I use to have one just like it, you are correct sir, a great weapon!!

Then what good is it:(

PS - The Nikon is a great scope! It has been known to shoot accurately after being dropped from a treestand..............don't ask me how I know.

Friendly tip on handling a revolver for hunting - while hunting with the pistol, keep one cylinder empty so that if something hit the hammer (or in my case, accidently dropping the revolver), it will not discharge.

Speaking of accidental discharge, I couldn't help thinking about this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhIJOVD8hwY

I fired a .44 magnum once. The recoil just about knocked the fillings out of my teeth. .357 is much friendlier.

I once fired a Thomson Contender pistol in .308

Once was enough.

My choice would be a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag (this is a single action) and used ones can be had for much less than your budget. I have two stainless Ruger Vaqueros in 44 Mag, also single action but I usually load 44 Spcl or even 44 Russian for my competition. Very tame if you load them right. Still will shoot pigs very nicely with 44 Mag hunting loads. The Super Blackhawk can shoot light loads the same as the Vaquero, of course and you might be able to find an older one with the 10" bbl...way cool. Great hunting handgun.

Hmmm, my 115lb wife likes shooting our .44 magnum Ruger Blackhawk. She has hit snapping turtles in our pond from over 25 yds with it after I missed several times earlier in the day. :eek:

Yep, works every time, but not true the opposite way. 9 mm is the same as .354 mathematically.

Same reason some will tell you a hot load 9 mm ain't much different from a .357; I won't touch that thought with a 10 ft pole, but I do think the 9 mm is an under-appreciated round with a lot of military research justifying its competence. Had an old reliable Glock 17 for years.

Do love my Sig .40, though... ;)

I've owned these for years... each has their place. From top to bottom, S&W M629 (stainless w/ 8 3/8"), a "canon" :). Colt Combat Commander (.45 ACP), S&W M27 (.357), and a Colt Diamondback (.22 LR). I love the mags, but the .45 is the one I grab first...http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1223554380.jpg

Considering a .44 now along with a few others (see my other thread). I recently shot my friend's .357 at the range - liked it a lot. But compared to the .44 it's a lightweight. The .44 screams "FEAR THIS!!!" I like that. :)

Probably the "least pratical" gun I own, but it has it's place too :). Over the years, for "novice friends" who aren't used to large calibers, I've let them shoot the .44 mag first, then the .357, and save the .45 ACP for last. By the time they get to the .45, it feels as tame as a .22 (by comparison). I don't know what else you have, but imo, the .45 ACP stands head & shoulders above the rest in terms of practicality (at least for my purposes). The .22 might be the most fun...

S&W model 19. K-Frame, larger grips, $300-400.
Bill Jordan specs....

Heavy recoiling revolvers take a serious commitment in both time and money to master. The noise and recoil being unleashed so close in front of your mug elicit a quite natural reaction that is very difficult to overcome. We flinch like hell in an effort to hide from it, or in an effort to make it go away. The only way to overcome this is through repetition. You have to do it enough to burn into your subconcious that it will not hurt you. Until you have achieved this, you will never shoot a heavy recoiling revolver well.

How much is "enough"? The folks I know that have truly mastered these guns shoot thousands of rounds a year through them. I'm down to a thousand rounds or less per year now, but in years past I have records showing I was exceeding 5,000 rounds a year through magnum revolvers. Couple of days a week every week after work at the range, and a couple of days a month out in a gravel pit somewhere plinking. Was that "enough"? I dunno, but I can say I have killed a fair number of game and non-game animals with revolvers. I can generally worry a beer can, hitting it most of the time, with an open sighted 4 3/4" revolver at 100 yards. At least for the first few of them...

I see too many folks (the majority, actually) showing up at the range who have no business with these things. They generally start out shooting something much smaller (and cheaper to feed) and they won't even shoot that as much as they should be shooting the big gun. When the big gun comes out, it often gets one or two cylinders full and even that is passed between friends so they can all shoot it. No one seems to hit anything, but they all seem to get a kick out of it (pardon the pun). And one and all go home feeling like manlier men for having touched a few off with the magnum. Tools.

You need to seriously evaluate why you want one. They are tools like anything else, with a very specific function. They are hunting guns. Unless you are hunting big game with them, what is the purpose in owning one? Bragging rights? Machismo? Be honest with yourself. You probably don't really "need" one. If you just think they are cool, and just want to have some fun with one, that's great. In the end, however, you will find the luster quickly wears off as you both pony up to feed the beast and then find out how difficult it really is to shoot one well.

what JEFF said....

until i start hunting with one, i dont need one. everytime i am hiking over hills and thru valleys, carrying a rifle, i think about how cool it would be to have a big handgun stowed away in my backpack. carrying a rifle really becomes a burden rapidly. a bow is a tougher carry. it would be nice to have both hands free.

JEFF?:

"I can generally worry a beer can, hitting it most of the time, with an open sighted 4 3/4" revolver at 100 yards. At least for the first few of them..."

DAMN!

And will lose out to a decent rifle almost EVERY single time :). The mags are definitely "hunting guns" imo, but not so the .45 ACP which "is" the definitive choice for personal defense from my perspective. Being a "semi", the .45 has minimal recoil by comparison (although there's not a thing wrong with a .45 long colt either). 9mm(s), bah...I read too much Jeff Cooper as a kid, and have owned most of mine for almost as long (30 years (damn :()!.

S&W Performance Center 357 8 shot

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1223574394.jpg

or one of this for concealing


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1223574540.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1223574568.jpg

That's perfectly legal, "open carry", here in NC, and you "SIR", are huge! Now just try to get on an airplane with that thing on your belt loop :)...

I LOVE my S&W 44 mag in a 4 in barrel,, the longer barrel does nothing but add weight,, I've got the "mountain man" as the barrel is penciled down.. I wear it all the time in AK,, light and pretty accurate..

My brother in law had fished salmon in Alaska crossed paths with bears. Wilderness stream fishing can always bring surprises. Another good time to pack a big pistol. I don't hunt animals, but definitely would protect myself and those around me.

Beer cans at 100 yds is damn good shootin without a scope. I'm better at emptying the cans tho. :)

I couldn't imagine a 4" barrel on a magnum...hence the .45 :). I'm not nearly into this stuff as I was 30 years ago, but I seem to recall that the magnum loads "needed" the additional barrel length (pressure) in order to achieve the desired effects (Jeff???). Ballistics aside, imo, there's NO doubt the additional 4 inches of barrel provides a much better "sight line" for most of us.

The success rate actually increases with the supply of new targets, at least for awhile. Once equilibrium is surpassed, that success rate goes down the tube.

Old Scheutzen matches established this a century or more ago. The old boys shot better as they drank. Shooting remains the only Olympic event that tests for, and has banned, alcohol. A lot of old timers I used to shoot matches against would have a couple of stiff belts before they got serious about it.