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My most used .44 special is a 4 5/8 flat top blackhawk. Thus far all I've killed with it are various deer. My most used load uses the 255gr cast performance WFN plain base with 8.5gr of unique for 1070fps. The performance of this seemingly tame load has been quite impressive. Double lunged deer lurch off 10-50 yards before keeling over, leaving good blood trails to boot. The only poor blood trail I've had with this bullet is also one of it's most memorable performances.

I shot a doe square in the chest as she stood facing me about 30 yards out. I was on the ground so the angle was such it should have completely raked her. At the shot the deer took off like a scalded cat with a hind leg flailing madly. I was quite concerned and wondered how I pulled off such a horrible wounding shot. I need not have worried. The deer made it about 25 yards into the brush. The bullet completely penetrated the length of the body, breaking a femur on the way out before exiting one of the hams.

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Originally Posted by frank500
4 5/8s Flattop. One of the most accurate sixguns I’ve owned. Milled a slot in the front ramp so could add a post style blade. Shoots a 250 Keith under an inch at 1150. Carry it in a Lawrence 120 I bought new in my teens.



This is exactly the treatment my gun needs for the front sight. Who did the work for you?

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I love the .44Spl and have a bunch of them. I don't part much with tradition and shoot mostly a 240gr SWC, 250gr Keith or 225gr Speer. Stick to Unique and 2400.

My first .44Spl was this custom Ruger by Jim Stroh.
[Linked Image]

Couple years ago I picked up these Cimarron's at Texas Jack's.....
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.....along with this El Paso rig.
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One of my favorites is this USFA with one-piece Nutmeg ivory.
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The Ruger flat-tops are also excellent, if not a little heavy. This one wears Rowen ivory and will eventually be a custom with engraving.
[Linked Image]

No shortage of DA's either with a S&W 24-3.....
[Linked Image]

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.....and a 2nd model Hand Ejector.
[Linked Image]

Along with a couple Ruger GP's.
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A Threepersons is never wrong.
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S&W 624, 3" barrel

RCBS 44-250-K, 7.5 gr. Unique

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I carried my 2nd Model target around the other day as I looked for a spot to build a brush blind for how season. For some reason I never see much to shoot when I carry it but someday I’ll shoot a deer or pig with it. It’s the only 44sp I own, have a couple magnums that I’ve killed stuff with but mostly I’m a 38 special guy.
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1. CraigC - your taste in .44 Specials is top notch and your battery is top shelf.

2. Here's a pic of that very fussy Ruger SBH I mentioned. It didnt have grips when I got it, and those were the only ones I had on hand at the time. Surprisingly all the laser carving gives it a good grip, so they grew on me and they ended up staying. Try not to laugh. I swear to God that I'm not into "pimping out" my guns...

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/14095770/ruger-sbh


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Only pics I have handy - Ruger GP100 3", MD Whitefield holster and 250 gr Kieth SWC...

[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]

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Use 7.5 grs. Unique or 8 grs. CFE Pistol, 265gr. H&G 503 in a stainless flattop Bisley.

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Yep.

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I’m a fan of anything .429! Have two 44 Specials, a stainless 5.5” flat top Bisley Blackhawk and a stainless GP100 with a 3” barrel. I’d love to post pictures, but I haven’t figured out how since the PhotoBucket days. I shoot Skeeter’s load of 7.5 gr. of Unique most of the time in the Bisley with either the Lyman 429421 or the RCBS 44-250, both of which I cast myself. I mostly use CCI 300 primers in StarLine brass. The GP100 is my most carried handgun and is usually loaded with 240 gr. XTP’s over 7.0 gr. of Unique. Both guns shoot quite well.


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Love my 5 1/2" Bisley flat top. Load it with Universal under a 200 cast RNFP or Power Pistol under a Speer 200 HP. Very accurate and fun to shoot.


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I've got a few of them.

Rossi 720 (x3)

S&W 624 (x3), 4", 5", and 6.5"

Taurus 441 (x3), 4" blue, 4" SS, and 6" blue

The best .44 Special I've yet to own is a S&W 329PD. Not too small/light, not too big/heavy, just right.

I've had a couple of S&W 696s, but the Rossi 720s just fit my hand better and when they get dropped and touched with sweaty hands I don't feel any sense of urgency to wipe it down to avoid the curse of rust.

I carry one of the Rossis more than the rest combined. 2 loads of CCI Snake-Shot and 3 loads of 240 grain SWC hard cast lead. IIRC, the current batch came from BADMAN BULLETS I think.

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I had a 720 and liked how it felt too. The extra muzzle weight seemed to help with recoil as well.
I eventually wore it out (hammer pin cracked free from the inside of the frame) and Rossi replaced it.
By then S&W was making the 696 so I put the money from the replacement Rossi towards one of those.
I much prefer the S&W but the Rossi was perfectly good too. I had somewhere between 5K and 10K trigger pulls on that gun before I had that problem. Many were dry fired but lucky me, I had an uncle donating lead .44 and .45 ACP reloads to me at the time...


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Originally Posted by kragman1
I had a 720 and liked how it felt too. The extra muzzle weight seemed to help with recoil as well.
I eventually wore it out (hammer pin cracked free from the inside of the frame) and Rossi replaced it.
By then S&W was making the 696 so I put the money from the replacement Rossi towards one of those.
I much prefer the S&W but the Rossi was perfectly good too. I had somewhere between 5K and 10K trigger pulls on that gun before I had that problem. Many were dry fired but lucky me, I had an uncle donating lead .44 and .45 ACP reloads to me at the time...


Rossi made a larger, target, set of grips for the 511/515/518/720/971 medium frame revolvers. I bought them from M&M Gunsmithing back when they were the Interarms repair center in Alexandria, VA, and, maybe, after they moved to Hazel Green, AL.

I tried to like the S&W 696, I tried 3 of them, and just couldn't find a pair of grips that felt right to me. Kind of the same thing with the Taurus 441, but they are so cheap that I'll keep them around and keep looking for the right fit.

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Originally Posted by lastround
I’m a fan of anything .429! Have two 44 Specials, a stainless 5.5” flat top Bisley Blackhawk and a stainless GP100 with a 3” barrel. I’d love to post pictures, but I haven’t figured out how since the PhotoBucket days. I shoot Skeeter’s load of 7.5 gr. of Unique most of the time in the Bisley with either the Lyman 429421 or the RCBS 44-250, both of which I cast myself. I mostly use CCI 300 primers in StarLine brass. The GP100 is my most carried handgun and is usually loaded with 240 gr. XTP’s over 7.0 gr. of Unique. Both guns shoot quite well.


how do you handle that 7.5 grains, or 7grains of unique given alliant says the charge should be 6.9 grains.
not picking at it, as i have heard 7.5 grains many times behind that 429421 but it does conflict with alliant.
i guess what i am thinking of a 696 would be one thing. but then i have a skeeter special a model 28 rebarreled to 44special that i would be a lot more comfortable with.

Last edited by RoninPhx; 09/04/19.

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While we're at this, who's done some long range shooting with .44 special?

I did burn a box of CorBon 180's at 100 yds a long time ago.
Surprisingly, POI was nearly the same at 100 as it was at 25 and I was probably holding to 6" to 8" or so.
Gave me another reason to appreciate 44 Special.

Love to hear about guys who have been doing it seriously. I was just goofing off.


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Only have one. A Lipsey's Ruger flat top 4 5/8ths. It is vying heavily for my favorite packing pistol. Carrying it in either a Guides Choice chest holster or a El Paso Tom Threepersons.

This gun really likes a Rim Rock 260 grain "Keith" style bullet pushed by 8.5 grains of Power Pistol, 16.5 grains of 2400, or 10 grains of HS6 for a moderate load. The base pin is wanting to back out with the 2400 loads though, so I believe a replacement base pin is in order.

Took it out today and was managing around 2.5 inches at 25 yards.

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Originally Posted by RoninPhx
Originally Posted by lastround
I’m a fan of anything .429! Have two 44 Specials, a stainless 5.5” flat top Bisley Blackhawk and a stainless GP100 with a 3” barrel. I’d love to post pictures, but I haven’t figured out how since the PhotoBucket days. I shoot Skeeter’s load of 7.5 gr. of Unique most of the time in the Bisley with either the Lyman 429421 or the RCBS 44-250, both of which I cast myself. I mostly use CCI 300 primers in StarLine brass. The GP100 is my most carried handgun and is usually loaded with 240 gr. XTP’s over 7.0 gr. of Unique. Both guns shoot quite well.


how do you handle that 7.5 grains, or 7grains of unique given alliant says the charge should be 6.9 grains.
not picking at it, as i have heard 7.5 grains many times behind that 429421 but it does conflict with alliant.
i guess what i am thinking of a 696 would be one thing. but then i have a skeeter special a model 28 rebarreled to 44special that i would be a lot more comfortable with.


Elmer and Skeeter both advised 7.5 grs Unique in SAA guns and pre-war Smiths. The Ruger Flattop 44 is that much more gun than both in my book, enough so I have used that load with the 265 H&G 503 with it with nary an issue, other than flatter trajectory and a bit more splash than the other two 44 Keith bullets. Nominally, the RCBS 250-K casts a bit too small for the Ruger and certainly the Smiths.

No more a cautious loader than Ken Waters used the same load for his own Pet Loads in a SAA.

44 Special loads, when loaded to SAAMI, are anemic at best and has made few fans out of a truly fine cartridge over the years.

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Originally Posted by kragman1
While we're at this, who's done some long range shooting with .44 special?

I did burn a box of CorBon 180's at 100 yds a long time ago.
Surprisingly, POI was nearly the same at 100 as it was at 25 and I was probably holding to 6" to 8" or so.
Gave me another reason to appreciate 44 Special.

Love to hear about guys who have been doing it seriously. I was just goofing off.



One amigo was content with the little Bisley that he chose it for the 350 and 500 yard shoots. The 8 inch 350 yard target was scared by 22's, 32's 41's, 44's and 45's; the only one I saw/heard hit was the 41 Mag.(He hit with the 41, I didn't!)

Granted at 500 I was using Cedars on a mountain for aiming reference at the 500 yard mark with the 41/57, 412459, 8 grs. CFE and fared better than the 44 Special toting friend. We each fired 24 rounds at the 500 yard small water heater tank. The gent "aiming" at the same tree I did connected once with the 629 Classic, H&G 503 with 8.5 grains of CFE.

The only other hit on the 10 gallon tank was with a 30-40 Krag rifle, 180 gr. cast bullet with a dose of 4350.
Granted, a good 44 Special load can scare a human sized target pretty regularly if the wind is nil and the sights are a might close to perfection....

Last edited by HawkI; 09/04/19.
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