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rodfac · April 24, 2024, 07:10 PM

Ligonierbill: "I'm not much of a pistoleer, but sometimes I carry a general purpose revolver in the woods."

For general woods walks, either is good...but depends on what you want to shoot....thistle tops and toadstools, dirt clods, defense against predators of two or four legged type, or maybe large game like deer.

I'm a long time fan of the .44 Spl, but will readily agree that to be versatile whatsoever, you must handload. Your choice of at 5.5" Ruger Flat Top is a good one. It's very strong, but not to full-house .44 Magnum levels. Light to medium level loads with 240 gr LSWC's that approach 1000 fps perform well with non-punishing recoil.

The classic is perhaps Skelton's favorite 7.5 grains of Unique for just under 1000 fps. Another good choice is Hornady's excellent .44 cal. 200 gr. XTP. This can be pushed to over 1100 easily with a variety of powders and makes for an excellent defensive round with superb accuracy. Again, handloading is necessary to make the .44 Spl. useful. It's my favorite in a 6.5" Smith M-24, and a tio of Ruger Flat Tops in both 4-5/8" & 5-1/2" bbl. lengths. Both of the bullets listed above will give me sub-2" groups at 25 yds from a rest in any of the four listed.

The .357 Magnum is also a great choice as it offers versatility right out of the box...anything from .38 Special wadcutters to full house magnums...and do it without resorting to handloading. In that sense, it makes more sense as an all around woods carry piece.

In my own use, I find that as I've aged into my late 70's, arthritis has made it a far better choice with it's lighter recoil using target loads. Accuracy is equal to the .44 Spl. and I handload for both so ammunition costs are about equal. I also cast my own LSWC & WC bullets making either caliber cheaper to shoot than a .22 LR at current market prices. Three cent primers, two cent powder charges and bullet molds purchased well before the turn of the century allow substantial savings.

Given one choice, and discounting my age and foregoing handloading, I'd pick a .357 of the DA revolver persuasion. HTH's Rod Here's one of my .44's and a seldom seen 5" bbl'd Smith M-60 with a holster I made up for my #1 son's Christmas several years ago. It's a hellofa carry piece for woods loafers with great accuracy and light weight.

April 24, 2024, 07:10 PM	#62
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,625	Ligonierbill: "I'm not much of a pistoleer, but sometimes I carry a general purpose revolver in the woods." For general woods walks, either is good...but depends on what you want to shoot....thistle tops and toadstools, dirt clods, defense against predators of two or four legged type, or maybe large game like deer. I'm a long time fan of the .44 Spl, but will readily agree that to be versatile whatsoever, you must handload. Your choice of at 5.5" Ruger Flat Top is a good one. It's very strong, but not to full-house .44 Magnum levels. Light to medium level loads with 240 gr LSWC's that approach 1000 fps perform well with non-punishing recoil. The classic is perhaps Skelton's favorite 7.5 grains of Unique for just under 1000 fps. Another good choice is Hornady's excellent .44 cal. 200 gr. XTP. This can be pushed to over 1100 easily with a variety of powders and makes for an excellent defensive round with superb accuracy. Again, handloading is necessary to make the .44 Spl. useful. It's my favorite in a 6.5" Smith M-24, and a tio of Ruger Flat Tops in both 4-5/8" & 5-1/2" bbl. lengths. Both of the bullets listed above will give me sub-2" groups at 25 yds from a rest in any of the four listed. The .357 Magnum is also a great choice as it offers versatility right out of the box...anything from .38 Special wadcutters to full house magnums...and do it without resorting to handloading. In that sense, it makes more sense as an all around woods carry piece. In my own use, I find that as I've aged into my late 70's, arthritis has made it a far better choice with it's lighter recoil using target loads. Accuracy is equal to the .44 Spl. and I handload for both so ammunition costs are about equal. I also cast my own LSWC & WC bullets making either caliber cheaper to shoot than a .22 LR at current market prices. Three cent primers, two cent powder charges and bullet molds purchased well before the turn of the century allow substantial savings. Given one choice, and discounting my age and foregoing handloading, I'd pick a .357 of the DA revolver persuasion. HTH's Rod Here's one of my .44's and a seldom seen 5" bbl'd Smith M-60 with a holster I made up for my #1 son's Christmas several years ago. It's a hellofa carry piece for woods loafers with great accuracy and light weight. __________________ Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.