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The 44 special has it's place but not as a defensive handgun off the pavement. It does not stack up well to the other large bores or mags.
I'm a fan of the 45LC chambered in the ruger blackhawk frame. I can shoot the cowboy action ammo that is like shooting 38 wad cutters in a 357, or I can ramp it up to 454 ballistics by stoking it with Cor-Bon 45LC+p ammo. The 45LC+P should never be used in colt, S&W, or colt clones because there just isn't enough steel in them to make it safe. The 45 does not have the recoil bite that the 44mag does and handles heavier bullets than the 41mag.
I spend a lot of time in the back country and have killed two good sized black bear with this combo at close quarters. The impact energy of the cor-bon soft points is devastating and instant energy displacement into the target is noticeable.
As with all defensive firearms the most important element is practice. I shoot at least 18 rounds every week starting each shot from the holster always concentrating on making that first shot count.

I also have .45 Long colt and love it, but the .44 is more accurate and I carry it frequently where as the .45 colt not so much. They are both sub 3” barrels. Thanks for the input.