Originally Posted by szihn
My M29 3" 44 mag, BUT only of I get unlimited amounts of my choice of powder, primers brass and bullets.

When I was a teen my only 3 handguns for a few years were my Cap and Ball Ruger Old Army, my Colt New Frontier 22 and my 44 mag. I found that by making my own hand loads the 44 mag did it all.

I would load a lead ball with 3 grains of Unique to do what my 22 would do. The day to day load was 8.5 of Unique with a 250 grain SWC and the heavy load was 22 grain of 2400 and the same bullet but cast from Lino-Type. I stopped using the Old Army much after I started using the 44 mag, not because the Cap and ball didn't work well, but the 44 mag did everything cleaner and was easier to reload.
When I got out of high school I went into the Marines and later worked for DOID and also did a short time as a Sheriff's deputy. In that time I used various handguns at various times from a 1911 to a S&W M58 41 mag, a S&W M28 357 mag and a S&W M12 38 special. But at no time did I ever find any of them that I could shoot any better then my 4" M29 and many of them not as well.

So coming full circle, if for some reason I was forced to own only 1 handgun again, it would be the one I started with as a teen.

A 4" 44 magnum and a full reloading set-up.


Nailed it. The first line disclaimer makes it happen, but I get it. Loaded to it's full potential the 44m should handle anything a handgun could. The mentioned round ball load taxes powder & lead supplies to the tune of a 32 H&R mag.
Smaller calibers help with the shooters ability to carry more ammo, that's about it. Nothing smaller than the 44M can equal it otherwise. Reloading, the beauty here.

I bought a 215 grain mold last year just to save lead over my 260K while plinking. Thinking about the above, my new mold should have dropped a lighter bullet than that.

Come to think of it though, I did mention a 45 Colt BH with an ACP cylinder. I've said I should put some non flammable grips on mine as it could be a pistol to ride into Hell with. grin