[joeglock40]

Mas, I have a Taurus 44mag that I'm in love with. I know others carry them once in awhile but everyone talks about the over penetration. I like to carry the gun once inawhile tho.so how do you feel about a 44mag for self defense? I here allot about how a lawyer would pretty much tear u up in court for carrying a dirty Harry gun, think that would be true?and lastly what would be the best round for self defense? Maybe silvertips? Or maybe 180 or 200 grain hornady xtps? My normal carry gun is a gen 4 glock 35 with silvertips, I just like the 44 when I'm feeling exotic I guess. Thanks for any advice u can give and thank u for your time answering all our questions on GT. Thanks again. Joe

 

[Mas Ayoob]

If you're managing the recoil well at speed, Remington or Federal 180 grain semi-jacketed hollow point at 1600 foot-seconds nominal velocity is an absolutely devastating load. Of course, it's devastating on both ends, and there's still potential for over-penetration, though less than you can expect from 240 grain.

The Silvertip, being slightly downloaded, is a popular choice. Cor-Bon used to make an excellent "urban load" for the .44 Mag, a 180 grain at 1200 fps, roughly analogous to 185 grain +P .45 ACP (a little less weight, a little more velocity). Haven't checked the catalog lately to see if it's still there, though.

As I'm sure you know, .44 Special is the usual choice for an SD load in the .44 Mag; in .44 Special, the very controllable Winchester Silvertip would be at the top of my list.

You can expect opposing counsel to invoke Dirty Harry and all that, but if you have a smart lawyer and good expert testimony -- and your bullet hasn't shot through and through the bad guy and harmed an innocent person -- I expect you could overcome that. I used to carry a .44 Magnum during deer season as my all-day gun, loaded with 180 grain Federal Magnum: it allowed me to sneak out of the office and into the woods when time permitted. I felt confident I could overcome any "Dirty Harry indicia of malice" argument. (Might still do that, if I had time to hunt deer anymore...:crying: )

best,
Mas