44 magnum barrel length question?

Question

What is the ideal barrel length needed to get the full power of the 44 magnum?

----Would a 4" barrel give me excellent power, such as with the Colt Anaconda, or would a longer barrel be necessary?

--Is the Colt Anaconda a good revolver?

Answer 1

I have 2 revolvers, one with a 4 " (S&W) and 7.5" (Ruger Super Blackhawk). As is usually the case, it depends on what you are wanting to accomplish with the gun.

Since we have a few large black bear in my hunting area, my Smith accompanies me nearly anytime I am in the woods as insurance should something try to chew on me as well as game that comes in close when I am on the stand. I usually choose the longer barrel when I specifically set out to hunt with a handgun.

My hand load uses a super hard cast 275 grain LBT Wide Flat Nose. Large wound channel and complete penetration. I engage the shoulder, always get an exit wound, and the farthest I have had a deer go with this load was 30 yards. Most fall in their tracks, with little damage to the meat like you see with a high velocity rifle bullet. I feel this will break bones and penetrate well on bruins if the need should arise.

The longer barrel will make it easier to align the sights more precisely, so your practical accuracy will be improved. The longer barrel will give you more velocity also. At the ranges I use my handguns, the difference in velocity does not seem to matter - as range increases it may begin to matter to you. Full power factory loads with a 240 grain bullet will probably run about 1200 feet per second from the 4", and 1400 from the 7.5". My loads will probably be a bit less since I don't push to hard toward the maximum loads.

I haven't heard any thing bad about the Anaconda - from what I hear it is beefier than my Smith, but that translates into more weight if that is a concern.

If you may be hunting really big and/or dangerous critters with this revolver, I would recommend getting one like the Super Redhawk that has longer chambers. Then you could use the Garret Hammerhead cartridges. They are the same basic bullet design I load, but heavier bullets.

Good luck an good shooting,

RB

Answer 2

The barrel length has nothing to do with the power. Barrel length is used for accuracy. And a .44 mag will have plenty of power to do what ever you want.  But if you are using it to hunt with, most states require a 6 inch barrel, but you have to check with your state laws for that. And yes, a Colt Anaconda is a good revolver.

Answer 3

I own a Ruger .44 Magnum with a 5 1/2 inch barrel.Great gun and a great shooter,I would recommend this handgun to anyone wanting a revolver(wheel gun)

Answer 4

The more length of barrel, the longer the bullet is being pushed by the explosive gasses, and therefore , the more speed and knockdown power you get. This is why a small pistol round such as a 9mm can attain very good results when fired in a rifle such as the Hi-Point carbine. The extra barrel length will definitely deliver more knock down power. Conversely a small berrel such as a 2 inch snub-nosed 38 special will not produce enough speed to cause a hollow point bullet to mushroom!

That being said, a 44 magnum is a very powerful load. Yes, an 8 inch barrel would produce outstanding results. I have taken several wild boars with my S&W 629 , however, even though it had a 6 inch barrel. I think the 6 inch will do fine for most purposes. Anything shorter than a 6 inch may give adequate power, but the short, and therefore lighter , barrel will probably produce substantially more recoil!

The Anaconda is a fine weapon. I prefer the Smith & Wesson, but thats just me.

Answer 5

If you shoot a 4 inch barrel, you will push a heavy 240 grain bullet out an average 1200 fps. This is a lot of power.

I shoot a 5 inch Ruger, a 9 inch Ruger, and a 20 inch Marlin lever Carbine. To richard who does not think extra length does not give you more power, you are very wrong.

I reload my own loads, and my rounds are 300 grain hard cast lead. I push 1200 fps out of the 5 inch, 1365 out of the 9 inch, and 1620 out of the carbine.

I can push faster, but this was the most accurate out of all the guns. These are full power loads, that I only trust to a Ruger, but the Colt is a tough gun too.

If you want to see what a 44 can do, go to Buffalo Bore ammunition, and see what a hot .44 is capable of.

I like the 5 inch because its compact,but a 4 inch would be better. The 9 inch is scoped and I use it to hunt. The carbine is a Deer slayer, and It works better than any caliber I ever shot.

Good luck

Answer 6

The Colt Anaconda is an EXCELLENT gun. MyBuddy's out shoots my Ruger Redhawk in both our hands. The action is smooth as silk.

As far as 4" or longer, it depends if your shooting pins or home defense. The 4" will give a little more muzzle flash from unspent powder, but is nicer for carry in a CCW situation.

The power you loose is minimal with a smaller barrel. a longer barrel will in most instance's give you better accuracy for hunting or pins.

Answer 7

I have a Colt Anaconda in 6" and I think a barrel any shorter you would lose some velocity due to unburned power.

Answer 8

Full power is directly relative to barrel length.

You will never attain the velocities published by most ammo manufacturers unless you have an 8" barrel.  Most companies even used to have a disclaimer that thier test ballistics were attained by an 8" test barrel when referring to handgun ammo.

Only recently did companies begin to test their ammo with 4 and 6" barrels.

So to answer, you will not attain full velocities and power levels in short barrelled guns.  Most often the difference would never matter.

And the Colt Anaconda is a fine weapon, high collector value.