What is the advantage??

[whichwatch]

What is the advantage of buying a .44 Special only revolver over a .44 Magnum when the magnum can chamber the special round? I see a lot of .44 Special Blackhawks, etc. on various websites. Only a semi educated guess on my part but I'm guessing the price is somewhat cheaper, gun may be a bit smaller and lighter. Can one (or more) of you add to this?

Thanks,

Tom

 

[6gun]

There is no advantage your unable to shoot 44mag which is a disadvantage, then you spend the rest of your life wishing you could shoot 44mag in the gun and trying to convince yourself it's as powerful as 44mag when you know it's not and never will be, like all the guys that buy 44spl's do.

 

[Rclark]

Well, if you are like me, the .44Spec offers everything I need in a .44 caliber . Load from light, to medium Skeeter loads (normal load), to hot Keith loads.... All in a smaller and lighter package than a .44Mag. If I need more 'punch' I can always call up the large frame .45 Colt . My .44Mags have been gathering some dust since Ruger came out with the nice medium frame .44Spec Blackhawk flattops. Wonderful revolvers. As Taffin would say ... Victory at last!


Ross Seyfried on the .44Spec
John Taffin on the .44Spec

The treasure trove of .44Spec Articles

The list goes on. Other than the .45 Colt, the .44Spec is one of the best big bore cartridges out there.

As Taffin would (did) say "If you love the .44 Special I don't need to explain this to you; if you don't, I can't."

 

[Jimbo357mag]

6 cylinder or V8 ?????? :shock: :shock:

 

[pisgah]

What is the advantage of buying a .44 Special only revolver over a .44 Magnum when the magnum can chamber the special round? I see a lot of .44 Special Blackhawks, etc. on various websites. Only a semi educated guess on my part but I'm guessing the price is somewhat cheaper, gun may be a bit smaller and lighter. Can one (or more) of you add to this?

Thanks,

Tom

If you have to ask, you will never understand.

 

[CraigC]

The .44Spl fits into smaller, handier, lighter packages. This is a little more abstract with the new Ruger flat-tops because the weight is not much different. However, the difference in handling is obvious. Although it may be too subtle for 'some' folks to notice. My question is, why would I carry a 45oz .44Mag that is capable of launching a 355gr at 1250fps when all I need is a 37oz .44Spl that launches 250gr at 950fps??? Hold one in each hand and you'll understand why. If you don't, then don't worry about it.

There is no advantage your unable to shoot 44mag which is a disadvantage, then you spend the rest of your life wishing you could shoot 44mag in the gun and trying to convince yourself it's as powerful as 44mag when you know it's not and never will be, like all the guys that buy 44spl's do.

Some people, invariably, will just never get it. I can see how those with very little knowledge or experience with .44Spl sixguns might not understand. What baffles me is the unwillingness to understand.

 

[M'BOGO]

They are fun, lively revolvers. The extra few hundred fps that can be gained by the Mag, will flatten trajectory maybe several inches at a hundred yards, which is longer than a reasonable game shot for most folks. They all have their place at the table, but the Special is.

 

[Bob Wright]

Well, it's sort of like this: One day you want a .44 Special, moderate size and weight with good adjustable sights. Another day you want a 7 1/2" .44 Magnum, New Model, or perhaps that day a Three Screw. Or maybe a 5" .44 Magnum. Then, to relax a little, a .44 Special with fixed sights. So.....

It pays to be prepared.

Bob Wright

 

[mohavesam]

There is an advantage in that accuracy is usually a tad better in a properly-chambered cylinder - especially noted in a sub-sonic load (44SPL).

And everybody isn't afflicted with magnum-itis.

And because life is too short to compromise.

 

[Acorn]

Theoretically at least the special round in a magnum chamber has a longer jump to contact the throat adversely affecting accuracy.

 

[hutchman]

The Special is special to those who believe. The Magnum is special to those who don't. Both groups can sit and discuss the differences and one group will not be able to convince the other group to change. In the end we all shoot what we enjoy and there are no losers.......

 

[308 Scout]

Well, if you are like me, the .44Spec offers everything I need in a .44 caliber . Load from light, to medium Skeeter loads (normal load), to hot Keith loads.... All in a smaller and lighter package than a .44Mag. If I need more 'punch' I can always call up the large frame .45 Colt . My .44Mags have been gathering some dust since Ruger came out with the nice medium frame .44Spec Blackhawk flattops. Wonderful revolvers. As Taffin would say ... Victory at last!


Ross Seyfried on the .44Spec
John Taffin on the .44Spec

The treasure trove of .44Spec Articles

The list goes on. Other than the .45 Colt, the .44Spec is one of the best big bore cartridges out there.

As Taffin would (did) say "If you love the .44 Special I don't need to explain this to you; if you don't, I can't."

The Special is special to those who believe. The Magnum is special to those who don't. Both groups can sit and discuss the differences and one group will not be able to convince the other group to change. In the end we all shoot what we enjoy and there are no losers.......

The .44Spl fits into smaller, handier, lighter packages. This is a little more abstract with the new Ruger flat-tops because the weight is not much different. However, the difference in handling is obvious. Although it may be too subtle for 'some' folks to notice. My question is, why would I carry a 45oz .44Mag that is capable of launching a 355gr at 1250fps when all I need is a 37oz .44Spl that launches 250gr at 950fps??? Hold one in each hand and you'll understand why. If you don't, then don't worry about it.

If you have to ask, you will never understand.

WOW...just WOW!! I feel like I just walked into a room full of wise old intellectualists.

Good stuff, guys...good stuff...and I DO get it.

308 Scout

 

[9x19]

Not a Ruger but my .44 Special is built on a medium (K-sized) frame and carries better than any snub in .44 Magnum... and the Special has all the stopping power you need without the over-penetration worries the Magnum adds.

Taurus Model 441

 

[dixie884]

I own several .44mags, but almost never shoot full power ammo. The noise is very unpleasant to me. I own several specials and they get shot a lot more than my magnums. I don't have to make a choice, so I dont. If I could own only 1, I would probably go with the special. If I lived in big bear country, I would go for the mag, or a heavy .45Colt capable of real +P loads. JMHO-YMMV.......

 

[CraigC]

The Special is special to those who believe. The Magnum is special to those who don't. Both groups can sit and discuss the differences and one group will not be able to convince the other group to change. In the end we all shoot what we enjoy and there are no losers.......

Very well put, sir. :wink:

 

[Krumholtz]

I had the same thoughts 308.....please!

 

[Pal Val]

Advantage? Who needs advantage? The beauty of the thing is that you buy what you like, shoot what you like, and it's nobody's business one way or the other. If you like the .44 Spec over the magnum, it's OK. No need to explain.

 

[5of7]

When I was young and money was short, I would have opted for the .44 Mg. over the .44 Sp., but now that I am old and money is long and time is short, I have several of each. That is just the way things develop.

As far as advantages and/or needs goes, one does not buy his toys based on needs, he buys them based on wants. 8)

 

[Rancher Will]

My wife has carried a .44 Special for close to 50 years. I bought her a .357 years ago and she has shot my .44 Mags many times. She selected her .44 Special over the others for the reason that it is smaller, lighter, and she did not like the "blast" of the .357's, .45's, and .44 Mags. She "borrowed" a number of revolvers from some of my officers (I was County Undersheriff) and shot them on our ranges. After trying a number of models and calibers she chose the .44 Special that she selected.

She shoots the .44 special regularly and a lot. It fits her hand and is pleasant for her to shoot, so she shoots it quite often. She would not have practiced with the others as often.

 

[jgt]

There ain't no advantage. It is just a marketing gimmick for gullible dorks. Anybody with any brains at all can see you can shoot 44 specials in magnums. So all yall that rushed out to get one, only to be dissappointed, can put them back on the market now. Let us dimwitted, out of the main stream, old geezers that don't know no better, take up the slack.

 

[M'BOGO]

My Wife's love of emptying my .44 Spc's, seem to mirror Rancher Will's Wife's, and they are the 250 Keith slug 7.5 gr Unique loads. Not that she hasn't rung some steel with her Model 19 and a mess of .38 Spc too..

Which is a good point, the lack of the Mag shock and awe, is nice to a lot of people who aren't out to impress, and are fun to shoot. Never mind that a 240ish slug over 800 fps is in, or over, the power range of the hallowed .45 ACP...

 

[Precision32]

My two CCW firearms are a Springer 1911A1 and a Charter Arms 44 Bulldog. From my research the 45 LC, 45 ACP and the 44 Spl all have about the same terminal ballistics.

IIRC, the 44 Mag has less "fight stopping" effect then the 44 Spl due to the formers tendency to go through the target rather than stopping in the target. By going through the target, not all of the bullets energy is shed in the target.