...

I do shoot this revolver particularly well, though I don't shoot it often, ( afraid of the wear, being an ultra light weight revolver ) I'd love to have a stainless version for range use...

as for the "shoot the 44 Specials in the 44 Mag" comments... I never really liked doing that with my GP-100 in 357... ( the carbon ring thing )... now that I'm an expirienced handloader, & started shooting CAS, using & becoming very familiar with Trailboss, I'm more inclined to just down load the longer brass, rather than stuff the shorter cases into a longer chamber...

IMO, the 44 Special, & 45 Colt are the perfect self defense cartridges, & when you combine the 44 Special with a 396 Air Lite, that's as good as it gets...

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Old December 10, 2012, 11:06 PM   #30
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Actually I got ORIONENGNR's 696...
I'm seeing a 396
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Old December 11, 2012, 06:39 AM   #31
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ok... so I'm not very good with Smiths models... that's why I included the pic...
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Old December 11, 2012, 08:39 AM   #32
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ok... so I'm not very good with Smiths models... that's why I included the pic.
Sounds like you're a lot like me. I lost track of them when they got past two digits and a dash number.
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Old December 11, 2012, 09:39 AM   #33
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I lost track of them when they started putting the two digit numbers on them! We knew they had numbers, but seldom used them, calling them by names: 1950 .44 Target, 1950 .45 Army, or .38-44 Outdoorsman, for example. These were N-430T, N-451, N-357T.


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Old December 11, 2012, 03:25 PM   #34
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- deleted as off topic.

Sorry.

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Last edited by Shep; December 11, 2012 at 11:26 PM.
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Old December 11, 2012, 04:55 PM   #35
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Darn Bob you did it again, never heard of those dash numbers before.
THank you.
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Old December 11, 2012, 05:18 PM   #36
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The S&W 329PD is 25.1 oz. It is a .44 magnum. I find it shoots high end (Buffalo Bore Heavy .44 Special) .44 Special ammunition quite well, while light and easy to pack. It has the plus that it can shoot .44 magnums if needed.

I am surprised you would state that .44 Special can be loaded up to .44 magnum levels, as that sounds dangerous and foolish to me. Then I prefer to load a firearm down, rather than stretch its upper limits.
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Old December 11, 2012, 05:58 PM   #37
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Ozzieman wrote:

Quote:
Darn Bob you did it again, never heard of those dash numbers before.
THank you.
Prior to the new system of model numbers put in effect around 1957, the model number was used primarily among factory and distributors. The system consisted of the frame (I,J,K, or N, there being no L at the time) followed by the bore diameter, i.e. 357, 430, 451, etc. The letter T suffix added for target sighted guns.

Problem arose with the .38-44 Outdoorsman and the .357 Magnum, both of which were N-357T. Same as a with the 1955 .44 Target and the.44 Magnum, both N-430T model numbers.

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Old December 11, 2012, 06:17 PM   #38
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I am surprised you would state that .44 Special can be loaded up to .44 magnum levels, as that sounds dangerous and foolish to me.
Have you ever heard of Elmer Keith? Taffin? Skeeter? Brian Pearce? Seyfried? Read up . The .44 Special Keith Load isn't a 'magnum' load at all as it is only moving a 240g bullet at ~1200fps. That's wimpy compared to 1400+fps of a 'real' magnum load of a .44Mag. And yes, the .44 Special can be loaded up to 1200fps in the RIGHT revolvers (but NOT in a CA Bulldog for example). My goto load in .44 Special is the Skeeter Load (around 1000fps) in my Ruger .44Special flattop revolvers which for me is a good hard hitting accurate load. I have shoot a few Keith loads in mine but not for general use. Know your revolvers! Simple as that. If I want a 'Magnum' I'll grab my .44Mag... That is what it was designed for .... but, on the other hand, you don't have to be stuck at 700-800fps with the .44Spec either.

A few Keith/heavy Loads in the .44Spec references

Heavy Loads in the .44Special

Ross Seyfried on the .44Spec flattops

Taffin on the .44 Spec

Brian Pearce .44Spec PDF

A a treasure trove of .44 Special articles : Other .44Special Articles
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Last edited by rclark; December 11, 2012 at 07:05 PM.
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Old December 11, 2012, 07:38 PM   #39
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Well , some might not like the 6.5" barrel version of the S&W model 624 but I do....it's plenty handy & accurate enough for me !
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Old December 11, 2012, 07:48 PM   #40
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My "go to" load for the .44 Special is 6.5-7.0 grains of Unique under a home-cast .240 grain Keith Type bullet. It is good for 99.99% of all shooting, and will make my .44 Special last a long, long, long time.
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Old December 12, 2012, 10:19 AM   #41
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.44 Special

I shoot the .44 Spl in a Ruger Superblackhawk and a model 24. The Ruger is more accurate. I favor a Lee 208 WC bullet with 6.0 of Promo...gives about 1,000 FPS and is an excellent plinking round. So why not just load in a .44 Magnum case...the shorter case offers better consistency.


BTW the cylinder will gunk up with the load--very easy to clean...chuck and old brush that is wrapped with with copper Chore Boy or 0000 steel wool and spin in a drill. Takes but seconds...one can do the same shooting .38's in a .357 Mag.
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Old December 12, 2012, 11:07 AM   #42
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I bought my first single action big bore a few monthe ago. It was a toss up between a Ruger Blackhawk 44Sp or a Ruger 45Colt. The 45Colt won out only because I found a Colt/acp convertible at a good price. If I happen to find a 44Sp at a good price that I have the cash for I might grab it. I don't really have a use for a 44Mag plus the weight difference that I think Bob noted. I like an easy shooter that makes a big hole.
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Old December 13, 2012, 11:12 AM   #43
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.44 Special

Kmax,

Good choice, as I have a Ruger Convertible as well. Nice to be able to shoot the .45 Colt & the .45 ACP.

The .44 Spl IMHO is better for most shooters than a .44 Magnum...one seldom needs the power of the magnum for target shooting and plinking. Also, the .44 Special is an inherently accurate caliber to shoot. As I have mentioned, very nice with a WC style bullet. Also it shoots superbly well in a model 29 and a Ruger Suberblackhawk..in fact better than in a model 24.
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