Looking for advice on buying a revolver

I'm wanting to buy a revolver, either a .357 magnum or .44 magnum. I don't really have much experience with either, other than shooting a chamber or two of each round using other people's guns in the past.

I ultimately want to use the revolver to shoot deer with. If I was to get the .44 mag, I'm pretty much sold on the Taurus .44 I think they run around $700-$800. If I was to get a .357, I would either go with a Taurus 66 (I think I could get one for $550-$600) or a Ruger GP100 ($900-$1,000). My budget would max out at $1,000 for the gun alone, and would probably eventually get a scope. Whatever chamber I get, I think I'm settled on a 6" barrel.

As far as pros and cons of each, what I can think of off the top of my head would be the following:

.44 mag pros
1. More power
2. More range

.44 cons
1. More recoil
2. More costly ammo
3. Heavier gun

.357 pros
1. Less recoil
2. Lighter gun
3. More affordable ammunition

.357 cons
1. Less range
2. Less power
3. Would require higher accuracy

I'd appreciate any insight people may have on these revolvers or any experience people have using a revolver for deer hunting. Thanks.

… the original man stopper …44 long colt

Buy it cash & carry, no papers.

I have a 66 I bought over 30 years ago and its been a good gun. I'd say its more up to what chambering you want more than quality difference of the two.

Not a lot of experience here, only ever had a .44 Ruger Black Hawk, but If I were looking for another with your budget, Taurus .44 would be my pick, but with the 8" barrel. I'd be more accurate with a longer barreled revolver.

357 will kill anything that walks in the US. You may need to step up to heavy cast for the big stuff so buy a large frame that can handle it. You would be looking a a large frame in 44 so its a moot point.

If you don't need the heavy loads a K frame is more concealable.

I have limited experience, however, in the past I've owned both a Ruger Blackhawk and a S&W model 29, both in 44 mag. I absolutely hated shooting the S&W, it was very painful. Whereas, the Ruger was very comfortable to shoot, it would sort of roll back in your hand, and the S&W would push straight back into the web between your thumb and index finger.
BTW, the Ruger was the most accurate handgun I've ever shot.

ive killed lots of deer with a ruger super blackhawk in .44 mag. 7 1/2" barrel .good for 100 yards.

Savell,
What the heck is a 44 long Colt? Lol


OP,
A good gun you might consider in .357 is a S&W Model 28. Basically a no frills model 27. It’s a strong revolver and heavy enough to help on recoil. They came in 4 and 6” and you could get whichever length well within your budget. I’ve got a couple of the 4” models.

I’ve got a Taurus Tracker in 44 mag. And I’ll just say I’m general compared to Smiths and Rugers the quality isn’t the same. Not saying Taurus is a bad or unreliable gun but hold one side by side to a comparable Smith, Ruger, or Colt…..and you can feel the difference.

you left out the Pro of 38spl from a 357 for when you just want to shoot and don't need magnums


44mag doesn't mean you don't have to make a well placed shot , heck you need to place a shot with a rifle well also.

the GP100 is a better gun than the Taurus

I have a super Blackhawk in 44 and my dad has the GP100 both good guns

The Rugers are worth more later and cost some more now also.

buy once in the caliber you like , cry once

Though I have other guns, I picked up a Taurus Tracker in .357 mag and it about all I will ever use anymore. I was really surprised at how well put together this one is and added benefit I have 7 shots.

It is more accurate than I am- I shot this coyote at 68 yards.

I second the GP 100.

^^^This.^^^ In .357.

Ammo shortages like we've been having, you can get .357 or .38 about anywhere.
Me personally, I wouldn't buy a .44 mag unless I lived in grizzly country.

Dang and he was armed too!

… 2nd number should’ve been 5 … you got me fair and square on that one lol

I googled 44 colt to jog my memory.

It was actually a 45 heel based bullet so the case would also be 45. Designed to fit a bored out 1860 army cylinder.

… inadvertently taught you something I guess lol

Fork over the $$ for one of the new overbuilt Coly Pythons in .357 mag, and call it a day life.

x2

Consider splitting the differance and go wih a .41 mag, best of both worlds!

If you’re looking for accuracy, the long colt isn’t a very good option unless you are shooting within three feet of the target. lol

I've killed several deer and hogs with my old Dam Wesson .44 mag, 10".

I would not consider a .357.

Buy whatever brand you want (I know personally that Ruger Blackhawk's and Redhawks are very accurate).

Consider that you may decide to change grips after purchase.

Stick with at least 240gr bullet size or larger. I've settled on the Hornady 300gr XTP. That load will blow through both deer and hogs.

I've killed a bunch of deer with handguns. Most have been with a 44 magnum, several with 41 magnums. I admit to never killing one with a 357 magnum. I have however taken a bunch with a 357 Maximum. Admittedly the Maximum in a revolver is somewhat of a rare bird, but they are out there, totally a reloading option. The 41's are available but ammo again can be an issue. It's pretty much a reloading option. My longest open sight kill was with a 4 inch S&W 57, 41 magnum. Doe was hauling butt. I hit her at 89 paces, she skidded 9 paces on her chin. And yes I hit her where I was aiming, one shot. My longest shot with a scoped gun was pushing a 100 yards +/-. That gun is a 7 1/2 inch Red Hawk with a red dot sight. At one time it wore a scope which I didn't like, too hard to shoot offhand as the scope amplifies the shakes. With the red dot you just don't see the shakes as much. They are there, you just don't see them. I much prefer hunting with open sights. The last few years the gun I have carried is chambered in 44 Special, a 5 1/2 inch Ruger Black Hawk with a Bisley grip frame. More than enough power, I have never gotten a slug back. I use heavy for caliber slugs that I cast myself using wheel weight lead. The Maximum gets a 180 grain slug, the 44 magnums 310 grain, and the 44 Special is 260 grain. I only have one Taurus, a 454 Raging Bull that I am still figuring out. Four of the five chambers will give me a very nice 4 shot group. The fifth puts its shot out an inch or two at 25 yards off bags. That chamber throat is larger than the other four. At present the cylinder is out to have all the throats made the same. I won't be buying another Taurus or a 454 for that matter. After I get it back and figured out, it's going down the road. Besides the chamber throat issue I can't keep the ejector rod to stay screwed down.

I have never had any issues at all with S&W or Ruger guns. The Smiths are superbly accurate. They just can't take a steady diet of heavy loads that the Rugers can. The Red Hawks in my estimation are indestructible when fed by any sane hand-loader. For velocities I get 1500 fps out of the Maximum with a 180 grain slug, 44 Magnum 1200 with the 310, and 1050 with a 260 out of the 44 Special. Can I get more out of them? Sure, but why? They group very very well and I never get any slugs back. So what's the point. I have a range finder, I know my trajectory and I shoot a lot.

As GreenCountyPete said "Buy once, Cry once".

I like the longest barrel for accuracy,and prefer a vented rib instead of a scope.

I have killed two deer with my 357 revolver and one with my remington replica 44 cap and ball. Its like bow hunting. Get close shoot careful. Never owned a 44. Keep thinking I need one. Then I get visions of a 454 casull or something similar. That has to be fun to shoot/hunt with.

Of the two you list my nood would go with the GP100, nothing against the Taurus just a fan of the GP, if I was looking for a 44 mag I would look for an older Ruger Blackhawk or one of these



Top gun is a Uberti Badboy, at the local GS or cost me 599.99 and while I have yet to shot a deer with it, I can manage to keep all 6 on a 6inch paper plate at 100 using a rest off the bench

I have other 44mag S&W, Ruger even a colt anaconda, there a handful especially with full bore loads, but at the same time if you hand load you can tailor a load to whatever you want from lite plinking to big bear, not to mention it makes shooting one a lot less costly, and right now 44 mag ammo is still hard to find at least around here

I would look at a ruger regardless of caliber. There is a reason reloading manuals have a section for ruger only loads. A 44MAG WILL NOT get you more range over a 357. Few people should be shooting deer with a handgun past 60 yards. Sure I have killed them with a 357 over 120 but I also practiced a lot back then and have a range and can shoot at home.

357 use 158gr bullets min. I have had excellent results with 16gr of win 296 and 158gr xtp's.

I have shot deer with rugers In 44mag out to 100 yards also as well as tc encore in 308. Currently I have a rugar black hawlk in 45long colt I bought from a family member in need of cash 7 years back.

A good shot placement and bullet design and weight and they all do the job very well. Ford vs Chevy I think. Regardless of what people try to claim all handguns are very weak compared to rifles and putting holes through the important things and a good blood trail are what matters.

Providence, in 357 I use the same powder charge and bullet weight, but shoot wheel weight lead cast bullets from a lyman mould. Both deer had plenty of internal damage. Did not go very far.

Casting has always been part of the plan but it's something else that requires time to learn a new skill and sizing and lubing equipment I would need to learn how to use. I don't even have a reloading set up at home. It's still down at my other house 100 miles away. I'm very limited on time.

357is one of the most versatile revolvers. Take a black hawlk. Shoot 357 and 38 out of the 357 cylinder, change the cylinder and shoot 9mm. 3 caliber availability in a pinch if you need it.

Paul, I have both .44 mag and .357 mag revolvers and a .357 max in a Contender. How do you manage to (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) (pull the hammer back) those revolvers without the deer hearing it? I'd love to try taking deer with the .44 and with the Contender. Maybe I just have to accept that the shot is going to be longer than I like.

Point the gun at the deer. Pull back on the trigger as you c o c k it. Release the triiger. Lower the hammer. with a single action you still get a couple little clicks but not as loud. The deer I shot with with my cap and ball was not spooked by it at all. Turned his head to look at me but I was in postion to shoot already.

Ed, never had a problem. Usually I have it cocked before they get to where I want to shoot them. I have shot a few at 8 to 10 feet. I have also shot a couple double action, a hurry up real close situation.

no one says you can't thumb back the hammer when they are 50 yards out

same with taking the safety off a rifle and shouldering it , you wait till they turn their head or head is behind a tree

it is more likely the movement than noise unless they are right under you

they might be crunching a bit walking through the woods

if you want to try an experiment , show your wife (or friend) how to hammer back your revolver and let it down even if she dry fires it at the ground take the rounds out of it, see how far away you can hear her do it with your back turned to her. pick a still night , morning , a bit of a breeze try it few times.
add a little bit to that for deer having better ears. it will likely be much less than when you would start seeing them walking in.

people have been thumbing back the hammer on a gun for 400+ years and shooting deer

I have a S & W 686 in a 4 inch barrel. It small enough that you can carry it if you have a conceal carry permit. They shoot real good and for practice you can shoot 38 special. I have the 7 shot, but you can also get the 6 shot model.

I have a Colt King Cobra 357. I think it's the best one I've ever owned. I've had Rugers and Taurus in 357 and 44 Magnum, but like the Colts better.

you may want to go shop gun smiths that do nice trigger jobs on revolvers' , see what they will and won't work on , that can better inform your decision of what to buy

with minimal points of contact how good you can make the single action trigger pull on a revolver is often a big factor in how well you can shoot it
the better out of the box trigger is good , but if you do plan to take it further some designs lend themselves to getting better than others. a lot of this is aftermarket parts availability. so see what is available for spring kits and such.

Super Redhawk in .44 mag. Thats where I would start, If I had the coin, Colt, Dan Wesson, etc.

Speaking from the view point of having worked on these things (gunsmith) what I've found is Taurus guns look real nice on the outside, but the parts inside are rather crude, rough and more on the soft side, I would go with the Ruger single action, easy to do a nice trigger job, very stout gun. If you can handload the .45 long colt is another good option in the regular Blackhawk , if not the .44 in a Super Blackhawk, either round I've found a Keith style bullet works the best.

I have this Taurus 44 (model 44) if you plan on going with a scope and buying taurus,,I would go with the taurus raging hunter it has picatinny on the barrel,,it’s ready for a scope out of the box…

In .44 the Ruger will handle the stouter loads that the Smith Model 29 will not, is that correct?

Mike

I have the Ruger .44 Mag Super Blackhawk,,and the Ruger GP100 .357 Mag in Stainless Steel.Both great revolvers.I think the GP100 would suit your needs nicely.Less recoil and with proper shot placement(that you need with any gun) it will kill deer all day long.Many options in .38 Special(that will run through the .357 mag) for personal defence or just plinking,, with even less recoil if desired.I give a thumbs up on the GP100.I don't know how familiar you are with revolvers,,but when shooting,dont have your spare hand anywhere near the cylinder when you pull the trigger.It can leave a nice Boo-Boo from the blowback coming out the cylinder.

I like the plain Taurus .44 over the raging hunter, just because it is more "classic" looking. The only thing that makes me want a raging hunter over the traditional would be the use of a red dot. I am not sure if a red dot could be mounted to a gun without a picatanny rail.

If I had my choice on gun and budget wasn't an issue, I would get a Colt Anaconda. But for the price of that gun, I could get two Taurus .44's. just not really sure if double the price is justified for a gun that I won't necessarily use all that often.

I was in my local gun shop today and they had a Colt Python in .357 for $1.100... but it had a 4" barrel. They had two more pythons with 6" barrels but were $1,500. Had the $1,100 gun had a 6" barrel, I probably would have popped on it.

From what I'm seeing, just average plinking rounds for a .44 mag are going to run $0.90-$1 a round. The .357 looking like $0.65-$0.75 a round

Depends on which loads. Standard both will handle them but the Smith lockwork tends to work loose if given steady diets of hot loads.

Blackhawk only loads are just that full size frame Blackhawks or equivalent. The Redhawks is the equivalent.

I knew there was a difference. Got a buddy that lives and breathes .44 mag and has numerous models... I just knew one of the Ruger models could take the stouter loads.

Given the option I would take the model that can do standard or stout both.

Mike

Super blackhawk or super Redhawk are the two that have hotter load data than standard.

A little web search came up with this ( www jackweigand.com ) a 4 inch scope rail ,,and a 2 inch mini rail for a red dot for Taurus revolvers

My .44 is a Dan Wesson so its DA and makes a fair bit of noise but I''ll have to give it a try. The Contender is a lot quieter to (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) but if not shot has to be cycled open and closed to recock. I'm wishing I hadn't sold my XP.

buy the ruger in 357 magnum and you can feed it 38 special.
cheaper to practice and get proficient with new toy

Unless you're dead set on a hand cannon and lugging around a boat anchor I'd look at the out of print Ruger Security Six. Send it off to have that terrible trigger smoothed up and it'll handle anything you can throw at it. The GP100 while an upgrade is heavier and I never cared for full lug barrels on wheel guns.

If trigger is important and you don't plan on every round down range being the heaviest or hottest then nothing beats a Smith K frame for sheer smoothness.

I have a S&W 629 performance center .44 magnum 7.5 inch barrel, it came with muzzle brake installed. It's a great shooter and the muzzle brake works great. If you decide to mount a scope, i have to agree with one uglyduck, those are the best after market mounts out there. I use his mounts on several guns. Follow his mounting instructions and you wont go wrong.
I use a 4 inch barrel 629 smith and the above mentioned 629 both. The 4 inch isn't real fun to shoot with stout loads the performance center 7.5 inch is easy to shoot with hot loads. I did change the grips out and put factory S&W 500 x-frame grips on it.

I’m thinking the 2 inch rail with a red dot sight would be nice set up on my model 44 Taurus , thinking about buying the 2 inch rail, thanks for the heads up on the quality

S & W 686, I was think I had 4 inch barrel, I have the 3 inch with smooth cylinder 7 shot.

A very nice shooting Revolver with nice trigger

EdP,
Just have it pointed at them when you (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) the hammer.
And if you want to uncock without shooting, hold the hammer and let it slowly fall while carefully pulling the trigger.

I have an unfired, new in the box, XP-100 in 7mm BR. It was the last BR ever sold from Remington. And yes, I was an employee when I purchased.

I bought a GP100 in 357 mag for Alaska (like mentioned above just need to go with the cast bullets for bear). It's nice and smooooth. I Practice with the 38s for value.

Whatever you get, Get the Hi Viz sights. Well worth the few extra bucks...especially when something big and bad is coming at ya. Your eyes can't not hone in on the Hi Viz sights. .

My grandpa had a Dan Wesson .44, can't remember the barrel length but it was atleast 6".
After he died, we found out all his guns "magically" disappeared. My dad's step brother, who lived with my grandpa,said that he took all his guns and sold them to Gander Mtn. BS! He wouldn't sold crap, especially his service issued 1911.

The only gun that he didnt "sell" was a Hi-standard .22 LR revolver, probably the least valuable one he owned. But it's been given to me know and I cherish it, it's dispatched many a coyote caught in a trap.

But man, it sure would be sweet to have his Dan Wesson and be able to use that for what I want rather than going and buying a new gun

As far as Taurus goes I have no experience with any of them. From what I have read you either get a good one or a bad one. It's pretty much a crap shoot.

Since you were asking about either the 357 mag or 44 mag.......I'd take the 44 mag. If the recoil is a problem you can always shoot some 44 specials for a lighter recoil. Another reason I would take the 44 mag is we have some pretty big predators around here. We've got wolves, mtn lions, and grizzlies to deal with and the extra umph of the 44 makes me feel better than something smaller.