# .44 special or magnum?



## hemmigremmie (Jan 23, 2008)

hello.
Got a chance to buy a litweight .44.
i can get a mag or a special for close to the same price.
whats my best option? is ammo close on price? goods...bads?? tnx


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## rfawcs (Feb 11, 2006)

You can shoot .44 Special in a .44 Magnum revolver.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

rfawcs said:


> You can shoot .44 Special in a .44 Magnum revolver.


Yup.


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## hillman (Jul 27, 2014)

If you are looking at a _lightweight_ revolver, you may wish to consider:

A - if you choose the .44 Magnum

1) the punishment you will absorb shooting fullbore .44 Magnum in it, and

2) the effects of the, ah, pre-freebore condition occurring when .44 special is shot in a .44 Magnum cylinder.

In both cases, opinions vary, particularly among Real Men

B - if you choose the .44 Special

1) commercial ammo is less readily available; brass for reloading is harder to find, both new and at the range, and

2) there may be instances of WTF from Real Men.


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## GCBHM (Mar 24, 2014)

I would not buy a .44 myself, but it depends on why you want it. The only useful purpose I see for a .44 (special or mag) is deer hunting. In that case I would choose the magnum. For shooting fun...well, then I'd choose the special, although I can't imagine it being much fun to shoot a lot at one time. It just doesn't work for personal defense for me. Way too much!


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Everyone should own at least one .44 mag. revolver, even if they don't need it. 

It's the American way. :smt033


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

paratrooper:


> Everyone should own at least one .44 mag. revolver, even if they don't need it.


Life would be pretty boring if one only buys what they need. Nothing like a good "Foty Fo"!


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## Scorpion8 (Jan 29, 2011)

We routinely carry 44 Specials to shoot from our 44 Magnums at the range. And then load the full bore 44 Magnum when hiking. Get the 44 Magnum, it's just more versatile.


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## 1886 (Nov 4, 2014)

With 44 mag you can shoot both. The only reason to get 44 Special would be for a smaller or cheaper gun like the Charter Arms Bulldog.


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## rustygun (Apr 8, 2013)

paratrooper said:


> Everyone should own at least one .44 mag. revolver, even if they don't need it.
> 
> It's the American way. :smt033


Amen brother.

I very rarely see .44 special ammo.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

rustygun said:


> Amen brother.
> 
> I very rarely see .44 special ammo.


I have two model 629's. One has a 6" barrel and the other with a somewhat rare 3" bbl., with a non-fluted cylinder.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Being practical get the mag. because greater ammo supply. Shoot the special to be more comfortable if it hard to find reload your own.


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## hillman (Jul 27, 2014)

tony pasley said:


> Being practical get the mag. because greater ammo supply. Shoot the special to be more comfortable if it hard to find reload your own.


And it is perfectly feasible to load .44 Magnum brass light, to approximately .44 Special performance. I have loaded 6.7gr Unique behind 240gr lead SWC for pleasant target shooting.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

hemmigremmie said:


> hello.
> Got a chance to buy a litweight .44.
> i can get a mag or a special for close to the same price.
> whats my best option? is ammo close on price? goods...bads?? tnx


If your gonna CCW the 44 spl. And the frame is smaller and easier to conceal then the 44 magnum. Go for it.
The 44spl is making a comeback, and ballistic wise ,,comparable to a 45 acp


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## rustygun (Apr 8, 2013)

paratrooper said:


> I have two model 629's. One has a 6" barrel and the other with a somewhat rare 3" bbl., with a non-fluted cylinder.


I have a S&W 629 with a 5" barrel. I really like the SA trigger. Some of the stories behind the .44 mags creation are very interesting. Elmer Keith was a character and whom we can thank for the .357 mag, .41 mag and 44 mag. His story of shooting a deer at 600 yards is very interesting.


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## 1886 (Nov 4, 2014)

pic said:


> If your gonna CCW the 44 spl. And the frame is smaller and easier to conceal then the 44 magnum. Go for it.
> The 44spl is making a comeback, and ballistic wise ,,comparable to a 45 acp


Yep, I have S&W 629 Classic Hunter, Dan Wesson 44, Ruger Super Blackhawks(old model & Bisley) and Charter Arms Bulldog. If you're going to carry it all day long the Bulldog is the way to go, plus the others would be kind of hard to cc especially in warm weather.


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## TurboHonda (Aug 4, 2012)

Depending on the manufacturer, I would compare the dimensions of the two guns. Some gunmakers use the same dimension cylinder on the special and magnum, changing only the inner dimensions to accomodate or exclude the magnum round.


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## MitchellB (Aug 14, 2010)

I got a Charter .44 spl revolver, Ruger .44 mag revolver and Winchester .44 mag rifle. I like the ability to chose either specials or magnum, but for personal defense and plinking I use .44 specials in all of them. For hunting I go with .44 magnum or just when I like to hear a big boom. .44 specials are comparable to .45 acp and leave a bigger hole than .38 specials. For me, having a gun in .44 special is just fine because I am a big fan of .44 magnums that shoot both and already have the ammo. Were I to own only one, I'd chose the size for it's intended propose. Conceal carry would be lighter .44 special. A fun, trail or hunting gun would be .44 magnum.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

A few years ago, I had a NIB S&W 629 with a 2" bbl. It also had iron sights and the gun had been smoothed and rounded from the factory. No sharp edges or areas to snag if tucked into a pocket.

It came with some rubber grips, but I obtained some laminate Rosewood finger-groove combat grips for it. The grips changed the whole look of the gun and it was simply stunning.

I listed it on Gunbroker and put an outrageous _Buy It Now _price on it. I was curious if anyone would nibble.

Damn gun sold within two hours of being listed. I still regret to this day, having sold that gun. It just goes to show that money cannot buy love. :smt089


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## DanP_from_AZ (May 8, 2009)

paratrooper said:


> Everyone should own at least one .44 mag. revolver, even if they don't need it.
> 
> It's the American way. :smt033


I've got a Ruger Alaskan in .454 Casull. Which also shoots .45 Long Colt. 2.5 in. barrel, Magna-Ported.
Since the caliber starts with a "four", does this count ?

I can shoot .45 LC on the pistol line. No big deal. .454 Casull brings shooters down from the rifle line to see "who's doing what".

I had my fiance do an absolutely totally unscientific video. Gallon water-filled milk jugs at 25 yards. 
.45 LC followed by .454 Casull. Left her collapsed on the ground laughing hysterically. Now THAT is worth $2 per factory round. :mrgreen:


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## buckhorn_cortez (Feb 16, 2014)

I have a number of .44 magnums: Ruger Super Blackhawk, Ruger Redhawk, Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan, and a S&W 629. 

I have ONE .44 Special - a S&W Model 624 with a 3-inch barrel.

The 624 3-inch barrel was a limited edition for Lew Horton (gun distributors). They come up every so often on Gunbroker and other gun sales websites. 

I love the 624 Lew Horton model because it is a delight to shoot, accurate and low recoil with the .44 Special ammunition. It is also slightly smaller in size than a Model 629 and is easy to carry all day.

All that being said - my advice would be to buy a .44 Magnum unless you are a gun collector or like different calibers. A .44 Magnum is far more versatile, and easier to find commercial ammunition. As already been said, you can shoot .44 Special out of a .44 Magnum.


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