Buy a .44 spl in sumpthin'...

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Nicksterdemus

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 30, 2009
Messages
73
Part of the wheelgun problem was double stacked semi-autos being all the rage. Bust a bunch of caps, lay down suppression fire, spray and pray.

Taurus didn't help themselves by offering so many of the 44spl ported.

Lawd have mercy the little cannons are loud enough directing the muzzle flash & blast away from the shooter.

Plus everyone, or so it seemed, wanted to be Dirty Harry &/or prepare for a Grizzly bar/zombie.

Didn't help that the spl ammo was almost as expensive as the magnum & harder to come by

The vast majority of folks will tell you that you can shoot a spl out of a magnum, yet can't comprehend not wanting that option.

I want my 44 spl built for no other cartridge.

I bought the last two Lipsey offerings to help support the 44 spl.

If someone builds a 45 Colt/ACP in a 5 rnd DA I'll try to buy that as well.

If 5 rounds in a big bore ain't enough then I'll have to settle for the consequences...

Don't get me wrong coz I'm in love w/my Ruger Bisley.

I just like a smaller pistola to stuff in my pocket.
 

buckeyeshooter

Blackhawk
Joined
Nov 8, 2004
Messages
856
Location
Ohio
My 44 special in sumpthin.

1208722038.jpg
 

Nicksterdemus

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 30, 2009
Messages
73
Always liked the look of a 3" Model 24.

I've whiled away many an hour lusting after a 696.

I like the 5 rnds, yet not crazy about the full lug look.

Couldn't quite bring myself to pull the trigger on the price tag.

The 396 isn't as purdy and needs another 1/2" of brl, but it's light w/big fat glow in the dark sight.

S&W could go back to the drawing board and eyeball the original Charter Arms .44 spl.

Gimmie 5 rnds on a round butt w/3" taper brl, fixed sights and put it on a K frame.

If they wanna get funky w/it make the taper brl 3 & 3/16" and slap some bark heavy stags on that mudder.

Call it, The Cracker Barrel.

That would be made to order for the Blazer 200gn flying ashtray.

Ain't like I'm going bar huntin'.

I'd like that in a heavy Nickel plate please.



All hail the 44spl.

Designed to effectively stop bad guys at subsonic speed w/o racking a slide.
 

19112TAP

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
30
Location
Missouri
I picked up my Bisley flat top 5.5" from my dealer today for under $500 and can't wait to get out shooting it.
 

Yosemite Sam

Hunter
Joined
Mar 18, 2002
Messages
2,113
Location
Cape Cod, MA, USA
Nicksterdemus":2pt889hb said:
Always liked the look of a 3" Model 24.

I've whiled away many an hour lusting after a 696.

I like the 5 rnds, yet not crazy about the full lug look.

Couldn't quite bring myself to pull the trigger on the price tag.

The 396 isn't as purdy and needs another 1/2" of brl, but it's light w/big fat glow in the dark sight.

S&W could go back to the drawing board and eyeball the original Charter Arms .44 spl.

Gimmie 5 rnds on a round butt w/3" taper brl, fixed sights and put it on a K frame.

If they wanna get funky w/it make the taper brl 3 & 3/16" and slap some bark heavy stags on that mudder.

Call it, The Cracker Barrel.

That would be made to order for the Blazer 200gn flying ashtray.

Ain't like I'm going bar huntin'.

I'd like that in a heavy Nickel plate please.



All hail the 44spl.

Designed to effectively stop bad guys at subsonic speed w/o racking a slide.
I kinda like the 396 Night Guard, but don't like the locks, nor much else about modern S&Ws. I also think the 329 PD is worth looking at, except for the same issues (including price).

I'll tell you, that 3lb 624 gets heavy after a while, even in a good holster. Those massive hollowpoints are inspiring, though.

At the end of the day, the ballistics of the .44 Special defensive rounds (Win Silvertips) are darn close to .45 ACP...

-- Sam
 

Nicksterdemus

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 30, 2009
Messages
73
When the SS, 45 Colt Redhawk came out w/Hogue rubber I wanted one so bad I couldn't hardly stand it.

I went to a gun show and low n behold there it was.

I picked it up, checked it out & the fella ask me what I thought about the powerhouse.

Lawd have mercy, I think I'd have to employ a porter to tote the thing around until I was ready to shoot.

That rascal needs a bipod attachment.

Anywho, after that the feelings subsided somewhat.

I'd still like to have one.

Mounted on a quad, a mule or anything besides my hip.

I think they should've put a 5.5/6" brl on that rascal.

What's a few more ounces?

It's not as if you'd use it in a fast draw shoot-out @ high noon.


As far as I'm concerned the 45acp & 44spl are in the same class.

Big, heavy & no sonic boom.
 
A

Anonymous

I have had the Taurus, the Charter Arms, the Rossi, and 696.

The Taurus was unreliable with loads in excess of standard 44Sp. specifications as the cylinder would come unlocked upon firing and would back up one hole resulting in an unloaded chamber under the hammer on the next shot. Other than that, it was not a bad gun.

The Charter was so light and tinny that I didn't consider it a serious gun for anything other than an occasional shot or two as a PD gun to be stored in the stand beside the bed.

The Rossi is a pretty good little 44 Sp. and I have shot loads as brisk as 17-1/2 grains of 2400 behind the 240 Remington bullet without blowing it all to Hell. :oops: This gun was never intended for that kind of punishment and there is no doubt in my mind that a steady diet of that stuff would render it junk if I shot many of those rounds in it.

BTW, the Rossi cylinder has a wall thickness of only .055" on the outside and .070" between the holes. It must be made of pretty good stuff. I still have this one as a night stand gun loaded with 210 Gr. hollow points at ~ 900 fps.


The 696 is by far the best of the 4 and while it is still not quite a big enough gun to stand a LOT of 240 gr./1000 fps stuff, it will handle a limited amount of that load with aplomb.

My impression is that if you want a 44 Sp. that will reliably handle fairly hot loads on a regular basis, then you need a little bigger gun than the GP100 or the L frame Smith.

If, on the other hand, you are gonna stick to loads of 950 fps or less with a 240 gr. cast bullet, and a LIMITED amount of hotter stuff, then either would be fine for that. Certainly the 696 works fine for that and the GP100 is just as robust as the 696 is.

If Ruger were to make a 5 shot GP in .44 Sp. I would want one in a 4" full underlug bbl.
 
A

Anonymous

Nicksterdemus":1b6oua68 said:
When the SS, 45 Colt Redhawk came out w/Hogue rubber I wanted one so bad I couldn't hardly stand it.

I went to a gun show and low n behold there it was.

I picked it up, checked it out & the fella ask me what I thought about the powerhouse.

Lawd have mercy, I think I'd have to employ a porter to tote the thing around until I was ready to shoot.

That rascal needs a bipod attachment.

Anywho, after that the feelings subsided somewhat.

I'd still like to have one.

Mounted on a quad, a mule or anything besides my hip.

I think they should've put a 5.5/6" brl on that rascal.

What's a few more ounces?

It's not as if you'd use it in a fast draw shoot-out @ high noon.


As far as I'm concerned the 45acp & 44spl are in the same class.

Big, heavy & no sonic boom.

I too wanted one of those, so I ordered one last December for myself.

Now that spring has sprung, I am shooting it with 250 gr. RNFP cast bullets loaded to ~1000 fps. That load is a joy to handle and I am of the opinion that I could increase that velocity to 1200 fps and still maintain good control of the gun for fast second and third shots.

The gun shoots as well as I can shoot a handgun, which is to say 3" to 4" groups offhand at 25 yds. And the timing is such that shooting it double action is quite easy and can produce accuracy nearly as good as the single action mode.

Sure, 46 oz unloaded is a little on the beefy side, but that weight becomes your friend when shooting heavy bullets fast.

Now....if I could just find a good PRACTICAL reason for owning it, I would be in hog heaven. 8)
 

SFRanger7GP

Bearcat
Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Messages
17
Location
Florida
I love the .44 special. I think reading Skeeter and Elmer as a boy got me hooked at an early age. I have both the Lipsey flat top blackhawk and the flat top bisley; both with 5 1/2" barrels and I really love them. I think these were the guns Ruger should have built years ago.

I have an old model flat top that Jim Stroh converted for me to .44 special, a Colt New Frontier and a SAA also in .44 special. I owned a 696 that a buddy loved more than I did so he has it now. I had a 624 with a 6" barrel that wouldn't shoot Skeeter's load so it had to go. I also had one of the special order 24's with the round butt and 3" barrel. I liked it but it became a safe queen. I let another buddy talk me out of it.

Overall, I think the .44 special just goes better with a single action.
 
A

Anonymous

SFRanger7GP":128q9ok6 said:
Overall, I think the .44 special just goes better with a single action.

I have similar thought about single actions and the calibers that they are chambered for.

To me, a Vaquero in .357 Mg., or .32 Mg, is something of a turn off.

If I were going to buy another Vaquero, it would have to be a 44/40, or 38/40 or, of course, a .44 Special.

I feel the same way about scopes on a handgun and wearing 4 buckled boots with a tux. 8)
 

gak

Buckeye
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
1,552
Location
Aridzona
I don't disagree entirely with you gents; the Vaquero (and Colt SAA) style and format seems to suggest big bore--and I've got Ruger Vaq .44 Mag and SAA, Cimarron and USFA .44s to attest to that. I do have a .357 NV that's a fine companero to a Rossi 92 in same, and that's about to get a hammerectomy (SBH),...but admit it's a heavy piece (in this I would/should have gotten the 4-5/8 vs 5.5) and would love for it to be transformed to a .44. (Unintended long sentence there!) I do wish Ruger'd make that .44 NV decision easier/more affordable for me!


I also have a NV Montado that a) makes more sense as a packin' or trailin' .357 (than does the 5.5) if I were to play Solomon and leave one alone, but b) it too'd make a dandy .44! Back to the comment about the .32, I'd agree there too for the most part--and that as a single caliber (ie, cylinder--.327/.32H&R) the Single Six would be the grooviest--but admit a 4-5/8 or better yet Montado .32-20/.327 convertible mixing old with new would be a nice New Vaquero.
 

Nicksterdemus

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 30, 2009
Messages
73
That's what makes the world unique. Everyone has their own ideas and preferences.

I concur the CA Bulldog wasn't over-engineered. I'm only saying that in this day & time, as compared to the late sixties/early seventies, metallurgy and CNC machinery afford feasible options in design & strength that previously if possible wouldn't have been probable.

The factory 44spl cartridge doesn't need a lot of strength. You need only design it around the Blazer 200gn.

However, it shouldn't cost between 7 & 8 bills either.

If you wish to shoot a wheelgun, for SD or dogs, under the sound barrier you're sorta stuck w/38spl, 44spl or a 45acp, vaquero/hand loads notwithstanding.

The main point in dropping from a 6 rnd to a 5 shooter obviously is weight & size.

Also a DA works a tad easier, less revolving weight, w/one less hole.

Charter Arms went off on a rimless design, that S&W did in the early eighties w/9mm, when I'd have been tickled pink to have a 5 rnd 45acp w/clips.

I'm not scared of clips or having to poke 'em out w/pencil one at a time.

I am concerned about the longevity of CA design.

Not a whole to go wrong w/clips. I'm wondering if I'd prefer the KISS treatment compared to the CA Rimshot.

Time will tell.

If nuttin' else it's sumpthin' to talk about.

Did I mention that I sure would enjoy a 5 rnd, DA 44spl?
 

williamc

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 23, 2010
Messages
214
Location
Atlanta, GA
I've been catching the 44spcl fever (trying desperately to scrape together enough dough to get a flattop), and I can't help but thinking that a 5 shot 44 special GP100 would be a pretty awesome gun.

William
 

RidgwayCO

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 19, 2009
Messages
29
Why the .44 Special?

Because it will fit comfortably in everything from this (Ruger Bisley Flattop at 45 oz):

rugerbisleyflattop.jpg


to this (S&W M396 Mountain Lite at 18 oz):

396mtnlite.jpg


and even this (custom S&W "691"):

691front.jpg
 

Nicksterdemus

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 30, 2009
Messages
73
I like the Mnt lite design, however the adj sight and that flag pole @ the end of the muzzle would have to go along w/one rnd.

I noticed the Bisley wasn't quite as light as the std new model.

The 4 5/8" brl feels just right though another 7/8" couldn't add that much.

I looked for a Taurus, for a while, then came to the conclusion that all the used mods were over priced for me.

Same thing, for the most part, w/9mm wheelguns.

Bt the time I add shipping & transfer fees I step back and reevaluate.

Basically, I'm a cheapskate...
 

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