What Ever Happened To The 44Magnum?

[razor]

It seems like you never hear about 44 mag anymore.It seems like the ones I have owned were accurate and seem to kill game pretty good. I never did hunt any of the big African game but in the US of A they did seem to work. I always thought the 44 mag as kinda like the 30-06 of the handgun world. Not perfect, but gets the job done. I really like the 41,45 Colt,480 and 475 Linebaugh. I really like the FA 44 mag I had. Deadly accurate and not much recoil. I also had a Ruger Bisley cut to 5 1/2" that I carried a lot of miles. The last couple of years I had to sell most of all of my guns because getting old and losing my job. With hunting season coming up and since we are getting a lot of black bears around our parts my son as me what I was going to hunt with. I said I guess the only gun I own, SA1911 45ACP. He said look at this bear on my trail camera. It looked to be 350-400lbs. He said I don't know about using the 45 ACP on that big boy. Long story short, I went to cabelas and bought a used Bisley 44 mag with 7 1/2" barrel. I put a red dot sight on it and I think I have a fine hunting gun. Does anyone else like the 44 mag? The Bisley could have been in 45 colt to.Lol

[dougader]

44 mag is a fine, premier caliber for all kinds of chores, including hunting big game. I hope you tag the big blackie with your 44!

[magman]

The 44 Mag is still my go to gun. My latest, possibly last custom build was a Bowen. If I need more, the 480 Ruger fills the bill.

[eskimo36]

Sierra 240 gr and 24 gr H110 make the 44 Mag near perfect for everything. Inherently accurate as most old silhouette shooters will attest to.

[jimtx]

My go to handgun I took a lot of whitetail with was my 44 SBH hunter model 270/275gr loads.

[taffin]

s

Oct 20, 2018 9:32:47 GMT -5 razor said:

It seems like you never hear about 44 mag anymore.

TOOK A MEAT ELK LAST MONTH WITH MY OLD RUGER SUPER .44 MAGNUM. ARTICLES COMING UP ON THE 4" SMITH; .44 DA SIXGUNS OF ELMER KEITH; .44 SA SIXGUNS OF ELMER KEITH; FAVORITE .44 BULLETS; RED DOT AND .44s; CLAYS AND .44s

[bobwright]

I'll say this: They are alive and well in my battery:



Bob Wright

[ncrobb]

No pic but I have a few hanging around my house. The two that see the most use are a well worn Ruger SBH that gets tractor and farm duty and a TLA Improved Number Five that performs like no other. It doesn’t see any farm duty!!

[buckelliott]

Like its little brother, the .357 magnum, the .44 always impressed me as having to work too hard to get the job done, while the venerable .45 Colt (in a proper gun of modern materials) will do the job at least as well, with much less fuss and bother.
In a lot of cases, the .480 seems to have supplanted the big .44 in the hunting field, where a Big Hammer is desired..

[mart]

Razor made the observation the 44 Magnum is like the 30-06 of the revolver world and I have to agree. That's an accurate analogy. The woods and plains are full of hunters going afield with 30-06s and doing so without fanfare. I think the same can be said for the 44 Magnum. There are plenty of guys, and gals, going afield every year with their trusted and reliable 44 Magnum and quietly bring home the venison and or bacon. I have no idea where the 44 magnum ranks in ammo sales but if we were to compare revolver hunting load sales, the same as they compare rifle big game ammo sales, I've no doubt the 44 Magnum would be the leader of the pack in such a comparison.

A lot of internet forum time gets devoted to new or flashier rounds than the 30-06. The same can be said for the 44 Magnum. Both get largely ho hummed on internet forums not because they are not effective but because the are so predictably and maybe even boringly effective.

I don't think the 44 Magnum is dead or dying. I don't even think it has a cold.

[45MAN]

I HAVE NEVER BEEN A 44 MAG GUY BUT THAT IS BECAUSE OF MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE FOR THE 45 COLT AND NOT BECAUSE OF PERFORMANCE CONCERNS FOR THE .429 ON WHITETAILS, JAVELINAS AND HOGS. FOR BIGGER GAME THERE ARE BIGGER AND BETTER CHOICES.

[lws]

To each his own. I have packed, hunted with and shot a 44 for 50 yrs. Never needed more . They just get the job done.

See no reason to change now.

[hawg]

I seem to recall some 44 Magnum praise in Whit's latest book from a couple of well known sources.

Whit also conducted limited performance testing with the 44 and another well known caliber - details are of course in the book.

If I had to choose one, it would be the 44 (have four of them).

I would still like to have a Ruger Bisley, BFR or FA in 45 Colt....why I don't know!

[dhd]

I like the FA 44 Magnum you used to have too Razor. I like it more everytime it gets pulled out of the safe.

[cmh]

I love the 44 magnum..... can be loaded up or down to do pretty much anything a fella would need it to do.