44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

Does it affect the gun or performance?
There is an extra 0.125 inches of empty space.
Does this reduce the performance or effect the gun?

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

Long ago when I still had a .44 mag, I used to run both rounds through it all the time with no problems at all, I'd even stagger them in the cylinder, it'd be...bang, BOOM, bang, BOOM.....lol

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

EDIT: Shooting 44 Specials out of a gun chambered in 44 mag will not harm the firearm. Some brands of 44 Special loads may actually shoot better than Mag loads. FWIW, my Marlin 44 will shoot PMC 180gr. 44 special loads into a 1 inch jagged hole at 50 yards. My mag loads won't do that well.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

I'm not sure that I understand.
Is the PMC 44 a handgun round?
How does the Marlin 44 do with regular hand gun 44 spl rounds?
Be well.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

The 44 Special cartridge will shoot in ANY FIREARM chambered for 44 Magnum.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

PMC is a brand name--ammunition manufacturer.

Although to be honest at the present time, you're more likely to be able to find 44 mag ammo than 44 spcl, and if you do find the 44 spcl, it won't likely be any cheaper, which is one of the reasons to run it over the mag ammo.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

Here is some history.

http://www.darkcanyon.net/The_44Spec...eappraisal.htm

http://www.vincelewis.net/44magnum.html

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

In my opinion the 44 Special is a GREAT Cartridge.

I shoot it the best of all my toys. Its recoil is so easily tamed by the weight of a gun designed for 44Mag.

I have had a couple of targets from 7yds that had all 6 touching and in the red of a 2in Bullseye shooting Double Action. I'm no Marksman but this load makes me feel like one.

Easier on the Ears than the 357Mag. Easier on recoil than 357Mag. Harder on the Wallet-----Learn to reload it quickly pays for itself with the 44Special.

I shoot it out of a Smith and Wesson 4" Mountain Gun designed for 44Mag.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the Special ------sending 240 Grains lumbering down range at about 800 ft / Sec makes things happen at the berm or stump.

E-A

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

yeah i know guys like you......

you shoot the 44special.....then hand it to a friend to try with the 44mag ....LOL..

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

Thats pretty funny. Reminds me of a time when with my best bud, who has since passed away, we were at an outdoor range, and it was real slow. It was cold and windy, and all the range employees were inside. My buddy and I were the only two people at the 200 yard range. We were plinking steel plates with a 44 magnum ruger carbine and my CAR 15. I had a couple of Sterling 40 rounders and I unloaded one rapid fire (they had a very strict rule against rapid fire) Anyway, I looked over at my friend and said "Want to try it?" he says sure and I loaded the other 40 rounder in it and handed it to him. He starts shooting and I walk to the car for a smoke. Just about that time a white van comes speeding up and two guys jump out and start yelling at him about No rapid fire.

My buddy looked over at me laughing in the car and realized he had been had.

The gods paid me back that day though. After the van left, I walked back to the shooting benches and took a big swig off a can of Pepsi I had sitting there. I didn't know it, but a yellow jacket went in the can, and it stung me in the roof of my mouth. My buddy got the last laugh.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

That is one reason why I am shying away from those CCWs that are manufactured as light as possible. These would be those S&W Nightguard scandium framed snubs. Practicing with carry ammo in those snubs sounds painful. I think that a heavier 44mag running 44special ammo in a snub gun would be close to idea WRT actually enjoying practicing with it.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

It's not so bad. My daily carry is a S&W M296 Airweight in .44 Special. I'm using the 200 grain DPX loads now. 18.5 ounces empty. It was hard to control with the skimpy little boot grips it comes with new. I replaced those with larger wood grips and it is no big deal now. You wouldn't hand it to somebody with zero experience handling handguns but no experienced shooter would consider it a big problem.

That's true but you lose some of the utility of the .44 Special if you only run it in .44 Mags. The cartridge is at its best when it is used in guns that are too small for .44 Magnum. Lighter, handier guns. Like the .44 Special Flat Top that Ruger is selling right now. A .357 size Blackhawk in .44 Special. Shorter cylinder and frame, lighter weight. Just feels so much quicker in your hand.

http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-44Flattop.htm

I'm having a .357 Old Model converted to .44 Special right now. I expect to have a gun I can carry around in the woods all the time but which will perform if I need it. Hopefully it will end up like this one:

http://www.gunblast.com/Clements.htm

Gregg

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

My Wishlist includes a Smith and Wesson 696.

Its a L or K Frame 5 shot 44 Special with a three inch full underluged barrel. It was only made for a couple of years but they pop- up less frequently as time passes.

E-A

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

I've got the S&W 296 and I really like it. It's not pretty but it's usually hidden in my pocket anyway.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6PbD56mSkS...00/2961999.jpg

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

Not top quality,....but I've never had any problems with my Charter Arms BullDog Pug in .44 spl.,... small, lightweight, and DA

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/1737/charter38056e.jpg

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

How old is that 296? I've never heard of one of these before.

I think I'm drooling.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6PbD56mSkS...00/2961999.jpg


E-A

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

I think I got mine about 5 years back.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

Nice looking piece AOW, how's it shoot? ....the grip on it looks short, any problems holding on to it? ...I like my .44, I bought it under the pretensions of having a small,big-bore,DA Revolver, for close in work, maybe within 5-10 feet, at one time I was thinking of bobbing off the hammer....

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

It's a Airweight so the kick is pretty good even with a maximum of a 200 grain bullet. I also think it's great for close-in work like you say, even out to maybe 20-25 feet.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

Does this have a scandium frame?

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

I know it's aluminum and it could be scandium too. S&W has a model 360SC which is a .357 in scandium.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

I think that funky "spirograph" looking logo means scanduim on the S&W revolvers....

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

These are great guns for the money....nothing wrong with a Charter Arms....not the fit/finish of a S&W....but functional amd reliable.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

in those light weight stubby revolvers.......357 and 44mag are very uncomfortable to shoot

i know i have one......if you buy just know you wont be going to the range and shooting mags....you will be shooting the specials....

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

I've always been curious about the CA Bulldog. One review I read was that they were OK for the price, but don't plan on being able to shoot 1000's of rounds through one, durability is an issue. I'd sure like more input on this revolver.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

Spirograph, huh? There you go again, showing your age! Of course, I had a spirograph as a kid, and remember drawing lots of neat swirly looking pictures. Not that I'm "old", mind you.:wink:

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

Just remember to brush out the chambers before going from .44 Special to .44 Magnum, as the Special rounds will leave lead deposits in the chambers which can significantly raise chamber pressure with Magnum loads. It's absolutely nothing to worry about as long as the crap is removed prior to shooting Magnum rounds (same for .357 Mag./.38 Spc. and .327 Federal/.32 H&R).

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

Yeah I've put a few .44 specials through my new airlite S&W 329PD .44 magnum. No problems...

just got it a couple weeks ago... :)

.....

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

I've had mine for awhile, I haven't put 1000's of rounds through it, I don't think it would hold up, it's certainly not a quality piece, but for what I paid for it, $150 or $160, when I bought it, I've had no problems,....it's probably seen about 200 rounds in it's life time, it's not the kind of gun you take to the range and put 200 rounds through it in a day....otherwise it's performed like a little champ

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

I've never owned one....but I had a friend that did and I had it apart....looking at the construction. They looked fine. Just not much attention to polishing some items....the overall outside of the gun looked pretty good. The hammer and trigger looked a bit crude - looked to be a powder metal hammer. Lots of guns have powder sintered metal parts....but this is the first hammer that looked that way to me.

My overall opinion on Charter Arms is that they are about 60% the cost of a S&W.....for me....it is not that big of an issue to spend $300 vs. $450.....the $150 difference is pretty small in the big world picture.....and I figure the S&W would carry a higher resale % of new in the event of a sale....not that I sell very many guns....mostly a 1 way deal for me....once i have it....why bother selling. When I was younger and $ were tight...I traded guns all the time....now I just hoard them away....

I still think the Charter Arms would go the many thousand distance if you wanted it to.

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

No.

Alloy frame. Titanium cylinder. No scandium.

Gregg

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

Sooooooo

Hows it run? Do the Magnums make you cry?

Is the back strap exposed on the handle or is it padded?

E-A

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

yeah its exposed....and no crying yet ! but 240 grain rem mag stings a bit ! :)

i've had another SW .44 mag i've carried for maybe 25 years so i knew what i was getting into when i bought the 329pd.

the reason i got it was i am in the woods with bears a lot and sometimes i might be running my chainsaw or just hiking around and i want a lightweight carry if my hands were full and I didn't have a rifle for some reason....i sure didn't buy it to pop off magnum rounds for fun...haha

although i will carry this airlite .44 mag for hundreds of hours a year the likelihood of really needing it is pretty much nil...BUT, i have found myself taking the holster off and setting my other heavier .44 mag on the porch while i was out and about because it gets tiresome of carrying after a while...well hell thats no good if its out of reach...i typically see about fifty bears a year in my travels~ not a big deal but my exposure to potential problems is higher than the average GIMer. :) there are more critters than that, thats just the ones i see...

so i went for a lighter gun to carry, the recoil being secondary to concerns...

now...they do make a reduced recoil round for the 329pd and i am going to order up a couple boxes...

i am pleased with my new .44 mag....i've been wanting it for a while but i finally bit the bullet and paid the big bucks...it wasn't cheap at $951 smackaroos but my needs are specialized and this seems to be fit for purpose....

i consider my rifle my primary bear defense, a handgun secondary...but what do you do in the middle of the night in a tent in the dark if a bear decides to act stupid...i would rather have my .44 mag then and with a floorless tent...

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php...ct_detail&p=55
Lower Recoil .44 Magnum Ammo - 255 gr. Keith - G.C. (1,350 fps/M.E. 1,032 ft.lbs.) - 20 Round Box
There have been several requests for a full power 44 mag. Load that recoils substantially less than our other Heavy 44 mag. Loads, but will still penetrate deeply and be deadly on game animals.

When S&W introduced their model 329PD, we noticed that some of those scandium revolvers would experience sticky extraction with our Heavy loads and the recoil in the light weight scandium 329PD guns was horrendous, to say the least. This recoil would some times cause bullets to "jump crimp" thus tying up the revolver.

In order to alleviate the recoil, crimp jump and sticky extraction, we have developed this load. It is still full power, but uses a lighter weight, super hard cast, gas checked bullet and will still penetrate very deeply in big game despite its lighter weight. This load is ideal for those of you who carry the S&W model 329PD. This load will not lead your barrel.

This load falls well under SAAMI pressure specs and is safe to use IN ANY 44mag. While we love to hear from our customers, please do not phone/email us and ask if this load is safe in your particular 44 mag. - it is - providing your gun is in normal working condition.

Now there exists a serious full power 44 mag. load that will penetrate big bones (including a bears skull) and drive deeply into living organs and tissues, that has minimum recoil.

See the below ballistics fired out of my personal revolvers.
S&W 329PD (4 inch)---1264 fps
Ruger Red Hawk (5.5 inch)---1357 fps

...............

Re: 44 Special Ammo in 44 Magnum gun
 

I picked up a 696 a few years ago and use it as my 'door' gun, kind of like a 'meet & greet' special. I also aquired a 624 Lew Horton Special - 3" that has never been fired. One of these days though....

I generally shoot full house in my 44 Magnums, 4", 6" & 8" - they are a warmup to the 500 Mag.:smile: