.44 S&W Special Revolver Shooter's Thread

[fireside44]

As a fairly recent convert to .44 special, I wanted to start this thread for .44 special guys who post on the forum, as few or as many as they may be.

Post your .44 special gun pics, your favorite bullets and loads, and anything else .44 special related that you want to share.

Myself, I am really happy shooting and reloading this cartridge. Less flash and snap than a .357 magnum but equal or greater power, depending on your load choice. And still, in a smaller CCW sized piece, feels very authoritative and thrilling to shoot without being excessively painful or taxing.

Uses less reloading components (powder and lead) than my cherished .45 Colt, while at the same time offering relatively comparable ballistics with better bullet and mold availability.

Of course factory ammo is scarce and so outrageously priced it'd drive anyone who didn't reload away with it's cost, but I only shoot my own hand loads, and was blown away by the accuracy of my very first batch.

This cartridge is my enlightenment via hand held firepower. Keith and Skelton had it all right.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

My Ruger .44 Special, carved mesquite grips. I use either 200 or 240 XTP's with Unique, or a 250 SWC with 7.5gr. Unique (the Skeeter load). All I'll ever need for general use, unless I want to go hunting deer or bigger, then I drag out the Ruger .44 Magnum. The .44 Special makes a great carry gun in the woods.

[/IMG]

 

[thunder173]

I have a 4 5/8 Ruger SBH in .44 magnum....have to confess,..it's a beast with a hot load. However,..with the .44 Specials,..it is a sweetheart to handle and shoot. I carry it with Specials a lot more than mag loads. I am in northern Michigan. Big bad bears are not as common as two legged idiots.

 

[Walkalong]

696

 

[Walkalong]

Bulldog

 

[Walkalong]

I also like to shoot .44 Specials in this Astra .44 Mag

 

[MMCSRET]

I shoot a Taurus model 441, 6", SS, 44 Special. I cast my bullets and load all my own. Probably the smoothest, most accurate revolver I own that is less than 50 years old. I have some Colts that are nicer but they are not "modern". I purchased a 4" OEM barrel and set the Taurus up so I can change barrels in a matter of minutes.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Good Gun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[FoMoGo]

S&W M21

Taurus 445

And I also shoot the occasional Special from my magnums.
226 gr Venom Ballistics hollowpoint over 7.5 gr Unique for the taurus... 8 gr unique for the Smith.


Jim

 

[ArkieVol]

.44's

Started shooting after a 10+ year layoff last year and started hand loading for the first time ever about 6 months ago. Only loaded.38 spl. up to last week. Decided I'd try the .44 spl. just for something different. So far have only loaded one batch of Missouri Bullets #5 Cowboy 200g LRNFP's over 5.0 gr. HP-38 and only fired 50 of them. Been too cold to get out longer but liked what I saw.

Bought two new guns, S&W 396ng .44 spl and a Ruger Redhawk .44 mag. but plan to shoot only .44 spl,'s. Can only shoot with one hand so have no burning desire or need to see what .44 mags can do. The S&W is a lightweight, 37 oz., but handles the .44 spl round nicely. I split the the box between the two giuns so don't have a lot to report.

Glad to see this thread. Looking forward to swapping .44 spl. info.

Ruger Redhawk .44 mag. / S&W 396 Night Guard .44 spl.

 

[Stainz]

My vast .44 S&W Special collection:



Yeah, the left hand pair, the 296 top and 696 bottom, are true .44 Specials, while the 4" & 6" 629s are posers. In my use, they are all .44 Specials. Heck, all but the 296 even launch .44 Russians. I replaced my LNIB safe queen 6.5" 24-3 and new 6.5" Heritage 24 both with that 6" 629. The advantages are clear - available new, easier to clean, and, let's call them 'Keith-level' compliant, too. Need a .44 Special? Get a .44 Magnum revolver!

Stainz

 

[cottonmouth]

3" model 24-3

I have 3 of these, this is the pretty one.

J.B.

 

[Nasty]

I've 2...a 696 S&W and a new version of the Charter Pug. Carry Speer 200gr JHP in both, Buffalo Bore 255's in the 696 for woods carry.

The Charter is designed to carry a lot, shoot when needed.

 

[fireside44]

I was shooting a 200 grain RNFP over 7.1 or so grains of Unique. Found some listings for 7.5 grains, but I wanted to work up from 7.1 and see how the gun functioned with that first. Was plenty accurate and felt substantial, but I think I'll go with the 7.5 next time and see how that works for me.

Other load was 6.5 grains of Unique under a 232 grain SWC dropping from a nice Lyman mold. Had a bit more recoil than my 200 grain load, but was very accurate. Seemed to be a good weight, lying somewhere between the typical 200 grain SD bullet and the 240-250 grain Keith style.

I also tested a 215 grain SWC out of a Lyman mold with good results, but so far that 232 grain has been my favorite. Has the nice wide driving band and only one big lube groove to deal with. Feels substantial through my 720 Rossi and 3 inch barrel but not "can't finish the cylinder" painful or anything. Very smooth.

Now, I have here a 6lb jug of H-110. Do I dare load it under cast lead bullets or am I going to make a mess of my barrel? I know 3" is a bit short and so the slow burning powder will mainly just make a nice fireball, but am I mistaken thinking that Keith and Skelton loaded this stuff under lead, albeit through a longer tube?

Arkie, how do you like that nightguard?

 

[rocinante]

I just got a 29-3 day before yesterday and haven't shot it yet so I don't quite qualify to comment but I WILL BE BACK!!

 

[SaxonPig]

I have a long love affair going with the 44 Special. I feel no need to hot rod this cartridge so my loads (and this is a caliber that requires reloading for economy) are moderate in power. Usually lead bullets in the 240@900 range.

 

[Slamfire]

My Favorite:



Taurus M431



Nice shooter:



Just Because:

 

[salvo]

I have two of the Lipsys .44 Specials, 4 5/8" and 5.5" Great shooters and put together and finished very well from Ruger. Been loading the old standby Skeeter load, going to try some jacketed XTP loads but just have not got around to it yet





Bought a .44 Special Bull Dog Pug from Charter Arms, but got a refund after I noticed the cylinder chambers did not line up with the bore. My search for a CCW .44 Special goes on.

 

[Dave T]

My small collection of 44 Specials (no Magnums here) span almost all of the 44 Special production of Smith. Starting with the newest first.

This is a 5" M24-3 from 1983.


Next is a 4" Model of 1950, or the 4th Model 44 Hand Ejector, salvaged from a very bad chop job on the original barrel, made in 1954.


Last but actually first, a 5" Triple Lock shipped in 1914. This one has been re-blued, making it affordable for me.


More than any other caliber I'm always on the look out for another 44 Special.

Dave

 

[BullfrogKen]

Walkalong,

That Bulldog looks like a 3" barrel. . . .



Am I seeing things correctly?

 

[RKRCPA]

My Lipsey's.....


And my 696


The Lipsey's is probably my all time favorite.

 

[unspellable]

So why do I load my S&W M24 almost to Elmer Keith levels and then run a 240 grain cast bullet at 1000 fps out of my 6.5 inch M29 in order to baby it? (Must be a serious indication of being a gun nut.)

I think in future I'll drop the 44 Special 6.5 inch down to 1000 fps.

 

[joed]

I have my share of .44 Spl's as I was bitten by the .44 bug. Most are S&W N frames (624 and 24) but I do have one small Taurus 445 that is about the size of a Bulldog. Had a new Bulldog but it was junk.

I don't hot rod the Spl as I have a few .44 Mags and just don't see a reason to push the Spl.

 

[Boxhead]

Here's mine.

 

[nulfisin]

I can't uplink a picture from this computer, but can praise my .44 Blackhawk 50th Anniversary piece. It's a magnum, but does much better with Special loads. 240 LSWC with HP-38 powder (or its equivalent Win 231). Along with the 45 Colt, the 44 Sp. has the best ability to poke large holes at potent velocities and modest recoil. What more could you want?

 

[BKDinTexas]

Picked this up today. Lipseys Blackhawk Bisley in .44 Special. This is a 5-1/2 inch, but it's 4-5/8 inch companion is on order.