If you haven't seen this.....

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YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

for the intrepid

If you maintain an erection that lasts for more than four hours after clicking the link, leave this blog and never return.

So while shopping around this weekend I saw the following chambered in .44 mag:

1. Taurus Tracker $400 new
2. Ruger Blackhawk $295 used
3. Ruger Redhawk stainless $600 new

That Blackhawk is tempting because of the price. I am not sure I would be satisfied with it, because of the way it loads. Seems like a PITA to load and unload, and slow too. You would never need more than 6 shots while hunting, and if you did, you already screwed up. In that case you would most likley be tracking, and have time to reload.

I am not sure I want to spend that much money to get the Redhawk, for sure not right now. The Taurus tracker seems a good compromise, but the differences in construction are apparent. The Rugers are definately more solidly built.

Right now I am going to wait. I will be in a bigger town in a few weeks, and will have to do some more shopping where there are more stores, better selection, and more competitive pricing.

Unless I can't help myself and just go buy that Blackhawk.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Well they were here for a little while. And now they are not. Haloscan says "can't find server" partway through on the auto install, and I can't get the manual to work.

I'll keep messin' with it.

What should Giraffe Shoot?

Well I got an itch. A couple weeks ago my brother bought a .357 magnum. Now, I have always been more into long guns than handguns, and more into auto's than revolvers, so I don't have a revolver. But now I think I have to get one. Because I shot my brother's and I got the itch. I might not actually buy one for a while, but I am going to put it on my list.

The criteria are:

• I want to be able to hunt with it. State law says you have to have a minimum of 500 ft/lbs energy at the muzzle. (I assume this means with factory ammo.)
• It would be nice if I could shoot a lower power shell with it, like shooting .38 special in a 357 mag. Or the .44 special in a 44 magnum.
• I want to be able to buy brass and bullets cheap. I will be reloading.
• I don't want something that will break my wrist or something that requires a muzzle brake. So that rules out the .460 and .500 S&W magnums.
• I don't want to spend a huge amount of money, I may buy used. My brothers was used and went for $340.
• I prefer the option of mounting a scope. I might not, but I want the option.

I don't know a lot about wheel guns. I think I want single action. My brothers works on single action or double action. I mean he can cock the hammer, or pulling the trigger rotates the cylinder and pulls back the hammer. This would be preferable. Also, I want the cylinder that tilts out of the frame, rather than the type where you eject the shells one by one. Unless there is some big advantage to that I am unaware of. I could buy a .44 mag right now for $300 where the cylinder is fixed and you have to kick out the shells one by one.

For chamberings, I am thinking 357 magnum, .41 magnum or 44 magnum, leaning more towards the 357 or 44 for cheaper ammo. I would prefer a longer barrel, maybe 6-8 inches. This is not going to be a concealed carry or self defense gun. There isn't much need of that here.

So, what do you think. Recommend any models?

Update:

Comments deleted when haloscan was added:

The order might be wrong and there are some goofy characters. (from my email)

Res ses:

Buddy,You want to go 44 mag. double action.If you’re going to do this do it right. The 44 is a good gun on deer. I got a nice 5 pt with mine. It’s a good back up gun to a rifle. It serves well for home defense. It sucks for CCW. I can shoot mine at 100 yards with good accuracy making it decent on deer/antelope/elk/moose/bear/lion/goat/big-horn. There are 3 realistic choices for a hunting gun, regardless of brand they should be a six inch barrel. Shorter barrels aren’t as accurate at 100 yrds and longer barrels are to bulky to use quickly.Rugar: hands down the toughest/strongest/most durable American made revolver from a major manufacture. Like a craftsman tool, if it breaks (not likely) they fix it. The redhawk will serve you well, the super redhawk is designed to take a scope. I’ll get my 2 cents in here on scopes for pistols, if you need one you shouldn’t be shooting a pistol. Leave it off, its bulky and screws with your ability to handle the gun, if you need it and it breaks in the field you will be use to depending on it instead of iron sight shooting.Smith and Wesson model 629. For most this is the definition of what a 44 mag should be. I’ve got one. I shoot it. I like it and it can be loaded down to accommodate my wife shooting it.Dan Wesson. Its lighter than a smith and its real classy. They are a good shooter. If I had a chance and extra $ I’d get one myself.Reloading for the 44 is a snap. You can buy several boxes of ammo and reuse the brass. I load mine down to 730 fps with 185 grainers for the wife to shoot and it kicks less than my 45 acp. I can load it way up to nearly 1500 fps with 250 grain partition gold that I use when I’m in grizzly country. A 240 grain semi jacketed hollow point will take a whitetail at 150 yards no problem, at 30 yards the exit wound through the rib cage is a mere 2in with no meat loss, I know I’ve done it. My brother uses his 44mag in a marlin carbine to shoot deer every year, even with the slight gain in fps with the longer gun he still doesn’t waste meat.I bought my 629 12 years or more ago used, I’ve shot it a lot and its still a great gun. Any one of the three brands is worth having. I don’t know about Taurus as I’ve never owned one. If its gonna be a used gun, I’d stick to the 3 I’ve mentioned, excepting I’d buy a Freedom Arms revolver in a hart beat, but that would mean it would be single action.Res

Equus Pallidus ses:

Tyhe ruger blackhawk is a damn good choice, it is all of the above in your post. It is a single action 44mag which can be loaded with 44sp bullets. The acurracy of them are uncanny. My brother own one and I own the redhawk which is the double action version.His blackhawck just handles better and is well balanced for a 44mag.I even got the load for ya.24.5 g winter 24.0 g summer of win 296240 grain jacketed hollow point, I prefer the XTP's

and

Get the carbide reloading dies, you'll thank me later

(I knew that already)

and

That 240g XTP was a hornady if I didn't make myself clear.

( I knew that too)

Res ses:

The partition gold is a better bullet to put behind 24 grains of 296. No they're not cheap but when you care enough to use the best they are worth it. You'll be pushing nearly 1500 fps with a 250 grain chunk of hurt.

Res

weekend

Headed for the land of 10,000 lakes for the weekend. Going to Valley Fair on Saturday, and then to a Twins Game on Sunday. The Twins look like they may start a losing streak. Must have heard we were coming. It's always fun to watch your team lose. The last time I saw the Twins play they lost. Of course, that had to be more than 15 years ago.

This is the wife's idea of a vacation. I have to do things with her once in a while so that I can go hunting with my vacation time. The Twins game is just so I have a reason to go. I am not all that excited about Valley Fair. Never been there. Maybe it will be fun, but I will have to pretend to be bored so she doesn't try to make me waste more vacation time on it.

rambling

Book review:

I ran out of material to read so I re-read couple of books. Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause. I like all the books by this author. They are historical novels, and the author tries to be accurate in respect to history. One thing that strikes me, is how close the American Revolution was. We really should have lost. We had such a small army. It seems strange that with such a large population we lacked for volunteers. It seems the hand of God was in it. The British had us over a barrel several times, but Washington always made his escape. If we hadn't had help from foreign officers and the French, we likely would not have succeeded. Not surprisingly, men didn't want to leave their farms and families to fight a war against their own country.

Our successes were mainly due to finding vulnerabilities and striking them, rather than direct confrontation. Another thing that is striking, is the poor performance of the militia. They ran, time and time again. They dropped loaded weapons without firing a shot. As I read, I wanted yell "fight for your freedom you cowards!" The militias were good for general harassment of the British, but in a larger engagement, they were more likely to turn and run. This was used as a strategy in the battle of Cowpens. The movie The Patriot portrays this battle.

As Res pointed out, some of the abuses we suffer under our own government are worse than the ones they fought against. But, few would be willing to take up arms today to fight. I guess the big difference is our chains are gradually being put on. Also, most people are apathetic to the situation. We have a more direct involvement with our government, so some still feel we can solve our problems politically. And now, as in those times, the more idiotic segments of our population want more government intrusion. Too bad we can't tar and feather them.