Hi, i's me again with a new question. I am intersted in buying an 44 mag revolver for plinking and as back up gun for hunting. But I have no expierence with 44 mag rounds. But I can handle full power 357 mag loads in ruger gp100 well.

I would be pleased hearing some tipps.

Greetings from Austria.

Ruger Redhawk or Super Redhawk. Nothing else even comes close for being tough and with great accuracy.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/RugerSRH.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/redhawk5.jpg

The SRH is extremely accurate. I think more so then the RH.
Don't forget to look at the SBH Hunter model too.
Once you start shooting the .44 you will turn the .357 into a "safe queen". :D

I can certainly agree with the Super RedHawk, RedHawk, and BlackHawk models. I have a Taurus Tracker .44 Mag, 5 Shot, 34oz, 4" barrel, and it is very accurate. I have loaded some 200 grain bullets at 1100 FPS, and they are as controllable as my full power .357 loads. The 300 grain bullets definetly have more thump and I wouldn't recommend going over factory 240 grain bullets until you are confident you can handle it.

Thx again for your answers. I will check the prices of the ruger sixguns.

Like Mat I also carry a Taurus, mine is a 41 mag 4 inch ported five shooter and weighs 34 ounces. It's a joy to carry and being the stainless instead of the 24 ounce titainium version is fun to shoot. For plinking it's loaded with a hardcast 210 grain tumble lube bullet at around 850 fps. For packing fishing or in the woods it carries full blown factory level mag rounds.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/TaurusTracker41magnum.jpg

This gun is light enough to pack on your hip where the big Rugers or even the N frame Smith really call for a shoulder holster. If I were in Alaska it would be the 44 mag, but here in Idaho the chances of running into a Grizzly are much less and I'm actually more worried about our growing wolf packs than bears.

I've killed 19 black bear with either the 41 or 44 mag at ranges from 25 to in one case 200 yards and a pile of deer out ot a hundred yards. If you want a light gun the Taurus Tracker or some of the lightweight Smith & Wesson four inch 44 mags are an excellent choice for a pack gun. If your into hunting as I was the big Rugers are the best I've shot by far.

This will give you an idea of the Tauru's trackers size compared to my little J frame Rossi four inch 22 and my J frame Taurus snubby Ultra-light 38 special. The Tracker is on the bottom.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/threeguns.jpg

I will also give a vote for the Taurus Tracker 44. I have one and really like it. It is big enough to be controllable and small enough not to be a burden when carrying. The ported barrel helps with the muzzle flip and the "ribber" grip is excellent as well.

If you really want a good accurate, full size 44 Mag, I would also suggest you look at the Taurus Raging Bull in the .44. I used to own a Ruger Redhawk in .44 Mag and really liked it until I shot my brother's TRB. The balance is much better and it points more accurate for me. It also doesn't have the muzzle flip that I always got from my RR. It is bigger, but well worth the added size, IMO. I really like Rugers and you won't find a tougher build, but the TRB to me was much easier to hold and control, especially if you want to shoot past 50 yds. If I hadn't already bought my Encore before shooting my brother's TRB I may have been inclined to go that route instead of the Encore. But these are not equivalent comparisons as the Encore is a different breed all together!

I guess there's lots of opinions on .44 Mag handguns even in the age of.460/.480/.500 hand held artillery. By those standards, the .44 is a pussycat, even with hot .300gr bullet loads.

I don't get a big thrill out of squeezing the last drop outa' anything, including handguns. I like the .44 Mag because even with mid range loads, a 240gr cast bullet at 1100-1200fps, it's still a very lethal tool. At 1000 fps with medium loads of Unique or Herco, it's still has more snot on the receiving end than any .357 load, and the gun will last a lifetime.

And because it will never be the best choice for high volume fire, a single action works just fine. Yep, I have had my 5 1/2" Super Blackhawk for about 20 years. The bluing is pretty thin in a couple of places from carry, but several thousand cast bullets over Unique, Herco, 231, etc. haven't put any wear on the barrel I can see. And if I ever need to, I can drop a half dozen 300gr Sierra's, or 320gr Penn's, over 22-24gr of W296 in the cylinder, and take care of anything you'd need to do with a handgun.

As far as I'm concerned, the .44 Mag did the job just fine for more than 45 years, and everybody knows the animals were tougher then. :)

This being my first post here, I'll stick my neck out and recommend the Super Redhawk, also....

Thx again for the answers, I will visit my local gunstore on monday and I'll check the prices of the ruger and taurus models.

ps: I am also interstend in hutning deer with my sixgun, which facotory load would be the best choice for hunting?

I would use the new 225 grain LEVERevolution ammo if I could find it.

https://www.hornady.com/shop/?ps_session=5008c6cc640771f17098d9f1cb035210&page=shop%2Fbrowse&category_id=8b70739d753dad434e4fa757c2cd5d80

Otherwise stick with a quality 240 grain load for hunting deer.

I would say any Ruger or S&W in 44 Mag would work. Personally I like the look of the Redhawk over the Super Redhawk. But S&W his the best trigger in my opinion.

Sure you don't want to jump on the dark side and get a 460 or 500 Mag..:D

@redhawk1 Which S&W 44 mag would you recomend? And I must admit that I am fan of big bore sixguns, and probably I will an 460 or even 500 mag revolver, but first I will start with an .44 mag. 44 mag rounds are quite common here in austria and so I will have no supply problems.

If I had to pick one, the Ruger Redhawk would probably be it. My second choice would be the S&W and then the Super Redhawk.

I have owned all three, but sold them all when I went to the 460 and 500 Mags. I do however have a new Redhawk coming again in 44 mag, should be here Monday or Tuesday. :D

agent00, as far as the ammo, if you are going deer hunting the Hornady 240 XTP's would work just fine, or try the Speer GoldDot 270 gr. GDSP, I found them both to be very accurate for factory ammo. But anymore I reload from 240 gr. hard cast bullets to 300 gr. hard cast bullets and have shot deer, hogs and black bear with them. I am not a hollow point fan for hunting.

@Redhawk Thx for the information. I wll visit my local gun store on monday and then I will dedicde which sixgun I will buy. Concering ammo: As I am no reloader I have to buy factory ammo but that's no problem, here in Austria I can get everthing from the major european and US ammo companies.

I would handle all his 44 Mag if he has them, see which one feels good to you. But I don't think you would go wrong with the Redhawk. Good luck and let us know what you get.

I n the 80's I had a Red Hawk shot great ,was comfortable to shoot ,sights sucked over 100 M ,IHMSA at that time did not allow non factory sights
traded it in on a Dan Wesson .
The Dan Wesson shoots great ,has better from the factory sights but the trigger guard beats up my middle finger.
Wish I had my old Red Hawk with Bomar sights.

@Redhawk1 Thx for your advice and of couse I'll report when I have got my .44 mag.

ya know, all the revolvers listed are pretty darn good. i'd agree, handle them all and see which one suits you best. the s&w will be the smoothest operating, the ruger no doubt the toughest and the taurus a nice blend of the above. the only large DA revolver that i have is a 6" S&W 657 .41 mag. i absolutely love it... smooth, sweet shooter and about the right amount of heft for a .41
i personally don't think that you could go wrong with any of the guns listed, i'd try to handle as many of them as you can and then decide.
as for power, all elmer keith ever wanted was a 250gr hard cast lead bullet at about 1250fps. that will kill any animal you'll ever want to shoot at with a revolver and it won't tear any of them up.

I have a Ruger Blackhawk and Taurus Tracker in 44 mag. The Tracker sees a lot more use due to its ease of carry. If you are going to be shooting a lot of full power loads, I would go with a Ruger BH or RH. If you are like me and shoot more light 44 mag loads and 44 special loads, I would go with something light like the Taurus or S&W 5 shot. But buy what you like. You can always go back and buy the other.

Thx again for the information. I have compared three 44 mags today: ruger redhawk, taurus raging bull and an smith&wesson 629. I think I will buy the ruger.

Years ago I started out with .357s but then changed them out to various .44s in single and double action. That was a good move. The size of the cartridge is one thing, but the weight and stock shape of the revolver is another. My little .44 S&W Mountain revolver easily out kicks some of my heavier revolvers in .445 super mag, .454 Casull, .444 Marlin, .480 Ruger, etc. however with Bill Jordan style stocks it is just fine. I have most brands of single and double action revolvers, (Ruger, S&W, Taurus, Dan Wesson, Freedom Arms, Colt, Magnum Research, etc) and have had good luck with all, except for minor issues such as needing trigger jobs. I suspect you will need to ponder not only the question of what caliber, but also how you will be using and carrying the revolver. Some of my .44s are just fine to carry, but others are a nuisance. Also, single or double action? What length of barrel? Don't under estimate the shape of the grip. Just because they feel good in the store doen't mean they are right for your particular hand. I advise to shoot a variety of models before buying. Maybe fellow shooters or a rental place can loan/rent you some models to shoot. Good luck!

Have you considered a single action? I no longer have any double action 44 mags. Just two old-style Vaqueros. I shoot mostly 44 specials, but with the right loads they will both put them all on the paper at 100 yards if I am having a good day. Yes, I did have to tweak one front sight blade, but you can't tell it. And, Ruger also still makes the ajustable sighted Super Blackhawk/Blackhawk versions.

Question: is there anything wrong with the one that started it all, the S&W Model 29?

Dad had both a Super Blackhawk (currently owned by my sister) and a Model 29, (currently owned by me) and between the two, the Model 29 got much more use. I haven't fired it since I (finally) acquired it a couple of weeks ago, but I'm really looking forward to it.

bear in mind i do not own a s&w 29 but have read alot on them. they are a great guns, the fit and finish is better on the older ones the only problem with them is they are not as sturdy as redhawks but that does not mean that the gun will not last a lifetime or longer if propely taken care of. they also are consided to have better triggers form the factory than other brands.

The model 29 turned me off the 44 mag for many years due to the way the recoil shoves straight back into the meat of the hand. For a backup you can handle anything but for plinking and extended shooting sessions I've found, that for me, the S&W is not it.

The model 29 turned me off the 44 mag for many years due to the way the recoil shoves straight back into the meat of the hand. For a backup you can handle anything but for plinking and extended shooting sessions I've found, that for me, the S&W is not it.
The one I have is one my father purchase brand new in 1956. He had big, meaty, tough hands and commented once in regard to shooting magnum handguns that there was a time in his life - i.e., the 50s and 60s - that, "the harder they kicked, the better he liked it."

When we'd go out and shoot that pair of .44 mags, I tended to favor the Super Blackhawk over the S&W due to how it rolled in the hand. It also had smooth grips as opposed to the stock checkered grips of the S&W, and after a while that checkering would start to dig into the meat of my hand.

But, in terms of shooting, I like to shoot even the S&W in single action mode, and the trigger pull on that was much finer than on the Super Blackhawk.

I was shooting my SBH yesterday with 2 lubes, Felix and Lar's Carnauba Red. I noticed the CR was shooting 2-1/2" to 3" right at 100 yd's so I took the last 6 with CR and the last 5 with Felix and shot them at 50 yd's. The CR was 1-1/2" right. That group is lower because I came down 3 clicks after hitting high with the Felix loads that were sighted at 100.
I got a few shots out because of the sandbag under the butt but both lubes worked great.
These were 330 gr boolits from my home made mold and 21.5 gr's of 296, Federal 150 primer.

When we'd go out and shoot that pair of .44 mags, I tended to favor the Super Blackhawk over the S&W due to how it rolled in the hand. It also had smooth grips as opposed to the stock checkered grips of the S&W, and after a while that checkering would start to dig into the meat of my hand.

But, in terms of shooting, I like to shoot even the S&W in single action mode, and the trigger pull on that was much finer than on the Super Blackhawk.

Ahhh... the trigger. That's a different story there. S&W has always had a finer trigger than anything else out there. ESPECIALLY the old ones. It's easy to forget when wondering the next day what ran over my hand. :o

Steven, the break on the trigger on my S&W in single action is about as fine as on any gun I currently own, and I have a Timney trigger on my Mauser 98 in 25-06. You did say "ESPECIALLY" when referring to the older ones, and while there are a few that are slightly older than mine, there are very few of them. 38,000ish of them if I have calculated the numbers correctly and S&W's numbering was sequential.

Patrick, I bet it is, you're a lucky guy. I have an old Model 28 that I just love to pull the trigger on.

And it doesn't bruise my hand. LOL! I'd like to try another model 29 though and see if it's what I remember it to be....

Patrick, I bet it is, you're a lucky guy.
Lucky? Now that I have it, yes. The long story is that my father had about 120 guns at the time of his passing in 1997, but my Mom, being a little funny about money and knowing the guns were worth something, sat on them for almost 11 years because she knew that I would be fit to be tied if she sold them all. I think she thought that if she waited long enough, I'd lose interest or give up. Didn't happen.

Well, she did sell them, however, me and my sisters managed to somehow save many of the important ones, and for me, the Model 29 was non-negotiable. Dad was very proud of owning that gun. At the time he bought it, he was chomping at the bit for the gun store in Houstin where he worked as an apprentice gunsmith, to get one. As soon as he found out about it, he saved his money so that he could get one as soon as he could. They got three, and he bought the lowest serial number of the bunch.

The Superblackhawk was an early one too and he had two 3 digit serial number Blackhawks - one in .41 magnum which the family still owns, and one in 30 Carbine.

Anyway, back to the subject, my vote for a .44 Magnum goes to either the Model 29 S&W or the Ruger Super Blackhawk.

Triggers can be fixed easy. My SBH is 1-1/2#, zero creep. I do all of my own triggers.
Yes the S&W is a great and super accurate gun and I had 5 of them. I tried them in IHMSA and found they are grip sensitive in the extreme. I could shoot 1/2" groups at 50 meters but if I put the gun down and picked it up again, the next 1/2" group could be as much as 10" away from the first group.
I would hit the first 5 chickens dead center and miss the next 5. Same at every bank of targets out to 200 meters.
As accurate as they are and as much as I love them, I sold them all.
I can hold a Ruger any which way and hit what I shoot at.
The SBH I still have won Ohio state IHMSA with 79 out of 80. I will never part with it. It has also killed a pile of deer.
I used to shoot the S&W double action for fun at tires rolling down a hill. We put cardboard in the center. I would come away with checkered and numb hands.
Even my .475 BFR doesn't do that to me.
If I were to buy a double action in .44, it would be the SRH.

I now carry a 4 5/8" Super Blackhawk in .44 mag. in a crossdraw holster. This is a good carry gun and is out of the way of my rifle butt when I'm hunting. The recoil with full house mag loads is substantial, at least for me. I'll be using 265gr hardcast bullets that fly at around 1100 fps, which are much more manageable for me, and still lethal in the field.

I now carry a 4 5/8" Super Blackhawk in .44 mag. in a crossdraw holster..

What holster are you using?

What holster are you using?

Believe it or not it's a Bianchi Cyclone for S&W large frame DA revolvers. It is a thumb break model, and it fits great!!! Their number 12686 is for right hand and 12687 is for lefties. I did have a shoe repair shop cut it down for me since it only comes in 6-6.5" for the large frame S&Ws. No use in having a compact 4 5/8" gun in a 6 1/2" holster. My SBH in this holster carries great sitting down or walking.

They list the Lawman (#10054 for R & 10056 for L), but it is not a crossdraw.

Interesting. Thanks for that. Mine's a 7 1/2" so it may not work. I'll look in to it though.

I have a Ruger Redhawk, an old model Vaquero and a Colt Anaconda(*" Barrel on the Anaconda). I like all three. I would recommend the Ruger RH or SRH if you were thinking of using Garrett superduper loads. If you were just going with normal loads less than the Garrett superduper loads you could go the the above mention guns or go with the blackhawk single action revolvers.

I could recommend a Colt Anaconda but they are hard to find and only on the used market. They would be very Expensive. I'm glad I got mine when I did. I wish I'd would have picked up an Anaconda with a 4" inch barrel as a carry gun for when I'm out in the woods and just need it for defence.

I know the Anaconda and SRH cylinders are longer, but in case I ever hunt with the SBH, what is the longest, heaviest hardcast bullet I can load for the SBH cylinder?

About anything you want. Here is my 330 gr boolit from a home made mold and a few 50 yd groups. That is a LONG boolit. :p

I will also give a vote for the Taurus Tracker 44. I have one and really like it. It is big enough to be controllable and small enough not to be a burden when carrying. The ported barrel helps with the muzzle flip and the "ribber" grip is excellent as well.

If you really want a good accurate, full size 44 Mag, I would also suggest you look at the Taurus Raging Bull in the .44. I used to own a Ruger Redhawk in .44 Mag and really liked it until I shot my brother's TRB. The balance is much better and it points more accurate for me. It also doesn't have the muzzle flip that I always got from my RR. It is bigger, but well worth the added size, IMO. I really like Rugers and you won't find a tougher build, but the TRB to me was much easier to hold and control, especially if you want to shoot past 50 yds. If I hadn't already bought my Encore before shooting my brother's TRB I may have been inclined to go that route instead of the Encore. But these are not equivalent comparisons as the Encore is a different breed all together!

i own a taurus ragging bull 44 mag 8 3/8 barrel 6 shot and i have to say that i love it. it is very controlable with any grain bullet that i can throw at it, although 300 grain and larger bullets should be shot by an experianced shooters only, (it has a noticable thump with these grain bullets). as in grouping , i have shot groups 3/4 inch at 75 yards.the gun is very accurate! just learn to shoot large boar pistols ,and they will do the job that you ask out of them!

About anything you want. Here is my 330 gr boolit from a home made mold and a few 50 yd groups. That is a LONG boolit. :p

Whose bullet is that, or did you cast it? Will it chamber in a Super Blackhawk cylinder? If so I'd like to try some of those. What recipe did you use, and in what firearm?

Hi, it's me again, and I will finally by my .44. magnum on monday. I will buy an ruger redhawk or an smith&wesson 629. What do you think about the s&w? And I will report when I have got my new sixgun.

Nothing at all wrong with S&W. Either gun will work.

Thx for the answer, then I will buy the s&w because it is a bit cheaper than the ruger. As I have already posted I am intersted in starting hunting deer next year.. I will hunt in the woods, and it possible to encounter wildboar. would the 44 mag potent enough to stop an charging wildboar with proper bullet placement and load? And which load would be the best choice for boar defence? An JPH or an hard cast bullet?

I only use hard cast bullets for hunting. I don't like JHP bullets for hunting. The hard cast bullets give you the best penetration.

I only use hard cast bullets for hunting. I don't like JHP bullets for hunting. The hard cast bullets give you the best penetration.

thx for the Infos. Are there any good hardcast hunting loads in 44 mag available form the majo ammo comanies like federal, hornaday, remington and winchester?

Federal has a 300 gr. hard cast load.

You'll do fine with the S&W. Great trigger and smooth in double action. If recoil drives the stock into your hand too hard, just change to another stock design. Mine would drive the "hump" into my top thumb joint too hard, so I made my own stock and it solved the problem very nicely. (I made a smaller size Bill Jordan style stock) I experienced same with my Redhawk. I suspect aftermarket rubber stocks would do fine, but I avoid them because they don't please my eye like wood.
As for hard cast slugs... go with a moderately heavy (285 grains or more) slug with a wide meplat. If you really want to study the science of hard cast slugs, the best thing next to experience is a booklet by Veral Smith of LBT. I don't know if it's still being published, maybe other forum readers know. My experience agrees with Mr. Smiths. In addition, I found the LFN slugs yield a bit better accuracy at distance than the WFN slugs. However the WFN design is more effective in sheer leathality, especially at close range. I've heard there are more ammo companies offering the LBT style stuff all the time, but since I reload my own I haven't paid attention to who offers what. Enjoy that Smith!

@rwa3006 Thx for the further information about the LBT bullets.


I will report when I have got my 629

ps: Which barrel length would be the best choice for a general purpose sixgun(plinking and hunting) the 5 or 6 1/2 model?

I would go with the 6 1/2 inch barrel. :D

The Smith&Wesson 629 is one fine crafted pistol and has alot of appeal. If you cannot locate any hardcast bullets shoot the XTP's out of it, they are a pretty tough bullet. They require velocity to work though and with not enough they "pencil" thru. As small and tiny as deer are that might be a good thing.

Your choice of a pistol mirrors mine in the .44 mag class.

good shooting!

p.s. I would opt for the 5" over the 6.5"bbl.

The Smith&Wesson 629 is one fine crafted pistol and has alot of appeal. If you cannot locate any hardcast bullets shoot the XTP's out of it, they are a pretty tough bullet. They require velocity to work though and with not enough they "pencil" thru. As small and tiny as deer are that might be a good thing.

Your choice of a pistol mirrors mine in the .44 mag class.

good shooting!

p.s. I would opt for the 5" over the longer bbl.

Edit: moderators feel free to dump the prior post-was on the phone and distraction was the culprit. :)

I recommend the short barrel if you carry the gun a lot and shoot it less... such as in a self protection purpose gun. If you plan to mix more shooting into the mix such as if it were to be a designated handgun hunting gun then go with the longer barrel in order to give a little longer sight radius. General advise only... there are exceptions. Good luck.

Thx again for your help. I will check the 5 and 6 1/2 models again and then I will decidie which I will buy.

Another ammo question: which 44 special load would you recomend for plinking and are there any good 44 special loads on the market sutiable for home defense? The whole defense part, is more theroetical because here in austria the crime rate ist not so high, but in an case of emergency I want to be preprared, and using full power 44 mag loads for hd would be a bad bad idea..:rolleyes:

I wish I could help you with the 44 special loads, but I don't use them. You may have to go to a gun shop and have them order you some, most places I go, don't carry 44 special loads.

@Redhawk1 Thx for your tipp, I will do that. Plinking with 44 mag ammo would be to expensive, and I am no reloader so I am forced to use 44 special loads for plinking. That's the problem.

I have baught my s&w 629 since yesterday and I have already used it at the range and it's a great sixgun. I have oly fired light 44 special loads, but soon I will use more powerfull ammo.

Thx again for your help. I will check the 5 and 6 1/2 models again and then I will decidie which I will buy.

Another ammo question: which 44 special load would you recomend for plinking and are there any good 44 special loads on the market sutiable for home defense? The whole defense part, is more theroetical because here in austria the crime rate ist not so high, but in an case of emergency I want to be preprared, and using full power 44 mag loads for hd would be a bad bad idea..:rolleyes:

Winchester and Hornaday have some good .44 special loads for self defence. Corbon does also but they are on the expensive side.

CCI have some .44 special laods that are good for self defence and plinking and are among the cheapest .44 specials I've found,

Double Tap ammo also makes a .44 special defensive load consisting of a 200 grain jacketed Hollow-point if my memory serves me well. Their ammo is very good and it is priced right. They can be reached at www.doubletapammo.com.......

I didn't read the entire thread. But my recommendation is a Ruger Red Hawk!!

@All Thx again for the ammo tipps.:)

When I went looking I really wanted a RH and was looking for possibly the SRH, but the prices even used were too high. I found a great deal on a SBH just like it was ment for me. What ever you choose, just make sure it fits you, no matter if it is S&W, Ruger, Taurus or even a Colt as we all like our certain choices.

http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/3774/0000001bn9.th.jpg (http://img390.imageshack.us/my.php?image=0000001bn9.jpg)