44 magnum Home Defense/Self defense

[Dave T]

As far as hearing, I lost most of that in Vietnam many years ago.

Touch off a full house 44 mag indoors and you will loose the rest of it. Then you won't need any hearing aids. Just sayin'.

Dave

[Hal]

Even a black powder 44 Special in an old gun is a grave danger to anyone in front of it

You are aware of the fact that the .44spl never was a black powder round aren't you?

Penetrate what exactly?

Oh I don't know, maybe a concrete bunker or something......sheesh...

44 Cal. 200gr. bullets have a sectional density similar to other bullets commonly used for self defense.

Not by me....at least not by choice.

My personal base for S/D is .160.

@ .155, I just don't feel that there's enough mass there to do the job.

My lone exception to that is the 9X19 - using a 124 to 130 grain bullet. And that only because that's what most 9mm's - that I care about using - are built around.

Over the years, I've watched the tread go towards the "light fast" bullet weights - which rely on hyped up velocity claims and "energy" figures to sell them.

The .44 spl is just the latest one in that craze. It never did have a good reputation for much of anything - except accuracy.
Heck, in the mid 1960's - when S&W dropped the M24, the .44 spl just about died out. Other than Colt's SAA, I think Charter was the only .44spl game in town.

I attribute that mostly to the lack of anything from the factories in .44 spl - outside of the 246 gr RNL @ 650-750 fps.---or less.

[otasan]

I have a S&W 629 loaded with 210gr wadcutter .44 magnum cartridges loaded to 1200 FPS. Stout load. Works great on bowling pins. Vietnam vet here.

[Real Gun]

You are aware of the fact that the .44spl never was a black powder round aren't you?

You should be aware that 44 Special and 44 Magnum can be loaded with black powder and have been. Do a search. It is immaterial that use of black powder in a 44 Special is not authentic.

Oh I don't know, maybe a concrete bunker or something......sheesh...

There is no sheesh about it. The question is what exactly is the scenario, the need for penetration, and to what to degree. Does a 44 Special belong in that scenario or, to the OP question, a 44 Magnum?

[Nanuk]

As with anything you need to use the appropriate bullet for the appropriate task. As much of a Dirty harry fan as I am, I understand he is a fictional character.

For SD use I load my 4.25" model 69 with one of two loads.

Load # 1 PMC Bronze 180 grain JHP 44 magnum. PMC uses the thin jacketed Remington bullet which acts like a 125 grain 357 on steroids.

Load #2 is the Speer GD 200 grain 44 special bullet loaded in a magnum case over WW 296. Load data is irrelevant as there is only a 2 grain window, it is what it is. Both loads are going to give 1450-1500 FPS velocity from that revolver.

I would not use anything heavier, then you do get more penetration than you want.

I generally do not use my 44 for home defense. I use my Glock and an AR pistol in 300BLK. I live in a rural area with horses, it is DARK at night, I want guns I can attach lights to.

[SIGSHR]

As Bill Jordan said, you probably won't need a follow up shot on anyone clobbered by a 44 Magnum, but he might have a partner in crime. IMHO-(armchair commando of course) a good 38 Special will do in close quarters and prevent over penetration. And a follow up shot is much easier.

[Nanuk]

IMHO-(armchair commando of course) a good 38 Special will do in close quarters and prevent over penetration.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

And a follow up shot is much easier.

That is a function of skill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7W-5QE3jzw

[smee78]

I would have to assume the reason you don't hear it referred to often for home defense and such is because in its true form it is a poor choice for this roll. Over penetration, noise, cost of ammo and control to get back on target are big reasons why not. I also would bet there are a lot more 357 guns out there and it certainly gets a lot more press. Good luck with your new 357, I use my 627 with 38's when its used for home defense.

[Nanuk]

I would have to assume the reason you don't hear it referred to often for home defense and such is because in its true form it is a poor choice for this roll.

Never assume. It may not be optimum for some, but with the proper load and proper skill set it can fill the role.

Over penetration,

Mitigated with ammo.

noise,

Mitigated with hearing protection. I keep electronic ear muffs on my night stand. I would rather suffer more hearing loss than use something "hearing safe" and less effective.

cost of ammo

irrelevant, probably pennies more than premium 9mm ammo.

and control to get back on target are big reasons why not.

As I stated previously, that is related to skill level.

[Nanuk]

Touch off a full house 44 mag indoors and you will loose the rest of it. Then you won't need any hearing aids. Just sayin'.

Knowledge is power.

https://www.m1911.org/loudness.htm

[Hal]

You should be aware that 44 Special and 44 Magnum can be loaded with black powder and have been. Do a search. It is immaterial that use of black powder in a 44 Special is not authentic.

Only an idiot would load BP for a defensive load in a modern gun.

We're talking about serious home defense here, not what Billy Bob does after a six pack.

Penetrate what exactly?

Look - I'm going to repeat my - sheesh. We're discussing home defense - so - what ever decides to walk, slither or crawl into the house.

Knowledge is power.

Shhh! Don't let that get around ! .

I would not use anything heavier, then you do get more penetration than you want.

My "pet load" is a swaged lead 240 grain hollow point, seated over a dose of Alliant 2400 (17.5 grains)
I'm estimating it's about 1100 fps out of my 4" M29.

[Brian48]

My 6" Model 29 is generally not my first choice for home defense, but I do keep it loaded with Speer 200gr .44Spl Gold Dots just in case it's the closest gun I have access to and need to grab a firearm.

[joed]

I carried a .44 Spl for more then a few years. The best ammo is the Blazer 200 gr GDHP, it won't go thru walls and for defense is hard to beat.

.44 Spl ammo is not cheap, sometimes runs more then the mag. But for a home intruder I don't think you can beat the Blazer.

[BBarn]

As far as cartridges go, the 44 Special is ballistically similar to many other popular defense rounds. As mentioned the Gold Dot offerings from Speer and Blazer are very good. And a SWC or flat nose might offer a bit more penetration if desired.

Many 44 Special revolvers are five shot so the overall level of quick firepower is less than the higher capacity handguns. So a 44 Special wouldn't be my first choice for defense use. But if I had one I wouldn't feel the need to rush out and buy something else either.

I don't see the 44 Mag. much differently than the 44 Special for defense (against humans). The extra power of the 44 Mag. is simply not needed for that purpose. But, like the 44 Special, if I already had a 44 Mag. I would put it to use and not feel the need for something else. I'd probably load it with 44 Specials, or assemble some reduced power 44 Mags. I would consider a 200gr. to 240gr. 44 Cal JHP projectile at 1000 fps. or so, or a lead non-hollow point SWC or flat nose of the same weight at 900 fps. quite suitable.

[samsmix]

20 years ago I had only a .44 Mag for home defense and Concealed Carry. There were others, but I eventually settled on the Speer .44spl 200gr GDHP in the Blazer line.
I shot a nice Mule Deer with that load. Penetration was through and through at 15ish yards. A "statistic of one", but thats what happened.

[Real Gun]

Hal - Only an idiot would load BP for a defensive load in a modern gun.

Hal - We're talking about serious home defense here, not what Billy Bob does after a six pack.

I never said anything about black powder for home defense. You are arguing with your own straw man.

Hal - Look - I'm going to repeat my - sheesh. We're discussing home defense - so - what ever decides to walk, slither or crawl into the house.

If all we're talking about is home invasions, then few guns are inadequate in terms of penetration. Big holes and shock energy would have a lot more influence. It doesn't take any magnum load to do that.

[JERRYS.]

if anyone, and I mean anyone has the chance to put on ear muffs before firing a gun inside, please do so. keep a set on your dresser or near by your bed. should your alarm go off in the middle of the night and you have time to grab your gun, grab the ear muffs and put them on. they won't prevent you from hearing all noises, just faint ones and they will make a huge difference if you have to pull the trigger.

of course if crap hits the fan right away you probably won't realize how loud the gun shots were because of tunnel vision/hearing.

[Danoobie]

Originally Posted by Doyle

I shot my 5" .44 mag one time with unprotected ears. It was outside and they still hurt an hour later. I don't even want to imagine what it would sound like inside.

I would use something a little more hearing friendly.

[Laz]

It might be cheaper to just hide in the closet and let the bad guys ransack your home, as opposed to buying a box of 50 .44 Special ammunition!

That’s funny!

[vba]

VERY GOOD advice 12Win...

Originally Posted by Model12Win

Are you asking us if you should use your .44 magnum for home defense?

If so, I say certainly. But, I wouldn't use magnums. Instead, load it with .44 specials. Ballistically equal to .45 ACP and less noise and blast than your .357 magnum.

But most .44 magnum loads have too much recoil, blast, and yes penetration to be suitable for that role.

Contrary to Dirty Harry (who actually admitted he carried .44 specials in his Model 29 in a later movie), the .44 magnum is a hunting caliber. It is designed to penetrate deep into large animals to kill them. There are very few if any .44 magnum loads optimized to limit penetration and offer favorable defensive shooting characteristics.

So, get a box of .44 special hollow points, such as Winchester Silver Tips, and consider yourself well armed. No magnums required.