Help on choosing a .44

[Paladin7]

Fellow TFLr's,

I am thinking seriously about getting a new\used .44 mag.

I shot one briefly years ago, an old 3 screw Blackhawk flattop with downloaded .44 mags. Not bad, accurate and I really enjoyed it.

I would be using it for hunting whitetails and punching targets and I plan to get into reloading soon.

Choice would be between a single action Ruger or a S&W 629.

1. I've heard a lot of folks say how bad the recoil is in a .44. I'm not sure since I don't have much experience shooting one. Is it really that bad? What can it be compared to? I have a S&W 686 .357 mag and a Kahr MK40 .40 none of which really bother me at all with hot loads.

2. Between the Ruger and the S&W which would u recommend for hunting in upstate ny and in bear country?

3. What grip in single action (bisley or standard)?

4. What barrel length?

Thanks in advance for your help on this one....

Paladin7

 

[C.R.Sam]

Try to shoot a few different ones if you can.

Personal druthers would be a Smith Model 29 with either 6 or 6½" barrel. Preferably pre 82.

Recoil of .44Mag in the big frames sorta like .357Mag in the medium frames (686 etal.)

Sam

 

[629 shooter]

Well I have owned 2 Ruger Super Blackhawks and 2 Smith 44 Mags. Still own a 629 S&W. My 6.5" 629 is the most accurate of the 44's I have owned and I like the crisp creep free trigger. I would not hesitate to use it for hunting. One added benefit of the current Smiths is that they come with a drilled and tapped frame if you ever to decide to add a scope or red dot sight

The Super Blackhawks I have owned - a 5.5" and a 10.5" both shot well. The 10.5" was easily the mildest to shoot 44 Mag handgun I have ever fired. The 5.5" with full loads was not as pleasant. Also had the chance to fire a friend's 7.5" SB - a nice shooting gun also - actually shot his 7.5" better than I did mine own SB's! The biggest complaint I had with all the Rugers was the annoying trigger creep - however triggers can be worked on. Any of the Super Blackhawks would make a fine hunting handgun. As far as the Bisley grip - I shot a 357 Bisley and liked the grip , although with the Bisley you are usually limited to the 7.5" barrel. One of the advantages of the SB is that that can be bought for far less than a Smith 44 Mag.

I would try to handle both the Smith and the Ruger and choose the one you feel more comfortable with. Same goes for the Bisley grip vs the standard Blackhawk grip. If you reload you can start out with some milder loads if the blast and the recoil of full loads are more than you are used to. Good luck with your choice.

 

[CZ_]

The Ruger Bisley grip frame does a good job of soaking up heavy recoil. I would recommend the Ruger Bisley, as it is a very accurate revolver, and its more recoil friendly than the Super Blackhawk.

 

[Chuck Dye]

I had a Super Blackhawk. Quickly tired of the single action reload drill. Gave the SB to my best friend who is very happy with it. Bought a Redhawk with which I am very happy.

De gustibus non disputandum...

 

[aerod1]

I have a Super Redhawk (9.5" barrel) and a Super Blackhawk (10.5" barrel). I love mine. The Ruger will handle hotter loads than most of the others. They are VERY strong. I use mine for hunting purposes.
Jim Hall

 

[Mag]

I prefer the double actions as they have a quicker lock time. The single action can be tuned to eliminate the creep. If you reload you can start mild and work into heavier loads. Shooting full power loads in a Redhawk or Dan Wesson the recoil is about like a medium frame .357 with stout loads. The Smiths weigh a bit less than these two, though generally, so will have a bit more recoil.

Mag

 

[Bacchus]

I'd go for the smith rather than Ruger, but that's just personal preference.

Regardless of which you choose, I agree that you should begin handloading. You'll save lots of money and be able to start off with 44 special loads to practice.

Have you considered the Taurus?

 

[tex_n_cal]

Another vote for the Smith 629 Classic. I have two

 

[Bob G.]

I have a 4&5/8" SBH. I like it better than a dbl action in 44mag because of the way it recoils. With heavy loads, 300+ grain bullets and max charges of 296, I very definately prefer the single action. However, recoil is a very subjective thing and we all preceive it a little differently. I also like the strenght of the SBH. For me the sights on the Ruger are easier to pick up than the Smith. Again that's subjective. I would suggest you try to shoot a variety of guns and loads before you make a decision.
Regarding recoil, at first I thought it was a kink of heavy, then I shoot my friend's 475 Linebaugh - now I have whole different frame of reference for recoil!!
I have shot the 357 extensively with a wide variety of loads and I feel the 44mag is whole different breed of cat. I really like it. Especially for when you are out in the woods. Very versitle. Good luck.
Bob

 

[Robby from Long Island]

I own both an 8 3/8" S&W 629 Classic and a Ruger Bisley with their standard 7 1/2 " bbl.

Both of these .44 magnums have enough weight that felt recoil is easily managed after some practice.

The 629 is drilled and tapped so if paper punching is your thing, putting an appropriate scope on it is no problem. Have to admit I never scoped mine.

Feel both guns are top of the line and like you couldn't figure out which to get so I resolved the problem same way most gun junkies do.....got 'em both.

Safe shooting.

 

[Sarge]

.44 choices...

It all depends on how heavy you want to load it more than anything else. If I was intent on lotsa full-throttle 240-300 grain loads, I'd get the Ruger, but in a Bisley model. The Bisley grip just seems to be easier to hit with for me, and handles recoil much better than the other Ruger SA frames.

Your mention of the possibile need for a bear defense tool, however, tells me that you should give the DA's another look. Br'er bear is know for charging from short distances in the brush, and having the option of stuffing the gun into him and yanking the trigger sounds pretty good to me. Why not get the best of both worlds and just buy a 5.5" Redhawk?

 

[Rembrandt]

I've been very pleased with my 629 Performance Center, use it each year for deer hunting.....here's a picture...


http://www.smith-wesson.com/sport/images/performance/m657ch.jpg

 

[Poohgyrr]

FWIW, I kinda think the SBH, Redhawk, and Smith's are all good. I had a 7 1/2" scoped Redhawk that was much easier for me to shoot accurately than my 4" M29. Both were very good. I'd second the suggestion to look at a Redhawk. I don't remember if any model has shorter cylinders that might be important for the longer OAL's of some 300 gr loads.

 

[Hand_Rifle_Guy]

I gotta Mountain Gun. A 629-4, precisely. These have the skinny barrel rather than the "regular" bull barrel. It digests Remington 180-grain softpoints @ 1600 fps and 300-grain hunting loads running at 1150 fps with equal alacrity. Hogue grips work pretty darn good if you can stand the way they look and your hand fits 'em well. I can shoot 240's @ 1250 all day long with no problems, and target loads running SWC's @ 1000 are soft-shooting fun.

I've never tried the longer or heavy-barreled versions of the 29, but I can only think they'd be even easier to handle.

Elmer Kieth thought the tapered-barrel 29 had a particularly good balance for fast gun-handling and repeat shots that the heavy-barrel lacked. When I pick up a bull-barrel 29 at a gun show, they strike me as nose-heavy. I think he's right.

I've shot an old-model Blackhawk. (#1002, it was the first handgun I ever fired.) It was really light. The gun rolled in your hand so much when fired that the sharp corners at the top of the grip-frame would dink your thumb-knuckle no matter HOW you held the gun, this with 240-grain factory loads. It was hard on the palm, too.

Having shot them side-by-side since then, I like the Mountain Gun a lot better. The weights are comparable, but the grips on the S&W do a better job of recoil management for me.

There's also the Redhawk, and the Taurus M-44 to consider also. Redhawks are beefier than Smiths, and the M-44's are reputed to be fine guns that run a couple hundred buck cheaper than the competition.

 

[Ala Dan]

.44 Magnums, The Way I See Them-

No question, the Ruger Super Blackhawk and Redhawk
are the stongest in the .44 magnum class. If you intend
to handload, and shoot the 300 grainers exclusively; then
go for the Ruger! If you like too shoot a steady diet of
regular magnum load's; then go for the Ruger!

On the other hand, if you want to work up handloads
to be used for hunting; then go for the Smith & Wesson
models 29/629! My favorite, is the Smith & Wesson
629-5 "Classic" with a 5" barrel. Its buttery smooth
double action enhance this wonderful firearm. Fit and
finish are 100%!

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

 

[Blackhorse]

I've had both the Ruger BH 7 1/2 in bbl and the Smith 29 with a 10 5/8 in barrel, prefer the 29 myself for the ergonomics and the trigger pull. Running 14 grains of accurate #5 topped with a 240 RNFP lazer cast bullet for most of my shooting.

 

[the blind lefty]

for a hunting gun,i would go with a ruger bisley in the longest barrel your comfortable with. it's basically the poor mans freedom arms revolver.
i see the S&W as a gun for less than full house loads. my experience at the range:
when firing my S&W classic 5" with full house reloads,the ejector rod would unwind. this caused the cylinder to bind in the frame. i had to place a small screwdriver at the top of the ejector rod while pushing the cylinder release to get it out.
i've had this occur with any of my size to power efficient S&W's and a Taurus. i didn't have this problem with my 610,or 586;though i fired more 38's than 357's in the 586 since it was the second gun i ever had.
for the minimal shooting you would do as a hunter,i feel this is no disadvantage. i figured i should mention it if it concerns you during practice.

 

[Kernel]

You can't go wrong with either a S&W N-frame or a Ruger SBH. My preference for a primary hunting gun means stainless steel construction, some kind of scope or electronic dot sight, and a barrel length of 6" or longer. You'll be well served with either a 6.5" 629 or a 7.5" SBH.

SA revolver vs. DA isn't a factor since I always shoot SA anyway (even when using a DA pistol) and I can't imagine needing to reload rapidly in a hunting situation. In fact about half the time I hunt using a single shot T/C Contender and have never felt disadvantaged (the 14" barrel gives the .44 Mag an awesome ballistic boost).

Smiths have excellent triggers, better than Ruger, no debate. Ruger triggers are adequate, nothing great, but the gun itself is far stronger - a definite safety advantage for someone just getting started in reloading.

Some like the Bisley grip frames but they're only available in blue (the stainless Bisley Vaqueros have fixed sights and are difficult to scope. There have been small runs of stainless SBHs with Bisley frames and adjustable sights but they are very rare).

Check out this Gun Blast Review on the Ruger SBH "Hunter" (you can also seach this site for some old threads). A "Hunter" will cost about the same as 629. I shoot one and it's a great hunting pistol and a fun range gun/plinker too. The Ruger rings attach with a finger nut, they'll come off in under 60 seconds allowing you to practice with the open sights, put the rings back on the scope returns to zero. With a S&W if you mount a scope the rear sight has to be removed and the base loctited on in it's place - so you can't switch back and forth. For me that's a big "minus" for the Smith. -- Kernel

 

[Joe the Redneck]

For what it's worth.

I would not try to change your mind. But I got a great deal on a Taurus, blued, 8 inch ported barrel, for $100 less than local retail at Gunbroker.com. (I won't quote the price. There is always someone who got it $50 cheaper.) It isn't stainless so it may not suit your needs. But I thought it was a good value for the money and has a great trigger.

If is is between the Ruger and the Smith, I'd go with the Ruger. I was going to get one until I got the great deal on the Taurus.

Good luck and enjoy whichever gun you buy.
Joe