I flame the .44 Special ....

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WVGunman

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(tongue firmly in cheek)

Oh .44 Special, why don't you just take your ball and go home? You're ugly, and nobody likes you. You have no friends, and will probably die alone and a virgin.

Why do you exist? Yes, I know you were developed from the .44 Russian, and the .44 Magnum was developed from you. The .44 Magnum is like the hot girl who is forced to let her annoying little brother tag along everywhere she goes. Guess who is the annoying little brother? That's right, it's YOU, .44 Special! You are chambered in revolvers that are 80-90% as heavy as a .44 Magnum, but you'll never have 80-90% of the power of a .44 Magnum. It makes more sense to get a revolver in .45 ACP and use moon clips. At least that round can be fired in my 1911, while YOU, .44 Special are a one-trick pony. Just like the most obnoxious kid in school can't get a date to the prom, nobody is going to make a semi-auto for you, .44 Special.

It is astonishing how much you cost, .44 Special. Buying your shells is an experience akin to many first marriages: paying a lot for something that is ultimately useless and annoying. .38 Special can be had much cheaper than .357 Magnum; how then do you get off going for just about as much as your more useful sibling, .44 Special? This makes you "Special" in the wrong kind of way.

I hate you SO MUCH, .44 Special! Your brass should all be melted down and turned into trinkets for keychains. You are NOT special! You suck!
 
I had a hankering for a .44 Special for a time, but then I realized I already had .45ACP revolvers. Those Bulldogs sure are cute, though.
 
I feel pretty much the same about the.223/5.56. Yet folks by more of it than any other centerfire round. However, I do like the.44 spl.

Just proves some folks have to go there own way and not follow the herd. Thank heaven we can still make decisions for ourselves.
 
What's not to love? Sure, in a gun like a Bulldog the .44 Spl isn't living up to its potential, but even so at 750 fps it will do the job. It's when used in larger guns where it shines.

I shoot it at 950 fps from larger revolvers and it's just loafing. But, I can also move it at 1150 fps in that same revolver and sometimes I shoot loads that powerful. At that velocity it's easy on me and can be shot all day long with no ill effects. I prefer it over the mag any day.
 
Hi...
I shoot both .44Spl and .44Mag revolvers and I sometimes prefer the .44Spl and sometimes the Magnum cartridge.
I also shoot both .38Spl and .357Mag revolvers.
I also shoot .45AutoRim and .45Colt revolvers.
I also shoot .41Mag revolvers.
All have their place and I enjoy shooting all of them.
Some days the .45Colt is my favorite, some days it's the .41Mag and some days it's something else that's my favorite.
I am thankful I am free to choose for myself.
Anybody who doesn't want their .44Spl or .41Mag revolvers may feel free to send them to me. I will give them a good home and exercise them regularly.
 
Funny stuff, WVGunman. Although you forgot the houseful of cats for the lonely cartridge. :D My preference is for the 44 special out of a magnum revolver. The special out of a Super Blackhawk keeps its accuracy (and deadliness if that's a factor) and feels like a popgun. Reloading cast bullets in scavanged brass keeps ammo costs down.

Jeff
 
If you reload I don't see the point of shooting lesser cartridges out of a more powerful gun, i.e., .44Spl. out of a .44 Magnum, or .38Spl. out of a .357. You then have to deal with the dreaded carbon chamber ring from the smaller length shell plus loading and dealing with another cartridge.

Might just as well load lighter charges in the longer cases and be done with it.

WVGunman, thanks for the morning humor!
 
Elmer Keith has turned over 10 times in his grave. He's asking "What have I done for my beloved .44 Special to be treated with such disrespect?" He goes on to say, "Without my attention to the .44 Special there would have never been a .44 Magnum". Rest in peace Elmer there's an army of us .44 Special toting loyalist that will carry your torch (and the .44 Special) as long as we live.
 
The only thing wrong with the .44 Specials is that I don't have enough of them. I also love shooting light .44 Specials as a target round in .44 magnum revolvers. Somehow, I find that more satisfying than the .38 Special in the .357. The one disappointment is that in longer barrel revolvers a lightly loaded 250 grain bullet tends to shoot too high when the gun is zeroed for magnums. To solve this, I load a 185 grain cast .44, which can be regulated to shoot to the same point of impact as regular magnum loads at close range. The only disappointment with the wadcutter is that it won't shoot to the same impact as my 245 to 265 grain bullets loads at close range in my 6.5 inch barrel .44 Special revolvers, although it works perfectly with a 5.5 or 4-inch barrel guns. My understanding is that Corbon loads wadcutters hot for a defensive load in .44 Special. I've never tried them because the last time I looked they wanted four dollars a round. Surely, I can kill anything I need to kill cheaper than that.
 
Meh... I've bought and sold the only .44 I'll ever own... a Ruger .44SPC Flattop. Nothing special in particular about the cartridge itself... it doesn't do anything my .41 can't. I don't need a .44 and probably won't ever own one again.




...oh, look... a Smith 696!!!
 
Good stuff. Funny reading. As a shooting community, I think we were drawn away from the .44 Special way too quickly by gun writers, to something we could spend more money on.
 
Funny stuff, WVGunman. Although you forgot the houseful of cats for the lonely cartridge. :D My preference is for the 44 special out of a magnum revolver. The special out of a Super Blackhawk keeps its accuracy (and deadliness if that's a factor) and feels like a popgun. Reloading cast bullets in scavanged brass keeps ammo costs down.

Jeff

I have a Super Blackhawk that the original owner had the barrel professionally shortened to 5 1/2 inches. I've only shot my reloads thru it. I load 44 Special with 180 grain hard cast lead and max book load of 800X. Very pleasant to shoot and thou I haven't killed anything with it I am confident it would kill anything I needed it to.

Put me down as a fan of 44 Special.
 
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