44 mag ?

not to hunt with but to carry while hunting. 6" or 8" barrel?

If you are going to carry it quite a bit, you might appreciate the shorter barrel.

I would say 6". Mine has a 6" barrel and I wouldn't mind having a slightly shorter barrel.

3.75"

As a 44 mag nut, I think you need to define your purpose for the gun and type of action. These things can get aweful heavy just for popping snakes and non-bear critters.

3" S&W 44MAG
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=415384065

I have 6 44mags in various barrel length and configurations. If you are not going to hunt with it I would get a S&W Mountain Gun with a 4" barrel. It is a little lighter and is still not too bad to shoot. If you did not want this short of a barrel I would definitely not go longer than a 6".

I picked up a Smith & Wesson Lew Horton Special model 629 with a three inch barrel, Magna Ported, and action job for a song. They come up from time to time and a great investment. Not to mention the porting makes this an actual shooter option.

FWIW, I sold my last 44 (Smith Performance Center 6.5") as I got over the hunting with a handgun bug and found it just too much to have on me all the time at the lease.

1911 with 255g +P hardcasts is much easier to carry and personally I shoot them easier..

I'd go 8, but I love big pistols. Never cared to own a auto or snub.

its only going to be carried in the big bear country, going with 6"

I'd look for a four-inch gun myself.

I've had 4"-10" mags. My favorite this far is a 629 6" but I am looking for another 4"

Dan Wesson 744!

hadn't thought about the Dan

found my 44mag...Llama..6" barrel NIB, I know its not s&w quality, but for $399. I like it will post pics later

I have a 4" and 6", I prefer the 4" because of weight.

What a bunch of old ladies. I carry my full length Ruger .454 all the time. A 6" .357 would be a breeze.

No doubt carrying a larger 44 mag in the field all day can be a chore. I think a very important thing to look at is what type of rig you will chose to carry. That can make all the difference in the filed regardless of 4" versus 6". Out of all my 44 mags, I would opt for the shortest barrel I feel comfortable shooting.

Good luck and good shooting.

I've been a 44 mag fan for many, many years - still have a wheel gun and a Desert Eagle. I will never part with them - I love that round! But when I head out, I grab a 4" .357 GP-100. I am far more comfortable and much faster at bringing it back on target quickly and more instinctively than I am with the 44's. With quality ammo, I don't feel "under gunned" compared to the bigger bore at all.

This may not be a deciding factor, but with the .357, if I have to draw and fire, I won't be permanently deafened nearly as much as I would with 44 mag heavy loads. Neither is good for unprotected ears, but the concussive force of 44 full house loads will cause more permanent damage, faster! That's the main reason for posting in this thread - think of your hearing. (Say what? :-( )

Marc

speak up can't hear you

Those ported barrels are especially deafening.

I fired my ported S&W 629 Classic 7 1/2" without hearing protection once. Once.

pic of 44

Yep - most of us have "been there and done that." It really doesn't take too much to make a young guy sound like his Grandfather with "Say what?"

I suspect that most of us have done more hearing damage than we could have..... No point in making it even worse......

Say what?

Marc

The last time that I fired a .44 without hearing protection, I was 17. My ears rang for three days ...

It's been, ahem, a couple of years since then, but I never forgot the experience. BTW, how can someone with a forum name of colt45 carry a .44? It's just wrong.



I carry a 4inch 5 shotTaurus Titanium Tracker in .45 Colt when I hog hunt. It's wonderful to carry as it's only about 20 oz or so. Supposedly it's +P, but I keep the 250 grain XTP bullets down to 900 fps. I recently acquired an old school (DMAX) BFR 5 shooter and I load that considerably hotter; think .44 mag velocities. I intend to use it for some hog hunting smack down when the opportunity arises.

I pack a Taurus M44C (2.5" barreled 44 Mag) on my hunts in the border country of Texas, not because of the four legged critters but because of the two legged encounters. It has never left the holster but anybody I encounter cannot stop staring at it, it is very intimidating. This particular handgun was a Talo offering but Taurus makes it for the Academy stores as the Rossi 44102.

I have a Taurus Tracker in 44 mag and I think it is a 4.5 - 5 in barrel. I keep it for anytime I have to track deer for clients. great in the brush.

just read info on buffalo ammo site Taurus,Dan Wesson & couple of others are rated for the use of big heavy bullets, Smith & Wesson not, go figure

44 Magnums all. Not a more versatile and/or enjoyable cartridge for a guy who reloads.

3" Model 29 or 629 is the way to go!

Well, if you can't shoot Buffalo Bore ammo, I guess there's just not much need to own one. I've been carrying a 6" .44 loaded with BB lead cast bullets for a long time. seen those loads do dirty, nasty things to hogs.