I love the .44 magnum, and like the .357 you can shoot specials which are much more comfortable. While the magnum rounds have their place the .44 specials are so much more enjoyable for target.
I even have a Marlin .44 which is a great lever gun. What's not to love about a round with crazy available energy??
http://www.ballistics101.com/44_magnum.php

I shoot the .44 Mag out of a T/C Contender (single shot). Somene expressed that pistol weight directly corelated with ease of use. I agree! With my Contender, the .44 Mag is very controllabe and comfortable. I use it as a deer hunting load at 245 gr.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmpx:
...but nothing beats a Desert Eagle in 44. Now the DE in 50 is another story...

Yup. For a while I thought that I was the only one here that thought this way. For the 50AE, I highly recommend trying one with the external muzzle brake. I haven't tried the ported barrel for the 50s as of yet.

Welcome to the forum from Georgia.

I have a S&W Performance Center revolver with
7 1/2 inch ported barrel outfitted with Culina grips. I shoot both 44 special and full house magnum loads and it's a joy to shoot. I really notice how easy it is at the range after I put a few full power loads through my S&W 5" 460 magnum!

quote:

Originally posted by longjohn:
Hi all,
i have never owned one, but fired one a long time ago. I remember it being not too much fun but not painful. I feel like i should own one but i like to shoot my stuff. I have a lead on a really cool 3" 629 and love the way it looks. I know i can shoot .44 specials, but i am wondering what folks do with their .44 mags ?? They certainly can't be plinkers. Anyone have any thoughts ??
Thanks

You must be a handloader in my opinion. Have owned several over the years and hardly ever shot full magnum loads. However, that sounds like a very interesting 629. You can always just buy factory 44 Special.

I’ve got several and enjoy shooting them. I have a 4” redhawk that is not as much fun. I would suggest building up to shooting a 3”.

I've got a Super Red Hawk in .44 mag and it is a blast to shoot. Funny but when we go out shooting with the ladies they all want to shoot the .44 Mag and the .308

I have a 629 8” and a 6’2” 260lb grandson. He giggles every time I let him shoot it. The giggles are worth every penny invested.

.44 is a fun cartridge to shoot, and versatile. You can also get that kind of performance out of a 45 Colt, in the right firearm.

I prefer .41 Magnum.

Why shoot .44? Fun. Pleasure. Because you can.

Zombies hate them.

I had a Model 29 3" Talo (unfluted cylinder) I bought used for about a year.
Shot magnum loads thru it and got everyone's attention at the range.
Sold it soon after the novelty of it wore off and decided to condense calibers.
Broke even on the buying and selling.









Kept the 686 Talo and bought another one..

quote:

Originally posted by longjohn:
Thanks for all input. I would say it confirms my initial thoughts. For the record, I have several .357's which are fun in both .38 and . 357 with the right load.
I am going to rethink this thing

I have a number of 357s Smith N frames. 8 shot ones and a Marlin lever gun in 357 as well. They are pleasant to shoot. A number of times I have been tempted by the 44 mag but remind myself of the adage to shoot the largest caliber you can shoot well and to shoot well one must practice and for me that has been the 357 mag. The 357 sig another story.

I have shot just enough .44 Magnum (in two Ruger Super Blackhawks, 7½" barrel, and a S&W M29, 6½" barrel) to tell you that if you want this cartridge to be "fun" to shoot, you don't want anything lighter. Because of its grip shape, the Ruger would rear straight up in my hand and the square back of the trigger guard would gouge my support hand finger. The S&W (after a Hogue Monogrip was put on it) was much more pleasant. Most of these guns are going to be shot, if they are shot at all, with .44 Specials. Don't feel bad, even Dirty Harry copped (pun intended) to shooting "light specials" in his gun.

I enjoyed the 629 I had years ago but it was pricey to shoot. I then started reloading for it but nowadays it is also kind of pricey. Recoil, from what I remember was not bad but now I tend to stick to the smaller caliber stuff-9mm and 357/38.

I want to add a Redhawk to the stable at some point to accent my several .44 mag rifles. The .44 really comes into it’s own out of a carbine; energy equivalent to a 30-30 out to 100 yards. I can attest to its extreme effectiveness on deer- it’s all I hunt with anymore. Since I handliad right to the upper limit of the cartridges abilities, a Redhawk is the only revolver I’d want. Now a Desert Eagle... that would be a sweet companion too.

It's simple physics. A heavier, gas operated gun, like a Desert Eagle, is going to mitigate recoil in a .44 better than shooting .44 out of a Seecamp. It's as simple as that.

My .44 DE is about the softest .44 I have experienced. The .50AE is tamed as well.

I can't speak to lighter revolvers, or heavy 460s, or S&W 500s. If you want to shoot full house .44 rounds, and not be bothered by it, maybe the .44 is not for you.

H&K-Guy

Love N frames and love my M29 Mountain Gun. Depending on the load and grips it can be fun or slightly less fun.

My EDC is the 300gr Hornady and with boot grips it smarts.

I love mine. Modest .44 magnum rounds are fun. 240 grain bullets at 1150-1200 are about perfect.

4" 629



7.5" Redhawk

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ArtieS,

No S&W Mod. 69 owners out there? Its a great 44 mag. handgun.

quote:

Originally posted by FWP:
No S&W Mod. 69 owners out there? Its a great 44 mag. handgun.

It's on the to-do list.

I have a 44 Mag Desert Eagle and it is very easy to shoot since it weighs almost 10 lbs. Everyone thinks a DE is going to be super powerful, but it is kind of a buzz kill shooting it. I would rather shoot a 44 Revolver.