#.44

.44mag is usually anything but meh. But Fiocchi manages to make it mediocre.

We shoot HSM .44mag 300gr XTP ammunition from a Smith & Wesson Model 69 Combat Magnum with a 4″ barrel into Clearballistics ballistic gel to measure velocity, penetration, expansion/fragmentation, and retained weight.

The Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan is Ruger’s definition of a back country “pack gun” used as personal protection against bear and other large mammals and predators. It comes in .44, .45LC/.454 Casull, and .480 Ruger. As a testimony to its effectiveness, there are verified claims that the Alaskan has successfully put down large predators in a self-defense context:

The Desert Eagle XIX handgun is one of the more peculiar handguns of the late twentieth century for a variety of reasons. Most handguns introduced in the civilian and military markets are earmarked for a specific purpose, whether that be a polymer reliable Glock or a safer revolver such as the Ruger transfer bar. They’re intend to fill a void, be better than the competition, or meet a certain performance expectation. Then we have the Desert Eagle’s introduction. The large-bore handgun is advertised as a quasi-everything, depending on the market it’s going for. At once, it is a big-bore hunting handgun and novelty item; there are rumors about Special Operations use, it doubles as a target or silhouette shooting piece, it’s an experiment, and later on it gains a healthy following in movies and video games. But from a truly practical shooting perspective, it’s quite hard to justify using it in the first place. It’s too heavy, more expensive than traditional big -bore hunting revolvers, has a complicated gas-operated system, and it’s one of the only handguns to be chambered in its most popular caliber. And yet to this day, its presence is undeniable. Magnum Research is going strong, new models and configurations are coming out every year.

Mr Revolver argues that the .44 Magnum is the worlds most versatile handgun caliber …

I’ve been fascinated by the big-bore snub nose revolver ever since the early 80’s when I read about a woman who rotated the tables on a would-be rapist. When he grabbed her, she grabbed a .44 out of her purse and ensured he would never harm anyone ever again.

Taurus has introduced two new revolvers.

Talo and Colt have teamed up to produce a limited edition of the SAA Colt P1750 chambered in .
44 Special.

I always like to see old gun designs put back into production. The original Model 180 AutoMag pistol is going back into production after being discontinued about twenty years ago (please correct me if I am wrong). An Alaskan firm called Auto Mag Company, not in anyway connected with the original now defunct Arcadia Machine & Tool (AMT), will be manufacturing 1350 Automag pistols in 2011.

This video me a good laugh. It must have been damn scary!

Hickok45 says in his latest video: “70,000 rounds and counting through this baby … its been in a shop a lot lately”. That is impressive.

The Automag was a revolutionary pistol when it was invented. It is recoil operated and uses rotating bolt similar to the AR-15. Despite the gun being a commercial failure (it cost far more to make than the sale price), it was the inspiration for the Desert Eagle and the Wildey autoloader pistols.

The original Mare’s Leg Pistol was a shortened .44-40 Winchester 1892 lever action rifle which featured in the ’50s TV series Wanted: Dead or Alive. Its distinctive design featured a cut down butt stock, shortened barrel and large cocking lever loop.

Smith & Wesson have produced a Model 629 revolver to commemorate Alaska’s 50th anniversary of Statehood.

Wheel gun aficionados are likely to be appalled at these “21st century” single action Shooting Master series revolvers from USFA (U.S. Fire Arms) that will be on sale next year (2009).