From: mfolenta@pica.army.mil
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Big Guns - Sort of a Review
Date: 7 Jan 93 03:45:10 GMT


     Last year I asked for some opinions about a large caliber handgun
 I was itching to get.  I asked for net advice about a .44 Mag class
 of gun, preferably in stainless and an autoloader.  I knew about
 the S&W 629, the Colt Anaconda, and the IMI Desert Eagle and asked
 if there were any others.

     Well, the responses mentioned the S&W 29/629 variants (called the
 classic, the original, nice gun), the Ruger RedHawk/Super RedHawk
 (called rugged and durable but iffy trigger feel), the Dan Wesson
 (called nice), the IMI Desert Eagle (called nice but tempermental
 about feeding and loads), and the Colt Anaconda (called nice but
 originally had durability problems - owner sold it thereafter).

     Well, I eliminated the Ruger (politics of Bill and didn't like
 the lines of the gun all that much), the Wesson ( just didn't seem
 right to _me_), the IMI (forget about lower powered lead bullet
 loads), and the S&W (just didn't like the hammer/firing pin idea).
 I decided to get the Colt Anaconda (nice full-length underlug, vent
 rib on the barrel, recessed muzzle crown, transfer-bar firing pin,
 and that rampant colt symbol :-} ).

     OK, impressions time.  It's a big heavy gun :-}  The single action
 trigger pull is light and SWEET, the double action pull lets me know
 when the release is coming up (nicely), the sights line up nicely, and
 I think I like this gun!  

     OK, off to the range I go with my brother-in-law.  The range doesn't
 allow magnum loads so we just use the .44 Special LSWC.  Load five, ready,
cock hammer, squeeeeeeze trigger, BANG!  The recoil is more of a shove than
 anything else and look, a BIG hole in the target. :-} :-}  I like this gun!
 Squeeze - bang, squeeze - bang, etc.  Hey, three out of five holes touch the
 first time out!  I like this gun!  Big silly grin on my face, I hand it to
 my brother-in-law to try.  He mentions that he could see the bullets going
 downrange just before they hit the paper (for maybe 10 feet or so).  I say
 "Yea, right".  He loads five, ready, cock hammer, squeeeeeeze trigger, BANG!
 Now a big silly grin on HIS face and he shoots again.  I CAN see the bullets
 moving downrange for about the last 10 feet before they hit the paper!
 Standing in the port to the side of where the gun was being fired (about five
 feet to the side), you could get a glimpse of the bullet for part of the
 flight path just before it hit the target!  Weird but neat.  We both had
 a BLAST.  Big silly grins all around. :-}

     Life intrudes and some time goes by before I get to a range again.  Th8
time I go solo to an outdoor range.  No one else is there so I can play
 without being on display.  Shoot a cylinder-full of Specials first to warm
 myself up.  Now we pull out the full house .44 Magnum loads (anyone know
 what the listed muzzle velocity is for PMC .44 Magnum 240 grain JSP [44D]
 is?  Anybody?)   Load five, ready, cock hammer, squeeeeeeze trigger, _BANG_!
 WOW, these have a lot more ooomph than those .44 Specials!  Readjust my grip
 and repeat. _BANG_!  WOW, I like this!   :-}   I ran through about 150 rounds
 and had a BLAST.  I like this gun!  Boy, there is nothing like full house
 .44 Magnum loads to point out correct grip to the shooter. (I've shot plenty
 of .357 Magnum loads and they aren't even in the same league as the .44)

     So, did I mention that I like this gun (and caliber)? :-}  It isn't
 a real 'combat' gun (sort of big and bulky for that), and I was always
 partial to semiautos, but this big wheelgun is FUN.

     OK, now for some questions for the net.  In the vein of recent
discussions,
 what are your 'favorite' loads for the .44 Special and the .44 Magnum?
 Send them to me, tell me what you use them for (ie, light target load, heavy
 target load, silhouette load, small game load, medium game load, etc) and I'll
 collect them all and post a summary after a few weeks.  I know to double
 check everything against a loading manual or two, but I want to know what
 people have found to work well for _them_.  If you want to be mentioned by
 name in the summary, tell me in your reply, otherwise I will strip all names
 and just list the loads anonymously.

     Thanks in advance and keep on shooting!


       ***** These are my opinions.  Get your own. :-) *****
      Michael Folenta          | U.S. Army ARDEC
   Future Weapons Branch       | Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000
  email mfolenta@pica.army.mil | (201) 724-3880  [AV 880-3880]