44 Magnum

[deepblue]

They just had a "Dirty Harry" week here. All week they are showing all five in the series.

I have never fired a hand gun, so I was wondering about Callahans 44 Magnum.

Do they really sound like that, or do they Hollywood the blast a little?

 

I mean all the bad guys guns pop, but Harrys sounds massive.

 

Any you lads fired off this bad boy?

[Shnate McDuanus]

I don't know, but Dirty Harry is one of my favorite movie series' ever.

 

I have a poster for the first movie hanging on my wall in my dorm. I have all the DVD and everything.

 

I'm pretty sure they ADR a bigger blast sound effect into the movie, though.

[Riffster]

They do, I am doing research on what gun to buy (still) and the 44 caliber and its magnum version are out of the question given the flash and loudness.

 

I think I am settleing on a Smith & Wesson model 60 with 5 inch barrell, .357 magnum and still not as loud as a 44.

[Surveyor]

Actually, the muzzle blast from a .357 Magnum can be worse than a .44 Magnum. Depending on how it is loaded, the .44 can and will give a very respectable boom and recoil. The smaller J Frame Model 60 can be harder to hang onto than the larger N frame Model 29 (Dirty Harry) revolver. I taken all sorts of game, up to and including deer with both calibers. I do load my own ammunition and can tailor loads to the purpose I need.

[KSG_Standard]

What surveyor said. I have a model 29 just like Dirty Harry's and I have a Dan Wesson .357 Mag with interchangeable barrels. I've shot both of them hundreds of times with no ear protection. The .357 through a 4" or 6" barrel is freakin super violent...flames shoot out about 12-18" and the crack/boom is painful to the ears. The .44 is quite loud too, but it's a different kind of loud and doesn't hurt my ears as bad.

 

Either caliber is a handful and best handled with a good hogue grip and a firm hand. The upside to the .357 is that you can practice with .38 special which is fairly cheap. The .44 Mag will shoot .44 special, but it's more expensive than the .38 special. I reload and have used both guns to take white tail, mule deer, Elk and wild hog.

[Rocky4]

As stupid as it sounds, I own a 44 Mag Derringer. More of a novelty than a useable pistol. I have shot it though, and it feels like somebody hitting the palm of your hand with a ball peen hammer. I have yet to be able to keep it from flying out of my hand when shooting it. My hand hurts for days afterward. The two foot flame it throws is quite impressive though. I have a box of specials I use, and am looking into a lighter 44 Russian load, but can't find them anywhere.

[ksdaddy]

I briefly owned a 1972 Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag with 7-1/2" barrel and stag grips. It was big, heavy, and almost too pretty to take out and fire. I think I only fired it a couple times. Thinking back, the recoil wasn't all that bad, but I had the perception that all hell would break loose so I really didn't give myself a chance to get used to it and be comfortable with it. My S&W 64 (38) is like an extension of my right arm and my thought is, if you're not comfortable and confident with a caliber or model, then it's more of a liability.

 

As to noise, I was wearing ear protection so I can't really say. Big boom for sure though.

 

I sold it and regret it. Even if I never fired it again it was a beautiful machine, last year for the three screw models and pristine. I should have just put it in a display case on the wall.

[retrosurfer1959]

As you can see from the below chart the actual sound of a pistol firing is fairly consistent and has little to do with the cartridge size or power although the 44 mag is the loudest of the standard production pistols most people cannot really tell what caliber is being fired and in fact many people will describe the smaller calibers such as 9mm as a louder crack vs the blast of larger calibers.

 

.25 ACP 155.0 dB

.32 LONG 152.4 dB

.32 ACP 153.5 dB

.380 157.7 dB

9mm 159.8 dB

.38 S&W 153.5 dB

.38 Spl 156.3 dB

.357 Magnum 164.3 dB

.41 Magnum 163.2 dB

.44 Spl 155.9 dB

.44 Mag 166.3 dB

.45 ACP 157.0 dB

.45 COLT 154.

[Surveyor]

From personal experience, the sound of a .357 Magnum going off tends to be ear splitting depending on the load. Much worse than a .44 Magnum. The .32 Magnum can be quite bad, also depending on load. The .454 Casull is loud regardless of what it is loaded with, power wise. The .475 and .500 Linebaughs are not as hard on the ears in hunting situations.

[Artie Owl]

I have nothing to add to this thread except we could use a couple of them up here in Halifax around the Commons, there's been some cases of swarmings on good people from not so good people.

[Riffster]

Actually, the muzzle blast from a .357 Magnum can be worse than a .44 Magnum. Depending on how it is loaded, the .44 can and will give a very respectable boom and recoil. The smaller J Frame Model 60 can be harder to hang onto than the larger N frame Model 29 (Dirty Harry) revolver.

 

I need to do more research then, I was thinking that a longer barrell like a 5" would soften the kick of the .357 even on the J frame. Keep in mind this particular revolver is stainless steel, I believe other larger frames are aluminum alloy.

 

Do most S&W .357 magnums handle the 38 Special cartridge just fine? I have read both opinions, shoot either .357 or 38 special with no problem and other people say that you will damage the gun by switching ammunition type.

[ksdaddy]

My only concern would be the cylinder might get dirtier from using the shorter 38SPL cartridges. Maybe that's hooey, but it's the first thing that comes to mind.

 

They make a Model 60 in 357? I didn't know that. Speaking for myself, I think I'd rather get one in a K frame and a shorter barrel. My main handgun is a 1996 S&W Model 64 with round butt (Hogue grips) and a 3" bbl. It will last 17 lifetimes but it's like shooting a 22. I can run +P in it, which isn't as hot as a 357, but it's pretty hot just the same.

 

The earlier ones were "all" stainless, inside parts and all. They didn't seem as smooth as the blued ones. My '96 has stainless frame, cyl, etc., but blued internal parts. I'm not sure when they made that switch, the early 90s sometime. I briefly owned a c. 1990 Model 65 357 4" that was all stainless and the action felt a little rough.

 

I also have a 1906 S&W M&P 38 / 6' that still runs like the proverbial Swiss watch but I'm careful about what ammo I use.

[NeoConMan]

Regarding the flame-belching - use better ammo.

That's the best indication of sh!t powder wasting energy and making a mess of your gun.

 

Full-tilt Cor-Bon (max SAAMI spec) 357 out of a 4" barrel, or 44 from a 6" barrel - no flash.

Not even at night.

All the potential energy is harnessed and drives the bullet to incredible speeds.

If it's a hollow-point for self defense, it'll all but explode on impact. Fragmentation is impressive.

 

Hunting is a different story - heavy bullet that stays intact is what you want.

 

 

And yes, the 357 seems more bothersome to me - a sharper crack I suppose.

But if you're inside an indoor range and somebody shoots 44 Mag at the other end, you'll know it.

 

 

 

I have some revolvers in 44, plus an early Mk VII Desert Eagle that's never been fired.

The novelty wore off long ago, it's really not much fun to shoot.

 

And the 454 Casull?

No f-ing way!!!

 

Once you've done that Big Gun stuff, you'll kinda get back to what you LIKE to shoot.

10mm is about as big as I usually practice with for proficiency.

 

 

 

I ALWAYS wear hearing protection when I shoot.

Usually when I ride my motorcycle too.

 

Never when I'm cranking my Les Paul...

 

B)

[cabba2203]

I think I am settleing on a Smith & Wesson model 60 with 5 inch barrell, .357 magnum and still not as loud as a 44.

 

5" bbl is the perfect length for .357 Magnum, IMO. I had a Ruger GP100 that was a custom shop with 5" bbl with full underlug, very sweet!

The 6" + is way too long for personal defense, better for hunting. The 3.5" and 1.5" are not as follow-up shot friendly. The 5" is balanced right.

I wish I still had that one. That Smith is a nice pistol, enjoy that! I want a Smith 610 really bad.

[ksiegel]

I've got an S&W Model 66 Stainless .357MAG with a 4" barrel - using factory & reloaded .38 for basic warm up target shooting with no problem, no crap on the cylinders at all - Always used factory load 158 gr jacket HP for more involved target shooting and concealed carry - very comfortable, little to no kick once I was used to the handgun, and adjusted my grip.

 

I say adjusted, because my prior target/carry handguns were S&W .38 spl Model 15 and model 10, and a model 36 .38 spl snub nose revolver. The .38 have virtually no kick at all, even with the occasional +p load. (Very occasional - a steady diet of hot loads will wreck those lightweight frames.)

 

I have only fired a Model 29 once, way back in the old days when a friend in WV was given one upon graduation from the State Police Academy. He was a big guy - 6' 2" college football lineman - and I'm 5' 9". He fired one handed, and hit the target every time. I fired two handed, and was knocked on my butt.

 

If I need a gun that big, I decided, I have much bigger problems than not being able to shoot it accurately.

[WahKeen]

IT WORKS EVERY TIME!

[LedZep2112]

This doesn't help at all, but have any of you guys seen this movie?

its an 88 magnum

 

If you have,

 

Dominus vobiscum nabisco. Espiritu sanctum. De gustibus.

Me gustibus. You gustibus. We missed the bus. They missed the bus.

When's the next bus?

Summa *** laude. Magna *** laude. The radio's too laude. Adeste fidelis.

Centra fidelis. High fidelis.

Post meridian. Ante meridian. Uncle meridian. All of the little meridians.

Magna carta. Master charga.

 

Just made me think I had to post this, sorry

[NeoConMan]

Johnny Dangerously?

 

Hilarious!

 

"Those farging ice holes!!!"

[BigKahune]

It's fargin' war ! ! ! !

[tazzboy]

GO AHEAD MAKE MY DAY!

 

[milod]

The .357 hits my ears harder than the .44 too.

 

The .357 is nothing more than a slightly longer case on the older .38 special. Technically in an arm capable of handling the .357 you probably could load a .38 special up to roughly the same velocities and pressures as a current factory .357. (In the olden days I do believe factory loads were significantly "hotter" as I recall.)

 

The .44 mag ditto from the .44 special which also is related to the .44 Russian and American rounds. In both calibers, btw, a major reason for the longer cartridge case was to keep the more powerful stuff out of arms with older, weaker steel.

 

I think Neo hit the nail on the head, though, in that after a certain point the push for power tends to be overcome by a concern to use the right type of ammunition for a given sort of application. I talked today with a guy whose uncle used a .25-20 for elk hunting, which isn't much more powerful than a .22 in ways. A good hunter and excellent marksmanship made up for the deficit.

 

Long streams of fire? Back in the pre easy electronic communication era and where it doesn't work anyway, After I almost took a long drop off a cliff, literally, deer hunting in the mountains, I came up with a load designed for two things: Noise and a 12-15-foot plume of fire. It was carried in a .38 Smith on my weak side so even with most body parts broken, if I could move one arm and pull a trigger, I could make noise and a signal if I heard anybody making their own noise.

 

Yeah, it'd also work as a short range "defense" round, but that wasn't the purpose.

 

As for Harry... Well, let's put it this way. It's a movie. Note that Clint almost certainly was not carrying it in a lotta scenes. It's too big, too heavy for daily law enforcement work unless you're a masochist, IMHO. Also in one of the Harry series I recall him stating he used .44 special-range ammo. Hmmmm.

 

m

[jaxson50]

There are several factors that make one firearm louder than another..

1. The type and amount of powder in the cartridge..the hotter the load (more powder) the louder it will be.

2. The length of the barrel.

3. A revolver with it's gap between the cylinder and the barrel will always be louder then a automatic.

I had a Ruger .22 Bearcat, that dam thing would ring your ears worse then a .45 auto, because it had gap between the cylinder and the barrel. It was one of the highest pitched ear stinging head ringing hand guns I ever fired..fun to shoot, but I enjoy my old Colt and High Standard .22 Autos, they just don't hurt your ears as badly.

As for the flash coming out of the barrel, that is determined by three factors;

1. Barrel length. 2. type of powder (faster burning vs slower burning. 3. type of cartridge (mag vs non mag) (Maybe the primer has something to do with it too).

I use to own a Ruger Black Hawk chambered in .30 Cal. Carbine....this is a rifle cartridge, it uses slow burning powder, it would throw fire four feet out in front of you...It would scare the hell out of everyone on the range..the powder was still burning a longtime after the bullet left the muzzle...I have also seen a revolver chambered in .45-70. Why? Hell if I know, maybe the inventor thought he needed a gun that could double as a blow torch,,but man, talk about belching fire!

When we lived in Yakima, I had a firing range in my basement,, sort of,,,I shot wax bullets out of brass loaded with shotgun primers. no powder...just the primer, and I'll tell you something, a wax bullet propelled with just a shotgun primer will at 20 feet, drive a wax bullet through a pine 2X4...Nothing to mess with...

The lesson? It sounds like there is a bee hive in my left ear 24/7, I have to sleep with a fan on to drowned out the noise in my ear....Please wear ear protection...

[Mr. Natural]

...to take white tail, mule deer, Elk and wild hog.

 

Plus, it'll take a punk's head clean off.

[NeoConMan]

You shoulda used the "quote marks" to telegraph the hint a bit better.

Lotsa young 'uns ain't never seen a REAL cop movie...

 

 

[TommyK]

I loved that movie Johnny Dangerously. I use the term Bastages quite regulary.

 

"You farking bastages."

 

The first time I saw that movie, I couldn't understand what The Raoul Julia character was trying to say. Then it clicked. :lol: I then hit [stop] [re-start], then watched it again.

 

I think it was the "Ice Hole" line that finally clicked. :huh: