Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns The best 44 mag revolver ever? ??

Never ran over 265's in SBH.
Prefer the Dragoon frame.
Never liked the Bisley frames, look or feel.
Shot one when they first came out.
Didnt hurt, just felt funky.
I get kinda low on the frame, the gun doesn't slide. So I can shoot right, thumb left and get a few shots off before the gun does move in the hand.
Another reason to not shoot 300's.
That grip would probably have me rather purpled.

Did shoot some warm stuff from a Smith 329PD a guy had.
Hated the sights.
Factory wood grips weren't bad.
They were cast bullets of 255gr IIRC.

For a side arm, not a primary hunter........change the sights and that might be dandy.

A buddy had a pair of redhawks worked over by Magnaport. I'd put a redhawk with a good action job up against any S&W. With the street price of a 5 1/2" redhawk ~$200 less than a 629, you pretty much cover the cost of an action job.

Now if the barrel just has to be 5", starting with a 7 1/2 and wacking it down will kill the price differential

I have to second this.

My own Redhawk (5.5" barrel) has an amazing trigger. I bought it used and suspect the previous owner had some work done to it since it is unlike the previous Redhawk I had. It is on par with a lot of older Smiths that I have handled and shot and better than several of them.

My Smith M69 however has an absolutely atrocious trigger. Heavy with a lot of creep. SA is good...but still not as crisp as my Redhawk.

5" 629 Classic DX

I would be in that group. But I do like the Redhawks.

That's the story I remember as well. I believe it was out of Remingtons trash. Someone found them and took them to Bill Ruger.

I've had a fair number of 44's over the years mostly Ruger but I do like Smiths as well. First 44 I brought to Alaska was a model 29 nickel, which was sweet. Back then the 629's were harder to find then hens teeth and when you did you paid a kings ransom for them. My first one I was shooting 328 grain HC made by a guy named Ace Dube. Good load only about 21 grains of W296 but it didn't hold up. Went to the Ruger Super Blackhawk 7-1/2" which was too long to carry so had it cut down to 5-1/2". I've had that one the longest. It just flat points well for me and in Alaska the first shot can be important. I've had several 629's over the years after they added the endurance package. But the Redhawk is my next favorite. Even have a BFR in 44 Mag. Nice gun too.

When / where is the first shot NOT important?

Just target practice.

Nothing meaningful to add, just padding my post count to get some arr-eee-ess-pee-eee-cee-tee.

My main concerns about a BFR's is the action and plow grip. By the time you get the grip modified, custom grips added, and then have a gunsmith go over the action you are close to what you could of bought a Freedom Arms for in the first place.
Both are nice in their own right but the FA would tend to hold a higher % of resale value.

The first time I shot a SRH I got over the aesthetic issue. Having a revolver that was mechanically extremely accurate and just as importantly one I could shoot to it's accuracy potential is all I care about, i.e. the aesthetics of a small group.

Also the SRH is lighter than the std Redhawk.

"Ace Dube"...tff

"You can't find that here." Kenny Chesney

My problem with ALL .44 Magnum revolvers is the size of the gun it's self, I do not have large hands and most .44 magnums are just a bit too big to be comfortable for me to carry and shoot.

The N-Frame S&W is just a bit too large for my hands...and even then the N-Frame is a bit small for a steady diet of high-pressure .44 ammo. The K-Frame would be "right" as far as feel....but would definitely be too small for .44 Magnum pressures. The L-Frame would be "OK" for carry, but very marginal as far as proper for the .44 Magnum pressures.

My first .44 Magnum was a Ruger Super Blackhawk which was a great revolver but I quickly realized it was a bit too large for my hand size. I replaced it with an original Ruger Flattop .44 Magnum .

This, to me. is the "perfect" .44 Magnum revolver. It feels right on my hands and is accurate and robust enough for my use. I "know" it is a bit light for extended use with .44 Magnum ammo. But it is a .44 MAGNUM. How many "thousands" of rounds am I likely to shoot with a .44 Magnum? For the 200-500 rounds a year I will likely shoot...it will do just fine and carry so much easier.

I have found that FAs do not actually hold their value. They can found on the used market for around $1,200.00 give or take and in fact I have never paid more than that for any of mine, and for the initial expenditure they need a trigger job as well. BFRs on the other hand are hit or miss on the trigger. Some are quite good out of the factory, and in fact every one that I have owned has been good. The guns can be had new for less than $1,000.00 and $325.00 will get you a modified grip frame and a custom set of grips made for your hand. Have you checked Premier Grade prices lately? They're nearly $2,800.00. Not a real bargain IMO, as I can have a full-blown custom built for just about that much. Again, JMHO.

The BEST commercially produced 44 magnum revolver ever? I know of nothing that compares to the Freedom Arms M83 Premier Grade revolvers. There are several 44 revolvers that are a better value out of the box, but none that equal the M83PG.

I'll stick with the FA premiers, and you can stick with the BFR's or customs:)

Some joint blew BFR's out for $700 two or three years ago.

I believe that was when CDNN got rid of a bunch of BFR's in 500 JRH. One heck of a deal for those that bought them.