skeeter skelton and the 44 special

Gulfcowboy · August 19, 2019, 06:30 PM

Recently I discovered the writings of the late great skeeter skelton. After reading his high praise of the 44 special I have a deep desire for a ruger blackhawk in 44 special. I've owed a 45 colt blackhawk in the past, but traded it off. Dose anyone here have any experience with the 44 special? Is it as great as he wrote it was? Thanks for any input given.

UncleEd · August 19, 2019, 06:44 PM

I read Skeeter when he was still alive and Shooting Times
was publishing his stuff.

A highly entertaining writer.

I too wanted a .44 Special.

And when I got one, no less than in a Smith
Model 24, I was tickled pink. And I got
the reloading supplies to do it justice.

Alas, for me it was not the magical caliber he
so dearly loved. Over time I found that when
I wanted a big bore, .44 or .45, I was just
as happy with the Model 29 though less
so with the Model 25 because of chamber
tolerances. I could load the .44 Mag down
to .44 Special easily and I think the loads
were accurate. And brass was so easy to
get.

He also waxed eloquent over the Model 27 in
the 5-inch barrel. When I got one, I found I
really didn't care for it any more than the Model
27 in 4 inches.

Perhaps he was a more refined appreciator of the
various things he touted but I came to believe
to each his own.

As to the Blackhawk, you won't go wrong but if
you get a .44 Mag, I don't think you'll be unhappy
either even if you never ever, ever shoot a .44 Mag
from it.

dahermit · August 19, 2019, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gulfcowboy

Recently I discovered the writings of the late great skeeter skelton. After reading his high praise of the 44 special I have a deep desire for a ruger blackhawk in 44 special. I've owed a 45 colt blackhawk in the past, but traded it off. Dose anyone here have any experience with the 44 special? Is it as great as he wrote it was? Thanks for any input given.

I have owned two. I had a .44 Special made from S&W Highway Patrolman M28 in the middle-late seventies. I no long have it...sold it, but it was a favorite for many years. I still have S&W 696 which is a stainless 5-shot on the L-frame, it is a pre-lock gun (as all my S&W's are).

LeverGunFan · August 19, 2019, 08:09 PM

I have a Ruger Blackhawk Bisley in 44 Special, and it is a fun gun to shoot. One advantage is that the 44 Special Blackhawk is made on the smaller flattop frame, so it's a bit smaller than the 44 Magnum Blackhawk. It appears that it's currently only made with the Bisley grip frame; model numbers are 5235, 5236 and 5249. Ruger is also chambering the 44 Special in the GP100, if you want a DA revolver.

Skeeter was one of my all time favorite writers, but he probably waxed a bit poetic on the virtues of the 44 Special. No doubt that he was one of its biggest proponents and had several 357 Blackhawks converted to 44 Special.

rclark · August 19, 2019, 08:15 PM

Does anyone have any experience with .44 Special? I thought everyone shot .44 Special

. One of my most favorite cartridges. Load up with the Skeeter load and you a fine accurate shooting cartridge. When Ruger and Lispeys got together and produced the .44 Special Flattop on the medium frame a few years ago ...now why that was .... Purrrrrfet. As Taffin put it, "Victory at Last"! See, back in the '50s' when Ruger introduced the .357, it was fully expected that the .44 Special and .45 Colt would be coming 'shortly' on the same frame. That didn't happend because the .44 Magnum was introduced shortly thereafter on the large frame.... A lot of OM .357s were converted to .44 Special over the years to compensate.... Today, the .44 Special has made into the Ruger New Vaquero line of revolvers, Blackhawks with different grip frames and barrel lengths, as well as the GP-100. I don't know if S&W still makes .44 Specials (I've never owned S&W, because they don't make Single Actions).

Here is some articles on the good o' .44 Special : .44 Special Articles

It is a reloader cartridge if you want to get the most out of it. {edited } I tested a lot of of different powders with a 240g SWC and it was 'hard' to find a 'bad' combination. Most all the tests are marked as accurate or accurate+ in my notes.

Yes, I am a .44 Special fan...

rodfac · August 19, 2019, 08:42 PM

A great caliber and a fine writer...I too read his monthly installments in Shooting Times and longed for a .44 Special, especially in a single action. Skeeter's writing style has always been the standard by which I judge gun writers...down home, truthful without a hint of brag...he always sounded like the guy down the block that's ready to bust some caps with ya... His articles on DA's as well as SA's are not dated, and only his bullet choices could be upgraded...I recommend reading all you can find written by him...and his books, two I think, go for over $100 when you can find them.

I waited a LONG TIME getting my first .44 Special, finally finding a M24 Smith with that long 6+" bbl. It was and still is a fine shooting revolver. It doesn' t get much range time any more but it's still tight as a tick and will throw those beautiful Keith style LSWC's in tight little clusters that you can stick a finger through.

Later, when Ruger came out (through Lipseys) with a .44 Special ('06 or '07 was it?), I quickly ordered one of the first 4-5/8" bbl'd ones....to date, I've never fired a smaller group at 25 yds than the one I put through that gun on the 2nd day I owned it. Skelton's load (7.5 gr of Unique behind any good 240 gr LSWC for 950 fps from most bbl's.) did the trick and it's still my favorite carry combination.

I liked that gun so much that I found another with the 5-1/2" bbl. and low and behold, it too is a tack driver...but not as convenient to carry in a waist belt holster. Later, I found another 4-5/8" bbl'd one, but in Stainless Steel....this last is a joy to carry and use, and regularly accompanies me on horseback as it's virtually immune to sweat etc.

If you're looking for a SA, then one of the Ruger's is the route to go...they're out there waiting...for day in day out carry, the 4-5/8" bbl. will ride high on your belt and not dig you in the short ribs when you're mounted on a 4x4, jeep or truck. Too, I've found virtually zero difference in group sizes between the 4+" and 5+" bbl's from field positions.

Lastly, Smith came out with their M69, ostensibly a .44 Magnum (which it will shoot with precision) but at 38 oz. it'll kick the hell out of your middle finger. It makes more sense to me to use it as a 5-shot .44 Special...and in that role it's a beauty offering DA fire when needed or just for fun, or the precision of SA work. I've got one, carry it often as it's 1/2 a lb. lighter than my Rugers.

HTH's Rod .... can ya guess, I'm a true fan of the .44 Special....and BTW, it's the easiest caliber I've ever hand-loaded for when looking for a tack driving combination.

GeauxTide · August 19, 2019, 10:11 PM

I've got 2 - 5.5" Lipseys Bisleys. Great shooting and easy to load for. I use a 255 Keith from mattsbullets.com. Over 8gr of Unique, it's a dandy. They weigh 12oz less than my SBH and I can push 240JSP to 1200 if I need more power.

CajunBass · August 20, 2019, 06:22 AM

Another big 44 Special fan. And a bigger Skeeter Skelton fan.

My first 44 Special was a 4", S&W 24-3, that I truly regret having to sell. It was one of something like 2700 made. At the same time I owned a 4" Model 29 and even I wondered why? Finally when holding them side by side I realized the 24 was a lighter, trimmer, more svelte version of the 29. The barrel was tapered, the cylinder shorter. and it seems to me there was another difference, but I forget what it was. Basically it was a totally different gun. (The same applies to the Model 15/Model 19 also.)

Alas, I had to sell both during a personal economic downturn.

I've had a couple of Charters, and a single-action 44 Special over the years, but I never cared for them as much as the Model 24.

These days, I've got a Taurus Tracker in 44 Magnum (about the same nich as the S&W 69), and it will never see a 44 magnum round. At least not as long as I've got it. I've got brass and such for 44 special, and paper targets at the range don't take a lot of killing.

Bob Wright · August 20, 2019, 10:03 AM

The first handgun I ever bought as a kid was a Colt New Service ($29.95) in .45 Colt. the gun had been a .455 but was reamed to .45 Colt. I had the gun rebuilt to .44 Special after reading Elmer Keith. That got away from me and my next .44 Special was a Charter Bulldog. Then for a long time I was .44 Special-less.

A few years ago I rediscovered the .44 Special, having a custom job made up from a Three Screw Ruger .357 Blackhawk by Dave Clements. Then came more:

Two Colt New Frontiers, the Ruger, and an Uberti. Not shown is a more recent Blackhawk Flat Top.

The .44 Special is sort of special, a .44 caliber in a somewhat smaller frame. The photos don't seem to show much difference, but a trained hand knows!

Bob Wright

eastbank · August 20, 2019, 10:30 AM

my .44 spl is a S&W four inch 624 and a 240 hard cast bullet at close to 1000 fps is a killer.

SIGSHR · August 20, 2019, 01:51 PM

Yes, I was/still am a Skeeter Skelton devotee. I have only one 44 Special, a Charter Arms Bulldog. IMHO the 44 Special is like the 38 Special-the ancestor of a more powerful round, and a good shooter in its own right.

Gulfcowboy · August 20, 2019, 02:56 PM

Alright gentle men let me roll in another question. Ive found my hearts desire on buds guns, but I'm toren between two. A stainless Ruger super Blackhawk 5.5" barrel in 44mag. They also have a Blackhawk 4.62" barrel in 44 special. Im drawn to the option to fire two different rounds with the 44mag. I know the weight will be more. Of course I couldn't find out just how much in the description box. Would I be losing anything going with the 44mag?

eastbank · August 20, 2019, 03:23 PM

no, the 44 mag will out pace the 44 spl by a lot. if you may incounter big animal that may bite you the 44 mag or even the 454 casall may be called for. I shot thru a large doe rear to front at about 40-50 yards running away, I put the bullet about 1/2 inch to the left of the bung hole and the 240 hard cast bullet at close to 1000 fps exited on the right side of her chest. she hit the ground dead.

rodfac · August 20, 2019, 04:53 PM

Bob Wright, as always, Bob, great pics and we think alike...

Quote:

My first 44 Special was a 4", S&W 24-3

Cajun, that's one of my grail guns...the 4" model...I let one get away one time, having forgotten the old adage,"Never bet your pistol against a good man with a rifle!"

My son, then 13 years old, was a dead shot with his Marlin "Mountie" .22 and we'd been shooting pine cones out to 25 yds or so all afternoon. So at one juncture, I bet him I could hit 3 in a row if he could do the same.

In a matter of one minute, he won....and the M24 4"er went to him. He's got it still, I get to shoot it from time to time, and there it'll stay. lBut I don't know who learned more...I suspect it was him. BTW, he's 47 now.

Best Regards, Rod

Bob Wright · August 20, 2019, 04:58 PM

Here is a New Model Blackhawk, in .45 Colt, and a New Model Blackhawk Flat Top in .44 Special; the .44 Magnum will be the same size as the .45. Not much difference in the photo, but as I said, there is a considerable difference in the hand:

Heft one then the other will demonstrate the difference, which the hand will notice right away.

Bob Wright

gwpercle · August 20, 2019, 07:57 PM

If you would like to gain some further insights into the 44 Special , 44 Magnum , 45 Colt and to an extent the 41 Magnum pick up a book "Sixguns" by Elmer Keith .
He wrote a few other books but Sixguns deals directly with revolvers.
Another good read is his book " Sixgun Cartridges & Loads " most have been reprinted and are available on Amazon .
I grew up reading and learning from both Skeeter Skelton and Elmer Keith.
Their words and advice are still sound and very interesting .
Gary

joed · August 20, 2019, 08:06 PM

I've owned 6 .44 SPLS, 5 of them were models 624/24 with barrel lengths of 4" or 6". The last one was a Taurus 445 with 2" barrel.

The N frames are very capable of shooting some respectable loads that can do most of what the .44 Mag can do. A 250 gr bullet at 1100 fps is no slouch. And it can be shot all day long without causing you pain.

The small Taurus was good as a defensive pistol shooting 200 gr bullets, it was my carry gun for a number of years.

After 20 years I'm still not over the SPL bug yet, but I'm down to only 3.

SaxonPig · August 20, 2019, 08:45 PM

There are many excellent revolver cartridges and the 44 Special is certainly one of them. But generally it requires a large frame revolver (which Skeeter favored). I think I currently have four 44 Specials in stock. A Colt SAA that I sought as a direct result of reading Skeeter's work. I wanted a 4" 1950 44 Target like he often carried but never saw one (still haven't) and settled for a pair of 5" models. And a 3rd Model 44 from 1928 in nickel with ivory stocks. No Skeeter influence on this one.

ligonierbill · August 21, 2019, 07:09 AM

Gulfcowboy, if you're drawn to the 44 Special, that's what you should buy. I know lots of folks like the idea of more than one cartridge from the same gun, but in practice, I think you give up the virtue of the Special in a pistol built for the Magnum. The Super Blackhawk is heavy for a reason. I shoot my 44 Mags from a Redhawk, but I do shoot "nuclear" 45 Colt loads from a standard BH. Knuckle busters for sure, and I don't load them much anymore.

What Skeeter (and Elmer - definitely look up a copy of Sixguns) advocated in a "fighting" revolver was a fairly heavy bullet at moderate velocity. And of course, the "Keith" bullet had this in mind. Elmer actually liked the old 41 Long Colt. The 44 Special meets this requirement exactly. The flattop BH in 44 Special is really pleasant to shoot, and in most cases it's "enough gun".

ThomasT · August 21, 2019, 09:20 AM

Post #2 was great. I feel the same way. I bought a Super BH and load light 44 mag loads for it. I have a Marlin 44 mag rifle so wanted a revolver to go with it.

Gunwriters can talk you into stuff with their articles. Jan Libourel did that to me when he wrote about the 41 mag. I ended up with three of them but in the end I decided the 44 mag was better all around.

I did buy 44 special dies just in case I ran across a 44 special revolver I wanted. The Flat Top Ruger came out with looked like the best of the bunch but I never bought one. I did just go to the Ruger sight to see what they had and the Bisley versions look good. But so do the GP-100s.

Oh well, dare to dream.

Crunchy Frog · August 21, 2019, 10:20 AM

Another Skeeter Skelton fan here. The first exposure to his writing was a review of the Virginian Dragoon revolver; a friend had one for sale at a gun show last weekend and that article came to mind.

As others said, the advantage of the .44 Special over its Magnum counterpart is that it can be a smaller and less bulky revolver. I have an N framed revolver but it seems just a bit too large. Same with a Ruger Super Blackhawk. I have one of the Bisley Flattop .44 Specials; it is built on the same cylinder frame as the New Vaquero and is well proportioned. This is, of course, subjective.

The Smith Model 69 and the Ruger GP-100 are smaller than an N frame but they have a five round cylinder. If you like a DA revolver, though, either would be an excellent choice. The M69 would give you the option of shooting .44 Magnum.

Driftwood Johnson · August 21, 2019, 06:55 PM

Howdy

Yup, I used to read Skeeter when I was a kid and he was writing for Shooting Times. At least I seem to remember it was Shooting Times.

Did somebody say 44 Special?

A blued Triple Lock without any finish left on it from 1907 at the top. I got it for an amazing price because of the lack of finish. Still shoots like a charm.

A nickel plated Triple Lock from 1915 at the bottom.

A Triple Lock Target Model from 1913.

44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model from 1921.

I love this funky old 44 Hand Ejector 3rd Model. It left the factory in 1929. Was carried by an officer in WWII. I have his beat up holster somewhere. Refinished, not a very good job, and the grips are almost worn out. Wouldn't trade it for anything new.

A pristine 44 Hand Ejector 4th Model from 1955. Almost as old as me, but in much better shape.

Kind of on the new side, a Model 624 from 1985.

I have a few more 44 Specials, but this board only allows six photos per post.

bamaranger · August 21, 2019, 07:11 PM

I had a Charter Bulldog for a while, not sure how fast my 250 gr Keith LSWC, using a max load from the Speer manual of the era, I'm not sure how fast they were running, but the poor little revolver shot out of time pretty quickly.

My next .44 and all others have been .44 mags, M29 and then a 629 Mtn Gun.

My standard load for the Mtn gun drove a 240 gr LSWC to about 1000 fps, which I equated to .44 spl +P. I thought a useful load, serious enough to do whatever I asked of it, but not to abusive to shoot.

**Mike Irwin** · August 21, 2019, 09:09 PM

I have a Model 24-3 6.5" barrel from around 1984 or so.

One of my favorite handguns, and I really don't much care for tubes longer than 4".

shafter · August 22, 2019, 06:43 AM

The versatility of being able to shoot more than one cartridge carries a lot more merit when you're restricted to owning only one firearm. Go with a 44spl if that's what you really want.

August 19, 2019, 06:30 PM	#1
Gulfcowboy Member Join Date: January 27, 2019 Location: South Texas Posts: 96	skeeter skelton and the 44 special Recently I discovered the writings of the late great skeeter skelton. After reading his high praise of the 44 special I have a deep desire for a ruger blackhawk in 44 special. I've owed a 45 colt blackhawk in the past, but traded it off. Dose anyone here have any experience with the 44 special? Is it as great as he wrote it was? Thanks for any input given.

August 19, 2019, 08:09 PM	#4
LeverGunFan Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2007 Location: Indiana Posts: 407	I have a Ruger Blackhawk Bisley in 44 Special, and it is a fun gun to shoot. One advantage is that the 44 Special Blackhawk is made on the smaller flattop frame, so it's a bit smaller than the 44 Magnum Blackhawk. It appears that it's currently only made with the Bisley grip frame; model numbers are 5235, 5236 and 5249. Ruger is also chambering the 44 Special in the GP100, if you want a DA revolver. Skeeter was one of my all time favorite writers, but he probably waxed a bit poetic on the virtues of the 44 Special. No doubt that he was one of its biggest proponents and had several 357 Blackhawks converted to 44 Special. __________________ *Support the Second Amendment Foundation and the Firearms Policy Coalition*

August 19, 2019, 08:15 PM	#5
rclark Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 2,622	Does anyone have any experience with .44 Special? I thought everyone shot .44 Special . One of my most favorite cartridges. Load up with the Skeeter load and you a fine accurate shooting cartridge. When Ruger and Lispeys got together and produced the .44 Special Flattop on the medium frame a few years ago ...now why that was .... Purrrrrfet. As Taffin put it, "Victory at Last"! See, back in the '50s' when Ruger introduced the .357, it was fully expected that the .44 Special and .45 Colt would be coming 'shortly' on the same frame. That didn't happend because the .44 Magnum was introduced shortly thereafter on the large frame.... A lot of OM .357s were converted to .44 Special over the years to compensate.... Today, the .44 Special has made into the Ruger New Vaquero line of revolvers, Blackhawks with different grip frames and barrel lengths, as well as the GP-100. I don't know if S&W still makes .44 Specials (I've never owned S&W, because they don't make Single Actions). Here is some articles on the good o' .44 Special : .44 Special Articles It is a reloader cartridge if you want to get the most out of it. {edited } I tested a lot of of different powders with a 240g SWC and it was 'hard' to find a 'bad' combination. Most all the tests are marked as accurate or accurate+ in my notes. Yes, I am a .44 Special fan... __________________ A clinger and deplorable, MAGA, and life NRA member. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Single Action .45 Colt (Sometimes colloquially referred to by its alias as the .45 'Long' Colt or .45LC). Don't leave home without it. That said, the .44Spec is right up their too... but the .45 Colt is still the king. Last edited by rclark; August 20, 2019 at 09:00 AM.

August 19, 2019, 08:42 PM	#6
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,623	A great caliber and a fine writer...I too read his monthly installments in Shooting Times and longed for a .44 Special, especially in a single action. Skeeter's writing style has always been the standard by which I judge gun writers...down home, truthful without a hint of brag...he always sounded like the guy down the block that's ready to bust some caps with ya... His articles on DA's as well as SA's are not dated, and only his bullet choices could be upgraded...I recommend reading all you can find written by him...and his books, two I think, go for over $100 when you can find them. I waited a LONG TIME getting my first .44 Special, finally finding a M24 Smith with that long 6+" bbl. It was and still is a fine shooting revolver. It doesn' t get much range time any more but it's still tight as a tick and will throw those beautiful Keith style LSWC's in tight little clusters that you can stick a finger through. Later, when Ruger came out (through Lipseys) with a .44 Special ('06 or '07 was it?), I quickly ordered one of the first 4-5/8" bbl'd ones....to date, I've never fired a smaller group at 25 yds than the one I put through that gun on the 2nd day I owned it. Skelton's load (7.5 gr of Unique behind any good 240 gr LSWC for 950 fps from most bbl's.) did the trick and it's still my favorite carry combination. I liked that gun so much that I found another with the 5-1/2" bbl. and low and behold, it too is a tack driver...but not as convenient to carry in a waist belt holster. Later, I found another 4-5/8" bbl'd one, but in Stainless Steel....this last is a joy to carry and use, and regularly accompanies me on horseback as it's virtually immune to sweat etc. If you're looking for a SA, then one of the Ruger's is the route to go...they're out there waiting...for day in day out carry, the 4-5/8" bbl. will ride high on your belt and not dig you in the short ribs when you're mounted on a 4x4, jeep or truck. Too, I've found virtually zero difference in group sizes between the 4+" and 5+" bbl's from field positions. Lastly, Smith came out with their M69, ostensibly a .44 Magnum (which it will shoot with precision) but at 38 oz. it'll kick the hell out of your middle finger. It makes more sense to me to use it as a 5-shot .44 Special...and in that role it's a beauty offering DA fire when needed or just for fun, or the precision of SA work. I've got one, carry it often as it's 1/2 a lb. lighter than my Rugers. HTH's Rod .... can ya guess, I'm a true fan of the .44 Special....and BTW, it's the easiest caliber I've ever hand-loaded for when looking for a tack driving combination. __________________ 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. Last edited by rodfac; August 19, 2019 at 08:57 PM.

August 20, 2019, 06:22 AM	#8
CajunBass Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2005 Location: North Chesterfield, Virginia Posts: 4,767	Another big 44 Special fan. And a bigger Skeeter Skelton fan. My first 44 Special was a 4", S&W 24-3, that I truly regret having to sell. It was one of something like 2700 made. At the same time I owned a 4" Model 29 and even I wondered why? Finally when holding them side by side I realized the 24 was a lighter, trimmer, more svelte version of the 29. The barrel was tapered, the cylinder shorter. and it seems to me there was another difference, but I forget what it was. Basically it was a totally different gun. (The same applies to the Model 15/Model 19 also.) Alas, I had to sell both during a personal economic downturn. I've had a couple of Charters, and a single-action 44 Special over the years, but I never cared for them as much as the Model 24. These days, I've got a Taurus Tracker in 44 Magnum (about the same nich as the S&W 69), and it will never see a 44 magnum round. At least not as long as I've got it. I've got brass and such for 44 special, and paper targets at the range don't take a lot of killing. __________________ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

August 19, 2019, 06:44 PM	#2
UncleEd Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2013 Location: N. Georgia Posts: 1,150	I read Skeeter when he was still alive and Shooting Times was publishing his stuff. A highly entertaining writer. I too wanted a .44 Special. And when I got one, no less than in a Smith Model 24, I was tickled pink. And I got the reloading supplies to do it justice. Alas, for me it was not the magical caliber he so dearly loved. Over time I found that when I wanted a big bore, .44 or .45, I was just as happy with the Model 29 though less so with the Model 25 because of chamber tolerances. I could load the .44 Mag down to .44 Special easily and I think the loads were accurate. And brass was so easy to get. He also waxed eloquent over the Model 27 in the 5-inch barrel. When I got one, I found I really didn't care for it any more than the Model 27 in 4 inches. Perhaps he was a more refined appreciator of the various things he touted but I came to believe to each his own. As to the Blackhawk, you won't go wrong but if you get a .44 Mag, I don't think you'll be unhappy either even if you never ever, ever shoot a .44 Mag from it.

August 19, 2019, 10:11 PM	#7
GeauxTide Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Helena, AL Posts: 4,424	I've got 2 - 5.5" Lipseys Bisleys. Great shooting and easy to load for. I use a 255 Keith from mattsbullets.com. Over 8gr of Unique, it's a dandy. They weigh 12oz less than my SBH and I can push 240JSP to 1200 if I need more power.

August 20, 2019, 10:03 AM	#9
Bob Wright Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2012 Location: Memphis, Tennessee Posts: 2,989	The first handgun I ever bought as a kid was a Colt New Service ($29.95) in .45 Colt. the gun had been a .455 but was reamed to .45 Colt. I had the gun rebuilt to .44 Special after reading Elmer Keith. That got away from me and my next .44 Special was a Charter Bulldog. Then for a long time I was .44 Special-less. A few years ago I rediscovered the .44 Special, having a custom job made up from a Three Screw Ruger .357 Blackhawk by Dave Clements. Then came more: Two Colt New Frontiers, the Ruger, and an Uberti. Not shown is a more recent Blackhawk Flat Top. The .44 Special is sort of special, a .44 caliber in a somewhat smaller frame. The photos don't seem to show much difference, but a trained hand knows! Bob Wright __________________ Time spent at the reloading bench is an investment in contentment.

August 20, 2019, 10:30 AM	#10
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	my .44 spl is a S&W four inch 624 and a 240 hard cast bullet at close to 1000 fps is a killer.

August 20, 2019, 01:51 PM	#11
SIGSHR Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2005 Posts: 4,700	Yes, I was/still am a Skeeter Skelton devotee. I have only one 44 Special, a Charter Arms Bulldog. IMHO the 44 Special is like the 38 Special-the ancestor of a more powerful round, and a good shooter in its own right.

August 20, 2019, 02:56 PM	#12
Gulfcowboy Member Join Date: January 27, 2019 Location: South Texas Posts: 96	Alright gentle men let me roll in another question. Ive found my hearts desire on buds guns, but I'm toren between two. A stainless Ruger super Blackhawk 5.5" barrel in 44mag. They also have a Blackhawk 4.62" barrel in 44 special. Im drawn to the option to fire two different rounds with the 44mag. I know the weight will be more. Of course I couldn't find out just how much in the description box. Would I be losing anything going with the 44mag?

August 20, 2019, 03:23 PM	#13
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	no, the 44 mag will out pace the 44 spl by a lot. if you may incounter big animal that may bite you the 44 mag or even the 454 casall may be called for. I shot thru a large doe rear to front at about 40-50 yards running away, I put the bullet about 1/2 inch to the left of the bung hole and the 240 hard cast bullet at close to 1000 fps exited on the right side of her chest. she hit the ground dead.

August 20, 2019, 04:58 PM	#15
Bob Wright Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2012 Location: Memphis, Tennessee Posts: 2,989	Here is a New Model Blackhawk, in .45 Colt, and a New Model Blackhawk Flat Top in .44 Special; the .44 Magnum will be the same size as the .45. Not much difference in the photo, but as I said, there is a considerable difference in the hand: Heft one then the other will demonstrate the difference, which the hand will notice right away. Bob Wright __________________ Time spent at the reloading bench is an investment in contentment.

August 20, 2019, 07:57 PM	#16
gwpercle Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2012 Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Posts: 1,752	If you would like to gain some further insights into the 44 Special , 44 Magnum , 45 Colt and to an extent the 41 Magnum pick up a book "Sixguns" by Elmer Keith . He wrote a few other books but Sixguns deals directly with revolvers. Another good read is his book " Sixgun Cartridges & Loads " most have been reprinted and are available on Amazon . I grew up reading and learning from both Skeeter Skelton and Elmer Keith. Their words and advice are still sound and very interesting . Gary

August 20, 2019, 08:06 PM	#17
joed Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2014 Posts: 442	I've owned 6 .44 SPLS, 5 of them were models 624/24 with barrel lengths of 4" or 6". The last one was a Taurus 445 with 2" barrel. The N frames are very capable of shooting some respectable loads that can do most of what the .44 Mag can do. A 250 gr bullet at 1100 fps is no slouch. And it can be shot all day long without causing you pain. The small Taurus was good as a defensive pistol shooting 200 gr bullets, it was my carry gun for a number of years. After 20 years I'm still not over the SPL bug yet, but I'm down to only 3. __________________ The 6 gun was once as common as the cellphone is today, and just as annoying when it went off in the theater. Last edited by joed; August 20, 2019 at 08:12 PM.

August 20, 2019, 08:45 PM	#18
SaxonPig Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2006 Posts: 1,900	There are many excellent revolver cartridges and the 44 Special is certainly one of them. But generally it requires a large frame revolver (which Skeeter favored). I think I currently have four 44 Specials in stock. A Colt SAA that I sought as a direct result of reading Skeeter's work. I wanted a 4" 1950 44 Target like he often carried but never saw one (still haven't) and settled for a pair of 5" models. And a 3rd Model 44 from 1928 in nickel with ivory stocks. No Skeeter influence on this one.

August 21, 2019, 07:09 AM	#19
ligonierbill Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2007 Posts: 2,456	Gulfcowboy, if you're drawn to the 44 Special, that's what you should buy. I know lots of folks like the idea of more than one cartridge from the same gun, but in practice, I think you give up the virtue of the Special in a pistol built for the Magnum. The Super Blackhawk is heavy for a reason. I shoot my 44 Mags from a Redhawk, but I do shoot "nuclear" 45 Colt loads from a standard BH. Knuckle busters for sure, and I don't load them much anymore. What Skeeter (and Elmer - definitely look up a copy of Sixguns) advocated in a "fighting" revolver was a fairly heavy bullet at moderate velocity. And of course, the "Keith" bullet had this in mind. Elmer actually liked the old 41 Long Colt. The 44 Special meets this requirement exactly. The flattop BH in 44 Special is really pleasant to shoot, and in most cases it's "enough gun".

August 21, 2019, 09:20 AM	#20
ThomasT Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,753	Post #2 was great. I feel the same way. I bought a Super BH and load light 44 mag loads for it. I have a Marlin 44 mag rifle so wanted a revolver to go with it. Gunwriters can talk you into stuff with their articles. Jan Libourel did that to me when he wrote about the 41 mag. I ended up with three of them but in the end I decided the 44 mag was better all around. I did buy 44 special dies just in case I ran across a 44 special revolver I wanted. The Flat Top Ruger came out with looked like the best of the bunch but I never bought one. I did just go to the Ruger sight to see what they had and the Bisley versions look good. But so do the GP-100s. Oh well, dare to dream.

August 21, 2019, 10:20 AM	#21
Crunchy Frog Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2008 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 591	Another Skeeter Skelton fan here. The first exposure to his writing was a review of the Virginian Dragoon revolver; a friend had one for sale at a gun show last weekend and that article came to mind. As others said, the advantage of the .44 Special over its Magnum counterpart is that it can be a smaller and less bulky revolver. I have an N framed revolver but it seems just a bit too large. Same with a Ruger Super Blackhawk. I have one of the Bisley Flattop .44 Specials; it is built on the same cylinder frame as the New Vaquero and is well proportioned. This is, of course, subjective. The Smith Model 69 and the Ruger GP-100 are smaller than an N frame but they have a five round cylinder. If you like a DA revolver, though, either would be an excellent choice. The M69 would give you the option of shooting .44 Magnum.

August 21, 2019, 06:55 PM	#22
Driftwood Johnson Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2014 Location: Land of the Pilgrims Posts: 2,033	Howdy Yup, I used to read Skeeter when I was a kid and he was writing for Shooting Times. At least I seem to remember it was Shooting Times. Did somebody say 44 Special? A blued Triple Lock without any finish left on it from 1907 at the top. I got it for an amazing price because of the lack of finish. Still shoots like a charm. A nickel plated Triple Lock from 1915 at the bottom. A Triple Lock Target Model from 1913. 44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model from 1921. I love this funky old 44 Hand Ejector 3rd Model. It left the factory in 1929. Was carried by an officer in WWII. I have his beat up holster somewhere. Refinished, not a very good job, and the grips are almost worn out. Wouldn't trade it for anything new. A pristine 44 Hand Ejector 4th Model from 1955. Almost as old as me, but in much better shape. Kind of on the new side, a Model 624 from 1985. I have a few more 44 Specials, but this board only allows six photos per post.

August 21, 2019, 07:11 PM	#23
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,308	.44 spl +P......sort of I had a Charter Bulldog for a while, not sure how fast my 250 gr Keith LSWC, using a max load from the Speer manual of the era, I'm not sure how fast they were running, but the poor little revolver shot out of time pretty quickly. My next .44 and all others have been .44 mags, M29 and then a 629 Mtn Gun. My standard load for the Mtn gun drove a 240 gr LSWC to about 1000 fps, which I equated to .44 spl +P. I thought a useful load, serious enough to do whatever I asked of it, but not to abusive to shoot.

August 21, 2019, 09:09 PM	#24
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,389	I have a Model 24-3 6.5" barrel from around 1984 or so. One of my favorite handguns, and I really don't much care for tubes longer than 4". __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

August 22, 2019, 06:43 AM	#25
shafter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2009 Posts: 1,624	The versatility of being able to shoot more than one cartridge carries a lot more merit when you're restricted to owning only one firearm. Go with a 44spl if that's what you really want.