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Post by seminolewind on Oct 22, 2018 8:45:52 GMT -5
I think I kinda know what Buckelliott means. I've killed deer with a .44 magnum and my handgun ignorant hunting partners would be surprised it didn't "blow his head clean off". I think the Dirty Harry influence on the "masses" has greatly exaggerated their expectations of the cartridge. We gun guys know the 44 Mag is a highly capable round, but not hand held dynamite.
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Post by oddshooter on Oct 22, 2018 10:11:41 GMT -5
Way too many shooters have been handed a hot 44 magnum by a "buddy" and were not prepared. Most folks who aren't avid shooters, think a 357 Magnum is a handful. It takes time to learn about recoil. Being given a revolver as a new shooter that smacks your hand like a baseball bat is not conducive to falling in love.
I unfortunately see it too often at the local ranges. Guys trying to screw with guys for a laugh. It takes time to become accustomed to hot loads. Otherwise, it's called "learning to flinch".
I absolutely believe this is why we see so many almost new 44 mags for sale. New shooters many times ask for the hottest 44 mag a LGS has with the intent on making their first outing memorable. Huge mistake. They try to finish the cylinder, and then they put it down and are done with the 44. They should have started with a 44 special at 900fps and worked their way slowly to the 44 mag at 1400fps.
Riding and not fighting takes awhile to get down.
I think 44 mags are the least expensive, best gun on the market. It's all because of the expensive recoil lessons.
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Post by sixshot on Oct 22, 2018 11:48:23 GMT -5
It's the day & age we live in. It use to be that the mighty 44 magnum was almost unbearable to shoot because of recoil, most guys just couldn't handle them with full power loads & I guess we weren't smart enough to down load them & work up so the 44 got a bum rap from many shooters & writers in the early days (late 50's, early 60's) Then a couple decades later we started seeing even bigger guns come along & the 44 was seen as kind of puny compared to a heavy 45 Colt load out of a Ruger or a Freedom Arms 454, a S&W 460 came along & a 500, a 480 & then a few others, all in 5 shot guns. What really happened was everyone gained 50 lbs, grew steel wool on their chests, had 21" biceps, ate raw meat & gun powder for breakfast & ran 10 miles a day, up hill before returning to their desk job!! The 44 magnum got pushed to the back burner a bit by the gun writers because as we all know, bigger is better & it now takes a 300-400 gr bullet to knock down a yearling doe at 20 yds The real truth is, with today's excellent bullet selection the 44 magnum has never been better, practice is the key. If you can place your shots in the right place I can assure you the trusty old 44 magnum is a magnificent hunting handgun on anything in the lower 48 & 90% of the game out of it, it's already been done! Surely it's in the handgun Hall Of Fame!!
Dick
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Post by onehandgunner on Oct 22, 2018 15:44:30 GMT -5
GOD bless you sixshot, you speak wisdom and the unvarnished truth !
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Post by magman on Oct 22, 2018 16:26:20 GMT -5
Most excellent Dick!!!! I'll keep my puny 44s, it's done everything I've ever asked it too.
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Post by tradmark on Oct 22, 2018 18:23:04 GMT -5
It's the day & age we live in. It use to be that the mighty 44 magnum was almost unbearable to shoot because of recoil, most guys just couldn't handle them with full power loads & I guess we weren't smart enough to down load them & work up so the 44 got a bum rap from many shooters & writers in the early days (late 50's, early 60's) Then a couple decades later we started seeing even bigger guns come along & the 44 was seen as kind of puny compared to a heavy 45 Colt load out of a Ruger or a Freedom Arms 454, a S&W 460 came along & a 500, a 480 & then a few others, all in 5 shot guns. What really happened was everyone gained 50 lbs, grew steel wool on their chests, had 21" biceps, ate raw meat & gun powder for breakfast & ran 10 miles a day, up hill before returning to their desk job!! The 44 magnum got pushed to the back burner a bit by the gun writers because as we all know, bigger is better & it now takes a 300-400 gr bullet to knock down a yearling doe at 20 yds The real truth is, with today's excellent bullet selection the 44 magnum has never been better, practice is the key. If you can place your shots in the right place I can assure you the trusty old 44 magnum is a magnificent hunting handgun on anything in the lower 48 & 90% of the game out of it, it's already been done! Surely it's in the handgun Hall Of Fame!! Dick Well something happened cuz my 95lb daughter shoots decked out 480 and 454 loads well. Not sure how thats a challenge per se for grown men. The 44 works just fine but for the big stuff bigger is better. 44 still works and works well.
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Yetiman
.327 Meteor
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Post by Yetiman on Oct 22, 2018 20:30:33 GMT -5
Way too many shooters have been handed a hot 44 magnum by a "buddy" and were not prepared. Most folks who aren't avid shooters, think a 357 Magnum is a handful. It takes time to learn about recoil. Being given a revolver as a new shooter that smacks your hand like a baseball bat is not conducive to falling in love. I absolutely believe this is why we see so many almost new 44 mags for sale. New shooters many times ask for the hottest 44 mag a LGS has with the intent on making their first outing memorable. Huge mistake. They try to finish the cylinder, and then they put it down and are done with the 44. Prescut I have been the beneficiary of this type of situation more than once. Notably, I traded a Glock (A Glock !!!) for a Redhawk Kodiak Backpacker. The guy couldn't agree to the trade fast enough. It came with four boxes of Hornady ammo, and a box of 240 grain Winchester White box with six rounds missing. I have to admit, I had to immediately swap out the wood panels for a Pachmayr Decelerator grip after shooting hot loads through it, but it now goes along to the range and in the field just about every time I go.
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Post by tradmark on Oct 22, 2018 22:37:51 GMT -5
Wow. Id make deal every day of the week!!!
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Post by oddshooter on Oct 23, 2018 9:40:57 GMT -5
Yetiman,
I too have been the beneficiary of shooters putting down their new 44 mag after a cylinder. I picked up a mint United Sporting Arms Abilene in 44 mag that is about as sweet as it gets ($350). and Yes, only six gone out of the box.
It took me awhile to get acquainted with recoil. The worst I have held is the scandium S&W 360 in 357 magnum. It weighs 13 oz and seems much worse than the the 44 mags. I love the weight when walking and hate the recoil when shooting.
Like Dick says, handloads are what makes the 44 sing any tune you want. I love it now, but it took awhile.
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Post by savit260 on Oct 23, 2018 17:34:23 GMT -5
This Harton 44 Mag suits me just fine
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Yetiman
.327 Meteor
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Post by Yetiman on Oct 23, 2018 17:47:55 GMT -5
That is fantabulous !
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Post by bushog on Oct 23, 2018 18:11:53 GMT -5
It's the day & age we live in. It use to be that the mighty 44 magnum was almost unbearable to shoot because of recoil, most guys just couldn't handle them with full power loads & I guess we weren't smart enough to down load them & work up so the 44 got a bum rap from many shooters & writers in the early days (late 50's, early 60's) Then a couple decades later we started seeing even bigger guns come along & the 44 was seen as kind of puny compared to a heavy 45 Colt load out of a Ruger or a Freedom Arms 454, a S&W 460 came along & a 500, a 480 & then a few others, all in 5 shot guns. What really happened was everyone gained 50 lbs, grew steel wool on their chests, had 21" biceps, ate raw meat & gun powder for breakfast & ran 10 miles a day, up hill before returning to their desk job!! The 44 magnum got pushed to the back burner a bit by the gun writers because as we all know, bigger is better & it now takes a 300-400 gr bullet to knock down a yearling doe at 20 yds The real truth is, with today's excellent bullet selection the 44 magnum has never been better, practice is the key. If you can place your shots in the right place I can assure you the trusty old 44 magnum is a magnificent hunting handgun on anything in the lower 48 & 90% of the game out of it, it's already been done! Surely it's in the handgun Hall Of Fame!! Dick Well.....I gained the 50lbs! Something that folks may have already mentioned is ammo availability. It's not usually the case but if you needed to find ammo for a big revolver, chances are you could find some for a .44 mag. Kinda the same mentality of shooting a .30-06 or a .375 H&H.
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Post by dougader on Oct 23, 2018 18:39:21 GMT -5
Agreed! Fab-tastic, even!
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toddb
.240 Incinerator
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Post by toddb on Oct 23, 2018 20:09:57 GMT -5
I was a 44 Magnum guy back in the 80's and early 90's. I blame Ross Seyfried for writing about the 45 Colt for my switch. Flat, I suffer the same fate, although I love my FA 44 - I have several 45’s one a 5 Shot from Mr Clement’s shop, most of em have seen a good bit more time on the range because of said articles and my hankerin’ to tinker. For a single revolver, a modern 45 gives the versatility of going from fun cowboy loads to traversing a Texas pig from North to South pretty easy. But in looking back, I really cut my revolver teeth on a 44 and it IS the caliber that started what I think of today as the modern wheel gun and is the quintessential classic.
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Post by lscg on Oct 23, 2018 20:17:19 GMT -5
you boys just need to face it, the .44 mag is a dead cartridge. i'm hauling this Bowen off to the dump tomorrow. y'all feel free to send me your .44's and any ammo you might have and i'll dispose of it for you. won't even charge you for it.
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