Leaving dedicated 44 Special, it doesn't make sense for me?

I recently started shooting 44s from a 10" Seville single action revolver. It is a beautiful sixgun and I want to take care of it. There are no parts!

I took it out to the AZ desert canyons I love and my first impressions follow:

1. When shooting both Hornady specials and Magtech magnums, it was clear that the specials shot 4" low while the magnums shot only 1" low at 75 yards (groups of 4"). I have more, and different, ammo and am off to the range to verify these readings.

Some of this might have been the difference in the manufacturers, but I have to believe that some of it was the difference in the specials and the magnums. I have noted this many times going from 38specials to 357magnums.

2. I have never been able get comfortable shooting the 44magnum. It is just too much for my senior hands, elbows, and joints. The 44special was a pussycat.

3. The 44magnums are rough on the firearm.

4. After shooting the short 44special, the longer 44magnum brass would hang on the unexpended powder in the cylinder chambers.

5. The 44Magnum is expensive to shoot. The 44special ammo is even more expensive than the 44magnum.

After the above 5 issues surfaced, I started a search for a dedicated 44special revolver. After a couple of weeks, I may change my mind and not go for the dedicated 44special. I started reloading recently, due to getting hooked on 357 Maximum (I blame David Bradshaw), and reloading may be my answer here.

I think I can reload the longer 44magnum brass with a light load and turn it into a 44special.
1. I can adjust the load to get exactly where I want POA; if powder is the issue.
2. I can adjust the load to get recoil heavy, but manageable.
3. I can keep the wheel gun from getting battered by hot load magnums.
4. There will be no powder residue line in the chambers to hang or clean.
5. It's cheaper to reload the 44magnum brass.
6. And, God forbid, I can still shoot a 44mag. if hell freezes over.

The only positive I see from a dedicated 44special revolver is the weight. It might be a small amount less than a 44magnum.

So I have been reading a lot of posts from dedicated 44special fans. They got me searching for weeks to buy one. Can one or two of you guys convince me I missed something, like a fun factor or maybe a link to history.

I love logic, but sometimes, it gets pretty twisted,
Prescut

Prescut said:

I recently started shooting 44s from a 10" Seville single action revolver. It is a beautiful sixgun and I want to take care of it. There are no parts!

Click to expand...

No parts? How does it work?

Bob Wright

Pardon my loss of decorum.


Simple explanation:

.44 Magnum



.44 Special:



Bob Wright




P.S. Don't worry about your Seville, it'll take more magnum rounds than you will.

Whatever suits you...did you post this seeking permission or support for your decision?

Oh yeah, give me the small Special guns, for almost everything that I do.

http://www.singleactions.com/Seville.pdf

I load down 44 Magnum for more comfortable shooting. From Hodgdon's website using a 240gr JHP and 12.0gr HS-6 works very well.

In switching from full magnum loads to lighter .44 Special cartridges requires adjusting the sights. I prefer to buy another sixgun.

Bob Wright

If you handload you can make the 44 magnums as weak or as powerful as you like but the 44 special gun will always be lighter and handier than it's magnum counterpart.

The only positive I see from a dedicated 44special revolver is the weight. It might be a small amount less than a 44magnum.

Click to expand...

And the cylinder is reamed for the .44 Special. No 'jump' to the throat as with shooting .44Specials in a .44 Mag. Of course as you say, you can (which I do) load down .44Mag to .44Special power levels too. Of course the .44Special allows you to package it into a smaller revolver. Like the CA Bulldog or the flattop/New Vaquero platform. I can also load my .44Spec 240g SWC from 600fps to 1200fps in my flattops if I desire. I normally load to around 1000fps which in my world will do just about everything I can think of that I need a .429 for. I really can't see why I need the bulkier .44 Mag. Just more recoil, blast and noise? For what? So, my .44 Mag revolvers don't see much daylight. Of course their is the nostalgic factor too with Taffin, Skeeter, Keith, Pearce, and others all weighing in on the .44 Special down through the years. Plus in my guns, it is 'hard' to find a 'bad' .44Special load. I 'know' my .45 Colt revolvers and even the .44Mag can be 'just' as accurate, but I seem to have to work at it a bit harder to find a good load. Could just be my 'imagination' though .

However, 'you' need to make your own decision . I was in the .44Mag camp (load up/down, why shoot specials?)... until the medium frame arrived. Now you can't pry my hands off my .44 Specials (unless it is to grab a .45 Colt sixgun that is ) .

Prescut said:

I recently started shooting 44s from a 10" Seville single action revolver. It is a beautiful sixgun and I want to take care of it. There are no parts!

I took it out to the AZ desert canyons I love and my first impressions follow:

1. When shooting both Hornady specials and Magtech magnums, it was clear that the specials shot 4" low while the magnums shot only 1" low at 75 yards (groups of 4"). I have more, and different, ammo and am off to the range to verify these readings.

Some of this might have been the difference in the manufacturers, but I have to believe that some of it was the difference in the specials and the magnums. I have noted this many times going from 38specials to 357magnums.

2. I have never been able get comfortable shooting the 44magnum. It is just too much for my senior hands, elbows, and joints. The 44special was a pussycat.

3. The 44magnums are rough on the firearm.

4. After shooting the short 44special, the longer 44magnum brass would hang on the unexpended powder in the cylinder chambers.

5. The 44Magnum is expensive to shoot. The 44special ammo is even more expensive than the 44magnum.

After the above 5 issues surfaced, I started a search for a dedicated 44special revolver. After a couple of weeks, I may change my mind and not go for the dedicated 44special. I started reloading recently, due to getting hooked on 357 Maximum (I blame David Bradshaw), and reloading may be my answer here.

I think I can reload the longer 44magnum brass with a light load and turn it into a 44special.
1. I can adjust the load to get exactly where I want POA; if powder is the issue.
2. I can adjust the load to get recoil heavy, but manageable.
3. I can keep the wheel gun from getting battered by hot load magnums.
4. There will be no powder residue line in the chambers to hang or clean.
5. It's cheaper to reload the 44magnum brass.
6. And, God forbid, I can still shoot a 44mag. if hell freezes over.

The only positive I see from a dedicated 44special revolver is the weight. It might be a small amount less than a 44magnum.

So I have been reading a lot of posts from dedicated 44special fans. They got me searching for weeks to buy one. Can one or two of you guys convince me I missed something, like a fun factor or maybe a link to history.

I love logic, but sometimes, it gets pretty twisted,
Prescut

Click to expand...

This is why I switched to .45 colt.

...and It's just fun to shoot!

I still shoot .38 spl. & .357 mag. also.

I have a Lipsey's 44 special. It gets shot a lot more than my magnums.

and reloading may be my answer here

Click to expand...

Indeed. You can handload 44 magnum to 44 special power levels, as well as handload 44 special to reduce cost.

You guys are great. I wanted to get some feedback from folks who have lots of experience on this subject. I tried hard to not write opinions, but experiences that I was trying to verify and put together into a reasonable decision.
I don't seek permission. I haven't made a decision to be supported. Get serious. I'll go to therapy if I need emotional guidance. Here, I want gunners to talk about their choices and why.
rattlegun sent me toward a thread I've lived with lately on singleactions. Lee Martin, it's his site, is the man with Sevilles. He also encouraged the loading down of the magnum and even suggested a recipe. nice post.

Jimbo357magnum wrote:
"but the 44 special gun will always be lighter and handier than it's magnum counterpart. "
This is the mantra for the Specials. It makes tons of sense.

Everything rClark, from Butte, Montana, wrote was dead on for me. His statement, "I really can't see why I need the bulkier .44 Mag. Just more recoil, blast and noise? For what? So, my .44 Mag revolvers don't see much daylight" was insightful for me. That makes me really review my own asseration "6. And, God forbid, I can still shoot a 44mag. if hell freezes over."
If I really don't want to shoot the Magnum, why did I list it as a positive? I think the weight and handiness factor far outweighs the "still shoot a 44mag" point. This was the point of my post, make me think a little deeper.
Rclark's comment at the end was the experience I wanted to hear about: " I was in the .44Mag camp (load up/down, why shoot specials?)... until the medium frame arrived. Now you can't pry my hands off my .44 Specials "

phonejack double downed and verified rclark's comment about Specials.

Several suggested reloading as the answer. I think reloading offers a lot of flexibility.

However, the dedicated Special fans have excellent points. But there appears to be something more in the fan's defense of the dedicated Specials, they love em. After all the reasons and logic gets sorted out, it may be that affection that sways me the most. My Seville is definitely in that affection camp for me. I'm just still trying to figure out why and if I can keep her in that status forever.

Prescut
Damn. Now I'm off to look at that Lipseys 44 special.

Prescut, you definitely NEED to get a Lipseys flattie .44 special! I recommend the shorter barrel (4 5/8") for weight savings and portability, since this seems to be what you seek. Also available is the Bisley version of this same gun. If you want to shoot either version, come pay me a visit on "the west coast" of Arizona, and I will oblige!

I also use/shoot my 44 Special waaaaay more than my 44 Mag. I reload for both and load my 44 Specials far above factory. I guess a 250 grain bullet @ around 1050fps is just right for me. Plus, I've seldom enjoyed a revolver as much as this one.

Hey toroflow,
Always nice seeing your posts. You know about my 357 Maximum addiction and that really got me to reading about the Sporting Arms Sevilles as many have given them credit for the first maximum and the first 44 mag in stainless. There is even a story that they "loaned" Ruger (5) Seville 357 maximums for testing.

My reading and viewing of the Seville photos really got my lust up for a sixgun made in the free state of Arizona. You being an AZ boy know what I'm talking about. I was looking through Backpage.com and what was staring back at me but an ad from a private seller for a Seville 10" SAA in 44Mag. I knew the 44mag kicked my butt every time I tried, but I reasoned I could just shoot Specials instead. The Seville had my number from the first second I saw her. Thank god the seller didn't see me drooling, he could pretty much just have named a price and I would have paid it. The price was a steal and I grabbed it.

So Maximums have led me into this 44 caliber. I am as conflicted as ever on recoil. I started January 2015 swearing I was going to shoot more 38s than 357mags. I wanted to save my body to keep shooting into my 70s and 80s.
But life is not like that. One little mistake from a GB seller and I now find myself shooting 44Mag.

I shoot Maximums using 19.2g of 4227 with a cast Burnham Bill 180 SWC GC. Thanks again for recommending Bill. Great bollets and a great guy.

On recoil, at 100 yards, those Maximums make my gong swing just under parallel when I hit dead center. The 44 Special was less swing than that. On the other side of that, the 44Magnum spun that gong all the way around 360 degrees. Man that sucker punches hard, and in both directions.
The Maximum was originally advertised as close to the 44mag ballistics, but with less recoil. My experience is that there is definitely less recoil, but I have to question "close to the same ballistics" based on how hard that bullet hits the target. Maybe Mr. Bradshaw will pick up on this and give us the real data on this comparison.

I would love to go shooting! I will look at the Calendar and PM you.
I think you may have misread my posts on weight savings and portability. I recognize the Specials are strong in the weight and portable category. I solo walk a week a month in the backcountry carrying a 13oz S&W 360 in 357mag. But when I'm shooting, I want the longest barrel I can get; 8,10,12". Sight picture, velocity, and accuracy are all improved with a longer barrel. I use a portable bench that I made and employ a rest on many occasions. I shoot long distance for fun; not competitive, not defense, not timed, and not hunting.

Prescut
Man, I have got to quit writing these giant post

hey larry,
Are you from Bend, Mt. near the ranger station?
I have a place west of Niarada. Just across the mount peak east from you.
Prescut

I own a s&w 29-2 .44 mag with the rare 5" barrel. I haven't shot it in many years. Thats because I own a pile of .44 specials. In truth probably 99.5% or so that buy the mag could get by just as well with special. First excuse people parrot is with the mag they can load down. To me, I like a lighter, packable sweetheart of a gun. I have two colt SA`s in .44 special, a Lipsey Ruger and 4 various Smiths all in .44 special. No, I don't need or even shoot all. My favorite is a smith model 24-3 in 4". Because of the thinner pencil barrel and shorter cylinder along with the narrower service trigger and hammer along with service type grips its noticeably lighter and easier to pack than the model 29. I also own a 4" model 25-5 smith in .45 Colt. Weight and looks wise its the very same as a model 29.
A .45 Colt or .44 special will do damn near the same as a 44 mag and some might say the 45 colt is even better. One of my smiths is a old HD I found a model 21 barrel for (.44 special). It`s a 5" and all that was done was to ream out the 38/44 cylinder to .44 special and swap barrels. I didn't get it refinished but might. Had it done 35 years ago.
Here is the herd of .44 specials. I once owned a 29-2 in 8 3/8". They are a brute to pack in comparison. My old converted smith in fixed sights has got the most play. The 2nd to bottom picture is my 24-3 and 25-5 together. The bottom picture is my 29-2 with the 5" barrel. A little less metal makes a lot of difference.

If you have a .44 magnum pistol that you like then by all means load the spectrum of power for it. Before ,44 specials became more common I shot a pile of reduced loads in my magnums. Some favorites are 6.0 of W231, 6.5 of red dot, 8,5 t0 10 of Unique, and 9.0 of power pistol. All with 250 grain Keith boolits, One Bisley is scary accurate with the 6.5 of red dot. You get a lot of shots out of aa pound of powder and become very familiar with your gun, Standard disclaimers about data. Good luck.

OP, since you mentioned a Mr Bradshaw, ask him for data on deep seating SWC's in mag brass for 44spec-like loads. No ring in the chambers and more efficient, less expensive too.

Precut, you are describing a wonderful dilemma! I consider the .44's to be among the most useful and versatile of cartridges - and I am one of those strange guys who thinks handguns are "close" range weapons. Following the normal path, started with .44 mag, and actually enjoyed the power and recoil. I shot some .44 Specials in my magnums, just for fun, but didn't start purposely "loading down" until I began shooting sub sonic loads in my suppressed Contender to get the sound as "quiet" as I could. I soon found that a 335 gr hard cast loaded to 1000 - 1100 fps would shoot through two hogs and keep right on going at 25 - 50 yards! Could not really see why I needed more penetration than that! Now I mostly shoot close to those specs out of all my .44 magnums. The loads are easier on my wrist and the guns, but deadly on the hogs. I load my .45 Colt to about the same numbers, and even load my .480 Ruger to about the same ballistics, but with 375 - 415 gr bullets. I have become a real believer in heavy-for-caliber bullets at relatively low velocities. When I bought my first dedicated .44 Special - a Flattop Ruger with a 4 5/8" barrel, it was instantly one of the most pleasant and accurate handguns I've ever owned - and it is the only Ruger I have that still wears factory open sights, the rest are scoped, have red dots, and my .45 Blackhawk now has a "One Ragged Hole" sight. While I know I could load the Special to near magnum levels - and actually, at 800 fps it is near MY magnum levels - it is a much better gun at its originally intended velocities. If I want to really make a loud "boom", I have .44 magnums and a .480 Ruger to do that - or my .30-30 Contender!

You seem to have come to the same conclusions. The reason to have a "dedicated" Special is because it is a very enjoyable gun/cartridge. Mine has replaced my .45 ACP 1922 as my favorite woods-walking gun, and I'd rather just shoot it at targets than any handgun I have - and I'm not that much of a target shooter!