good snub nosed .44's ?

[gunsmith]

 In the next year or so I am hoping to get a snub nosed .44 either a magnum or a special.
 The only snubbie 44 mags I've seen online are the Charter Arms, but I've never shot  a bulldog, the other charters I've shot left me unimpressed.

Ruger has some that look good but they all have hammers,  I was thinking a 44 mag because it would also shoot 44 special-right?

So, what am I missing? are there other snubbie 44's out there?

what ones do you like/dislike and why?

I wish the Ruger sp101 came in .44

[Regolith]

Didn't S&W have an "Alaskan" model that was basically a short-barreled .44 mag? Or was that someone else? I can't check their site right now to find out for sure...seems to be down.

[Viking]

Didn't S&W have an "Alaskan" model that was basically a short-barreled .44 mag? Or was that someone else? I can't check their site right now to find out for sure...seems to be down.

Ruger makes a Super Redhawk Alaskan with a 2.5" barrel. S&W makes a version of the 329, also with a 2.5" barrel.

[mtnbkr]

If you can find one at a decent price, the S&S 696 44 special is a nice carry piece.  It has a 3" barrel though.

Chris

[bedlamite]

I used to have a S&W 624, decent gun and I'd still have it if it was 44mag. But 44spl just didn't do it for me. Lower right:

[Monkeyleg]

The Smith and Wesson 629 Performance Center is a snubbie .44 Mag. It's recent production. Dealer cost is $775-$820, but none of the distributors I deal with have any.

[AJ Dual]

If your target is in a year or so, I'd keep an eye on the Chiappa Rhino. I'm guessing .44 versions will come out by then. And their quality will have had a year of review through the .357 models coming out now.

[El Tejon]

I'm a big fan of the Smith & Wesson M296.

I wish it did not have the internal hammer, shrouded would be much better.

I hate roll checking on the trigger and not having a hold of the hammer.  That's just me.

[red headed stranger]

I had a Taurus 445 that I wish I had not traded away, as they are not made anymore. It is a 5-shot .44spl revolver that is roughly K frame size.  The titanium versions had trouble, but the all steel versions seem to have had little to no trouble. I really liked mine, as it was a good balance of power and controllability.  The grip is the same size as the popular Judge revolver, so it is easy to find other grips, including Crimson trace grips.  I see them on Gunbroker every once and a while. 

My crappy pic:

[roo_ster]

Over the years S&W has produced M29 M629, and M629 revolvers with 2.5" bbls.  (Blued steel, stainless steel, scandium frame & titanium cylinder)

I'd check used before new, as I suspect these were fired little.

Today, S&W produces2 .44mag snubbies:
M629 (perf center jobbie)
M329 Night Guard (scandium frame & steel cylinder)

I like my M629 with "middling" .44mag loads of 240gr LSWC at 1000fps.  This is ~250fps greater than .44spl.

If this sort of load would suit you, you might be interested in the S&W N-frame snubbies in .45ACP (M25, M625, M325).  Most reports i have read say they can handle much hotter loads than the usual 230gr @ 850fps of issue hardball.  .45Super is easily done, which gets you in "middling" .44mag territory and some folks bore the cylander a bit so it will chamber .460 Rowland, which is in .44mag territory.

Good luck.

[sanglant]

just something i've been wondering about. but, how does the .460 S&W mag stack up to the .44 mag? i've read reviews that said guns chambered in .460 S&W mag, could handle 454 casull/.45 colt if it can also shoot .45 schofeild, it should be a little more versatile.

[roo_ster]

just something i've been wondering about. but, how does the .460 S&W mag stack up to the .44 mag? i've read reviews that said guns chambered in .460 S&W mag, could handle 454 casull/.45 colt if it can also shoot .45 schofeild, it should be a little more versatile.

The .460S&W is a whole 'nuther level of power.  Available only in the X-frame, AFAIK.

I read of some 'smiths altering .454 Casull cylinders on DA revos so as to chamber & fire .454Casull, .45Colt, .45Schofield, .45ACP, .45Super, .45Winmag, .460Rowland, .45GAP.  All with moon clips.

I'd want such a hoss to be on a N-frame-ish-sized revo with 5 shots, not a X-ish sized beastie.

[seeker_two]

Didn't S&W have an "Alaskan" model that was basically a short-barreled .44 mag? Or was that someone else? I can't check their site right now to find out for sure...seems to be down.

S&W had made a "Trail Boss" line of 2.5" .44Mag sixguns for Lew Horton a decade or so ago...nice guns. Can still be found on the used market occasionally....

[Antibubba]

AJ, that Chiappa is very interesting.  And it's just a few miles from where I grew up!

It's also the second or third gunmaker located in Dayton.  The other I'm sure of is Hi-Point.  They'll never be able to fill all the jobs lost at GM and Delphi, but it's a start.

[AJ Dual]

AFAIK, MKS Supply in Ohio is just the importer. 

It's Italian, and I believe, designed by the same man who invented the Mateba.

[Fly320s]

Fugly. I say again, Fugly!

[Angel Eyes]

Fugly. I say again, Fugly!

Oh, I don't know.  Kinda looks like a backup piece for Mal Reynolds.

[PTK]

AJ, that Chiappa is very interesting.  And it's just a few miles from where I grew up!

It's also the second or third gunmaker located in Dayton.  The other I'm sure of is Hi-Point.  They'll never be able to fill all the jobs lost at GM and Delphi, but it's a start.

Actually, they're all MKS Supply - Chiappa, Hi-Point, and Charter Arms. :)

[seeker_two]

Oh, I don't know.  Kinda looks like a backup piece for Mal Reynolds.

...or something from "Cowboy Bebop".....I like it..... 

[PTK]

Now, if only they were as inexpensive as the rest of Chiappa firearms, or available anywhere locally so that I could handle one...

[sanglant]

if only they could put in both barrels and have a pocket NFA toy.(imagine firing 2 .357s or .454s at once. ) then how it looks wouldn't even come up.

edit: efa? WTF??

[lee n. field]

Fugly. I say again, Fugly!

A little ungainly looking.  They should hollow out that high snout and make a place for a built in laser.

I want to see how they hold up in the real world, and what the real world price ends up being.