Thinking of another 44 magnums either 4" or 10": ideas?

[tkdguy]

Is the Ruger RH 44 Mag worth the extra near $400 dollars vs a SW 629 which is about $1000?

 

[titsonritz]

Is the Ruger RH 44 Mag worth the extra near $400 dollars vs a SW 629 which is about $1000?

It use to be the other way around, S&W was more expensive than Ruger. Having had both I'd rather have a Ruger in 44mag. I won't buy a new Smith, '80s and older for me.

 

[Vinnie]

The only 44 magnum I have fired and thought had less blast isn't a revolver. It was my 10" Contender. Probably mostly because there are no leaks but the muzzle. Still barks authoritatively tough.
Far better sights or scope options and packs a higher punch. Aren't as convenient to carry and you're stuck with single shot and several seconds to reload. Not well suited for defending yourself or your dogs from imminent attack in the wild but lots of fun for very accurate shots when you have the time.
Let me know if you want to soot one.

 

[Bobbygun]

The only 44 magnum I have fired and thought had less blast isn't a revolver. It was my 10" Contender. Probably mostly because there are no leaks but the muzzle. Still barks authoritatively tough.
Far better sights or scope options and packs a higher punch. Aren't as convenient to carry and you're stuck with single shot and several seconds to reload. Not well suited for defending yourself or your dogs from imminent attack in the wild but lots of fun for very accurate shots when you have the time.
Let me know if you want to soot one.

This may be the most positive post I've seen regarding shooting a 10" Contender in .44 Magnum. The Internet is rife with stories of people claiming it is the single worst experience they've had shooting a handgun. Some of the accounts are downright funny. Whereas you merely say it "barks authoritatively", others complain about losing the feeling in their hand and selling their gun the next day. TBH they have successfully dissuaded me from trying one.

 

[Vinnie]

This may be the most positive post I've seen regarding shooting a 10" Contender in .44 Magnum. The Internet is rife with stories of people claiming it is the single worst experience they've had shooting a handgun. Some of the accounts are downright funny. Whereas you merely say it "barks authoritatively", others complain about losing the feeling in their hand and selling their gun the next day. TBH they have successfully dissuaded me from trying one.

My Dad owned several Contenders. I silently thught they were stupid. Then he died and I got them. The 10" 22Hornet shoots 1" groups at 100 off a sandbag. The others are all as accurate as the ammo and not at all bad to shoot. Even the 45/410 is great fun to shoot. I have sold several barrels because I simply don't want to fool with any more calibers than my mainstays.

 

[Bobbygun]

My Dad owned several Contenders. I silently thught they were stupid. Then he died and I got them. The 10" 22Hornet shoots 1" groups at 100 off a sandbag. The others are all as accurate as the ammo and not at all bad to shoot. Even the 45/410 is great fun to shoot. I have sold several barrels because I simply don't want to fool with any more calibers than my mainstays.

I have a couple. An older blued one with 10" octagon .218 Bee and .222 Rem barrels with Lobo scopes. Also a stainless Super 14 with a TC scoped .223 Rem barrel and a .45/.410 barrel. They are a hoot to shoot. That .223 in particular is very accurate.

 

[Vinnie]

I didn't mean to hijack the thread. My thinking was that a revolver might not be the answer that fulfills the OP's needs.
I grew up in the revolver age. Since the pistols took over the popular handgun throne, I have seen precious few that can match the revolver's range of caliber and, especially, the anything-goes bullet design choice. The only handgun rival in that high-versatility class is the Contender and similar.

 

[tkdguy]

I have a TC 308 but my focus is on defense of dogs against cats or wolves. I struggle with a double action vs single action. I may go this afternoon to tool at some.

 

[CLT65]

It use to be the other way around, S&W was more expensive than Ruger. Having had both I'd rather have a Ruger in 44mag. I won't buy a new Smith, '80s and older for me.

I'm with you on the older Smiths; they're my favorite, though I've only had one newer S&W revolver. It's a Model 29 Mountain Gun. I have to admit, it is a nice gun, but it's just not the same as the older ones.

It surprises me to hear that the Rugers are now more expensive than a Smith. Back in the day, the Ruger was the "working man's gun".

I have to be honest - and I mean no disrespect towards the Ruger fans here - I"ve never been able to warm up to Ruger revolvers (though I do like a lot of other Ruger products). There's nothing wrong with them, but I started out with S&W and Dan Wesson revolvers. Rugers always felt heavy and clumsy to me. If all I had was a Ruger, I'm sure I'd learn to like it, but I'm good with my S&Ws, so that's where I'm going to stay.

 

[OldBroad44]

This may be the most positive post I've seen regarding shooting a 10" Contender in .44 Magnum. The Internet is rife with stories of people claiming it is the single worst experience they've had shooting a handgun. Some of the accounts are downright funny. Whereas you merely say it "barks authoritatively", others complain about losing the feeling in their hand and selling their gun the next day. TBH they have successfully dissuaded me from trying one.

I loved the idea of the Contenders, but fell out of love the first time I handled one. Generally, having the hand be as close as possible to the line of the barrel helps minimize recoil. With the contender the hand is much farther below the line of the barrel than an ordinary DA revolver or any semiauto. Not for me.

 

[oremike]

My .02, worth what you paid for it. For a single action, look for a Bisley. I have Blackhawk Bisley in 45 Colt that I shoot Ruger level loads in and it is my absolute favorite handgun that I own. If you've got big hands the Ruger Redhawk/Super Redhawk will be a better fit and the Smith will be better if you have more normal sized hands.
Full house loads with light bullets will generally have more muzzle blast. One thing you might try is 44 Special ammo if you want to shoot light bullets.

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

I have one 44 mag it is the 629 with a 5 inch barrel the shortest I would go without being too spicy my son shoots 309 gr underwoods in it no problem he is 16 he also likes to shoot my 338 wm with a 20 inch barrel that weighs 6 lbs.

 

[titsonritz]

This may be the most positive post I've seen regarding shooting a 10" Contender in .44 Magnum. The Internet is rife with stories of people claiming it is the single worst experience they've had shooting a handgun. Some of the accounts are downright funny. Whereas you merely say it "barks authoritatively", others complain about losing the feeling in their hand and selling their gun the next day. TBH they have successfully dissuaded me from trying one.

Maybe they're Bud Light drinkers.

 

[tkdguy]

629 4" vs Ruger Redhawk 4" ?

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

Maybe they're Bud Light drinkers.

Bud light will make you shoot limp wrist !

 

[titsonritz]

My .02, worth what you paid for it. For a single action, look for a Bisley. I have Blackhawk Bisley in 45 Colt that I shoot Ruger level loads in and it is my absolute favorite handgun that I own. If you've got big hands the Ruger Redhawk/Super Redhawk will be a better fit and the Smith will be better if you have more normal sized hands.
Full house loads with light bullets will generally have more muzzle blast. One thing you might try is 44 Special ammo if you want to shoot light bullets.

That's what I told him. Love that Bisley grip.

 

[Nosferatu]

629 4" vs Ruger Redhawk 4" ?

Yes.

 

[OldBroad44]

I rarely use my Super Blackhawk 7.5 inch but it is very handy when I am in remote Oregon with my dogs. I never hunt with it. I have a SW 629-1 scoped but it has a severe muzzle blast and it is a 6 or 8 inch barrel. Now, 44 mag ammo is plentiful but not 357. Any ideas on which way I should go or simply can the idea? I was thinking of a Super Redhawk in a 4" or a 9.5 inch or a Superblack Hawk in 10.5. My eyes are 75 years old and vision is sharp. Any suggestions? thx.

Barrel length is measured from the muzzle to the end of the forcing cone right in front of the cylinder. That is, the full length of the barrel traveled by the bullet including the part of the barrel hidden in the revolver frame "counts".

My guess is you don't need a different gun. You need different ammo. If you buy what is most commonly found over the counter, it is full power hunting loads that run about 1150 to 1200 foot pounds. Those make a lot of noise, even if you fire them from a 9.5" Ruger Super Redhawk. Some over the counter ammo is listed as 1000 ft lbs. Those are way lower in noise. (Usually .44mag ammo is tested by manufacturers in 6" - 7.5" barrels if not specified otherwise--that is, in hunting guns.) There are also "Bear" loads. These are usually 305 to 310 grain flat nosed hard cast bullets also at about 1000 ft lbs. Why less powerful than loads for hunting deer or even bear? Because they are intended for SELF DEFENSE against bears. The bear might be right on top of you chewing on one of your arms. So you better be able to control the gun with one hand with either hand, and if the bear is charging, fast follow-up shots matter. If you are hunting bear they are more likely to be some distance away. You have time to get both hands on the gun. Fast follow-up shots are less an issue. And you may want the more powerful round so it can travel 50 - 100 yards or more and still have enough power to penetrate all the way through the bear. Or deer or elk.

I did some rigorous testing of different power levels of ammo back when I was a young broad shooting a 6" Colt Anaconda .44mag, my first 44mag. With 1000 ft. lb. ammo I could control the gun easily with one hand with either hand. And with my ordinary ear muff hearing protectors the noise didn't bother me. In addition, when hunting I could fire a single round (without hearing protection) without hurting my ears. And the bullets are subsonic.

With 1150 - 1200 ft. lb. ammo, I needed both hands on the gun. I might be able to fire the gun one-handed for one shot in an emergency, but I was in danger of damaging my wrist. In addition, even with two hands, the full loads were unpleasant to shoot. They sting my hands. When practicing I used light cotton gloves. The noise was also obviously louder. It didn't bother me too much with hearing protection. But when hunting, letting off even one round made my ears ring for an hour.

All that was before I discovered mail ordering ammo as well as 44sp ammo. Take a look at these Grizzly 260 grain 44sp loads:

Grizzly Cartridge 44 Special Ammo 260 Grain Flat Nose Box of 20

Grizzly Cartridge Company was founded in 2003 with an inherent focus on quality and innovation. Each step of the manufacturing process undergoes strict...

www.midwayusa.com

These have a very accurate hard cast bullet with a large flat nose. They are loaded to be 521 ft lbs, that is, similar in power to a hot .357mag load but with a much heavier fatter deeply penetrating bullet. They will go through 6" of pine. They are fine for SD against anything in the Oregon woods as well as hunting deer, black bear, hogs, or any medium game at distances up to about 75 yards. They are good for anything I'm able to do with an unscoped .44mag. These bullets, at 950 fps, are also subsonic. I buy these .44sps direct from Grizzly Cartridges, a NW company. I show the Midway listing because it has a photo of the ammo. I've decided I'll use the Grizzly 260 grain 44sp for all purposes in my non-scoped .44s, where 50 - 75 yards for medium game is my limit anyway, depending on circumstances. Such as it standing still. And use I'll use full power 44mags only in my scoped Ruger Super Redhawk. No problem that I can't control recoil of that gun with one hand. I can't even lift it and hold it steady with one hand.

As for affordable practice ammo in .44sp and .44mag check out Proficient Marksman, our own @oremike

The Proficient Marksman Ammunition Company

This is the home page's excerpt

theproficientmarksman.wordpress.com

 

[JuglansRegia]

Sounds like you need a Freedom Arm .44 mag, you only live once!

 

[OldBroad44]

Is the Ruger RH 44 Mag worth the extra near $400 dollars vs a SW 629 which is about $1000?

Looking at NIB prices on gunbroker, it looks to me like the redhawks are going for about $200 more than 629s. I consider the new Redhawks and Super Redhawks better guns than the new 629s and certainly worth a couple hundred more. I consider the used pre-lock smiths much better guns than the Rugers, new or used.

However the Ruger Redhawk and Super Redhawk and certain other revolvers can shoot 3 calibers--.44sp, .44mag, and .44mag +P. The 629 shoots only two calibers-- .44sp and .44mag. The .44 mag +P take the cartridge from the top .44mag loads of about 1200 ft. lbs up to somewhat above 1600. That is .454 Casull level power in a .44. The 629s, even the under lugged Classics, can't handle .44mag+P. So if you want to shoot .44mag+P the 629 is not an option. However, I'm happy with just .44sp or .44mag in my unscoped .44s. And given my druthers, for unscoped .44s I prefer the quality and beauty of the pre-lock 629s. For scoped guns I prefer the super redhawks because they scope more easily and elegantly.

However, the Redhawks and certain 629s--those with square grip frames--have a limited repertoire of grips availabe, none of which fit my hand. So I'm limited to ruger super redhawks and 629s with rounded grip frames. Fortunately all 629 Classics have rounded grip frames.