+1 to the idea of shooting the exact gun before you buy. The .44 has a LOT more oomph than the .357. Even as a scrawny teen, I enjoyed shooting my Dad's 6" L-frame .357. The first time I tried a .44 SBH around age 20, 6 rounds were enough for me. It was OK except that the trigger was cutting into my finger on recoil. That was the first time I shot a single-action revo, so maybe my grip was wrong. I concluded that I didn't like .44 magnums.
Fast-forward over 25 years to last December. Pushing 50 but still scrawny, I shot my brother-in-law's 1980s vintage 7.5" Redhawk and loved it. Bought one just like it for myself last spring. The smooth wooden grips work well for me.
I also have a 4" half-lug GP100, so about the lightest configuration for that model. Despite the considerable extra weight, the Redhawk recoil is definitely more impressive. OTOH, I notice little difference in noise between hot .357 and hot .44: both call for earplug AND muffs. OTOOH, with a ported barrel, the .44 probably *will* be louder.
After one session with the .44, my thumb joint was sore, which I never experienced with a .357. I think I cured that by altering my grip a little to take the recoil more against the heel of my hand and by gripping harder (most of my handgun shooting was .22s until those became unobtainium, and I was in the habit of using a light grip).
For killing paper, the .44 Magnum is completely pointless and extremely entertaining. Last weekend I handed it off for 6 rounds to a buddy who has a Buckmark with a nice red-dot sight and a .357 LCR and a Walther 9 mm and a Single-Ten and he said "this is like Christmas for me!"
It's also an excellent reason to start reloading. I have just a Lee hand press, and that keeps me in ammo fine. For $300 to $400 in gear and consumables (equal to 6 to 8 boxes of .44, last I checked) you can be making .44 mag for 20 to 30 cents a round, vs. a dollar for store-bought. I use 6.5 grains of Red Dot and an Xtreme plated 240 for a plinking round that has almost no flash and reduced recoil so I can shoot it comfortably with a one-handed Bullseye stance (note I said "shoot," not "hit anything," because I stink at that), or switch to 20 grains of 2400 for maximum muzzle flash and enough boom to scare people three lanes away, if that's how you roll.