When Longevity Trumps New...gevity Part I A Case for the 44 Magnum

I always wanted to handload for a 44 RemingtonMagnum double action revolver, but I didn’t want to cope with the excessive recoil, muzzle blast and noise associated with “The world’s most powerful handgun”. So I waited until a new “Most powerful” cartridge was crowned and gun writers predictably, descriptively, diminished the 44 Magnum to popgun status, then I was able to easily handle the round. When the 454 Casull, 460 and 500 S&W Magnums arrived, not only did writers begin describing the 44 Magnum as marginal in power for deer and hog hunting, but at least two suggested even their wives, possibly ex-wives by now, could handle the recoil. The latter an interesting perspective, as the last time my wife fired full tilt magnum loads from her Blackhawk, she handed me the gun and said, “Here, shoot it you big girl, it won’t bite you!”. My time with the 44 Mag had obviously arrived.

The Project

I wanted to construct a project that would require use of a heavy caliber double action revolver. To say I have not mastered the control and/or accuracy of this specific type of firearm would be a gross understatement. I wanted to handload the 44 Remington Magnum and test its potential as a recreational, field and home defense firearm for me, with less than a rifle length barrel. I wanted to work with a mature combination and not have to deal with design bugs and trends that do nothing much more than push “new”. I wanted to find out if there is a factual basis for my heavy autoloader and single action revolver bias. And more than anything, I wanted to work with a firearm the manufacturer was happy to talk about, that shot readily available ammunition, that had lots of off the shelf handload components and tools, and didn’t require black holes or approaching event horizon to meet published ballistics.  

The Firearm – Quality as opposed to buzz…

I looked at a lot of 44 Magnums. Some large, some smaller, some very expensive, some not so much. I am not oblivious to the round, I handload for my Contender, so I knew the last thing I wanted in a 44 mag was something made from light weight Titanium and/or Scandium Alloy. These guns seem in great demand, they are priced accordingly and offer, in my judgment, no real benefit. A Smith & Wesson Titanium and Scandium Model 329PD 44 Mag Revolver, with a 4″ barrel, weighs 26 ounces. By comparison, a Model 617 Revolver chambered for the 22 long rifle, with a 4″ barrel, and made of stainless steel, weighs 42 ounces. The Model 329PD generates approximately 44 ft/lbs of recoil, the Model 617, approximately 1 ft/lb. In addition, virtually every light weight 44 mag revolver manufacturer cautions shooters about bullets jumping crimp under sharp recoil. Iconcluded I wanted an all steel gun that weighed over 40 ounces. I like Ruger firearms, however, the Redhawk was a bit too heavy at 50 ounces, 48 ounces for the 4″, and I don’t care for the very small grip and grip angle. I of course looked at a variety of S&W Model 29 and Model 629 S&W revolvers; the Classics, the mountain guns, the Performance Center gem stones, but I thought they were overpriced and offered little in exchange. I also didn’t find the fine finish, excellent parts fit and smooth trigger pull frequently cited on message boards by people representing themselves as S&W owners.

I began taking a closer look at Taurus revolvers, initially because of price, then later because of fit and finish. I did not encounter the flaws I had seen attributed to Taurus revolvers, again, in message board discussion; rough trigger pull, poor parts fit, flawed finished, etc. In fact, all of the Taurus models were much cleaner than the S&W guns I examined first hand and all Taurus revolvers have an unlimited lifetime warranty. Four Taurus product families are offered in 44 Magnum, with many variation within each family based on material, finish, barrel length, etc.

The Raging Bull is the beefiest model Taurus, featuring both fore and aft cylinder lockup, and is offered in chambers through 500 S&W. The Model 444 Raging Bull is the 44 Magnum model. A great gun, and strong enough to handle even Buffalo Bore +P+ loads, however, the shortest barrel length is 6″ and the weight is 53 ounces. I believe I’d be losing one of the key benefits of selecting the 44 Magnum; the potential for a reasonably sized gun that is powerful enough for hunting and self defense.

The Model 444 Ultra-Lite has a Titanium cylinder, also latched for and aft. The barrel shroud is Titanium, however, the barrel has a stainless liner as Titanium is somewhat elastic and does not take rifling well and has low resistance to erosion. The frame is forged from aluminum alloy and stainless and carbon steel parts are employed at friction contact points to prevent galling. A very light firearm at 28 ounces, compared to 46 ounces for the Taurus Tracker 22 chambered for the .22 Long Rifle.

I looked at the Model 44 Tracker for some time. It is a scaled down, medium frame 44 Magnum, with good cylinder strength achieved by reducing capacity to 5 rounds. With a 4″ barrel option it was tempting, but ultimately its 32 ounce weight was too light for my purposes and the loss of one round was too much of a compromise. Not suggested by Taurus, but in my mind it is an occasional shooter and not one that could take a lot of beating over a long period of time. The large frame Model 44 approximates the Model 29 S&W in strength and heft, and that is the direction I took.

The Taurus Model 44SS4 is not a spiffy new product. In fact, it is well seasoned; generally a good thing when it comes to machines. Product designs, like people, evolve over time, often with running changes that correct small imperfections and improve reliability. Sort of like my hair. I wasn’t using it, it tended to interrupt my slip stream, so one day I woke up and… well, that’s another story. There have been two generations of Model 44. The first was released in the 1993 – 1994 time frame, the second in 1998. The latter release incorporated the safety of a transfer bar system and integral gun lock, improved cylinder stop, some spring rate changes and a move to a pinned front sight. Unlike the Raging Bull series, the Model 44 has a single aft cylinder latch, but then the Model 44 is not chambered for the 454 Casull, 480 Ruger, or 460 and 500 S&W. The 44 Remington Magnum, the top cartridge for the Model 44 has a SAAMI maximum pressure of 36,000 PSI, our European brothers peg their CIP maximum pressure at 40,600 PSI. By comparison, the 454 Casull has a SAAMI maximum pressure of 65,000 PSI and a CIP of  56,565 PSI and a good reason for that additional forward cylinder latch reserved for the Raging Bull series.

 

The Project Model 44

 

The Model 44 would be a good gun at any price, but they can be found at bargain prices. I bought mine from Maine Gunsand I didn’t mind the $450 price tag. Thanks Cindy. Taurus will tell you the reason for their low prices is their advanced production facilities in Brazil. I would add, where political and extreme legal overhead isn’t packaged in every box and manufacturing is something brazil is proud of.

The Model 44 frame and cylinder are forged stainless steel pieces, the pieces under the side cover are a mixture of appropriately selected forged, cast and stamped parts. There were no burrs, binding, slop fit parts. Where required, contact loaded surfaces were stoned and/or polished. The side cover/frame seams were on the same plane and quite close fitting, as was the cylinder in regard to both gap and lock up. Hammer tension for trigger pull and the trigger stop are adjustable. I have frequently seen Internet reference to Taurus shamelessly copying S&W firearms. Not really much of a mystery here. From 1970 – 1977, Bangor Punta owned S&W and held a 54% stake in Taurus. While operating as independent companies, there was open sharing of technology; product and manufacturing. The history of Taurus is presented in detail on the company’s web site and is quite interesting.

The Model 44 scaled 46 ounces empty, one ounce over advertised. The yoke is cut so cleanly there is the risk of a minor stab wound when opening the cylinder, but anything not as cleanly formed would make for odd parting lines and an untidy assembly. Appropriately, the leading edge of the cylinder is very lightly chamfered to remove a sharp edge. The cylinder to barrel gap measured a snug 0.003″. The trigger face is smooth, comfortable, but feels angled a little far forward. Double action trigger pull, measured with a Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Scale, was 10 lbs 4 oz., single action was 3 lbs 4 oz. Based on several other double action revolvers own, comparatively, the trigger pull on the Taurus is very even and predictable. I decided not to make any adjustments or changes until after the first live fire range session. The grips are soft, Pachmayr soft maybe, but too narrow for my taste and really hard along the backstrap. Again, no changes planned until after live fire but I think I’d like something a bit less slab sided. The cylinder release latch movement is clean with no binding when opening and/or closing the cylinder.

OK, is it a 3″ barrel, or a 4″ barrel? The 4″ barrel has 8 ports that outlet along side the pinned front sight blade. The last 1″ of barrel is not rifled, but is rather a slightly larger than groove diameter expansion chamber. Its purpose is to decelerate gases prior to exiting the ports, to reduce recoil and muzzle jump. The appearance is clean, although I am not sure what the effect of exhausting gases would have on the sight picture at low light levels. I would have preferred a solid 4″ barrel as optimal for my purposes, but if S&W can offer 2 1/2″ long barrel 460 and 500 Mag models, the Taurus 44 Magnum, with its considerably less powder charge, is a virtual varmint rifle. I’ll wait for live fire and a chronograph to tell me how effective a set up this is. Taurus indicated ballistics would be consistent with a 4″ barrel.

The rear sight is a very solid white outline selection with positive adjustment. The hammer is wide and nicely checkered. The small black socket head below the hammer is the gun lock, something I found myself using routinely. It is a nice touch and very fast to lock and unlock without fumbling. Certainly better than the truck chain and my old gym locker combination lock I had been planning on using. The gun has a good feel; hefty, but very balanced and easy to hold on target. I have no idea why I have not latched onto a Taurus before and spent more time working on double action revolver skills. In dry fire, I was, and remain, amazed at how easy it is to hold on target with a 10+ lb trigger pull. I suppose much of my Taurus avoidance was price tag snobbery and a willingness to listen to second hand opinions the supported my flawed logic.

Summary

Apparently, the Model 44 represented the lowest cost component of the project. The other $1,000,003.26 went to bullets and powder, most of that Hazmat charges. I’ve got the Lee Turret press and dies warmed up, components and loads worked up and a pile of factory ammunition to gage comparative performance.  I think I will use this as an excuse to skip out on work and take second son to the range for the day. I think he can use a break after holding down the fort while his big brother and  wife had their first child. I think I will humbly dedicate this project to Isabella D’Alessandro, born 2/13/2007, and offer my congratulations to my eldest son Joseph and his lovely wife Estrella on the birth of their daughter and to my wife, Diane, who is so pleased to have another little girl in the family.

For more on the Taurus and 44 Magnum revolver handloads –

When Longevity Trumps New…gevity Part I
When Longevity Trumps New…gevity Part II
When Longevity Trumps New…gevity Part III
44 Remington Magnum Handload Data

If you’re looking for a handgun, rifle or shotgun, check availability at RGI – Maine Guns, we ship to all 50 states and offer competitive prices, new guns and full factory warranties.

Thanks,
Joe