44 mag too much?

**forby** · December 18th, 2014, 07:40 AM

I've been lusting after this S&W 629 performance center 2 inch, 6 shot 44 mag.

I'd love to have a new conversation piece to carry. The problem is that I fear it's too much for self defense God forbid!

I can just hear the DA asking WTF did he need a 44 mag for?? I also have been thinking that God forbid, if I had to fire it in self defense in an enclosed area, would I be sued by bystanders for permanent hearing loss??

Any quick thoughts? Christmas is right around the corner......

**Don Quixote** · December 18th, 2014, 08:12 AM

you can always shoot 44spl

**normanvin** · December 18th, 2014, 08:12 AM

If you want one go get it. Not every handgun you own needs to be a carry gun. I have more than my fair share of handguns, and to this date I have carried 3.

**markshere2** · December 18th, 2014, 08:35 AM

Yeah- I only carry guns I can afford to lose.
If you use it, you're gonna lose it, at least for a while.

OTOH= .44 is a fearsome caliber, so If you can deal with the recoil - git'er dun.
Personally I want one, just waiting for the right deal.

**DavidTM** · December 18th, 2014, 08:47 AM

With a quality leather (unlined) holster, your not going to lose anything. Buy it. Practice with it. Use only factory ammo when you carry it. (Don't have an attorney say..."Well Mr. X, you handload for more powerful loads? What? Factory loads don't have enough killing power for you?"

As the previous poster stated, carry with 44 special loads if you want to.

Look, your only going to pull it from CC when your going to need it. Your going to need it when your life, or the life of your family is in a threat of imminent danger of death, or severe bodily harm. You want to stop the threat. Death may result to the guy who is the threat, but that's not your purpose. Stopping the threat is.

Buy it. Buy a quality holster. Don't buy a Kydex or Neoprene holster. Buy leather...you will not regret that.

BTW, I own a a 629DX in 6" and a 29PC in 6"+ and love both of them. I use both to hunt with. My only angst is.....which one do I take out when I go!! Choices.....such is life!!!

MHO Dave

**jw34** · December 18th, 2014, 08:52 AM

Is there such a thing as "too much" when it comes to defending your life?

I'd carry a 94 mag if they made them.

**jerkin** · December 18th, 2014, 09:05 AM

I wouldn't worry about the DA questioning it. If he does just say you bought it because you heard it was the most powerful handgun in the world and could blow a man's head clean off. That should be enough to satisfy him.

**Sam1911** · December 18th, 2014, 09:07 AM

I carry a 4" 629 sometimes myself. It's what I use when I shoot revolver in competition anyway, and it is pretty easy to carry (though over 4" would not interest me).

Juries can be influenced against you by all sorts of things the prosecutor might say or even just the way s/he presents the facts and your weapon. There are cases where a very great deal of hassle was made out of the defender carrying a 10mm or similar, and yes, the phrase "Forty-Four MAGNUM" is going to resonate with even the least knowledgeable juror. That's a risk you take.

Personally, unless I'm out on the hiking trails, I carry .44 Specials because that's what I practice and compete with and they are so much more controllable in rapid firing. Sure, we occasionally run left-handed "Bill Drills" with full house magnum loads, just so we know we can, but even a stout .44 Spc. is very equivalent to a .45 "+p" and that's a much more manageable round that will do all you need done to a human attacker while still getting off aimed shots at 4-5 per second.

One thing NOT to do is buy Winchester Silvertips. I have to assume they're loaded so as not to hurt an RG or similar pot-metal junker. I paid my $1 per shot for "premium defensive ammo" and then chrono'd the 200 gr. Silvertips at barely breaking 700 fps! If you're going to carry Specials (and you're scared to carry handloads ... thanks Mas...

) get Buffalo Bore or Corbon or anything else loaded like Elmer wanted.

**indiandave** · December 18th, 2014, 11:05 AM

Hey, if a .44 magnum was good enough for Dirty Harry it should be good enough for you! If I had one I would carry it.

**mosseater** · December 18th, 2014, 11:46 AM

I second what's been said thus far, being an owner of one myself. The biggest concern I can see, outside the ones about what a jury will think (what a jury will think of the tool I used to save my hide cannot truly be fathomed or prediced) is the very real concern of overpenetration. I have been trying to get hunting loads to open up on deer and even Gold Dots appear to pass right through. This is only a consideration if you cannot control who or what is on the other side of the intended target, and truthfully, none of us can 100%, we're simply human. We're talking about enough snot to pass through a human, a wall, and a car door, and possibly more under the perfect storm. Carrying .44 spl loads would seem to make sense.