357mag, 41special, 44special for hunting

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Kanook

Buckeye
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Aug 7, 2009
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FL
If you had a choice and you handloaded, which would you choose?

I drank the kool-aid awhile back and fell into the "I need more in my revolver" and have finally realized that I use to hunt with my 357mag all the time and now don't because of the new choices.

My wife is not recoil shy at all and she likes her 44mag, but I wonder if maybe the 41 or 44 special might be a better choice for her. I wonder if she shoots the mag because of me.

With the 44special now on the smaller frame, I'm wanting to maybe trade off something I have to get her one of them.

Or should I just keep saving (I need to quit buying) and get the 356gnr conversion?

I sit and search all day but in the end it's only opinion and very little hands on. Thanks for you time, Kanook
 

JWhitmore44

Blackhawk
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Oct 23, 2008
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987
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NW Kansas
You should ask your wife is she wants a 41 mag or 44 special. That would keep you from being shot when you trade off her favorite 44 mag :)
 

Kanook

Buckeye
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I'm crazy not stupid. It'll be something I own long before I trade anything of hers. :mrgreen:
 

contender

Ruger Guru
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Sep 18, 2002
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Lake Lure NC USA
I would suggest that you try to find a way to shoot all calibers & combos if possible. THEN decide which will work for your type of hunting. (If you were to come around here,, we'd drag my guns out to do just that.)
Still, you have to ask a few questions. What am I gonna hunt? Will that caliber reliabily put that animal down with one average placed shot? A 357 mag is fine for small game & deer sized game,, and if the right bullet is used,, it will drop deer quite easily. The 41 mag is a true "sleeper" when it comes to shooting & handling. They are also quite capable of dropping game in the Elk class. So is the 44 mag. The 44 spl is a good deer caliber,, & with the right load it too can drop an elk.
So,, it's all in what you want to do with it,, and how you feel shooting it.
 

brionic

Bearcat
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Jan 27, 2009
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Eastern IA
I am assuming that you do reload based on some of the caliber choices you are considering.

.44 special will be easier and less expensive to load for, since you will be able to use the same components as you do for the .44 mag, except for brass. Warm loaded .44 specials are nothing to sneeze at, and you can always load "down" to whatever level she prefers. If she enjoys the magnum level loads, then Skeeter loads in the special will be fun.

BTW, I am a .41 fool, but the medium frame Blackhawk in .44 special is basically a no-brainer if you hand load.
 
Joined
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Woodbury, Tn
Sounds like you want something different, and you're trying to justify it. Since it will be yours don't worry about what the wife thinks get what you want. I am sure she will eventually shoot it. If she wants one I am sure she'll let you know.
gramps
 

Kanook

Buckeye
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Thank you so far. We hunt deer from S. Florida (home) all the way to the U.P. in Michigan. We only hunt hog in Fl. so far. I have friends and family in Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, and Michigan so the hunting choice is always there and the FREE lodging.

I have been looking at the 44 spcl because of Mr. Keith and I believe that my wife might like the smaller frame of the newer offereing that Ruger is doing. (she love my 3 screws but is affraid that she might damage them, I said I can get another)

I guess it's a matter of the waiting game for now. (She does have a 29 classic that I bought her that does more sitting than it should. :twisted: )
 

Sonnytoo

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
631
Location
florida
I sold my .41 Mag...never shot it. I do have the other calibers. My very first caliber, and my favorite after that 50 years, is the .44 Special. If I were around grizzly, maybe I'd go hotter, but the 240 hard-cast, from 900 to 1200 fps will do anything I want.
Sonnytoo
 

Dale53

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 29, 2007
Messages
925
Location
Hamilton, Ohio USA
Well, I am a .44 Special fan from way back. I have several Smiths, a Cimarron, and the .44 Lipsey Special. I REALLY like the Lipsey Special. I just wish it had been available fifty years ago.

All of mine shoot extremely well.I shoot the 250 gr H&G #503 Keith bullet (out of a MiHec mould) sized at .430" with good effect. All of my deer have been taken with .44 magnums but the Special would have done as well. A good bullet, at a reasonable velocity, coupled with good placement WILL get the job done. I prefer deer hunting bullet size to start with a 4 (as in .44 Special, .44 Magnum, or .45 Colt) but that is just me...

Dale53
 

nnero93

Bearcat
Joined
Aug 5, 2009
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66
Location
New York
Not trying to hijack this thread or anything but what is a good factory .357 load for coyote? This thread seemed like a good spot to ask :D . I cant find hollowpoints anywhere. I have 125 and 158 grain solid points. I never carry my 30-30 when im in the woods but almost always have my GP100. If one ever comes close enough to make a safe shot I will take it. I would also like to eventually hunt with a handgun and look forward to reading this thread. Thanks!
 

dg101win

Single-Sixer
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May 27, 2005
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Kokomo,In. USA
Might want to look into the different states game laws. Some states limit the legal calibers by empty case length. 357 and 41 mags are longer than 44 special.
 
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
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Vinita, OK
Like many, my first hunting revolver with a .357 Magnum. (Six inch Security Six SS.) As I've gotten older, I've moved away from it to the larger calibers. It isn't a matter of "killing power." It's a matter of how the cartridge "does its job." A .357 Magnum "works" by using high velocity. If you load it down, it becomes a .38 Special. Not a bad thing but borderline for something like a deer. But I can use a .44 Special and a flat nosed hardcast 250 grain bullet at less than 1000 fps and kill just about anything I want to kill. Less blast, less muzzle and cylinder flash. Less "drama."

I always shoot on the range with electronic earmuffs. And I sit in a deer stand with one ear plug in place and the other one right there to stick in when a deer shows up. But it does happen that you are walking through the woods and a sudden shot shows up right in front of you for just a few seconds. I would _much_ rather fire a shot with no hearing protection out of a .44 Special than a full powered .357 Magnum. It was the police style 125 grain Federal .357 Magnums that did a lot of my hearing damage when I was younger!

Gregg
 

VAdoublegunner

Single-Sixer
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Oct 24, 2006
Messages
459
Location
Virginia, USA
Nothing wrong with the 44 Special in one of the new mid-frame sized Blackhawks. They pack nicely and a 240gr Keith at 1000fps works very well indeed for most hunting. My Lipsey's have proven to be very accurate with their favored loads. Plus, you can handload a 240 Hornady up to around 1200fps in them if you need it.

But how about a 45 Colt? The RCBS45-270-SAA is a great bullet for a handloader in that cartridge. Weighing about 282gr and driven at 1000fps, with a 20% larger diameter it is not a bad choice at all for your purpose. Plus, they are generally easier for many to shoot with less blast/flash than 357 or 41 Mag.

However, there is something to be said about the "feel" of the mid-sized Lipsey's 44 Special. In stainless, I think it may be about the perfect general purpose field revolver.
 

maxpress

Buckeye
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
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Central Washington
if she already has a .44mag and wants less recoil then just stick 44spl in it. since she isnt recoil shy i would leave it alone.
D.B. wesson killed 2 of just about everything that walked the earth to advertise the .357. kinda the opposite of noah :wink: so we know its cappable.
wouldnt really worry about the caliber when hunting since it should only be one or 2 shots. long range sessions might be wanting some reduced loads though.

nnero93:
whatever shoots the best in your gun for longer ranges. coyote will fall to a .22 so i wouldnt be to concerned about bullet design.
 

CraigC

Hawkeye
Joined
May 27, 2002
Messages
5,197
Location
West Tennessee
.44Spl, hands down. Gets the job down without making my ears bleed. The .357 is way too much bark for its bite.
 
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