.44 Magnum Ammo Questions

[Classified00]

Howdy all,

I'm still new to the exciting world of .44 Magnum / .44 Special and I have a few questions.

But first ...
* The gun is a SW 629 4"
* I have no interest in hunting with it
* I can't seem to find a large selection of ammo locally
* Big revolvers are cool

1. For personal protection in the woods against whatever might wish to do me harm, am I better off with 210 GR Silvertips or 240 GR SP (Remington)?
2. With the shorter barrel, are there any loads a should avoid (how much is too much or does it not matter)?
3. How do the .44 Special 200 GR Silvertips stack up (.vs other .44 Special loads) as a self defense round?

Thanks!

 

[Drail]

.44 Spl. is a GREAT self defense round. Most .44 Mag loadings are overkill unless you're hunting dangerous game or shooting long range targets.. Look into CCI Blazer 200 GR. Gold Dot .44 Spl ammo. Realistically though, .44 Spl. is not very common on store shelves, it has became essentailly a reloader's cartridge. You probably will see what are called "cowboy loads" in that caliber. These are normally a 200 to 225 GR bullet loaded to about 800 to 900 FPS. About the ballistic equivalent of a .45 ACP. Plenty good for carry use. But for personal protection the 200 GR. Gold Dot has been setting the standard for a number of years now. It's what I carry every day. Big revolvers ARE cool.

 

[Lucky Derby]

Congrats. That is a fine revolver.
For most use I prefer .44 Special to .44 Magnum.
Unless hunting or here is a very real threat of BIG 4 legged predators, .44 mag is a bit much, IMHO.
The great thing about .44 Special is there really aren't any bad loads. The Silvertips are decent. The CCI blazer 200gr GDHP is probably the best value in a defense load in this cartridge.
While I wouldn't choose the Cowboy loads for defense, I really wouldn't feel undergunned with them either.

 

[NMGonzo]

I live in Albuquerque.

Self defense and dangerous game get the same loading on my main .44 carry.

BUT ... I would not mind having the first two rounds in .44 special.

 

[loadedround]

classified00: Have you considered reloading? For little over 100.00 you could buy a Lee Classic Loader, some LP primers, a pound of powder, and some lead or jacketed bullets and reload your mag or special cases and save some big bucks while improving your shooting. Plus having some fun at the same time!

 

[Classified00]

Loaded,

It's crossed my mind but I have no idea where to even start. I've shot .38 Special and 9mm for many moons and cost really wasn't an issue. I can definately see where reloading .44 mag/spec would pay off. I'll do a bit of research

 

[22-rimfire]

GA Arms sells their own cowboy loadings in 44 mag. You might google them and see if they grab your interest. They also have the more standard type loads with jacketed bullets. For most things 44 special level loads are plenty unless you are in an area where there are large predator 4-legged animals. Most of us that shoot magnum loads really don't need to, we do it for fun or as part of practice for hunting or longer range target shooting.

 

[Buck Snort]

Shoot'm if ya got'm!

 

[788Ham]

Classified00,

I see by your locale you're close to South Lake and Grapevine. Don't know if you've checked there already, my BIL lives in South Lake, don't have an exact address, but do know he buys ammo for his .40 there, check around Pard.

 

[Marshall]

I shoot .44 Mag Silvertips, amongst others. They're a very accurate round, THE most accurate out of my .44 Mag revolvers and a good "overall" round for what you've described.

YMMV

Good luck to you.

 

[Magnumite]

If it were for "whatever" harm you may encounter, I'd load it with good expanding 240 grain hollowpoints. One load, one trajectory, for any threatening size critter, 2 or 4 legs. If I anticipated big bears, maybe a heavier solid. Then I'd carry some down loaded magnum cased ammo for other anticipated purposes.
A lightweight Ruger old model Bearcat or M63 S&W would be the cat's meow, too, for spontaneous plinking.