ok let a friend hunt the farm today.He brought his bro in law with him yes he asked for permission first.Well i met the bil for first time and was talking about the guns he asked about my sidearm and i showed him my ruger super redhawk in 44 and told him i was about to send it out to be converted to a 500 linebaugh.Then he asked why isn't the 44 mag enough?I explained i like the big bores and i will still have 2 44's.He already knew i shot my buck with the 475 linebaugh as friend told him soconversation went awhile.I could tell he did know what he was talking about with guns

quote:

I could tell he did know what he was talking about with guns

But, apparently he is trying to learn.

Just in my own research, I've never found an armored Deer. I've never been able to recover a 44 mag. bullet out of any of the deer I've shot. Every shot was a through and through. But then I guess if ya want to why not? I've just never needed more power.

As handgun enthusiasts, we want what we want, whether we actually have a "need" - what ever that is - for it or not. I'm well blessed with .475's and .500's, and other stuff, too...but the fellow made a valid pont: The .44 Magnum will kill any deer that roams the earth.

quote:

Originally posted by kenoneill:
As handgun enthusiasts, we want what we want, whether we actually have a "need" - what ever that is - for it or not. I'm well blessed with .475's and .500's, and other stuff, too...but the fellow made a valid pont: The .44 Magnum will kill any deer that roams the earth.

Exactly.......

The .44 Mag has accounted for most every game animal big enough to die. I passed "need" a long time ago and now speak "want" fluently.

The .44 Mag has always been sufficient for my needs and has never let me down. Whether it's deer, hogs, varmints or some of Texas' plentiful exotics, the .44 Magnum can handle the full range of available game and then some.

With a 320 grain LBT-style Cast Performance projectile at 1350 fps from a 7.5" barrel or 1400 from a 9.5", the .44 Mag will shoot through about anything I ever care to place a bullet through -- and do so at oblique angles if necessary.

Others have used it to successfully take Cape buff and elephant. I don't see those on my immediate horizon, but with a properly-loaded .44, I would not feel undergunned.

Then again, much of my rifle hunting is with calibers chambered in Contenders...

What does need have to do with it??

Well said Ken, actually I agree with all of you. I guess I just like the way my .475 kicks with full-tilt loads......

Other than less component choices in most larger calibers, more expensive to reload, often more expensive initially, more expensive factory ammo (if available), usually physically harder on the shooter (ask John Taffin), won't kill any better than a .44 Mag at normal pistol ranges, and often harder to sell if you grow tired of it, I can't think of any reasons why the .44 mag would be a good choice.......

PS: I own at least one of most of the large calibers with the exceptions of the .500 Smith and the .500WE and I mostly carry a .44 Mag. Why, it does all I need it to do IN TEXAS. Now if I was in grizzly country, I might have a different opinion.

It is enough, but some of us just want more than enough.

yeah i agree with everyone as it is enough as noted i will still have my redhawk so i'm not leaving the 44 at all just adding a 500 linebaugh.For me when i'm planning on going out that is when i decide what revolver goes out which reminds me it's been way too long since i brought the 41mag out with me.

I guesss my answer would have been"If I gotta tell you why,you aint gonna understand!!!!"

Need does not have much to do with it. If I could find a good 480 ,475, 500 ect on the open marget for the right price. I would have somethig bigger then my 44 also.

I really like my .44s, but I like my bigger revolvers a bit more! I promise to start using my .44s more in the future!

don't make promises that you can't keep

I like them also,esp the Scandium 329pd by Smith,but like the above post,it isnt need,it is more want now ..I have heard more than once that Elephant have been taken with puny lil 44's!

quote:

Originally posted by TBEAR99:
don't make promises that you can't keep

I hunted with my .475 but had one of my .44s with me the whole time. The trick for me to use a .44 is to leave the .475 or .454 home......that way I force myself to use it!

"heard more than once that Elephant have been taken with puny lil 44's!"

And with 22 LR

quote:

Originally posted by shadob:
And with 22 LR

But not my first choice!!

I will always love the .44 and have taken so many deer with it it just got boring. Now I love the .475 too but it does not kill any faster on deer, just more fun to shoot.
The .500 would also be fun.
We just need some variety, not that one gun is better then another.
Besides that, I like enough different guns so I can use a different one for each deer.
If I could only own one gun, it would be the .44!

I have a friend that's done a fair amount of hunting of with handguns both here and in Africa. He's taken both a moose and a cape buffalo with a 44 mag and he wasn't impressed with the results either time.

So for those hunting animals larger than whitetails, there certainly is a reason for a handgun bigger than the 44.

quote:

Originally posted by Paul H:
I have a friend that's done a fair amount of hunting of with handguns both here and in Africa. He's taken both a moose and a cape buffalo with a 44 mag and he wasn't impressed with the results either time..

Exactly...

Biggest thing I have to hunt is deer! I would rather use the .475 for the big stuff but I will never have the chance anyway.