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Which ammo to use in a 44Mag

Kenb6656Kenb6656 Member Posts: 24 ✭✭
edited September 2006 in Ask the Experts
What would be good ammo to use(ie grain,tip,etc) in a S&W 44Mag with a 3" bbl. It will be just for plinking. How much can it handle?

Comments

  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,649 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Use 44 Special ammo for plinking. Since it's low velocity stuff, you don't need jacketed ammo. Lead round nose or Keith type bullets, what ever is cheapest.

    A 44 Mag with a 3" barrel is going to be ugly with hot, heavy bullet hunting or self defense loads. The gun will take it without any problem, it's the shooter who is going to be in pain.
  • JamesRKJamesRK Member Posts: 25,670 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'm not big on having guns I can't shoot, but in this case I think I'd find out what the "collector value" is before I started plinking with it. You probably have a shooter, but it might be a collector.
    The road to hell is paved with COMPROMISE.
  • md1634md1634 Member Posts: 644 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a 3" 44 mag Smith that my wife gave me for Christmas. Took it to the range with some grim expectations. Other than a big fire ball and lots of blast the recoil was very managable. I'm guessing the bullet is out of the barrel before all of the powdwer is consumed. It's actually a blast(sorry couldn't help myself) to shoot and is fairly accurate.
  • gotstolefromgotstolefrom Member Posts: 1,479 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The possibility of collector value should be considered.

    I agree with rufe-snow on ammo selection. I generally reload 44 ammo. A round that is between factory 44 Special and 44 Mag loading is good. You still have a potent round that is a little easier to handle.
    For shooting factory 44 mag or hot loaded ammo, a longer barreled (hunting) revolver will develop more of the power of the load and help a little in recoil management.

    A shorter barreled pistol may not develop the full potential of the 44 Mag...but it will still be a hot round, and will produce quite a blast and recoil.

    Consider plinking with 44 special ammo, even though it will seem a little weak when compared to the magnum round. You may find that the magnum loaded with the lighter 180 grain bullet will recoil less than the 240+ grain bullets. I don't notice the difference, but some folks say they do.

    ENJOY !
  • ClarentaviousClarentavious Member Posts: 800 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Why would you want to plink with a .44 ?

    If you're just going to be plinking with it, use special rounds. There's no reason to hurt your hand if you aren't taking your shooting very seriously.

    But to answer your question, if it is a modern gun in good condition, it should be able to handle the all factory loads, no matter how hot. I would check the manual just to be sure though. Some guns, like some of Ruger's single action .44's, aren't meant to handle the really hot loads.

    Lead round nose are going to be the cheapest to shoot. After that comes FMJ's The only company I'm aware of that makes FMJ's in .44 mag is Atlanta Arms. And their reloaded .44's are very reasonable in price. Specials I don't know about.

    The grain (which refers to the weight of the bullet) isn't going to make much difference in the amount of recoil produced - you'll have to look for the number foot pounds the round was chrono'd at, and the barrel length comparably. This is measured by both the weight of the bullet, and the velocity. The powder charge determines recoil. Heavier bullets are more resistant to crosswinds and deflecting after hitting objects like tree branches. They will drop off more quickly however.

    I had a Taurus 44 with a 4 inch ported barrel, and it kicked pretty hard...

    What exactly are you going to be using this for? Non sanctioned target shooting?
  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,649 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Clarentavious
    The grain (which refers to the weight of the bullet) isn't going to make much difference in the amount of recoil produced - you'll have to look for the number foot pounds the round was chrono'd at, and the barrel length comparably. This is measured by both the weight of the bullet, and the velocity. The powder charge determines recoil. Heavier bullets are more resistant to crosswinds and deflecting after hitting objects like tree branches. They will drop off more quickly however.




    No offense meant Clarentavious, but I disagree with you as far as bullet weight vis a vis recoil is concerned.

    The lighter weight bullets in the handguns I have fired in the past "seem to me at least" to give lesser PERCEIVED recoil then heaver bullet weights in the same gun. Even though the lighter bullets have a much higher muzzle velocity.
  • ClarentaviousClarentavious Member Posts: 800 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It may vary from person to person. But if you put 2 different cartridges in the same gun, technically the one with the higher powder charge should produce more recoil, regardless of bullet weight. Of course, a shooter's individual experience may not indicate this to them.
  • richbugrichbug Member Posts: 3,650
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Clarentavious
    Why would you want to plink with a .44 ?

    If you're just going to be plinking with it, use special rounds. There's no reason to hurt your hand if you aren't taking your shooting very seriously.

    But to answer your question, if it is a modern gun in good condition, it should be able to handle the all factory loads, no matter how hot. I would check the manual just to be sure though. Some guns, like some of Ruger's single action .44's, aren't meant to handle the really hot loads.

    Lead round nose are going to be the cheapest to shoot. After that comes FMJ's The only company I'm aware of that makes FMJ's in .44 mag is Atlanta Arms. And their reloaded .44's are very reasonable in price. Specials I don't know about.

    The grain (which refers to the weight of the bullet) isn't going to make much difference in the amount of recoil produced - you'll have to look for the number foot pounds the round was chrono'd at, and the barrel length comparably. This is measured by both the weight of the bullet, and the velocity. The powder charge determines recoil. Heavier bullets are more resistant to crosswinds and deflecting after hitting objects like tree branches. They will drop off more quickly however.

    I had a Taurus 44 with a 4 inch ported barrel, and it kicked pretty hard...

    What exactly are you going to be using this for? Non sanctioned target shooting?


    Don't know where you get your info, Ruger single actions are miles ahead of most other 44 magnums in terms of strength.
  • grizzclawgrizzclaw Member Posts: 1,159 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I plink with my .44 all the time, and I plink with what I use for hunting. Bullitt weight makes alot of difference, I like the 200 grainers for my .44 instead of the 240's. I also went down to the 300's from the 405's for my 45-70 contender. It took away a major part of the flinch factor.
  • select-fireselect-fire Member Posts: 69,453 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I will pipe in here and suggest some .44 Mag gas checks. Just because Grandma.. just because..
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