.44 magnum handgun

[vikings269]

I know this isn't a weapon used for birds and I could probably ask elsewhere but since I'm already a member here and many of us own a variety of firearms I thaught I'd ask my question here. Ok heres the deal my boss wants to buy a smith and wesson .44 magnum (I try to talk him out of it, not much fun to shoot and he isnt a hunter or firearm owner at all) Anyway while i know firearms fairly well I dont know handguns well at all but we went to guander mountain to look and I see there is a .44 mag and a .44 rem, so I look at ammo and there is .44 mag and .44 rem mag. My question is whats the difference and most importantly are they interchangeable? I do know the difference between the .44 special and magnum but i dont know if there is a difference between .44 rem, and .44mag there must be cuz both gun and ammo were more expensive in rem. Also the taurus was like $600 cheaper and he wonders why, I didnt have an answer for that either. I suppose we could of asked in the store but we didnt want to look stupid and I'd rather have many opinions then just one guy. Any suggestions or facts on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

[Benny]

That's a tough one, I don't know much about the .44 mag load other than it blows stuff up pretty well. Never figured it to be super useful other than destroying soda cans and hardcore self-defense. I'm sure someone better suited with the ballistics history will chime in, so I'll leave that to the experts.
The part I can offer is that Taurus is generally a much cheaper manufacturer in terms of revolvers. I bought a .357 8 shot in a 8" and it was a fun gun for target. Picked it up for dirt cheap, but I'll tell you it was extremely reliable and the sight was dead on (for me). I like Taurus and if I ever felt like I wanted another handgun I would certainly give them a shot.

[vikings269]

[quoteThat's a tough one, I don't know much about the .44 mag load other than it blows stuff up pretty well. Never figured it to be super useful other than destroying soda cans and hardcore self-defense. I'm sure someone better suited with the ballistics history will chime in, so I'll leave that to the experts.
The part I can offer is that Taurus is generally a much cheaper manufacturer in terms of revolvers. I bought a .357 8 shot in a 8" and it was a fun gun for target. Picked it up for dirt cheap, but I'll tell you it was extremely reliable and the sight was dead on (for me). I like Taurus and if I ever felt like I wanted another handgun I would certainly give them a shot.][/quote]

Thanks for chiming in, for real I dont know much about handguns and while i heard of taurus i have never owned one so I couldnt comment, my biggest question for sure is whats the difference between .44 mag and .44 rem, thats how they are listed and in the ammo section its rem mag and mag, im starting to assume they are compatable but its an important thing to know for sure. If it was me I wouldnt even think of buying that gun, christ about a grande? I could think of hundreds of firearms better and dozens of handguns but he is hard headed, lol

[vikings269]

Did ya know after the release of clint eastwoods movie dirty harry that the .44 magnum tripled in price? the gun is more hype then anything.

[Benny]

Had to ask around, 44 rem mag is the same load, die, casing, etc. as the 44 mag. You're buddy's good to go.
If he really wants a hand cannon, though, tell him to man up and get the 454 Casull.

[vikings269]

If he really wants a hand cannon, though, tell him to man up and get the 454 Casull.

ya I know but you know how some people are, they just insist on something even if its not best for them, all he wants to do with it is shoot cans and im like thats not what ya want for that yet he insists ya I want that, im like ok I'll try to learn what I can about it, he doesnt have anybody to steer him in the right direction and im like telling him over and over again the .44 magnum is a cool gun to own but way funner stuff is out there for target practice! If anything I'd like to talk him into the contender with interchangable barrels but he insists on a .44 magnum revolver, ya id like to have one for bragging purposes but come on!

[vikings269]

Had to ask around, 44 rem mag is the same load, die, casing, etc. as the 44 mag. You're buddy's good to go.
If he really wants a hand cannon, though, tell him to man up and get the 454 Casull.

thanks for asking around, i appreciate that

[Loke]

The 44 Magnum (or Remington Magnum) was developed by Remington and Smith & Wesson. It is a lengthened 44 Special that is loaded to higher pressures. For plinking and practice, you can shoot the 44 Specials, just the same as you can shoot 38 Specials in a 357 Magnum. As for the "real men", the 454 Casull is old news. You need a 500 S&W.

As for the usefulness, you won't find a more versatile revolver caliber. It has harvested virtually every animal on earth. With the 44 Special loads, it is a pleasure to shoot. Load up a 300 grain bullet to over 1300 fps and you can cleanly kill game as far away as you can hit it.

[Benny]

yeah but the 500 SW has a 14" barrel or something like that right? How are you going to be the modern day Clint Eastwood "soda can destryoer" with one of those?

[ezzy333]

I have a 44 mag and it isn't bad to shoot at all except like any center fire it is expensive. It's a great gun to hunt with if you enjoy handguns. If you are buying a gun to just plink or target shoot beer cans then stick with the 22. As for the advice of getting something bigger than the 44 mag it would be silly unless you are hunting Grizzly's or in Africa as the 44 mag is all you need for deer.

Ezzy

[Wildweeds]

I have a Ruger super redhawk,a freind of mine has a S&W the Ruger is about twice the gun the Smith is in construction,it's not bad at all to shoot the mag loads in because it is so much heavier,the muzzle jump is a Whole bunch less than the Smith.I bought the ruger on advice from my great uncle who worked at the gunshop during his retirement years he was the one who told me it was superior.He handloaded shells for a lot of folks around here and he saw plenty of Smiths get sent back for repair that were shot using loads that were in the safe parameters of the load chart.I haven't shot mine in years because it's EXPENSIVE,I'd reccomend some type of semi auto that can be converted to .22 with a barrell kit.Makes for cheap practice,then slip in the standard equipment and be good to go for anything else.Unless your buddy is going to delve into handgun big game hunting that's the road I'd take.

[BigShooter]

The quality revolver manufacturers usually mentioned are S & W, Ruger, Taurus, Freedom Arms & Colt. Colts are very nice but no longer manufactured. Freedom Arms are generally thought of as very high in quality with a price to match.

I shoot rifle cartridges comfortably out of handguns with many more foot pounds of energy than a .44 and I've shot a .44 mag revolver that was really uncomfortable to shoot because it's shape didn't go well with my hand. I highly recommend your boss shoot a couple of different brands of .44 mag revolvers before buying. A local gun/sportman's club will usually have someone more than willing to let you shoot their revolver in their presence. The weight, curvature and width of the backstrap and grips can have a pretty big impact on how your hand feels after absorbing several shots, even from .44 mag. loads. Using .44 special loads really helps but he should know how full loads fired from a brand he wants feels to him.

JMO,

Mark

[vikings269]

Alright this story took a turn for the worse or better however ya want to take it, he is now leaning towards the smith and wesson revolver model 500 in .50 caliber. Apparently he was eying that all along and just assumed it to be a .44 magnum, man some people need to get a clue. So anyone have any comments on that gun? i see its fairly new and he wants the 8-3/8 inch barrel, which is a plus cuz of weight. He did mention he wouldnt shoot it often just something to have like a classic car ya dont drive much but like to have it, to each his own i guess. I'm back at square one, I dont know that gun at all either.

[BigShooter]

You're basically still looking at the same list of manufacturers. You/he should look at some of the reviews on the internet for the .454 Casull, .480 Ruger as well as the .500 S&W.


Mark

[vikings269]

You're basically still looking at the same list of manufacturers. You/he should look at some of the reviews on the internet for the .454 Casull, .480 Ruger as well as the .500

I will do that but i doubt he will, I'm getting frustrated cuz im putting more effort into this than him, lol

[BigShooter]

So he'll have to let you shoot it so you know what it feels like to shoot a hand cannon !! Perhaps he should continue to expand his collection to include rifles in .30-.378 Weatherby Magnum and .458 Lott. After shooting the .500 and the two rifles he'd be certain his body as well as his mind knew he had enough weapon to bring down the most dangerous animals on the planet !

Mark

[Big Dave]

Smith and Wesson model 29!

[nj gsp]

When I lived in Colorado I wanted to get an old model (3 screw) Ruger Blackhawk and a Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag so I would have a matched-ammo set. If I remember correctly only ammo with 1000 ft/lbs of energy at 100 yards was legal for hunting big game, and I think the .44 mag was the only handgun ammo that met this requirement when shot from a rifle.

The ability to shoot cheap .44 special ammo was incentive too.

[tommyboy72]

I say teach him a lesson and recommend the .500 and after he shoots it and either breaks his wrist or thumps himself in the forehead then perhaps he will be a little wiser about his firearms purchases in the future.

[PrairieGoat]

Unless someone is used to shooting a hand cannon, I would steer them away from the .500. I own several pistols/revolvers and the .500 S&W with a 4" barrel is my latest....with the right loads it is a beast......with the wrong loads it clears cobwebs/wax/brain matter/teeth and what have you from your head!!! I only carry it when flyfishing for salmon in AK.......and then only for the really big ones!

Honestly though, a .357 or .44 Mag is much more fun.....you can load them with either .38 Special (for the .357) or .44 Special (for the .44) for punching paper and bring the recoil down considerably. I had a .44 Mag S&W Model 29 until some schmuck in Independence, MO broke into my truck and helped themselves to it. Really a great shooter....especially with .300 gr softpoints (or elephant loads as my buddy called them).

Randy

[vikings269]

I say teach him a lesson and recommend the .500 and after he shoots it and either breaks his wrist or thumps himself in the forehead then perhaps he will be a little wiser about his firearms purchases in the future.

haha, I think he already made up his mind and I cant wait to tell him "I told ya so" he did ask me hey what should i tell the police department/government center when i go in to get something making it legal for me to buy a handgun "i dont want to look stupid" i'm like well you arent looking for permit to carry, why dont ya tell them your looking for permit to purchase? lol he is like thanks a lot that dont sound too stupid. havent heard back from that encounter and im amazed this thread didnt die.

[vikings269]

Honestly though, a .357 or .44 Mag is much more fun.....you can load them with either .38 Special (for the .357) or .44 Special (for the .44) for punching paper and bring the recoil down considerably. I had a .44 Mag S&W Model 29 until some schmuck in Independence, MO broke into my truck and helped themselves to it. Really a great shooter....especially with .300 gr softpoints (or elephant loads as my buddy called them).

Randy

I agree whole heartedly, sorry about the break in, that really sucks! hopefully it isnt used in a crime and they track it back to you, or maybe thats better cuz they will give it back? not sure how that works. if ya reported it stolen im sure fine but if it was never registered to you i would assume bye bye forever. man i hate thieves.

[PrairieGoat]

Naw, there was a police report filed...they cleaned me out of a bunch of stuff....was going to pick up my new 5th wheel in Ohio. Funny thing is the police department calls me about every year or so to see if I've recovered it! I always think to myself, shouldn't they be the ones telling me they recovered it???

[vikings269]

Naw, there was a police report filed...they cleaned me out of a bunch of stuff....was going to pick up my new 5th wheel in Ohio. Funny thing is the police department calls me about every year or so to see if I've recovered it! I always think to myself, shouldn't they be the ones telling me they recovered it???

Geez! what do they think your stuff is gonna magically make its way back home? Or do they think your the lead investigator in the crime? I dont even know what to think about that.