Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 10 mm vs 44 mag

You can't really legitimately assume those but I think I can get as close as you can get by comparing my ol' Ruger Buckeye Special Blackhawk with a 6-1/2" barrel and the 10mm cylinder to a 5-1/2" barrel Super Blackhawk .44. I would say "alwaysoutdoors" 65% estimate isn't wrong by much. Somewhere in that 35% difference there's a threshhold where y' go from fun to .. well, if you're doing everything right, it's just a brisk "ride" but if you're sloppy and didn't take a fairly firm grip first the .44 can provide a bit of a wakeup call when you pull the trigger.

I have owned a bushel basket full of .44 mags. and also have had two 10mm's on a 1911 platform. One was the big long slide Dan Wesson Bruin, easy to shoot due to the extra long slide and weight. The other is a Kimber Camp Guard that is a bit more snappy, but still not bad for recoil with 220 grain hard cast full power loads.

My S&W .44 mag. Mountain Gun has been a companion for over 20 years. After hunting in Alaska for over 50 years and seeing big brown bears up close and shooting one at about 30' and having friends that had run ins with bears and talking to many old school guides that are long gone, I long ago decided I never want to get in a fight with a pissed off brownie with any handgun. Big difference between that scenario and "hunting" a unwounded unaware brownie where one can get a good hit with the first shot.

My 280 grain hard cast .44 mag. load is a better choice for big bears then the 10mm. If were looking at the one that can be shot the fastest and loaded the fastest then using that logic many feel the 10mm is the way to go. Well, I can shoot my 10mm 1911 faster then my .44 mag. and my rifle. But, I still want the rifle for big bears since I shoot a rifle better.

I also think revolvers allow a wider meplat on cast bullets then a semi auto that may have feeding issues if to wide. Just compare the nose of a 10mm hard cast to a .44 mag.

When I came to Alaska in 1965 I met several big game guides that hunted polar bears, brown-grizzly in the Wrangell Mountains, Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak. None of them carried a handgun for back up as they had a rifle and if a client showed up with one by day three it was left in the tent, as it was a pain to carry for miles a day, through alders, pucker brush, etc.

Also, in Alaska if you are shooting "charging" bears at much past 30' our game enforcement officers will want to know why.

Pretty hard to get closer than the S&W's mentioned by Aces.
Same frame, same barrel length. Only difference is bore ( .40 Vs. .430) and an extra ounce for the mod 610.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-629?sku=163603&preselect=1

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-610?sku=12463

There is no comparison to a hot loaded 10mm and a hot loaded 44 mag. Not even 100/65. 10mm is a pussy cat loaded at its max with a 220 hc. Try a 44 mag loaded to the max with a 300 hc over a case full of 110. Its not close. Depending on the gun, a hot loaded 44 mag starts into recoil that makes you have to pay attention to what youre actually doing. Ive owned dozens of both and have put thousands of rounds down range

No need to legitimately assume for me…as I stated in my first reply…I owned the exact same size revolvers with the exact same grips, a first gen 629 classic with 5” full underlug, and a first gen 610 classic 5” full underlug. The 610 is a pleasure to shoot even with stout loads, and I still have it 30 years later. The 629 was an ignorant bitch to shoot and it got sold to buy the 610. Before the “you just can’t handle recoil crowd” starts screaming…I’ve owned and loved shooting my S & W .500 Mag since 2004, and would rather shoot it over any .44 Mag that I’ve ever shot from any manufacturer, any day of the week. The combination of softer grip, porting, and weight just eats the recoil better. It just is more pleasant to shoot for me. As is the 610. Also for the OP…if you put time in with full moon clips, they are just as fast as speedloaders for shooters who are used to them. Just my personal experience and preferences. Have fun with whichever one you get your hands on. 😎

Doc_Holidude

Ain't nobody got time for a 10mm revolver. Psshh

Desert eagle, its a handful, but low recoil.

And heavy as fudge

I've only shot a 10 in semi-auto, and 44's in revolvers, Contenders, and a lever gun. In an easily packable configuration, hot 10mm loads are still manageable, whereas hot 44 loads are not (for me). Boils down to the purpose. If I want raw power and slow fire in a handgun, such as for hunting, I prefer 44 mag or hot 45 Colt. If I want fast follow-up shots, such as for possible bear encounters, a hot 10mm

Several guys put the recoil of the 10 at 65% of 44. Maybe my 10mm loads are not hot, or my 44 loads are too hot, because I would put it closer to 50% in a comparison.

Good thread until Slavek took control. Again. Laughing

I was thinking the other day that this place is becoming more and more difficult to try to gather information from because you can throw a question out there and you’ll get a lot of good answers, but then you’ll get a couple of guys who just for some reason don’t like each other and go back-and-forth and back-and-forth making it not much fun for anyone really except for maybe the two involved.

Either way maybe it’s time for me to just log out for a while🤣

Not sure why this VS is even being asked. The 10mm is less than the 41 mag and the 41 mag is less than the 44 mag

I’ve never shot a 41 mag…but I have shot a 44 mag. That’s why I asked the question 😉

I can make rapid hits with my XDM 10mm 4 1/2in. Not so with a 44. I’m a fair shot with a handgun but not nearly in the class of the hardcore guys. I’ve carried my 10mm in AK a few times but always tried to keep a rifle close at hand. Had a few interesting encounters but none real serious. If limited to one, I’d take the rifle.😳

I own a first run M610 5" and a rebarreled M29-2 5", both with the full lug so pretty close weight wise and there is no question that a legitimate 240 gr load from the 44 is a fair bit stiffer than a legitimate 180 gr load from the 10. I chose the weights that I have shot and tried to keep apples to apples with traditional loads in both. Yeah 340's in the 44 and 220's in the 10....

Give me the 44 mag revolver every time. IMO, the purpose of either is for hunting or defense from dangerous animals. Yes, either could be used against bipedal threats or for target shooting, but for those purposes there are better options.

Some people give the 10 in a semi-auto the nod for faster follow ups in the case of a charging bear or something like that. But I counter that thought with the ability to jam a revolver barrel into your attacker and pull the trigger repeatedly where a semi-auto will likely jam. That could be a very big advantage in the advent of a bear attack where we hear of so many cases that the bear is on top of the victim before they have a chance to fire their first shot, let alone a follow-up.

Furthermore, reloading allows you to load the 44 to whatever power you want, as mentioned already here by others. A semi will need a minimum load to operate the pistol. The revolver doesn’t care.

Also, getting a good set of grips on the revolver can greatly improve the comfort and manageability of the revolver.

Just my thoughts on an interesting subject. I say this as a fan of both rounds and platforms.

You done fugked up if you’re worried about the barrel jammed into your attacker .

Not necessarily, night time attacks on tent campers are more common than many realize. Waking up wrapped in a nylon burrito with the tent smashed against your face, you may find shoving the muzzle against the perp may be the only option you have at that moment.

I’m thinking that too. It’s really too bad, it didn’t used to be that way.

Sounds fugked up