I was curious what flavor of .44 Mag you carry afield.
I carry my 7 1/2" Redhawk as a suddenly unprepared but out here Survival option, since its long barrel handles longer ranges really well, and the model can stand up to Garretts too, serving as a stand-in for the rifle I wish I had with me.
It is good for close range big game hunting, and it conceals reasonably well under a flannel shirt, unlike most rifles, as I have had pointed out to me!
The .44 shotshell kills venomous snakes right away, and it usually takes me 2 .38s to do more than stun them with a head shot. I find it the most useful cartridge that there is. I also carry and use an old SAA Uberti 6" chambered in .44 magnum, but it really should be used only with Specials. It's a rather rare gun, perhaps for good reason!
My next purchase should be a 4"-629 for CCW, and as a handy to carry snake stopper, and all-around handy critter. Squantos carries and loads for a Titanium etc. .44 Special a lot, and hasn't even blown it up yet, much to his surprise and glee. Not having allowed Eaker to borrow it may be instrumental in its longevity too, we may reasonably speculate.