Barrel Length on a .44 mag

[bamsdealer]

I'm looking at getting a Super Redhawk or S&W .44 mag. It'll mainly be used for hunting and recreational shooting. Other than the obvious... weight, difference in velocity, etc what are the main pros and cons of a 6ish vs a 8ish inch barrel. Would you expect to see much, if any, difference in accuracy? I may or may not be putting a scope on it down the road.

[sksmith75]

I have a Super Redhawk in .44 magnum with a 7 1/2 inch barrel (It also comes in a 9 1/2 inch and 2 1/2 inch (Alaskan) barrels). I put a 2X Nikon scope on it.

I'm doing good just to hold onto the darn thing when it goes off and haven't really concentrated on accuracy. I will tell you one thing, since I bought that, none of my other handguns (.357 magnum, .45 ACP) have very much recoil anymore.

[saleen322]

I bought a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 1973 with a 7.5" barrel that I still have. When I started shooting pistol silhouette, I used it because it was all I could afford back then for the revolver class. I used it to hit targets out to 200 meters in the matches. The longer barrel gives you a little more velocity but more importantly, longer sight radius. If you are going with a scope or some other optical sight, I don't know if you would see much difference and I would go then with the one you like better.

[Steve_NEPhila]

For you quoted purposes I would go with the Smith and Wesson 629 Classic with a five inch barrel. At this size it is still portable, enjoyable to shoot and the 5 inch barrel works well for holsters.

[Kramer]

5" are real nice and balance great, but they can be hard to find.

Other that that I would go with the 6" or 6.5" maybe the 7 1/2".

Skip the 8 3/8, they are too nose heavy for comfortable shooting.

BTW I have a 4" Mountain Gun and a 6" 29.

[Steve in PA]

I have a 9 1/2" scoped SRH that I hunt with and love it. Since mine wears a scope, the longer sight radius doesn't come into play. The shorted 7 1/2" might be a little easier for some people to handle, but I don't have any issues with the longer barrel.

[bigandy1966]

I would try the .44 Special for practice and .44 Rem mag for business.
I have a scoped Super Blackhawk Hunter, 7 1/2 " barrel

[swack]

Bigger is always better and my "Magnum" is almost 10 inches, oh wait, we are talking about guns.....

In that case I have a 8 3/8 Dan Wesson and I couldn't be more pleased. It is a bit front heavy, but the added weight dampens recoil substantially, and with that sight radius I shoot it more accurately than any of my other pistols.

[Hokkmike]

I think the minimum effective length for hunting is 6 inches.

[Neko456]

I'd say 6-8" for a revolver but the Carbines rifles are 16-18" the 44 mag is powerful enough to use this extra length increasing its fps along the way.

But I think anything longer then 8" becomes un-welding in a revolver.