What I'd Like to See: Compare 44 Mag with the new big Mags 460, 500, etc

[Ray B]

As noted in the heading- are there any U-Tubes or other videos or written comparisons of the 44mag with at least 6" barrels to the newer X=Frame guns or similar?

 

[CoElkHunter]

Ray B,
There is no relative comparison in performance and /or recoil between the .44 Magnum and the upper larger bore calibers you mentioned. My recently acquired Ruger Super Redhawk . 454 Casull with a 9.5” barrel shoots a factory Magtech 260gr soft point bullet at 1800+FPS. That would be about 1400fps in the .44 mag. I’ve shot a .50AE in a Desert Eagle and the recoil is similar. BUT, the recoil of both of these is NOT so bad that you wouldn’t want one? My friends’ Smith 629 .44 Magnum , being lighter, is not much more recoil friendly than my Casull. But my Casull is ported. I shot 20 of the Mag Techs in one range setting with no problems. Go forth and buy one! Ha! Ha!
CEH

 

[Alaska Luke]

What for? Hunting and self defense are different.

I have owned a 454 Casual, a 44 Mag, a 357 mag and a 10mm. All for self defense not hunting. My problem with the big ones is you tend to take them off. For me the point of a pistol is its always always there. A 500 SW is not much help if you don't have it on when you need it. For that reason I probably wouldn't go much bigger than a 44 Mag. But that's me.

Hunting would be a different ball game.

 

[CoElkHunter]

What for? Hunting and self defense are different.

I have owned a 454 Casual, a 44 Mag, a 357 mag and a 10mm. All for self defense not hunting. My problem with the big ones is you tend to take them off. For me the point of a pistol is its always always there. A 500 SW is not much help if you don't have it on when you need it. For that reason I probably wouldn't go much bigger than a 44 Mag. But that's me.

Hunting would be a different ball game.

Great point about self defense vs. hunting. I carry my Glock 10mm in the woods for self defense when I don’t have a rifle with me. We don’t have any DG larger than a black bear to worry about. My Ruger is probably going to be too heavy and cumbersome to use for that purpose, so I’ll work up some deer/elk loads for it.

 

[Ray B]

The inquiry wasn't intended as a comparison of effectiveness at this activity or that. the reason I asked was that I have seen several You-Tubes (or is it U-Tubes) where people shoot the handgun into various absorbing targets. Targets have ranged from several gallon plastic jugs filled with water to watermelons to cabbages and whatever the shooter could think of to "blow-up". The aspect that I've seen is that when the shooters want to show a comparison between the effectiveness of their hand cannons they seem to use the 9mm Parabellum as a baseline.

It would seem to me to be a better comparison if they wanted to show how much more explosive the impacts of their bullets are that they should compare them to bullets from commonly available factory bullets that are at least in the next step down in terms of power. So instead of taking a 50 S&W and comparing impacts with a 9mm, compare them to a 44Mag. then the audience would see what can be gained over the former most powerful handgun in the world.

 

[Bonk]

I've owned or still own 44Mag, 454 Casull, 460 S&W and 480 Ruger revolvers all with at least 6.5" barrels and my comments are based on seat of the pants gun in my hand observations. Subjectively they're all pretty much as advertised. The 44Mag is definitely the runt of the litter. It's the awkward little brother that just wants to hang out with the big kids. The other three are simply in a different league than Harry Callahan's favorite. The difference between the other three isn't much. They come at it from different perspectives. The 454C relies on velocity. The 460S&W is also a speed demon but it's throwing bigger bullets as fast or faster than 454C. The 480 is just a brute. It relies on really big bullets moving at reasonable velocities. Pick your poison.

I've never owned or even shot a 475 Linebaugh or 500S&W but from what I understand they both step it up from the other three I mentioned.

I sold/traded my SBH 480 Ruger, SBH 454C and S&W 460XVR revolvers. I liked all of them but there's only so much room in the safe. I'm not a handgun hunter and have no plans to be one. I bought them because they interested me and I enjoyed my time with them. All three were great fun plinking big rocks and tree stumps.

Now for the weird part. I find 44Mag to be the most uncomfortable of the calibers mentioned to shoot. There's something about the recoil impulse of 44Mag and my hand that doesn't work. Ironically of the calibers mentioned the only one I still own in a handgun is a 44Mag Bisley SBH. I still shoot 454C, 460S&W and 480 Ruger but these days I enjoy shooting them from Ruger #1's.

 

[35bore]

I fell for all of the hype with the big bore hand cannons. Bought a real nice 500 S&W back when they first came out. Shot a lot through it, probably 250-275 rounds(just estimating). Right towards the end of the ownership of said gun, I started shooting steel instead of paper. It became quite apparent, very quickly, that this new badass of a handgun cartridge moved that metal just a tid bit more than my 44 mag. Needless to say after spending a pretty good penny on the gun alone, and ammo prices are nuts, I got rid of ne new war bird. My conclusion, if it can't be killed with a 44mag, then there is nothing that a 500 sw or 460 or 454 can do to improve your odds. Just my 2 cents. Plus, as an added bonus, ammo is a sh**load cheaper.

 

[CoElkHunter]

The inquiry wasn't intended as a comparison of effectiveness at this activity or that. the reason I asked was that I have seen several You-Tubes (or is it U-Tubes) where people shoot the handgun into various absorbing targets. Targets have ranged from several gallon plastic jugs filled with water to watermelons to cabbages and whatever the shooter could think of to "blow-up". The aspect that I've seen is that when the shooters want to show a comparison between the effectiveness of their hand cannons they seem to use the 9mm Parabellum as a baseline.

It would seem to me to be a better comparison if they wanted to show how much more explosive the impacts of their bullets are that they should compare them to bullets from commonly available factory bullets that are at least in the next step down in terms of power. So instead of taking a 50 S&W and comparing impacts with a 9mm, compare them to a 44Mag. then the audience would see what can be gained over the former most powerful handgun in the world.

I’ve seen the same video on U tube. The guy shoots long barreled muzzle braked .500s one handed and a two inch one without a muzzle brake and compares them to a 9mm. Entertaining and impressive, but what’s the point? I bought my Casull because I’ve always wanted one and for me, the recoil is very manageable and fun to shoot. I don’t feel the need (at least for now) to own something more powerful.