.44 Magnum

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 8/28/2018 | J Dee

[w1n1]

The iconic .44 Magnum cartridge will keep on trucking for a long time.
As time passes this cartridge just gets better and better like the Eveready battery.
The .44 Magnum was created when the late Elmer Keith needed more power from a revolver.
With a load thats super hot, this cartridge can take down most big-game animal in the U.S.
With the advancements in technology, as the big-bore cartridge gets bigger, the .44 Magnum still holds its own as the caliber to go to for hunting.
Here are some reasons why the .44 Magnum is a great ammo.

Knockdown Power & Accuracy
In the early days, rifles chambered for the .44 Magnum cartridge produced poor accuracy. Modern day rifles such as the Henry Arms Big Boy Lever-Action Rifle in the .44 Magnum caliber have proven this false.

Many Options Available
At the moment there are many options to choose from.
Such as a Magnum Research Desert Eagle Mark XIX semi-automatic pistol, Magnum Research BFR, Ruger Redhawk, Taurus Tracker or a vintage Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver, the choices are great.

Little Brother .44 Special
Did you know that you can shoot a .44 Special rounds in the .44 Magnum gun? Thats right you can use softer loads for target shooting and save the magnum load for self-defense or hunting. Read the rest of the .44 Magnum ammo here.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

You’ll shoot your eye out!!!

[Kommodor]

If you want to go pig hunting, take an AR-10, or other high capacity semi-auto with >.223 cal.

I went pig hunting with a Marlin 45-70 lever once. It put the pig that I hit down really well, but once I emptied the magazine, I found myself wondering what would have happened if the rest of the pigs (there were about 30) had decided to run at me instead of away.

Feral hogs are a funny thing. They tend not to bleed like a Quentin Tarantino movie. The one that I shot flipped over when it was hit, and that was about it. If it weren’t for the fact that it opted to run directly away, I probably would have missed it, because I wasn’t leading them enough. As it was, the round cored it from stern to stem and ... yeah.

On the other hand, my buddy hit one from the side with a .308. If he hadn’t hit its spine, it would probably still be running away somewhere. He had to finish it off up close with his 44 mag.

(Hmm, on second thought, maybe bigger bore is better :P)

Anyway, when we inspected it, there was a clean entry and exit hole from the .308 (soft point). Go figure.

Anyway, just a semi-amusing anecdote from down here in TX. Your mileage may vary.

[dfwgator]

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Model 29.

[Vaquero]

A few weeks after I bought this gun in 1990 and made up some 240 grain loads it was a few weeks before hunting season. I went down to the town range with one of those cardboard deer targets usually used for archery. I put an orange dot over the heart area. With as much concentration as I could deliver I stood upright with both hands wrapped around the grips in a modified weaver stance and slowly squeezed off 3 rounds. Without a spotting scope it looked like all The shots were clustered. I told my buddy those three shots looked good, I’m not going to spoil it with another. When the line was called I walked down to see two holes touching and one just off to the side. Where the sights were adjusted was a few inches off the orange dot. But that’s just adjustment.

I could not do that again. But I can get decent groups with if I concentrate.

As I age it becomes More and more difficult. Most handgun shooting I do is 10 - 15 yards these days. And with less punishing firearms like 1911s and lighter revolvers in less aggressive calibers.

[Bonemaker]

As a former USAF competitive bullseye pistol shooter I respect your marksmanship. The black at 50 yards seems to have gotten mighty small in recent years!

[Georgia Girl 2]

When I was about 12 or 13 my uncle had a .44 magnum with a 12 oz hair trigger. He loaded all his own rounds. One day he let me shoot it and Then he asked my mom if she wanted to shoot it. She was carrying it pointed towards the ground and her finger touched the trigger. She missed her foot by about 2 inches. It still comes up from time to time and everybody laughs.

[Vaquero]

The club And range I belong to shoots ipsic. I have never shot ipsic. I joined to get use of the range. They also shoot cowboy action shooting. I did that for about 5 years. Am not one for running and shooting. I wished they had bullseye shoots. I always wanted to try that.

Dad was a marine during WW2 and an NYPD cop. He tought me to shoot. He told me to take my time. How to breathe when I squeeze the trigger. He never said anything about running, shooting real fast then running then shooting again. I watch guys who do this real well. Not me.

What I never get is the whole ‘ if you shoot real fast and miss some it will be made up for by the speed ‘.

But that’s me.

[schurmann]

“I like Henry. Someday when the big boy becomes a real big boy they’ll put a loading gate on the frame...” [Vaquero, post 6]

Henry Repeating Arms chose wisely in which designs to copy, and their engineering & manufacturing are excellent: as good as any modern gunmaker, better than many.

Their Big Boy is a very close copy of Marlin’s 336 series, which itself was the highest expression of Marlin’s earlier 1893, 1894, and 1895 models. The design is less complex, stouter, and more durable than any Winchester lever action. And with side ejection, the Marlin has long been much friendlier for owners needing to mount a scope.

For 13 years, I worked part-time in gun sales & repair for a small family-owned dealership. Marlins rarely came in for repairs, compared to Winchesters. Even after we adjusted for Winchester’s larger production totals.

The Marlin is much easier to strip for cleaning from the breech; disassembling and reassembling Winchester 92s and 94s can be tricky. Removing and replacing cartridge guides in the Winchesters demands patience, perseverance, and a very steady hand. The pre-1964 Winchester 94 guides are especially troublesome: they don’t wear badly nor break often, but their screws loosen occasionally. And the slotted heads are inside. Requires specialized screwdrivers. The Marlin hasn’t any cartridge guides.

Be careful what you wish for, in loading gates. The on-frame King’s-patent type pioneered by Winchester in their Model 1866 is more demanding, balkier to load than the port-in-tube style with the removable inner tube, as seen on many rimfires. And manipulating rounds through the on-receiver gate can become a painful experience, if the frame or the gate haven’t undergone proper final fitting after basic machining. Cut thumbs and torn/gouged fingernails abounded. Correcting the problem requires complete disassembly, then careful work with needle files and Dremel tools.

[Bonemaker]

“But that’s me.”

Me either...I’m old school. The fundamentals of accurate shooting and mental and physical discipline are best learned with bullseye competion. Once mastered then have a go at the other things if one wishes.

[Vaquero]

You are wise in the ways of the lever gun.

I have a 336 in .35 Remington and 2 of my boys have a 336 and a 95. Excellent in their simplicity. I also own an original, circa 1882, winchester model 73 in 44 WCF. I have stripped the 73 most of the way down to replace brittle elevator springs (I broke them using the gun). My youngest son I bought a 1952 circa model 94. I figured any 94 pre 64 would be quality. Shot every time, everything was mechanically functional, but you couldn’t keep it on a paper plate at 100 yds. Put on a rear peep thinking it was the operator. Same. Put a side mount scope on. Same accuracy.

On my shot 3 shots then let it cool. Same.

Had a .30 caliber brownell crown cutter and pilot tool. Was about to recut the crown which looked just fine when I decided to try something. I removed the front barrel band and shot it. All of a sudden 2-3” groups.

The band was so cocked that it torqued the barrel. i tweeked the band open a tad and bolted it back on. Got the same accuracy that I had without the band.

That was it. Very nice shooter. Not as nice and simple as marlins but it took a non functional rifle into an accurate one.

I got side tracked. A friend who worked in a gun store bought an Italian Henry rifle (not the Henry company but winchester repeating Arms Henry)

He took it to the range. As he was loading it with lead bullets dropping them down the tube, one went off. Luckily no one got hurt. The tube blew off the gun. This gun was made for rimfire ammo. And although loaded with blunt nose bullets it should be ok to drop them in, this soft point, lead (perhaps round nose) .45 Colt bullets shouldn’t have fired a round. After he fixed the weapon he only used flat lead bullets and always kept the weapon close to horizontal so as not to get the drop energy on a primer.

Henry needs to put a loading gate on their rifles.

[jim_trent]

> “If I remember correctly a 44 Special has ballistics similar to a 45 ACP.”

Not when it was handloaded the way Elmer Keith handloaded it.

[libstripper]

My S&W Model 19 doesn’t have that light a trigger but it still only takes a gentle touch. Great gun for target shooting.

[redcatcherb412]

N-frame S&W’s are my favorite revolvers.

Same here. I never was able to let go of my old Model 28 Hwy Patrolman I carried in the 70's on patrol. owned a couple of 29's but always ended up trading or selling them. The 28 has been my steadfast comfortable friend for almost 50 years. Have no idea how many eounds I put thru it with all the practice and qualifications, but would be comfortable in stating it in many thousands and of rounds without a misfire or extraction problem. N frames, definitely something you can trust your life with IMO.

[yarddog]

You can add one more to the list of S&W N frame admirers.

[Hugin]

I’m just saying in general, with standard rounds. 44 special is slightly slower. Certainly plenty for self-defense, not enough to make any real difference unless you’re hunting elk like Keith.

[RinaseaofDs]

My father had the 11” barrel. He’d take us out shooting melons with it.

I was 18, and working out quite a bit.

Nearly broke my nose with it using factory rounds. My dad made his own which were easier to deal with.

Way too much gun for me. I don’t see a practical use for it. In a rifle, sure. Not a pistol.

[yarddog]

The .44 mag is not that bad but needs to be held well.

I had taken several of my Nieces and Nephews down to a wooden bridge over a creek on my parents land. We all fired a .22 pistol which I can’t recall now. They were having a ball, shooting at leaves, sticks etc. floating down the creek.

Everyone was wearing ear protection or at least covering their ears with their hands.

After a while I got out my Ruger Super Blackhawk with a seven and a half inch barrel. They were all impressed.

One of my Nieces wanted to fire it. I told her that I did not think that was a good idea but she kept insisting so I let her. I told her to hold it tightly but not like she was strangling a weasel. Allow the gun to recoil while still controlling it.

She instinctively bent her arms slightly at the elbow. To my surprise she fired all six rounds with no trouble. They were fairly hot reloads too.

None of the others wanted to fire it.

[moovova]

The most I’ll probably ever go is .40 caliber in my Beretta 96A1, and that’s because I already had a Beretta 92FS. The 9mm is still my favorite.

[riverrunner]

I have a 460 you well not feel underpowered with that or the five hundred.

I have up to 5 44s they are a much more practical hand gun for normal use then the 460’s or the 500’s I have used.

My hand load for my 460 is a 300gr hard cast WFN at 1550fps by the book one could add another 500fps.

Feel free to do so if one wants.

I find no need.

Having shot bears with my 315grWFN 44 hand loads at 1300fps I can tell you they well shoot side ways through big bears.

A friend of mine shot one front dead center of the chest that bullet exited the rear ham over 4 feet of penetration.

Buy a 500 or 460 you can have all the fun you want.