Sixgun daydream

[Bill in Oregon]

I'm looking hard at the plain Uberti Model P Colt SAA clone with 7 1/2-inch barrel as a hunting revolver among other things. Really had planned to go with .45 Colt; it's old, it's original and it has plenty of steam loaded up to 1,000 fps. But I was leaving through Sixguns by Keith and thinking about his old .44 Special loads, which were mighty useful too. The .44 Special, with a bit more meat in the cylinder walls, can sneak up on .45 Colt performance, although never matching the bullet diameter of the old Colt. How many here have weighed these two against each other, how did you decide, and how has your decision worked for you.
Oh, 'tis a pleasant misery to worry on it ...

[Blaine]

Keith could make those shots out past 100 yards......I learned awhile back to load my .44mag to +P Special levels....much more civilized, and I can't think of anything that needs more than a 240-300 grain boolit @ 1000fps....

[Bill in Oregon]

Blaine, I wouldn't have any business shooting at a live critter much past 100 yards with any sixgun, but it sure is fun to walk up the slugs on a distant rock from the Keith back position ...

[JohndeFresno]

Keith could make those shots out past 100 yards......I learned awhile back to load my .44mag to +P Special levels....much more civilized, and I can't think of anything that needs more than a 240-300 grain boolit @ 1000fps....

Yup.

It's fun to have other loads around for play and for unexpected needs, but my favorite .44 Mag round is safe enough that I'm not hesitant to publish it. It is more accurate than I am; bullets touch at a bit under 25 yards and beyond that (without a pistol scope) my bespectacled eyes can't be totally relied upon to make a judgement:

240 gr. Magnus Moly Coated hard cast bullet, #701M SWC Bevel Base
Brinnell Hardness (BHN) reportedly 18-20; I take the loader's word for it
9.0 gr. Unique, CCI 300 LP primers, 1.610" Overall length (COAL)
Chronographed MV 1,078 (avg) at 271 ft. elevation, upper 70's temp.
ME 619 ft. lbs.
This is from a Taurus Model 44 Stainless, 6.5 inch barrel

A Ruger Blackhawk with 10.5 inch barrel boosts the MV to 1171 fps.

It is a relatively mild load that allows you to bring your hand cannon into battery quickly.
...And the measurements show that I can get 777 loads from a pound of powder!

[Bill in Oregon]

John, I have a great admiration for the SBH with 10.5-inch barrel in .44 Magnum. I'm looking at a 7 1/2-inch barrel SAA clone to reduce weight a bit. I also think it would be fun to get out there and do it just the way Elmer did, with 16.5-17.5 grains of 2400 in the Special ...

[Paladin]

Good luck with the hunt it is a good load. I don't know why all of my .44s are Mags and S&W Double Actions and all my .45 Colts are all single actions mostly Rugers.

[J Miller]

Bill,

I have fired the magnums, and a 44 Spcl many times in the years I've been shooting.

But my first center fire revolver was chambered for the .45 Colt. I liked it then, 40 + years ago and I like it now.
I'm so set up for the .45 Colt that I really don't see the point to adding another caliber.
Especially in this day and age of ammo, and component shortages.

There is not one thing wrong with the .44 Spcl. and I sure wouldn't turn one down if it was offered to me. But I won't be looking for one as I'm satisfied with the .45 C.

Joe

[wm]

My only thought is that there are more good commercial hunting ammo in 45 Colt then 44 spec but that is a moot point if you figure all you will ever hunt with is home brewed.

Personally I have a Ruger 45 Bisley and a Ruger 41 mag Blackhawk as my hunting handguns. Not sure why that would be relevant to you but thought I should divulge my personal taste on such matters

[Buck Elliott]

I started out with an old .44 WCF Colt, then "graduated" to the snorty .357 Magum, then vascilated between .44 Special and .45 Colt for a while (shooting and loading both), then eventually emerged as a full blown fan and admirer of the .45 Colt.. I have owned and shot many different .45s over the years, including one of the earliest Ruger Vaqueros, which became a part of my everyday dress..

A dozen years ago or so, I bought my first Uberti/Beretta Single-action, then added a couple more, and have not looked back.. the cylinders are a bit beefier than those on the old Colt's, and give you a bigger margin to play with.. i can run 250s at 1200 plus, and 325s at 1100, from a 7 1/2" barrel, and hit what I aim at..

[Grizz]

and 325s at 1100, from a 7 1/2" barrel, and hit what I aim at

this is pretty close, very close to my 44 mag hunting load, diameters excepted,

it is a hammer on deer type game for absolute certain, great combo Buck.

Will a 44 special do this also?

[Buck Elliott]

You could do it in a .44 Spl, but only at the price of higher pressures and more wear & tear on the gun.. if you have to get those ballistics from a .44, you're better off with a Magnum chamber from the get-go...

[Leverluver]

The only moderate frame (meaning not already built on a 44 Mag frame) gun I would try that in is my Freedom Arms M97 but it would sting like all getout. For me anyway, 300s past 1000 or 240s past 1150 are pretty brutal. It sure is a fine packing gun though.

[JohndeFresno]

John, I have a great admiration for the SBH with 10.5-inch barrel in .44 Magnum. I'm looking at a 7 1/2-inch barrel SAA clone to reduce weight a bit. I also think it would be fun to get out there and do it just the way Elmer did, with 16.5-17.5 grains of 2400 in the Special ...

Yes - fun. No argument with that statement. That's largely why we try so many different loads! With younger eyes, I'd want to try it, too.

[piller]

, and hit what I aim at..

That is the most important part. I don't care what you are shooting, it doesn't do any good when you miss.

[Bill in Oregon]

Buck, I had forgotten that the Uberti has a smidgen more beef in the cylinder dimensions. I know the .45 Colt has more versatility -- and especially when running black powder.
One of the best sixgun groups I ever shot was with a handload of Goex 3F under the old black Remington 250-grain pointed cup base bulk bullet in an Old Model Vaquero in .45 Colt. Of course, the fool cannot leave well enough alone and that gun went down the river ...

[.45colt]

I don't think You can go wrong with either one. but I like the .45. after reading everything I could find from Keith I came to the conclusion that if a Ruger .45 cal revolver would have been available in the '20's Elmer would have kept His .44 special's regulated to serious target work. Have Fun with this choice. .

[Bill in Oregon]

Heh, I just remembered I have a box of Starline .44 Russian brass begging to be put up with some black powder .... The plot thickens.

[Griff]

I think it's a matter of your intentions. If you have a supply of brass in either flavor and are just looking for plinkin' or target shooting, with the right dimensions of chamber, forcing cone & barrel, either can be uncannily accurate. Finding those correct dimensions in an off-the-shelf gun can be a bit "iffy". For myself, I couldn't bring myself to buy a gun just because I had a box of brass in that caliber... (Although I do have 200 rnds of JW .32-40 ammo for when I find that perfect mdl 94 or Hi-Wall in it)!

And if it's hunting... then in my mind it's always about bullet selection. And while the selection of .427-.429" is larger than in years past, if you remove those appropriate for .44Mag velocities, you're rather limited.

However, as a caster, the sky's the limit, as whatever you can dream up, can be had in a custom mold. A fun conundrum, for sure!

[Sixgun]

Mmmmmmmm............not a whole lot of difference unless your playing with modern guns in the 50-60,000 psi range.

As for your standard single action with normal loads, just pick the one that strikes your fancy. My fancy has always been the 44 Spl., growing up reading Elmer and Skeeter.---6