I remember when folks gave me that "you can shoot 38spl out of your .357mag" doo-doo. I started reloading soon thereafter, (to afford my habit), and never-ever-ever shot a 38spl again. I soon found out that some folks never hike up their skirts and learn to shoot. I have a feeling it is much the same with the 44 mag, 454, etc. Guys want the macho gun, but they don't want to invest in learning how to shoot it.
Why do guys buy a 44 mag and only shoot light loads in it?
- Thread starter totaldla
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BlackFeather
New member
Just because you have .45 doesn't mean the .22 is the favourite gun to shoot...
Versatility.
No one says you need to fire full house rounds in your 44 magnum gun.
44 specials for defense.
44 mag downloaded rounds for practice and 44 mag full house rounds for hunting if that's what you want to do.
You save money that way and you enjoy your handgun more too.
No one says you need to fire full house rounds in your 44 magnum gun.
44 specials for defense.
44 mag downloaded rounds for practice and 44 mag full house rounds for hunting if that's what you want to do.
You save money that way and you enjoy your handgun more too.
vts,
Please remember, re the .454 SRH: It's slow twist rate favors higher velocities. Expect cowboy loads in .45 Colt to wander a bit. Also, shooting .45 Colts in that .454 chamber will leave carbon & lead residue ahead of the crimp - and that will make loading .454's more difficult - a message. It will also make the .454's crimp slow to release, producing a potentially very dangerous pressure spike. Always shoot .454s first during a session - then .45 Colts - and clean those chambers before ever going back to .454s. It's important to obey this with .38 & .44 Specials in .357 & .44 Magnum revolvers; madatory in a .454!
I ended up loading warmer .45 Colt-ish loads, 240-255gr LRNFP/LSWCs at 900+ fps, in .454 Casull cases to plink with. Even at 110yd, they hit close enough vertically to still hit 12" steel plates - if you aren't too shakey! I miss that Ruger!
Stainz
Please remember, re the .454 SRH: It's slow twist rate favors higher velocities. Expect cowboy loads in .45 Colt to wander a bit. Also, shooting .45 Colts in that .454 chamber will leave carbon & lead residue ahead of the crimp - and that will make loading .454's more difficult - a message. It will also make the .454's crimp slow to release, producing a potentially very dangerous pressure spike. Always shoot .454s first during a session - then .45 Colts - and clean those chambers before ever going back to .454s. It's important to obey this with .38 & .44 Specials in .357 & .44 Magnum revolvers; madatory in a .454!
I ended up loading warmer .45 Colt-ish loads, 240-255gr LRNFP/LSWCs at 900+ fps, in .454 Casull cases to plink with. Even at 110yd, they hit close enough vertically to still hit 12" steel plates - if you aren't too shakey! I miss that Ruger!
Stainz
madcratebuilder
New member
Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner folks.
FrankenMauser
New member
For the same reason I usually only use 90-120 of the available 240 horsepower in my compact truck.
I don't need 240hp all the time, but... it's there, on demand.
Not only is it harder on the truck to drive at wide-open-throttle all the time, but it is quite expensive to feed it the necessary gasoline.
A .44 Mag running hot loads all the time is considerably more expensive to shoot than .44 Special power levels. Not to mention, it beats guns to hell. Tolerances open up, top straps get cut, and tuning is required more frequently.
If people can afford to keep 37 different models of revolvers chambered in .44 Special and .44 Magnum, that's fine. One goes to the range for hot loads. Six go to the range for light loads. Three go in a travel bag with defense loads. Seven go hunting with ultra-mega-hot loads.
That's fine.
But, it's not the only way....
liviussteven
New member
as has been said in so many words.... why do some people buy corvettes and others volkswagon's... Why buy a car that can run 200 when the highest speed limit in the state is 70.
If you can't answer that question ... your not 44 mag material or corvette material..
me... i like 44 mag's and corvettes.. and i know why!! I don't have to ask someone!
If you can't answer that question ... your not 44 mag material or corvette material..
me... i like 44 mag's and corvettes.. and i know why!! I don't have to ask someone!
Stainz, I am fully aware of the 45 colt in 454 casull chamber danger. Thanks for looking out for me. I meant to say load 454 casull down to 45 colt level or somewhere in between. As much as I love the idea of shooting these all day
http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_39&products_id=148
I don't need to max it out every time.
http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_39&products_id=148
I don't need to max it out every time.
You proceed from a false assumption. If you simply wished to shoot .44SP it'd generally be cheaper and easier to find a .44Mag to shoot it from.
In new you have M21 and M24 "classics", a 396NG, SAA pattern single actions, nothing current out of Taurus (since the Gaucho went TU), mutilated Pythons that are still breathtakingly pricey and Bulldogs. Probably a few stragglers I missed.
In stark contrast .44Mag revolvers are available new in much greater numbers than .41SP. Ditto with used - a perfunctory search on Gunbroker turns up 3 pages of "smith 629" and about a half page of "smith 24". Ruger and Taurus play in the .44 Mag DA arena.
Hence, the analogy is flawed from the outset - with revolvers we live in a world where real 4X4s are cheaper, made in greater numbers from a greater number of manufacturers and in a wider choice of options than their 2 wheel drive counterparts. In such a world would anyone go out of their way to own a smaller 2 wheel drive just because it fits in a
Sometimes the easy and obvious answer still works.
It's also why people wanting to buy full sized .38SPs buy .357Mags to shoot .38s - some folks just don't like trying to ice skate uphill.
(H/T Wesley Snipes)
riggins_83
New member
If you're shooting a cowboy action match but want to still have a good woods gun... or if you want to get good with the sight picture without being sore after 12 rounds.
I have a Performance Center 44mag and love it. It was my first "large caliber" handgun, unless you consider a 357, and a 45 large calibers ( I dont). I have never shot 44 specials out of it. People say the specials are cheaper but the only place I ever see them is at Gander Mountain or at a mom and pop shop where they are usually $50+ for a 50 round box. I can buy the the 240gr magnum WW at Walmart for $32.97 for a box of 50. I am not a reloader (yet), so magnums are cheaper for me to shoot. Honestly, I dont see what all the fuss is about. Im just an average size guy and can shoot magnum loads all day long with any "pain". My gun is a 7.5 inch weighted barrel which helps though. I can definatley see how shooting a 44 in a small frame/barrel would not be enjoyable for long.
DiscoRacing
New member
thats me
Well I have three 44 mags... So I guess, in my own theory,,, I can use one for max loads,,which I DO to hunt with,,and one to use light loads,,which I do,,for shooting paper,, and I still have a spare.
DiscoRacing
New member
Good thing He didnt ask why some people shoot 38s from a .357???!!!
Colorado Redneck
New member
I have used my 629 with Hornady 44 mag 225 gr leverlution ammo to shoot prairie dogs. It aint as much fun as shooting hand loads that are milder. Easier on the hand, not as apt to get flinchy, and the doggies are just as dead.
Maybe the other question would be: Why do some people shoot earth shaking loads at the range for an hour at a time? The targets don't know the difference. The guy next door don't appreciate it. ??
Maybe the other question would be: Why do some people shoot earth shaking loads at the range for an hour at a time? The targets don't know the difference. The guy next door don't appreciate it. ??
Firepower!
New member
Its like asking why I keep buying guns when my collection is at a point that I can shoot a different gun every day of the year.
We crave guns, like some people are crave collecting watches etc.
You cannot have a complete collection without a 44 Mag for what it has become over the years.
Its like not having an Uzi, yet claming to be a full auto collector.
We crave guns, like some people are crave collecting watches etc.
You cannot have a complete collection without a 44 Mag for what it has become over the years.
Its like not having an Uzi, yet claming to be a full auto collector.
22-rimfire
New member
This thread makes me want to buy some low powered wadcutters for my 41 mag. I don't own a 44 mag.
I don't own a 44 mag.- Status