Is a 44MAG to big in a snubby?

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barronbw

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
35
Location
Nacogdoches, TX
I'm looking to get a snubby revolver for concealed carry when I turn 21 here in a few months. I have been trying to decide on a caliber, and have pretty much settled on a 357MAG. I recently saw a smith and wesson snubby in 44MAG and was wondering if that would be too much punch for a little gun. Any thoughts?
Thanks
 

dbracin

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
12
Location
North Carolina
Here are a couple of big bore snubbies, one in .45 acp and the other in 44 mag.I think their just right.

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backpack.jpg
 

ADP3

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 23, 2001
Messages
485
Location
SC
Load it with .44 Specials or reload a mid-range .44 Magnum load and go for it. The .44 is a great gun but it will weigh you down a bit and if you use it at night you'll be robbed of your vision from the muzzle flash. Other handguns will do the same thing but the .44 has more unburned powder igniting as it exits the bore than most rounds so you get a larger, brighter muzzle flash. Your shot to shot recovery time from recoil will be a bit slower if you don't use .44 Specials or reload a reduced load.
Best Regards,
ADP3
 

Lloyd Smale

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 10, 2003
Messages
555
Location
munising MI USA
I love the 3 inch smiths!! Wish i could afford one in each caliber. they can be tack drivers too. My 3 inch 610 is one of the most accurate 6 guns ive ever owned.
 

maxpress

Buckeye
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Dec 27, 2008
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Central Washington
they are a great versatile gun for just about everything. and nothing makes a badguy poop like seeing the front of a .44/.45 snubbie.

however, i carry an sp101 in town and more likely a model 36. better to have a smaller gun than to not have one at all.
 

Snake45

Hawkeye
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A .44 stubby is a hell of a lot of gun for a newbie to start out on.

It's also going to be a real pantload--in more ways than one--for concealed carry.

Your initial plan of a .357 makes much more sense. Work with that for a while--at least a year--and then see if you want to move up to a .44/.45, or perhaps move on to an autopistol in 9mm, .40, or .45.
 

Old Judge Creek

Single-Sixer
Joined
Nov 1, 2001
Messages
320
Location
1881 Ranch, Nv & Northern Ca
My favorite packin' revolver is my S&W 629 Trail Boss. With a stout belt it rides high and close to the body.

TrailBoss.jpg


It'll do ya.

OTOH: My very first CCW piece (back in 1965) was a 4" Ruger Blackhawk 357.

Over the years, I learned a thing or two, I hope.

These days, when I need to slip a piece in my pocket for whatever the reason could be... my choice is the lowly S&W J Frame 642 in 38 Special.

But the answer to your question is "no". If you choose your ammo carefully, you will not be over gunned. I normaly carry Federal HydraShoks in my Trail Boss. Or reloads of 240 grain bullets loaded to ~950 fps.
 

Yosemite Sam

Hunter
Joined
Mar 18, 2002
Messages
2,113
Location
Cape Cod, MA, USA
Couple of things, okay a few things to think about: Size, weight, recoil, overpenetration, concealability.

When people talk about carrying "a snubby" they usually mean a small, concealable gun. A .454 Alaskan, N-framed Smith, or even a 3" GP100 are not exactly small, concealable weapons. I carry a 3" N frame 624 .44 Special on occasion, and it's one of the larger guns I try to carry. I can more easily hide a 1911 or a full size Sig P220.

IMG_1280Small.jpg


Obviously I like carrying it or I wouldn't. Carrying a gun that large requires a good belt and holster. It weighs almost 3lbs unloaded, for crying out loud!

When people talk about carrying a concealed snubby, they're usually talking about something like an LCR, J-frame, or SP101 at most. These are usually .38 and/or .357 guns, and often have 5 shot cylinders to help cut down on bulk.

And then there's the recoil, or "punch". Yes, a short barreled .44 mag can be a handful. Even my 4" Redhawk with factory .44 mags can hurt. And I would never carry .44 mag as a self defense round. It's simply too much for personal CCW use, imo. The guns themselves are big and heavy, and the round has so much power and penetration that you are virtually certain to "shoot through" your target, which is not something I want to do in a public situation. And I'm not a cop, shooting through car doors to stop a fleeing perp. Bears, cougars, etc, sure. Humans? Too much. Sure you can shoot .44 specials out of your mag gun, but then you're carrying around an extra couple of pounds of steel for no good reason. That gets heavy after a while.

I would suggest you try to find a range where you can rent some guns and see what you like. More than one guy has decided he "needed" a .44 mag as his first gun, went out and plunked down cash on a S&W 629, then put it away after firing his first cylinder full of full-house rounds. I'm not trying to discourage you, just offer a little rationality.

-- Sam
 

Tommy Kelly

Buckeye
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
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1,045
Location
MISSISSIPPI
I like big snubbys but not for ccp. I have a 4"500 a 3"29 and a alaskan in 454. The big bores arent easily concealed. I have a model36 that is a nice pistol for what you want or a sp101 is great. I have a permit but don't carry much at all. When I do its the 36 or the sp101 most of the time.
 

Hammer

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 1, 2006
Messages
231
.

Snubbie 44's are fun.

If you load it to your comfort level, which will change with practice, it can be an effective gun.

To paraphrase Clint Smith, "A concealed weapon is meant to be comforting, not comfortable."


.
 
A

Anonymous

I just bought a 4" Redhawk in 45 colt and as yet have not shot it.

My plan is to shoot 250 RNFP hard cast bullets at no more than 1100 fps. I think I will be able to handle it in the 46 oz (actually 52 grains loaded) Redhawk .
 

rugerlovah

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jun 8, 2009
Messages
196
just throwing in my personal opinion here. the smith model 29 w/ a 4" barrel was the first revolver I bought. I was same age, too. anyway, real nice gun, but i thought it was a little too bulky and the barrel was a little too short for the caliber. i downgraded w/ subsequent purchases, a glock 22, a smith 686 ... then on to the ruger SA's. :D anyway, long story short, as fine a gun as that model 29 is, i prefer carrying just about any other handgun i own on my hip. to me, there's a huge difference just between the smith L frame and the N frame.

IDEAL carry gun i have ... ruger sp101 w/ 3" barrel. :wink:

just IMO ...
 

Cholo

Moderator
Staff member
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Dec 30, 2008
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Georgia
What do you shoot now with accuracy? You have tried and can shoot a .44 mag snubbie with accuracy...right? No sense making a lot of racket when the safest place to be is what we're shooting at... :wink:
 

ltapd204

Single-Sixer
Joined
Dec 8, 2008
Messages
165
Location
Andrews, TX
I carry the Smith 296Ti in 44 special. It is an airlite, but with 200 grain loads the recoil is very managable. I borrowed this photo from another forum as I did not feel like getting my camera out.

web.jpg
 

Chuckbuster

Single-Sixer
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
492
Location
Southern Michigan
Not if you're "Andre the Giant" :)

Just kidding, A friend of mine had a SW 44 Snubbie. Great piece. As mentioned above a good Special load or mid range "Mag" you have a whole bunch of convincing available.
 

Rob72

Bearcat
Joined
Oct 5, 2009
Messages
93
Location
Gulf Coast, Tejas
Hammer":34a4a7tj said:
.

To paraphrase Clint Smith, "A concealed weapon is meant to be comforting, not comfortable."

.
Which, of course, will broadcast to anyone interested that a) you carry, and b) where on your body you do so. :roll: CS has good insights, but some aren't quite as profound as they seem.

A different discussion for a different arena, probably. In any event, I have an Alaskan .44, and it is basically a "car gun"- what I carry for anything on two or four legs, and possibly in a vehicle. It is big, heavy, and (compared to a G19) very slow in the hand.
 

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