44 magnum Home Defense/Self defense

[Real Gun]

You should be aware that 44 Special and 44 Magnum can be loaded with black powder and have been. Do a search. It is immaterial that use of black powder in a 44 Special is not authentic.

Hal - Only an idiot would load BP for a defensive load in a modern gun.

Hal - We're talking about serious home defense here, not what Billy Bob does after a six pack.

I never said anything about black powder for home defense. You are arguing with your own straw man.

Penetrate what exactly?

Hal - Look - I'm going to repeat my - sheesh. We're discussing home defense - so - what ever decides to walk, slither or crawl into the house.

If all we're talking about is home invasions, then few guns are inadequate in terms of penetration. Big holes and shock energy would have a lot more influence. It doesn't take any magnum load to do that.

 

[JERRYS.]

if anyone, and I mean anyone has the chance to put on ear muffs before firing a gun inside, please do so. keep a set on your dresser or near by your bed. should your alarm go off in the middle of the night and you have time to grab your gun, grab the ear muffs and put them on. they won't prevent you from hearing all noises, just faint ones and they will make a huge difference if you have to pull the trigger.

of course if crap hits the fan right away you probably won't realize how loud the gun shots were because of tunnel vision/hearing.

 

[Danoobie]

I shot my 5" .44 mag one time with unprotected ears. It was outside and they still hurt an hour later. I don't even want to imagine what it would sound like inside.

I would use something a little more hearing friendly.

 

[Laz]

It might be cheaper to just hide in the closet and let the bad guys ransack your home, as opposed to buying a box of 50 .44 Special ammunition!

That’s funny!

 

[vba]

VERY GOOD advice 12Win...

Are you asking us if you should use your .44 magnum for home defense?

If so, I say certainly. But, I wouldn't use magnums. Instead, load it with .44 specials. Ballistically equal to .45 ACP and less noise and blast than your .357 magnum.

But most .44 magnum loads have too much recoil, blast, and yes penetration to be suitable for that role.

Contrary to Dirty Harry (who actually admitted he carried .44 specials in his Model 29 in a later movie), the .44 magnum is a hunting caliber. It is designed to penetrate deep into large animals to kill them. There are very few if any .44 magnum loads optimized to limit penetration and offer favorable defensive shooting characteristics.

So, get a box of .44 special hollow points, such as Winchester Silver Tips, and consider yourself well armed. No magnums required.