.44 mag - what barrel length?

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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby OldmanFCSA on Fri Feb 22, 2019 9:08 am

Holland&Holland wrote:
OldmanFCSA wrote:I went the Economy Route - shot two deer with one shot from my Contender pistol - 44Mag re-chambered to 444 Marlin shooting 300 grain XTP's.


Need to hear more of this story :shock:


1982 Michigan allowed pistols to be used to hunt deer.
My T/C Contender in 44 Mag was rechambered to 444 Marlin and Magna-Ported with 6-port rifle style.
Mounted a Leupold 2X long eye relief scope.
Practiced a lot until right hand would go numb from recoil.

In Michigan, I sat at bottom of big oak tree and waited.
Using tree stand during gun season was not allowed.
Anyway several deer wandered up over hill and easily in range = almost too close for scope.
Looking thru scope, all I could see was hair. Had to look along side of scope to verify position,
Took aim at perceived correct position and BOOM.

Did not see the doe walk up beside buck.
Did not see the guy up in tree stand above me.
He definitely did not like the 6-port rifle MagnaPort on my pistol.
The SOUND definitely rattled him.

Long story shortened - I took the buck - he took the doe - 300 grain XTP was not recovered - thru & thru.

I still have an un-ported pistol if anyone wants to shoot it.
Most shooters hand it back after 1 shot for some reason.
It takes a strong grip and wrist to handle the recoil.

Bye.
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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby Holland&Holland on Fri Feb 22, 2019 9:44 am

OldmanFCSA wrote:
Holland&Holland wrote:
OldmanFCSA wrote:I went the Economy Route - shot two deer with one shot from my Contender pistol - 44Mag re-chambered to 444 Marlin shooting 300 grain XTP's.


Need to hear more of this story :shock:


1982 Michigan allowed pistols to be used to hunt deer.
My T/C Contender in 44 Mag was rechambered to 444 Marlin and Magna-Ported with 6-port rifle style.
Mounted a Leupold 2X long eye relief scope.
Practiced a lot until right hand would go numb from recoil.

In Michigan, I sat at bottom of big oak tree and waited.
Using tree stand during gun season was not allowed.
Anyway several deer wandered up over hill and easily in range = almost too close for scope.
Looking thru scope, all I could see was hair. Had to look along side of scope to verify position,
Took aim at perceived correct position and BOOM.

Did not see the doe walk up beside buck.
Did not see the guy up in tree stand above me.
He definitely did not like the 6-port rifle MagnaPort on my pistol.
The SOUND definitely rattled him.

Long story shortened - I took the buck - he took the doe - 300 grain XTP was not recovered - thru & thru.

I still have an un-ported pistol if anyone wants to shoot it.
Most shooters hand it back after 1 shot for some reason.
It takes a strong grip and wrist to handle the recoil.

Bye.


That'll do it.
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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby BigBlue on Fri Feb 22, 2019 9:51 am

OldmanFCSA wrote:1982 Michigan allowed pistols to be used to hunt deer.
My T/C Contender in 44 Mag was rechambered to 444 Marlin and Magna-Ported with 6-port rifle style.
Mounted a Leupold 2X long eye relief scope.
Practiced a lot until right hand would go numb from recoil.

In Michigan, I sat at bottom of big oak tree and waited.
Using tree stand during gun season was not allowed.
Anyway several deer wandered up over hill and easily in range = almost too close for scope.
Looking thru scope, all I could see was hair. Had to look along side of scope to verify position,
Took aim at perceived correct position and BOOM.

Did not see the doe walk up beside buck.
Did not see the guy up in tree stand above me.
He definitely did not like the 6-port rifle MagnaPort on my pistol.
The SOUND definitely rattled him.

Long story shortened - I took the buck - he took the doe - 300 grain XTP was not recovered - thru & thru.

I still have an un-ported pistol if anyone wants to shoot it.
Most shooters hand it back after 1 shot for some reason.
It takes a strong grip and wrist to handle the recoil.

Bye.


How does it shoot compared to a .460 or .500 S&W? People have the same reaction when I shoot my .460 and they see the fireball.
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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby Holland&Holland on Fri Feb 22, 2019 10:07 am

I have a BFR in .45-70. It is a handful but fun!
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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby Ghost on Fri Feb 22, 2019 10:17 am

BigBlue wrote:
How does it shoot compared to a .460 or .500 S&W? People have the same reaction when I shoot my .460 and they see the fireball.

460 fireball?

<———— 460 fireball using un-ported end-cap
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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby daleamn on Sat Mar 02, 2019 1:18 am

Disclaimer: I don't own a .44 magnum.
Several folk I know that get a LARGE revolver like the bandolier type holster for the long barreled big guns.
https://www.desantisholster.com/search. ... rch_query="P-A08BJG2Z0"+"P-M72BALAZ0"+"P-M40BAL5Z0"+"P-040TC05Z0"

I guess if I got a .44 magnum I'd like a longer barrel so the magnum cartridge would have the room to do what magnums do...give the projectile a lot of velocity.

Once again I do NOT (yet) own a .44 magnum. But I am a Ruger fan and really like the Redhawk, not so much the Super Redhawk (but I COULD be persuaded...)
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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby crbutler on Sun Mar 03, 2019 1:49 pm

I've got .44 mags from 3" to 10" in barrel length.

For range use, the longer the barrel, the better as far as accuracy and tolerating the recoil.

For carry use, I'd say 6" is the maximum, and the shorter the better. The bigger the gun is, the less likely you will have it when you need it. Given you are saying 95% of your use would be range, I'd get a 6" or a 8" barrel model and call it good.
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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby aht_six on Sat Apr 27, 2019 10:48 am

I had 3 .44 mags. A 8-3/8 inch model 29, 4 and 6 inch 629s.

The 8-3/8 inch model 29 is my favorite range gun, I often carry the 4 inch 629.

I sold the 6 inch 629, never used it.
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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby LarryFlew on Sat Apr 27, 2019 1:38 pm

Have Taurus 44 mag 6 inch (too light to shoot a lot) easy carry and accurate. Also have a Circuit Judge (the revolver rifle from Rossi/Taurus). Had a Ruger 44 mag carbine that was in 90+% condition but was offered too much money to keep it. Bought the Circuit judge and still had half my money and it was new.
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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby OldmanFCSA on Sun Apr 28, 2019 5:13 am

BigBlue wrote:
OldmanFCSA wrote:1982 Michigan allowed pistols to be used to hunt deer.
My T/C Contender in 44 Mag was rechambered to 444 Marlin and Magna-Ported with 6-port rifle style.
Mounted a Leupold 2X long eye relief scope.
Practiced a lot until right hand would go numb from recoil.

In Michigan, I sat at bottom of big oak tree and waited.
Using tree stand during gun season was not allowed.
Anyway several deer wandered up over hill and easily in range = almost too close for scope.
Looking thru scope, all I could see was hair. Had to look along side of scope to verify position,
Took aim at perceived correct position and BOOM.

Did not see the doe walk up beside buck.
Did not see the guy up in tree stand above me.
He definitely did not like the 6-port rifle MagnaPort on my pistol.
The SOUND definitely rattled him.

Long story shortened - I took the buck - he took the doe - 300 grain XTP was not recovered - thru & thru.

I still have an un-ported pistol if anyone wants to shoot it.
Most shooters hand it back after 1 shot for some reason.
It takes a strong grip and wrist to handle the recoil.

Bye.


How does it shoot compared to a .460 or .500 S&W? People have the same reaction when I shoot my .460 and they see the fireball.


Not sure about the 460, but the 500 was easier to shoot more often due to style and weight. Shot 5 rounds and reloaded for 5 more which I tried 1-handed, upon which the owner wanted it back before I shot it any more.

300 grain XTPs are a handful - 240 or 225 cast are much easier on the hand/wrist. I shot silhouette once with modified 200 grain projectiles and had the owner of steel targets say he would give me a perfect score on the chickens so he would not have to use a sledge hammer to pound them back flat after I shot them.
Projectiles were 320 grain NEI mould which I sized, then put in lathe and drilled out base to near front, then resized installing a gas check over base hole to hold pressure of firing. The bearing length of the projectile along with its truncated nose design combined with the new reduced weight gave extremely good accuracy in my application. (Having the target setters find hollow bullets at 200 meter line got me bumped from Production Class to Unlimited Class.)
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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby 45usp45 on Thu May 23, 2019 4:33 pm

I carry the 44 as a secondary gun so is not needed for distance shooting most likely, so I use my 629 3" more than the bigger revolvers. If it was a primary gun I get at least a 6 in barrel and scope it. Any of the major manufactures make good guns I prefer ruger for their strength.
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Re: .44 mag - what barrel length?

Postby Holland&Holland on Thu May 23, 2019 8:57 pm

45usp45 wrote:I carry the 44 as a secondary gun so is not needed for distance shooting most likely, so I use my 629 3" more than the bigger revolvers. If it was a primary gun I get at least a 6 in barrel and scope it. Any of the major manufactures make good guns I prefer ruger for their strength.

Ruger makes a strong .44 for sure.
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