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Thread: 44 May be Special. But Not for Defense!

  1. #91
    Quote Originally Posted by hardbitten View Post
    Increasing velocity with that round significantly increases penetration according to web data with 4.25" barrel vs. 2.5"

    Hornady got this with a 2.5" heavy clothing:
    9.75" 2" 3" 0.5" 164 gr 99% 0.7


    Y/T channel
    Hornady Critical Defense44 Special15.54.25" S&W690.42916511.500.70312.000.675https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aszzuAXBhs&t=270s


    I still like the Underwood 200 gr round from 3" GP100 as ultimate for now. (guessing from a 5" it would be a supersonic ear drum shredder and the bullet would fragment- since it was on the hairy edge with 3" GP100).

    (be interested in seeing a .44 Special Federal HST some day).

    So Tokarev - thanks again for the welcome and helping to interest smart new shooters in the great .44 Special!
    Even from the longer barrel the 44 Critical Defense struggles to make 12" in gel.

    I think your Underwood Gold Dot load is probably about as good as factory ammo gets. This or the actual Speer load is likely what I'd carry as well.

    On a somewhat related topic; one of these days I need to take a stab at shooting the GT 250gr cast hollow point into organic gel and see what happens. That bullet, loaded to nearly 1,000 feet per second, did well in synthetic gel.

    Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

  2. #92
    I have owned a Charter 44spl revolver of some sort for over 25 yrs .. The one I own now I purchased new 10+ years ago ... Im glad to see a renewed interest in the 44spl round .. Over the years I have used several different carry loads in my Charters ( and Rossi's) ... At this time I'm carrying the Federal 200gr LSWCHP ... Im sure the bullet don't open up in gel .. But it may when it strikes bone ...

    After reading this thread , great read ,,, it seems that Underwood produces to great options , the 200gr GD Bulldog load & the 200gr LWC ... Id just about consider a stagered cylinder loaded with these two ...

    You guys are very knowledgeable!!!

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  3. #93
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    Funny story about that. It was Clint Eastwood flubbing the script, but they left it in. He was supposed to say he used a special .44 magnum load, not a .44 special load.

    Quote Originally Posted by BJXDS View Post
    Wasn't the 44 spcl Inspctor Harold Francis load of choice?

  4. #94
    Moved way north and couldn't bring my autos. Have been carrying a 5" full lug 629 with Blazer 200gr Gold Dots. I find that the aluminum cases aren't really that bad to reload quickly.

    I wonder how the terminal performance of these blazers is. I'm guessing they go about 850 FPS out of my 5" barrel. I can only hope it's pretty similar to the .40/.45 gold dots in the 180-230gr weight ranges. For trail defense I'm carrying the underwood 305 gr Hard Cast Lead Long Flat Nose Gas Check. The main problem is that I have no reloading setup and just shooting enough for proficiency is costing megabucks. .44 special practice ammo is really hard to come by, and even then it's over .50 per round.

    I go back and forth on thinking I should carry something more stout with it for EDC, but at the end of the day those gold dots are probably the best choice if I'm not worried about large predators.

    Have been contemplating trying USPSA revolver major at the club here but I'm pretty sure I would just look like an idiot. My reload splits are still 6 seconds with HKS speedloaders and I can only imagine how long that would make my times on a USPSA stage, lol, would just be embasrassing. With that said, going from those underwoods to a cowboy action special load brings new meaning to the phrase "bunny fart".

  5. #95
    Site Supporter entropy's Avatar
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    I started using the Blazer round recently. While certainly pricey, it’s better than some of the others. I did the usual water jug expansion test on it (same with all my carry ammo, perhaps useless but I have something to compare against gel tests) and it did what all GoldDots do. Field load is a 255gr Keith and either 7.5gr of Unique or 16.5gr of 2400.

    Who cares about your times? That is the gaming part. I think the skillset you pick up would far outweigh the funny looks. Besides, they’re just jealous.

    I dont know what your situation is, but for the price of a few boxes of that Underwood, you could get a basic Lee press and a set of dies. I load my .44s (and everything pistol that pushes limits) on an old beat up turret press.
    Last edited by entropy; 04-20-2019 at 07:32 AM.

  6. #96
    Site Supporter Tamara's Avatar
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    All of these projectiles were stopped by the first layer of denim on the far side of a 16" block of Clear Ballistics gel, after penetrating 4LD going in.
    • .45 Colt 250gr LFP
    • .45 Colt 225gr STHP
    • .44 Spl 200gr GDHP
    • .44 Spl 200gr LSWC-HP
    • .38 Spl 148gr Gold Medal Match HBWC
    • 9mm 124gr +P GDHP

    The .45 Colt rounds were fired from a Charter Bulldog XL, the .44 Spl from a Model 296, the .38 Spl from a 2" Model 64, and the 9mm Gold Dot was the chambered round from my Langdon Beretta carry gun for a control.

    I'm not certain that the aortic arch or spinal cord will function better with a .355" hole in it than a .452" hole.
    Last edited by Tamara; 04-20-2019 at 10:43 AM.
    Books. Bikes. Boomsticks.

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  7. #97
    Quote Originally Posted by Tamara View Post
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    All of these projectiles were stopped by the first layer of denim on the far side of a 16" block of Clear Ballistics gel, after penetrating 4LD going in.
    • .45 Colt 250gr LFP
    • .45 Colt 225gr STHP
    • .44 Spl 200gr GDHP
    • .44 Spl 200gr LSWC-HP
    • .38 Spl 148gr Gold Medal Match HBWC
    • 9mm 124gr +P GDHP

    The .45 Colt rounds were fired from a Charter Bulldog XL, the .44 Spl from a Model 296, the .38 Spl from a 2" Model 64, and the 9mm Gold Dot was the chambered round from my Langdon Beretta carry gun for a control.

    I'm not certain that the aortic arch or spinal cord will function better with a .355" hole in it than a .452" hole.
    Wow that .44 gold dot did not expand at all. That's not reassuring.

  8. #98
    Quote Originally Posted by LSW View Post
    Wow that .44 gold dot did not expand at all. That's not reassuring.
    Gold Dots expand well but they're not magic. They need velocity to make that happen.

    Underwood probably has the "best" load for the 44 Special Gold Dot currently.

    Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

  9. #99
    Site Supporter entropy's Avatar
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    Who wears four layers of denim?


    Attachment 37464

  10. #100
    Quote Originally Posted by Tokarev View Post
    Gold Dots expand well but they're not magic. They need velocity to make that happen.

    Underwood probably has the "best" load for the 44 Special Gold Dot currently.

    Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
    True. I wonder if a 5" barrel vs a 2.5" makes enough of a velocity difference to matter or if there is simply not enough powder in these factory .44 special gold dot loadings. I would love to order some of the underwood gold dots but since I live in a state where I can't get ammo shipped to me I'm stuck with what I can get in the stores, and for some reason the blazer gold dots seem to be the only gold dots available in .44 special or magnum.
    Last edited by LSW; 04-20-2019 at 06:07 PM.

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