I want a .44mag.

[ddj8052]

I curently own 3 revolvers. A GP-100 w 6" barrel, a Taurus 85 ti, and a Colt Detective Special. I really have a craving for a more powerfull revolver for hunting and fun. I Think that a .44mag would be the next logical choice. I am thinking that the Taurus Raging Bull would fit the bill nicely. What are your thoughts on this revolver? I like Taurus revolvers, but would like other suggestions as well. I really like the porting on my Ti so I think that I would like them on my .44 as well. Well I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks Juan

 

[patentnonsense]

I've got nothing to say against the Taurus, but my 629 is a very comfortable and reasonably accurate shooter with full-power .44.
I tried all the grips I could, and settled on the large Pachmeyer presentation grips.

 

[Marshall]

The standard Ruger Redhawk is the best bang for the buck in .44 Mag. You can shoot anything out of them and with the right cartridge/load they can be scarey accurate. Mount a DOT sight and you're ready for hunting most any medium to large game out to 75-100 yards with ease.

 

[Damon]

A 4" S&W 29 is what I like.

 

[mburnickas]

My S&W model 500 is my fav large gun but my Model 629 6" is still a wonderful, light, small and fun gun to shoot. Plus they are cheap and have the life time service.

 

[Seventhsword]

ddj8052,

I have a Bisley Vaquero. It is strong as a tank and a pleasure to shoot. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a .44

 

[standingbear]

The standard Ruger Redhawk is the best bang for the buck in .44 Mag. You can shoot anything out of them and with the right cartridge/load they can be scarey accurate.

I'll second that.


I have a stainless redhawk with a 7.5 inch barrel and it is also scary accurate.Double action trigger.

one thing I'll say about ruger revolvers..they are built pretty durn good for the money.The only changes I've had done is to give it an action job to improve the performance on fast moving targets and swap the grips to a packmeyer presentation grip to fit my grip better.they take the HKS M29 .44 cal speedloaders.

Both of the revolvers I own are rugers..a gp100 in stainless..6" barrel..full shroad and a Redhawk in stainless 7.5"barrel,I dont own any other revolvers.I havent tried any of the other brand names cept a few smiths so I cant comment on the taurus but I have heard they arent bad guns.

 

[stans]

I have heard good things about the Taurus Raging Bull in various calibers. I think it is much stronger than their model 44. The S&W 29/629 is certainly more refined and will usually have a better trigger out of the box. The Ruger Redhawk and Super Redhawks are certainly strong and usually very accurate, but usually need some trigger tuning. Then there is the Dan Wesson 44. It is big, will handle hot loads as well as the Ruger and has the advantage of interchangable barrels.

 

[Ala Dan]

Having owned several Smith & Wesson 29's with barrel
lengths of 4" or 6", I'm here too tell you of a sweet compromise.

You see, I have found (and settled on) a 5" Smith & Wesson
629-5 "Classic". It offers the best of both worlds, in performance
and concealment. I mainly use mine for target shooting with some
reduced power handloads; and it makes a nice, big hole so I don't
have to go downrange after each group to view my target. It most
definitely would be my recommendation to anyone looking for a .44
maggie.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Karate]

I vote for the S&W M29 with a 4inch tube...I love mine and it is deadly accurate...mine is Nickel plated...really wish it was blued...any way to remove the Nickel

 

[saltydog452]

44 Mag..

Since the kids have grown up and we don't go camping as much anymore, I just happen to have a 4" 629 that we don't use..You happen to have a Colt Detective Special...Wanna talk some kind of trade?? If you really, really like the 44 629, its companion piece is a Ruger 44 Mag carbine. We can talk about that as well if you like.

P.M. me f you are interested.

salty.

 

[klover]

Yes, you do want a .44 mag






Salty dog, if nobody wants that barter and you're in WA state, please email me.

 

[ROAshooter]

44s

What Ala Dan sez word for word...my "go to gun"....629 Classic 5"

 

[caz223]

Yeah, a 5" 629 is about as nice as it gets.
3" ported performance center models are also the cat's meow, if you're looking for a nice woods/backup gun.
It really puts the hurt on raccoons, I can tell you that.

 

[saltydog452]

44 629 and camping

Hello klover,

Not in Washington but Texas..My bride and I used to take our worthless children camping..Since the kids have moved out on their own, we don't have much of a perceived need for the 44 Mag. I suspect she will wanna keep her mdl 24. The only places we go camping now has room service.

Thanx for the reply.

salty.

 

[dogngun]

I have a 4" Mod 29 that is extremely accurate, and great fun. Good companion when hiking.

Whatever you get, a 44 mag is interesting to shoot.

Mark

 

[Marshall]

What kind of hunting are we talking?

I suggest you go with a minimum of a 5" tube, preferrably 5 1/2" - 7 1/2" for hunting. It will be more accurate and give better performance for the cartridge. If it's just a "woods" gun, then the 4" barrels are easier to pack.

 

[stv]

I'm a big fan of my 6" blued Model 29-5.

 

[birddog]

I have two, and love them both.

My S&W 4" 629 just went to Maine with me bear hunting (I was hunting with the bow) and I was glad to have it. Accurate, very reliable...a classic.

I also have a Taurus M-44 in 6-inch with a red-dot scope on it for handgun hunting. The Taurus has been 100% reliable with thousands of rounds through it now, has a great blued finish (yes stainless would have been easier, but for hunting I went low-glare), and the barrel porting does seem to tame recoil on heavier loads. I only opted for the M-44 over the Raging Bull because I felt the sights and grip on the M-44 were better suited for my eyes / my hands. The only thing the Raging Bull had over the M-44 was the dual cylinder lockup for added strength, but it kind of seemed awkward to operate for me. (I'm sure, like anything else, you could get used to it).

Joel

 

[ruger357]

Have the Ruger Super Blackhawk and have been having a ball with it.

 

[SteelyDan]

I don't have a ton of experience with .44s, and I've never shot a Ruger in .44. With that disclaimer out of the way, I do own and shoot two .44s and I've shot a couple of others, too. Based on this limited experience, I agree with a couple of others that the S&W 5" 629 Classic is an absolute jewel. Very well made, great trigger, and VERY accurate. On a more subjective level, it also looks great.

 

[Valkman]

I just bought a 6.5" 629 Classic, supposed to be about 10 years old. I've shot it twice now, and the trigger is oh-so-nice. I like my Ruger .454 and if you go Ruger I'm sure you'll like it, but nobody does triggers like S&W.

 

[wprebeck]

Well, since this thread isn't totally dead yet, I'll give it some CPR to get it moving again....


I've only shot it a few times, but earlier this year, I decided that I wanted something other than my Remington 700 (30.06) to deer hunt with. Reason being, I got tired of lugging the damn thing around through the relatively thick brush, especially since I don't really have any shots over 100 yards away. So, I looked around, and found myself a nice Taurus 44SS6. Brand new, it was cheaper than the S & W 629 that was used, next to it in the case. Found out about the lifetime warranty Taurus has, so I bought it. Paid <$500 for it, too.

Now, down to details on the gun. It's a stainless frame, 6.5" ported barrel, vent rib. I played with it a few times, and recoil ain't too bad. Now, since gun season is right around the corner (less than 2 months), I bought some goodies for it. Got a Taurus factory scope base, Burris Signature Series rings, and a Burris 2 X 7 variable power handgun scope, and an Uncle Mike's scoped shoulder holster to carry it in. I haven't had a chance to zero it in yet, but plan to sometime next week, if I can quit working long enough.
I love the scope on it...the eye relief is great! I can hold the gun out, in a modified Weaver stance, and I can see through the scope with no problem at about 4 power. ANything above that, and I have to bring the gun in a bit, but 4X should work fine out to 100 yards.

The ammo I decided to go with is the Remington 275gr Core-lokt round. The ballistics on their web page say they tested this round out of a 6.5" ported barrel, so my results should be fairly similar. They gave data that said the muzzle velocity was 1235fps, and still going at 1070fps at 100 yards. The energy is also impressive (at least to me), with it being 931 ft-lbs at the muzzle, and still having 699 ft-lbs at 100 yards. Heck, we're issued 165gr Golden Sabers (.40 cal) for duty use, and they are weak in comparison. Anyone else have a better suggestion for ammo? The only downside I found to this stuff is $$/availibility. It's out there on the web, but no one local carries it. It can be ordered, but not for any cheaper than what I can get it for, which is about $26/box from Midway, after shipping is factored in.

 

[Plain Old Bill]

Got the Ruger. Nice gun.
Have the 29 in stainless....great gun.
Went on to the Dan Wesson w/ heavy barrel shroud....truly superlative. There is indeed a reason they did so well in silhouette shooting.

I know...some folks will beat me up about Dan Wessons, but I have yet to have a bad experience with them!

 

[Yooper]

I have a 5 1/2" Ruger Super Blackhawk and a pair of S&W 629s with 6 1/2" and 4" barrels. I can recommend any of these as very accurate and dependable firearms. If you handload, there are a vast number of possibilities for gun/load combinations in 44mag.