I got a new Blackhawk in 44 Special years ago 5.5" barrel. Slugged the bore after a bit, and sure enough the barrel was choked at the threads. Fire-lapped it with approximately 60 rounds and it seems to be more accurate than I can shoot it now. Need to file down the front sight a bit.

Mine is an old Sears & Roebuck 12ga pump with 00 buck. Cut the original barrel down to 19+ inches. Original barrel length was 28", but was shooting off. Too cheap a gun to put money in to fix. Now it works great for home defense. Action is very slick. Now it's still useful with a different ...

I ordered a Colt 1851 Navy earlier this year on the internet. Was delivered to my front door with no paperwork. Too bad I lost it in a tragic canoe incident not long after.

I have a Marlin 1894 in 44 mag (20" barrel) that does 2" groups at 100 yards. Been using Hornady 240 grain XTP bullets under a heavy load of WW296 powder. Shot a handful of deer with this rig, and have never recovered a bullet. The deer never go very far. That bullet and load is a hammer.

I would say that penetration is very important. I know a man that is still walking around after being shot twice in the face and once in the neck. Happened to him years ago. The only thing that saved him was the cartridge used... .32 acp.

I have an old can, too. How old is this thing? Still is mostly full.

I love my Marlin .44 mag. It's a beautiful gun and shoots like it was made for me. The caliber depends on you. I havn't had the pleasure of shooting a 45-70 yet, but that is on the list. Get what feels right in your gut.

I got my first deer yesterday....actually, I got two of them. 37 years old with a Marlin 1894 in .44 Magnum with a 20" barrel. I was at the Indiana Dunes National Park for a deer cull. I hiked the sand dunes for a couple hours since dawn. A group of 3 does came out of the woods towards me and I...