Picking up a 44, Help me choose

E

ednemo

Joined
Feb 12, 2004
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I have decided that I want to pick up a 44 Magnum as my hiking gun. I am currently debating between the Ruger Alaskan or the S&W 629. I am honestly leaning more towards the Alaskan right now.

I was wondering since I have not shot the Alaskan or the 629, (I have shot a Taurus which I hated, and the Anaconda which I loved), if anyone has any experience with these two guns or if I am overlooking another.
 
Probably need to shoot both. I own two(2) 629's - Classic 5" and and older 6"..as IO have gotten older I tend to wear gloves or tape my trigger finger..shooting a lot of full house loads peels the hide off my trigger finger without.

I own four(4) SS Vaqueros in .44 used primarily for Cowboy Action..not bad as to recoil with full house loads however I need better sights for distance shooting.

You might consider a Simply Rugged pancake holster though think a lot of hikers like a shoulder holster to carry heavy revolvers.

.44's are fun..the true joke used to be that if you bought a used one you'd probably be able to buy the ORIGINAL box of ammo with 38 rounds remaining.
 
I own and have shot the alaskan several times... so be it a 454. My father owns a 629 6.5". Both are great guns it is really going to boil down to what fits you. I personally like Rugers but again that's just me. Your results will vary. Do you have any ranges that will let you rent? If not, atleast travel to a shop and dry fire each back to back, go over the controls etc, and see which fits you the best.
 
Unfortunately the ranges I go to don't have the Alaskan or a shorter 629. They do have the 8" Super Redhawk but it isn't quite the same.

I am definitely going to feel out both guns when I get to the store.
 
I own the 629 and I think it shoots great. I have not shot the Ruger but I'm sure its a great gun also. Shoot them both first then make a decision.
 
I haven't shot an Alaskan, but have shot a custom 3inch Redhawk and the muzzle blast was tremendous with handloads of slower burning WW296....I would recommend at least a 4inch (or 5 1/2) barrel on a standard Redhawk if you don't plan on putting a scope on it, and don't want to carry the extra weight of the beefier Super Redhawk. If a double action is not an absolute requirement a Bisley type grip on a Blackhawk frame, 4 5/8 barrel with adjustable sights would be my "toothy critter" gun
 
I've shot the redhawk, super redhawk, super blackhawk, vaquero, and bisely vaquero in the ruger lineup and an old S&W 29.
I have not shot the new reissued 29 or 629.
I like old S&W, they feel good in my hand.
I turned down a free Redhawk, I hated shooting it that much.
I like the super redhawk (what the alaskan is based on).
I really like the bisely vaquero - but a single action isn't the most practical for self protection when hiking.
the super blackhawk & older vaquero's were very similar, blackhawk had adjustable sights, so it gets an edge there.

no matter which brand you go with, I highly recommend at least 4" of barrel, and 5 is better with full bore .44's (300 grain JHPs are brutal in a sub 4" revolver)
porting tames the recoil but triples the noise & felt muzzle blast, so it's kind of a wash to me.
 
1066vik said:
I've shot the redhawk, super redhawk, super blackhawk, vaquero, and bisely vaquero in the ruger lineup and an old S&W 29.
I have not shot the new reissued 29 or 629.
I like old S&W, they feel good in my hand.
I turned down a free Redhawk, I hated shooting it that much.
I like the super redhawk (what the alaskan is based on).
I really like the bisely vaquero - but a single action isn't the most practical for self protection when hiking.
the super blackhawk & older vaquero's were very similar, blackhawk had adjustable sights, so it gets an edge there.

no matter which brand you go with, I highly recommend at least 4" of barrel, and 5 is better with full bore .44's (300 grain JHPs are brutal in a sub 4" revolver)
porting tames the recoil but triples the noise & felt muzzle blast, so it's kind of a wash to me.
Click to expand...

thats no joke.. 44's are NOT made to shoot in small barrels. in fact neither are 357's.. the snubbys are for 38's... big bullets = longer barrels. something to go by.
 
I have a Colt Anaconda with a 4" barrel. Its heavy, but the grips are thin and bite the upper hand. It shoots pretty well and has a wonderful trigger, although I don't know if I've shot more than a cylinder full double action. I don't think they are made any more but appear to be readily available, although more expensive than they used to be.

It has a better trigger than my friends Dan Wesson .44 and was easier to shoot offhand than an S&W model 29 with an 8 inch barrel and a Ruger single action (can't remember, probably a super blackhawk) with an 8 inch barrel and a scope.

The Ruger may have been good off a rest, but was impossible for me to shoot offhand. I know that that wasn't what it was intended for, but we were just standing around and wanted to try it and didn't have benefit of a rest.
 
those anacondas are expensive.. supposedly they are the most accurate 44 you can buy,.. they on ly made them from 91-99 i think..
 
a hotrodded 10mm using 180grain bullet and VihtaVuori powder will push 1300fps, a .44mag using a 180 grain bullet will get close to 1800 fps, and a 240 grain bullet to around 1300 fps. I helped a friend put together a 460 Roland on a 1911 frame, pushes a 240 grain bullet to a little over 1200fps...it makes a lightweight carry for his elk hunts...I think if I were in dangerous bear country a .454 Casull would be my choice, in a robust wheel gun, but several southern wildlife agencies carry the 10mm.
 
I went to the range today and though they did not have the Alaskan in 44. They did have it in 454 Casull. So, I shot it. I shot exactly 6 rounds and had them bag up the other 14. I found while the recoil was HIGH, it was not unmanagable, I posted all 6 in a decent grouping on the target. However, the blowback was fierce. Absolutely insane blowback. It may be something that you can get used to over time. However with as expensive as 454 ammo is, I don't see myself practicing with it much. (Not to mention it was not fun to shoot.) So, I am debating on whether to even bother with the 44 now. I am officially up in the air.
 
Get yourself a Glock model 20 in 10mm...You'll have 16 shots, in an easy to hike with pistol, and with the right, full-power load, it offers PLENTY of "stopping-power".
 
ednemo.... remember just as the .44spl will shoot in the .44mag for reduced recoil practice the .45long colt will shoot in the .454 Casull, and there are a lot of reduced "cowboy action" loads available if you don't reload...I would think that if you needed the knockdown for real it would not be that great a handicap because of the adrenalin dump, also shooting inside (if that is where you shot) will give a different shooting perception than outdoors... the recommendation of a 4inch or longer barrel still stands.... with the 3inch I shot, the fireball actually had a rotation to it, and multi colored internal and external flame color....
 
glockman99 said:
Get yourself a Glock model 20 in 10mm...You'll have 16 shots, in an easy to hike with pistol, and with the right, full-power load, it offers PLENTY of "stopping-power".
Click to expand...

Sorry, I hate Glocks. I owned a Glock 17 and never cared for it, it just didn't point well for me. Besides I have a couple of Berettas but am looking for something with a bit more 1 shot stopping power.

I do realize with modern quality ammo, 9mm, 10mm, 40, 45, and 357sig all have VERY similar ballistics.

I am beginning to think if I want to go with a 44, a larger gun would be better. Honestly, I am mostly worries about bears. And after hearing and reading stories about attacks, I might not get more than one shot. So I want it to count.
 
glockman99 said:
Get yourself a Glock model 20 in 10mm...You'll have 16 shots, in an easy to hike with pistol, and with the right, full-power load, it offers PLENTY of "stopping-power".
Click to expand...

I would rather get several hits with the 10, then 1 miss with the .454

:D
 
ednemo said:
I went to the range today and though they did not have the Alaskan in 44. They did have it in 454 Casull. So, I shot it. I shot exactly 6 rounds and had them bag up the other 14. I found while the recoil was HIGH, it was not unmanagable, I posted all 6 in a decent grouping on the target. However, the blowback was fierce. Absolutely insane blowback. It may be something that you can get used to over time. However with as expensive as 454 ammo is, I don't see myself practicing with it much. (Not to mention it was not fun to shoot.) So, I am debating on whether to even bother with the 44 now. I am officially up in the air.
Click to expand...
You do get used to it. I've got a LOT of rounds through my Casull, and I don't even notice it anymore - it has the added benefit of making all other guns' recoil seem like pop guns. :D If you really are concerned about large bears (and I'm talking grizzly and Alaskan browns), then to me, the Casull wins hands down. For everything else, the 10mm is fine. It is a surprisingly powerful round.

ednemo said:
Sorry, I hate Glocks. I owned a Glock 17 and never cared for it, it just didn't point well for me. Besides I have a couple of Berettas but am looking for something with a bit more 1 shot stopping power.

I do realize with modern quality ammo, 9mm, 10mm, 40, 45, and 357sig all have VERY similar ballistics.

I am beginning to think if I want to go with a 44, a larger gun would be better. Honestly, I am mostly worries about bears. And after hearing and reading stories about attacks, I might not get more than one shot. So I want it to count.
Click to expand...
See above response. :D

Seriously, I used to not like Glocks all that much, but they are so handy and durable, they've wormed their way into my heart!
 
I never cared much for Glocks either, nice guns, just not my thing. I have 3 44's, Ruger Super Blackhawk 10" and 2 S&W 29's, one SS and one blue. Love shooting them big door busters.
For a hiking gun? No way, I carry a 92FS for that, but I don't live in bear country
 
Howdy,
I hate autoloaders and i hate glocks! That being said, i agree with Glockman99. I was the last person in my county to switch from my .357 revolver. Been carrying a Glock 20 in 10mm for almost 10 years,on duty. with winchester silvertips, the 10 is ballistically identical to the 41 mag with silvertips. So the 10 is in the same ball park as the 41. 16 rounds on tap. If i were going to bear country i would play hell, trying to decide between the hated Glock and my beloved Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 with 4-5/8 inch barrel.I have shot both extensively.Armed with either, bear is going down. My .02. Henry
 
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