When faced with the credible, imminent threat of unlawful use of lethal force,my policy is toshoot to stop. Unfortunately for a wouldbe assailant, all of the reliable methods of stopping entail substantial chance of death. My chosen method is 200gr. Gold Dot .44 Specials out of a 4" .44 Magnum. For that reason, creating in me a reasonable immediate fear of life and limb is probably a bad idea.As far as using it for justifiable self defense--you can use a .505 Gibbs if that's what you have. Just don't kill or injure anyone but the bad guy. In your home, if you have the right to use deadly force there is no such thing as "shoot to stop." The same applies out of your home, but with more restrictive interpretation. You either have or don't have the right to use DF. If you do, you do. And the caliber of your weapon--or the size of your baseball bat, is irrelevant. If you don't, the fact that you shot him with a .22 short won't help your case one bit.
Want to have some real fun with Mag.? Stuff a small pistol primer in a hollow point and shoot that same backstop. Dang that's a lot of fun. Just make sure you jam it in tight with your thumb.how it blew my 8" log backstop apart, etc.
Wow, man what a great way to blow your thumb clean off. I understand it's also fun to play dodge-ball with lawn darts.:uhoh:Pointman wrote:Want to have some real fun with Mag.? Stuff a small pistol primer in a hollow point and shoot that same backstop. Dang that's a lot of fun. Just make sure you jam it in tight with your thumb.how it blew my 8" log backstop apart, etc.
Naw, as long as you don't try to wedge it in with a hammer, there's no problem. Done it bunches of times. Like shooting a .45 long colt or a .44 mag or special through a 410 single barrel break over.rodbender wrote:Wow, man what a great way to blow your thumb clean off. I understand it's also fun to play dodge-ball with lawn darts.:uhoh:Pointman wrote:Want to have some real fun with Mag.? Stuff a small pistol primer in a hollow point and shoot that same backstop. Dang that's a lot of fun. Just make sure you jam it in tight with your thumb.how it blew my 8" log backstop apart, etc.
What is the best defense ammo to be used in a .44 Magnum? It doesn't have to be magnum ammo if a .44 special will work that's fine I just need some recommendation as I'm not familiar with any of the companies I've found through my own searches. I was hoping to find something that won't over penetrate as this would be used for a carry/home defense in town. Thanks for your help.
Interesting. To me, the speed of the follow-up shot is vital. That's why I prefer a .45 ACP for its stopping power and quick follow-up, even with +P loads. The .44Mag, if you download it to .44 special, is ok, but nowhere near as good as a .45 auto or .357 magnum in stopping power. In full .44 mag loads, forget a quick follow-up shot and the fear of over penetration is a real one. For personal defense, a .44 mag doesn't interest me--unless it's bears that I'm worried about. For fun shooting a few cylinders at the range--great gun.asforme wrote:What is the best defense ammo to be used in a .44 Magnum? It doesn't have to be magnum ammo if a .44 special will work that's fine I just need some recommendation as I'm not familiar with any of the companies I've found through my own searches. I was hoping to find something that won't over penetrate as this would be used for a carry/home defense in town. Thanks for your help.
The Box O Truth takes a look at the .44 Mag. as a defensive round.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu78.htm
Tarzan
Really? How's that? How do you define "download it to .44 Special"? Without specifics, that doesn't mean anything.The .44Mag, if you download it to .44 special, is ok, but nowhere near as good as a .45 auto or .357 magnum in stopping power.
Gunslinger wrote:Really? How's that? How do you define "download it to .44 Special"? Without specifics, that doesn't mean anything.The .44Mag, if you download it to .44 special, is ok, but nowhere near as good as a .45 auto or .357 magnum in stopping power.
Are you saying that my .45acp bullseye handloads with a 200gr. LSWC over 3.7gr. of Bullseye is MORE powerful than the CCI .44 Special Blazer self-defense load with a 200gr. Gold Dot?
There's very little that a .45acp can do that a .44 Special can't, other than feed through an M1911.
Standard .44 specials vs +P .45 ACP is what I'm talking about. You can handload anything, and blow your hand off probably, to "prove" something. And 1 shot stopping power. Take a look at either the FBI standards or Evan Marshall's site. The .44 special, while a good load, doesn't stand up to the .45ACP 230JHP. And speed of the follow-on shot in a DA revolver--if you want reasonable accuracy and are shooting SA, is not in the same league with a top quality 1911. The same applies to the .357 vice .44 special. Marshall shows the .357 125gr JHP as the #1 stopper, followed very closely by the 230gr .45ACP--in standard pressure. The +P is that much better and probably beats the .357 now. The .44 special--and .44 magnum, are far down the list.Gunslinger wrote:Really? How's that? How do you define "download it to .44 Special"? Without specifics, that doesn't mean anything.The .44Mag, if you download it to .44 special, is ok, but nowhere near as good as a .45 auto or .357 magnum in stopping power.
Are you saying that my .45acp bullseye handloads with a 200gr. LSWC over 3.7gr. of Bullseye is MORE powerful than the CCI .44 Special Blazer self-defense load with a 200gr. Gold Dot?
There's very little that a .45acp can do that a .44 Special can't, other than feed through an M1911.