44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

I am thinking of buying the Ruger RedHawk, "44 Magnum" but using 44 special ammo. What barrel length is best ? 7.5 inches? 5.5 inches? 4 inches?
Be well.

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

The 4 inch would be best, IMO.

Less barrel for assailant to grab on to in a close-quarters encounter...

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

I agree, short barrel and you need to be able to fire it with one hand.

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

I assume that you prefer handguns to shotguns for home defence.
Is this correct?
Be well.

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

IMO..

The best home defense gun is the shot gun..
Chose the load .

With a rifled gun,..hand or rifle ,

shot in a home and you do not hit who you are shooting ,
you run the risk of having the shot pass thru a wall and causing harm to family or others.(not the bad guys)
A shot gun , better chance of hitting the bad guy on the first shot ..

Yes big hole in the wall , but easy to fix.


If not in the house then the rifle or handgun have their place..

any way this is my two cents worth..

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

any barrel length,,,,,just get one while you can,,,,big barrels get attention fast.
usually the first response to one is holy s!!t.,,, if you are going to carry get 4".
i have both,,, my prize thou is the big one,,,its a man thing . not good for carry.

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

I would go with the 4" barrel as it is less cumbersome in confined areas and so forth. If intimidation is a serious criteria (which I don't think it should be), go with a run-of-the-mill pump-action 12 gauge.

For the ammo, I suggest Cor-Bon hollow points (take your pick) or Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .44 Special or Magnum (these are tamed down, not-quite-Magnum rounds).

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

Why such a large frame gun as the Ruger Redhwak.....nice platform for a powerful deer hunting pistol.....but not my first choice for a home gun.

Question - do you have several handguns now?

If you are a 45ACP fan (as in you may own several 45 ACP pistols, model 1911....) - now is your chance to get a 45ACP revolver.....can be loaded to very similar performance to 44 spl......

I'd try to get a smaller 44 special revolver - someting like a Charter Arms Bulldog.......or similar sized 44 spl revolver....

For home guns - i like snubby barrel length...2 to 3 in max. As mentioned earlier...hard to take away from you = no bbl to grab. Also, I think all home guns should be able to fit into pant/coat/house coat pocket..... Here is why - I often find myself going out to check on a noise or if the day comes that some crap is going down....you want to be able to have the gun easily hidden - out of sight....what if police show up - best to have a gun out of sight but at hand if the police do not shot up....

This is just my opinion. A 44 spl is a fantastic defense round - hard to think of a better one overall.....357 mag (perfect ballistics but too much flash/noise). I feel a 45ACP can equal a 44spl.

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

This is where knowing how a home is built comes in handy. Knowing a bullet can pass through several homes before coming to rest is important. Unless it's brick, regular drywall construction is pretty flimsy.

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

Ruprick,

I have a .357, 4 inch barrel, Ruger revolver.
What is wrong with a heavy handgun for home defence?
Say a Ruger "Redhawk" w a 4 inch barrel?
Will it seem heavy if I hear a noise at 2 AM?
Be well.

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

In home - Remington 870.

Outside AR \ Ak.

Use a hand gun to fight your way back to your long gun.

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

Also, CCW during peaceful times.

Re: 44 Sp for Home Defence, best barrel length?
 

Unless you just want another gun (who doesn't? :D), use your .357. It will work just fine. I would load it with the tamed down 135 gr. Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .357 loads. Cor-Bon DPX .357 (also a tamed down from the full-house Magnum loads) is also an excellent choice.

Absolutely nothing.

Honestly, only you can detirmine that. Go to your local funshop and handle a Redhawk.