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Thread: New 44 mag/44 special, HELP!

  1. #1
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    New 44 mag/44 special, HELP!

    I recently found a great deal on a used RedHawk 44 mag with a 4.2in barrel. I have no knowledge or experience with the caliber, and here in West Texas, it is just not that common, other than as a range toy. I bought it strictly as a hunting sidearm, for when I am hog hunting. My typical hunting pistol is a 10mm, so if I hunt anything else, I will probably use the 10mm. I fired some 44 mag Rem 240 jhp, and some 44 Special Hornady, just to check function.
    Is there anything peculiar to Ruger revolvers I need to be aware of? All the revolvers I own, or have shot, were Smiths.
    The magnum was brutal, any tips to tame the recoil?
    What are the general loadings like?
    Heavy load?
    At what point would you recommend a hard cast bullet, jhp, or sp?
    Who do you trust for hunting loads?
    I realize projectile selection is important, given the power of the cartridge, is it as critical as in smaller calibers?
    I really enjoyed shooting the 44 Special rounds, what is a good self-defense load for it?
    Who makes a decent kydex OWB for it? Is there one with a system similar to the Safariland ALS?
    Chest holster?
    Which speed loaders would you recommend?
    Last edited by Mr_Happy1; 09-21-17 at 07:07.

  2. #2
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    New 44 mag/44 special, HELP!

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr_Happy1 View Post
    I recently found a great deal on a used RedHawk 44 mag with a 4.2in barrel. I have no knowledge or experience with the caliber, and here in West Texas, it is just not that common, other than as a range toy. I bought it strictly as a hunting sidearm, for when I am hog hunting. My typical hunting pistol is a 10mm, so if I hunt anything else, I will probably use the 10mm. I fired some 44 mag Rem 240 jhp, and some 44 Special Hornady, just to check function.

    Is there anything pencils to Ruger revolvers I need to be aware of?
    NO. JUST HAVE FUN

    All the revolvers I own, or have shot, were Smiths.
    The magnum was brutal, any tips to tame the recoil?
    HOGUE MONOGRIP OR A PACHMAYR. In my experience it's a matter of desensitizing to it.

    What are the general loadings like?
    240 GR is the GENERAL hunting load.
    Buffalo Bore makes different offers in 44 Special, +P, +P+
    Also makes 44 Mag Light, antipersonnel
    Underwood makes hot ammo, also.

    Heavy load?
    Buffalo Bore is what I prefer. Hard cast.
    They make 44 Magnum (heavy), 44 Magnum +P, and +P+ all the way up to 340 grains. Nice and spicy.
    It's used for grizzly and brown bear, moose.

    At what point would you recommend a hard cast bullet, jhp, or sp?

    Hard cast for defense against a bear. +P or +P+

    JHP for Defense

    Special ? Never use it.

    Special+P or +P+ can be used for wild boar, black bear.

    Who do you trust for hunting loads?
    Hornady, Underwood, Buffalo Bore.

    I realize projectile selection is important, given the power of the cartridge, is it as critical as in smaller calibers?
    Absolutely.

    I really enjoyed shooting the 44 Special rounds, what is a good self-defense load for it?
    44 Special +P, 44 Special, 44 Magnum.


    Which speed loaders would you recommend?
    I used just HKS for all of mine.

    Chest Holster:

    Kenai looks awesome since it's kydex and nylon but it's $150. It's modular so you can use any pistol with a $75 part that is specific to each gun you carry.

    I have a Grovtec chest Holster which fits all of my big frame revolvers except the 8 3/8" 460 XVR with a Matchdot red dot, sight.
    Welcome to the world of Large bore Magnums. It's the entryway to the loads for killing beasts in North America. Shot placement, control for followup and practice is key.

    Bear in mind, changing loads changes point of impact. Adjust the sights for the ammo that you use. I zero for 50 yards for hunting.

    For defense, you need to be comfortable shooting double action only. For Precision or long distances, you shoot in single action but double action works if you stage the trigger, too. Unlike combat pistols, the pad of the finger is inadequate for double action. It's more between the pad and the distal joint of the trigger finger.

    I zero for 25 yards for combat or in the unfortunate need to defend against a wild/aggressive beast. Check your laws about defense against bear. It's best to know beforehand. No one cares about feral hog or wild boars.

    I started out in 44 Magnum a year ago, but moved quickly by reloading, experimenting and moving all the way up to 500 S&W. It could be intimidating. You CAN and WILL have a tendency to flinch. I load up 2 or 1 short of a full cylinder to recognize if I have a flinch. I have gotten very good about not flinching, but I still practice that way.

    You can consider sending yours to Magnaport to help with muzzle rise, but the sound is going to be a tad louder. I shoot outdoors, anyways, so sound is not an issue. If you shoot indoors, well, that's really pleasant for your fellow shooters in stalls. Quite obnoxious, really. But hilarious.

    I practice rapid fire from 7-10 yards away, in double action. You never know when you have to unload into something charging you. Has to become second nature to deal with muzzle rise, recoil, noise, recovery.

    4.2" barrel length is good for recoil. My shortest is a 3" S&W 629 Deluxe. I assume you have GP100 grips. They mitigate recoil very well. But if you want more comfort, then Hogue Monogrips work for me. I don't like the bulk of Pachmayr but I got one for my 9.5" 44 Magnum since it was all they had in the store.

    For 44 Magnum, it is pretty much essential to reload. Ammo is very expensive. Ammo is about $45 for 50. Hunting rounds are $2-3 a trigger pull.

    If you want to practice, and you want to get good, you need to shoot often. You also want to shoot a lot. If you plan to hunt, you need to be able to hit a small area of 8-10" or a dinner plate out to the distance you intend to hunt. I've made it to 75 yards but my goal is 100-125 in 44. In 454 my goal is 125-150. In 460 it's 150-175. I have a 500 but it's a fun gun, only.

    My 44 Mag


    When you graduate, 454 Casull


    Smith 460


    Smith 500


    Family



    Instagram: MuzzleblastMD
    Last edited by CDR_Glock; 09-21-17 at 06:32.

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    Best thing to do with a new 44 Magnum is to buy a set of dies, 500 pieces of Starline brass, 500 250gr cast bullets and a pound of medium burn rate powder (Power Pistol, HS-6, etc.). Load those bullets to about 900fps and you'll have a load that is easy to shoot and that will be surprisingly effective on deer-sized game.

    If you want to get good with a heavy revolver, you need to shoot it often. A set of reloading gear is not only cheaper than factory ammunition, it is cheaper than reconstructive surgery on your wrists from shooting nothing but hot factory loads

  4. #4
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    Reloading will be your best friend if you want to shoot big bores. Not only save your wallet but your hands and wrists too.

    You’ll grow to love the .44 by the way. Your 10mm may soon collect a bit of dust.

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    If you’re like me, and you’ve decided to do all your handgun hunting with a .44 magnum, then the first thing you should know is that not all .44 Magnum ammunition is the same. So should pick and choose your loads according to the game you are hunting, and don’t foolishly assume that all .44 Mag loads can be used against any and all game.

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    Don't ignore the 44 special either. It has a long tradition of enjoying a cult-like following. It can be loaded to do anything the 45acp will do, or you can keep going until it starts crossing into magnum territory. Handloading really helps here, as it helps you select a bullet, velocity and level of recoil that you are comfortable with.

  7. #7
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    As others have stated, the path to getting good with the mag revo is getting into reloading. Even an inexpensive single stage press and working loads up with cast bullets at moderate velocities (HS-6, Longshot) and then full power loads with H-110 or W-296 and hard cast bullets will help. A solid defense load is CCI Blazer 200gr Gold Dot JHP's in .44 Speciall. My go to hunting load for medium game in non-bear territory is Winchester 250gr Partition Gold .44 Mag, which uses the excellent bonded core Nosler partition JHP. The nice thing about it is the component bullets are available from Nosler, so it's easy to duplicate the factory load with H-110 when reloading. Everyone always talks about Hornady XTP's. They're super accurate, but I've had the jacket cores separate and bullets fail to expand with XTP's in my 629 MG.

    If I were hunting in grizzly territory or trying for Elk, I'd switch to a heavy hard cast load like the Federal 300gr Cast Core, or even HC offerings from Buffalo Bore or Garrett Industries, but you definitely need to work up to shooting those. Their recoil will clear your sinuses for sure!

    Hope this helps!
    What if this whole crusade's a charade?
    And behind it all there's a price to be paid
    For the blood which we dine
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  8. #8
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    The right Grips (also called stocks) will make all the difference in your shooting comfort !!

  9. #9
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    Check the double action function.

    Redhawks have a history of light hits, (DA only) especially with reduced power hammer springs. I had one with this issue. (the issue does not apply to Super Red Hawks)

  10. #10
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    I can't add much more than what the previous posters have said. I do know that a 240gr cast bullet going 1,000 fps will go through any animal that you'll shoot at in West Texas. I would use that as a starting point if you want a load for hog hunting, but there are many options available. You picked a great caliber. 44 magnum really shines when you're set up to reload for it.

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