44 Special revolver

Rockydoc

Well-Known Member
I already have a 4” S&W 629 44 Mag. What are the pros and cons of shooting 44 Spl ammo in the mag.?
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
I already have a 4” S&W 629 44 Mag. What are the pros and cons of shooting 44 Spl ammo in the mag.?
The only "con" that comes to mind for me when discussing Special-length cases in Magnum-length chambers is the "crud ring" that forms where the Special case ends and the cylinder throat begins. If that crud builds up in sufficient depth and hardness, it can prevent full seating of magnum-length casings and/or affect bullet release if those Mag loads fit and get fired.

About 10 years ago I stopped shooting Short cases in Long chambers. I have no 44 Specials, and only three 38 Specials. If I want Special performance from a Magnum revolver, I just down-load the Magnum case/round to Special load levels. IME, the 357 and 44 Magnum cases respond well to 38 or 44 Special data + 10%-12% in powder weight. E.g., the 44 Special Skeeter's Load, consisting of Lyman # 429421 (240 grain plain-base SWC atop 7.5 grains of Unique in 44 Special cases. This is a mite stalwart for the Charter Arms and Taurus/Rossi 5-shots, but they are all-day loads in a S&W N-frame or Colt New Service. 4" barrels produce ~900 FPS, the 6" barrels get about 950-960 FPS. Accurate as can be, too.

44 Special revolvers by S&W and Colt are somewhat thin on the ground, try as Ruger might to produce them in numbers. 44 Magnums are literally everywhere, though--and Colt has their Anaconda back in their catalog these days. (This year's agenda includes 6" Python and Anaconda acquisitions, if Colt will cooperate fully). Those of us with 44 Mags can easily produce Skeeter's Load in Magnum casings by use of 8.3 grains of Unique or 9.0 grains of Herco under those same Lyman #429421s. Even the light-for-caliber Model 29-series isn't real daunting when fed a diet of such loads.
 
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Walks

Well-Known Member
Most of My .44Spl Revolvers are Colt SAA's.
I do have a S&W M624. It's lighter then a M29/629, and I don't have to clean crud out of the unused portion of the chamber. I don't shoot .44Spl's in My .44Mag guns. I have enough Mag cases to download to Spl ballistics.
A 250gr bullet over 5.5grs of Clay's is a Good light .44Mag load. A buddy has shoot many, many thousands over the last 25years for Cowboy Shooting. And the brass lasts practically forever. And since everything is Powder Coated these days, Light loads use green or gray bullets. Hot Loads use red bullets.
Instant identification.
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
I've owned two .44 Specials -- a 6 1/2" S&W 624 I still have, and a 3" S&W 24-3 that was recently sold to a forum member. Because I'm a softie for single-action revolvers, if I were in the .44 Special market today I'd be looking for a Ruger Blackhawk.

The above mentioned Lew Horton specials command lofty prices, so finding a reasonably priced on might be more than a little difficult.
 

Missionary

Well-Known Member
We also have a model 29. For "plinkers" we shoot Special velocity with 240 grainers. For hunting we up that to 265+ grains.
Unless you just want a Special there is no need.
But we also have 3 five shot (one Ruger) Specials and do like those for hauling about on a near daily basis.
 

BudHyett

Active Member
I am seriously in favor of a .44 Special for .44 Special and not shooting .44 Special in .44 Magnum. I own several Super Blackhawk revolvers. The S&W 696 is a .44 Special that I own, it is now almost a collector's item. The S&W shoots well and is easy to handle. I carry the 696 with shot loads when hunting prairie dogs. I even have a full-flap holster for this revolver which seems like overkill.

Light loads with 6.5 grains Unique and a 200 grain cast bullet for double-action practice. Serious social situation loads are 8.0 grains of Unique and the 240 grain Elmer Keith bullet from an Ohaus mold.

Owned two Charter Arms Bulldogs before the 696, these are good revolvers.
 
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Jeff H

NW Ohio
Depending on your intended use, there are several I've had which were exceptional guns. I prefer to take advantage of the fact that a 44 Special need not be built to digest 44 Mag loads, and personally prefer smaller, lighter 44 Special guns.

That said, the "mild temperament" of the 44 Special isn't quite as obvious in small, 3", 5-shot revolvers as it would seem in a full-sized revolver, but is still very manageable.

I had a mid-eighties 4" 624, which was a nice gun. I got it new for $275, but it had serious problems and wouldn't even fire when I got it. Smith was nice about it and fixed some of the issues, but feel down hard on others. I fixed the rest myself. After that dance, it was a marvelous revolver, but LARGE to me. It was lighter than a 29, but no smaller.

I've had several 3" Bulldogs and 4" Target Bulldogs, which are much more the size I like. These are not guns that will convince you of the rumors of the 44 Special's mild demeanor. A handful, but not hard to manage. Not something you'd want to shoot a drywall bucket full of cartridges through for a lazy day of plinking dandelion heads in a sleepy meadow, but certainly accurate enough to do so - 2" to 2.5" 5-shot groups at 25 yards without a lot of effort.

Rossi M720 - I've had two. Both were exceptionally accurate - as accurate as the Bulldogs or more so. A bit more weight on these guns, which are still very compact and had great triggers. The workmanship on them was excellent as well.

Taurus 43-somthings - had two of these too; a fixed-sighted blued model and a 6" stainless model. Accurate as well and very nice workmanship - good-looking and good-shooting guns of about the same weight class as the Rossi.

Ruger 44 Special Flat Top - have had four. HEAVY. I swapped the steel grip frame for the XR3-RED and it helped. Accurate, built like a brick, very well executed in terms of workmanship, etc. The first one was from the first run of Lipsey's and it was a turd. Ruger took it back and agreed, sent me a whole new one. It seems like a lit of gun for the 44 Special, but it is comfortable to shoot. Had the Bisley model - bought it because it was there." came to my senses and sold it before firing. WAY too much gun for the 44 special. My regret is being complacent when they discontinued the New Vaquero 44 Special, which made me hem and haw too long over spending $419 on a 4 5/8" blued one.

Old Model 357 conversion, done by a small shop - a friend who was a gun smith. Looks like a box-stock OM Blackhawk other than the holes. Excellent revolver, about the same weight and "balance" as the new Flat Tops.

My preferences were nurtured using a 3" Bulldog for years, and getting used to it. So many guns after that felt big, bulky and heavy. The short Bulldogs carry well. I've read that the new 4" (and 5") Bulldogs shoot well but haven't owned or shot one. I can't say much aboiut any others, because the ones mentioned are the ones I've owned and shot.
 

hporter

Active Member
I own several 44 specials and a number of 44 mags. But this is my very favorite, and probably the last gun I would ever sell.

My vote goes for the SW 24-3. It only has a 3" barrel, but it will out shoot any of the others in my safe with this knuckle head behind the trigger.

S&W 24-3.jpg
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
I have had a couple. I like the caliber.

If I was gonna buy it would be but one. The Ruger Jeff Quinn Commemorative. GP100

CW
 

hporter

Active Member
If someone is looking at the GP100 44 special used, carry a sized bullet in your pocket to check the throats. I ordered mine online when they first announced them, and the throats are .433 on my gun. I have read this is the case on quite a few of the early batches.

That Jeff Quinn version is nice. I ordered the 3" model and it balances great.
 

hporter

Active Member
My preferences were nurtured using a 3" Bulldog for years
I want to try the older Bulldog with the un-shrouded ejector rod.

I had a later model with the shrouded ejector rod and it never grew on me, so I sent it down the road. It was a wonderful light and handy revolver though. I found I could even shoot the Skeeter load in it from time to time.

The un-shrouded version reminds me of the old John Taffin magazine articles about what great guns they were. Plus they are probably plenty slicked up by now.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I really like my 624. Easy to load for, shoots great.

I don’t hot rod it, I have a 44 mag.
 

david s

Well-Known Member
Only a single 44 Special the S&W 696 L frame 5 shot. I do want one of the Ruger 4 5/8" guns but they bring such a premium now. And a silly question has S&W ever offered the N frames in the 3 1/2" barreled pistol in anything but the model 27/28. How sweet would the 3 /12" 44 Special be? To my eye the 3 1/2" N frame is the best-looking revolver ever.
 

JustJim

Well-Known Member
I'm a fan of the Ruger mid-sized Blackhawks. Bisleys are more common--and the one I had was almost dimensionally perfect for cast bullets--but I swapped mine for the same gun in Blackhawk (pseudo-SAA) configuration. Fits my hand better, but I found both configurations comfortable with Skeeter loads, and manageable with Keith's loads.

You'll have to hunt a bit to find one, but it is worth the search. I might know of a couple of Bisleys for sale if you want to go that route.

I'll probavly pick up an Uberti in 44 special if I ever manage to swap off my Cimarron 32-20, but the only "44 special" I'd prefer to the mid-sized Rugers would be a Ruger 44 mag flattop fitted with a dimensionally-correct 44 special cylinder. I think that would approach perfection in a .44.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
I have had a couple. I like the caliber.

If I was gonna buy it would be but one. The Ruger Jeff Quinn Commemorative. GP100

CW
In '88, when they quit the Security/Service/Speed Six line, I snagged one more stainless Service Six as a "project gun."

The idea was to send it off to someone, I think maybe it was Hamilton Bowen, to have it converted to a 5-shot 44 Special. My two favorite DA revolvers at the time were the Security/Service/Speed Six line and the Charter Bulldogs of the day - 357 in the Rugers, 44 Special in the Charter.

I got the gun new from a distributor (worked in a gun shop) for $215. It was stainless and had the "heavy" (cheaper to make) barrel of latter years. It made perfect sense to have that gun in 44 Special, but the conversion at the time was $600.

That would have put the gun in the $800+ range, not counting shipping, taxes, and who knows what else? Probably grips and a front sight upgrade. I was unable to wrap my head around the idea of having $800+ wrapped up in one gun - a handgun, no less. It was a ludicrous thought - unfathomable.

Could you imagine?? $800+ wrapped up in ONE revolver?? ;)

Idea died on the vine.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
About 8 months ago, Buckshot and I were infesting one of our local toy emporia and saw (IIRC) a S&W Model 69 for sale at a fair price. This was a 4" barreled 5-shot 44 Magnum built on the L-frame. This caught my eye, but my heart was set on a 6" Anaconda already. Maturity does prevail with me at least a couple times each year, and this was one such instance.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Only a single 44 Special the S&W 696 L frame 5 shot. I do want one of the Ruger 4 5/8" guns but they bring such a premium now. And a silly question has S&W ever offered the N frames in the 3 1/2" barreled pistol in anything but the model 27/28. How sweet would the 3 /12" 44 Special be? To my eye the 3 1/2" N frame is the best-looking revolver ever.
I had that 696.... Like a dumb azz, Sold it.

I traded a Charter Arms Bulldog for it when it came out. Awesome revolver... To this day the most regrettable sale of a firearm sale.

CW
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
you can always throw some fast powder in a 44 mag case and pretend your shooting a special.
that recipe got me along just fine for about 20 years,,, then i ended up with 3 44 specials in one day.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
The Smith 624 is the Cadillac IMO, the Charter Bull Dog the unkillable Toyota pickup. These days I would think pickins are pretty slim and that you'll probably be time ahead down loading the Mag.