In this Article:
The “other†44. What do I mean? Well, if you look at this gun for more than 2 seconds, you will see that it looks an awful lot like a Smith & Wesson. Why does it resemble the other gun? We’ll get into that. Suffice it to say that this gun is a winner in its own right, no matter what other guns it might resemble.
The Taurus Model 44
The Taurus model 44 revolver has been around a while. It, along with the model 66 .357 have been in the catalog for years. The very first product that Taurus made was a revolver, in 1941. The company’s history is really interesting; without rehashing that complete history, go here and you will learn not only the company’s history but also why some Taurus guns can legally look like guns from S&W and Beretta. For the short version, suffice it to say that Taurus had, once upon a time, a working relationship with both Smith and Wesson and Beretta. The S&W connection occurred because, for a while, both companies were owned by the same parent corporation and a flow of technology went between the two. That’s why some Taurus revolvers look a lot like S&W guns and can do so legally. The Beretta link happened when Beretta, who had just concluded a contract to build 92FS 9mm pistols for Brazil, sold the factory, blueprints, machines and related items to Taurus. Taurus was required to make a version of the Beretta that had an expired patent, so that’s why Taurus PT-92s use a frame-mounted decocker. Beretta 92-series guns (most of them) have a slide-mounted decocker. At any rate, when you see a Taurus that looks like a S&W or a Beretta you’ll know why now. See below for my quick comparison photos I took of the Taurus 44 and my S&W 629. But first – why would you want one?
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Why This Hand Cannon?
OK…so you’ve always wanted a revolver, but not just any revolver – it has to be a .44 Magnum! A major thumper. Please allow me to insert some unsolicited advice here from a guy who has shot .44s (Specials and Magnums) for more than a few decades. If you are an experienced revolver shooter, feel free to skip to the next section. If you are not, unless you are willing to start with either reduced mid-range magnum or even .44 Special loads, you are not going to do yourself any favors by buying a .44 Magnum of any type.
I remember seeing, back after “Dirty Harry†came out and the .44 Magnum craze hit, more than one recently-purchased magnum handgun in the gun shop’s used gun case, often with a box of ammo with it that had 6 expended cases and the rest unfired. True story. It was too much for the average shooter. Plus, they tended to forget that Harry shot .44 Special ammo in his S&W 29, his “this is the most powerful handgun in the world and will blow your head clean off!†notwithstanding. If you took the time to really learn the gun and the loads available for it, you stood a much greater chance of actually keeping your new acquisition.
The 29, 629 and our Taurus are all DA revolvers. There are also SA guns out there. The Ruger Super Blackhawk, Magnum Research BFR revolvers and others are built tough. Tough or not, these SA guns still pack quite a wallop on the back end. Add more felt recoil pounds to a DA revolver that does not allow the grip to rotate in your hand like most SA guns will do and those pounds can hurt your hand over an afternoon of shooting. Ask me how I know.
Another use for a .44 is as a shotshell dispenser – my friend who owns this gun carries it when he and wife hike and always has a shotshell or two in the cylinder as snake medicine. We only have a couple of poisonous snake species in our area but even one snake could sure ruin your day.
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Holey Barrel, Batman!
I know, I show my age – I loved the ‘60s Batman TV show hence the borrowing and paraphrasing of Robin’s favorite epithet. If you do opt for a .44 Maggie, think it through. How can you avoid pounding your palm and wrist into proverbial muscular mush yet still have an effective deer or other game stopper? By getting one with a “hole-y barrelâ€. Allow me to explain. When I shoot my 629 (or any other regular-barreled .44), I expect, anticipate, am ready for the recoil. Now, with my mid-range deer loads, it isn’t too bad as you might surmise but when I shoot full-bore factory loads it does kick, quite a bit. True story – one of my son’s friends was shooting the gun with my reduced load when he was old enough to handle it. His dad told him to back away from the gun – he had his head very close to the rear sight. Told him twice. He backed up, then went forward again and pulled the trigger. He had a perfect indent the size of the hammer spur in his forehead. It bled a little, but the lesson, according to the dad (I wasn’t so sure) was worth the small amount of blood it drew. I’ll admit, that kid held the gun properly afterwards. The moral of the story – for our purposes at least – is that the .44 will kick so you need to be ready. What can you do to help lower the felt recoil? Port the barrel.
After I shot this Taurus I was a believer in barrel ports. Now, barrel ports are nothing new – I remember reading in gun magazines of 40+ years ago about Mag-Na-Port. Mag-Na-Port was a company in Michigan run by a good guy named Larry Kelly. You send them your gun, they cut via EDM two trapezoidal ports (and two oval ports in longer barrels) in the barrel behind the muzzle. Voila – instant recoil reduction. The company is still going strong – starting at about $100 plus shipping, you can have your carry revolver (or semiauto!) ported. Check the link for details. This is one way to help reduce felt recoil – another way is to apply port cuts at the factory.
In the photo below, you will see how Taurus does their porting. They cut 8 circular ports, 4 per side, in the barrel below the front sight. The ports are over an unrifled section of the barrel called an expansion port. This allows the escaping gases to expand a bit and then vent out of the barrel, upwards. This action does two things – it reduces muzzle rise as it causes the gun to come more or less straight back into your hand, and the gases venting upward hold felt recoil down. I know, it seems crazy but it works, believe me.
When I shot my 629 as a type of control (something I was familiar with) then shot the Taurus, the Taurus won hands down the recoil battle. There was virtually no muzzle rise with it. It did come back fairly stiffly but in terms of the muzzle heading for the wild blue, it did not do that. I am a believer in ported barrels now. A muzzle brake does roughly the same thing for those guns that will accept them, but most plain-jane revolvers won’t allow their installation. Hence, the ports:
The ports, from the muzzle after cleaning the gun. The gas expansion chamber did tend to catch my brass brush’s bristles as I pushed it into the barrel – there is a definite ledge between the port’s expansion chamber and where the rifling starts. This is a small price to pay to have recoil reduced by a substantial amount.
Photo Gallery
Here are some photos I took of the Taurus 44, along with some I took of both the 44 and my 629 using a cleaning towel as a backdrop – I thought that might add something but now I’m not so sure. At any rate, let’s look first at the gun under review…
The red insert (and front sight dots) were added by the original owner before my friend bought it. I remember using a red piece of plastic cut from a Plochmann’s mustard bottle lid long about 1976 to add a red insert to my Super Blackhawk’s front sight ramp after epoxying it into the groove I filed for it. We do what we must to get the results we need with the resources we have…it worked great!
The grip shown is an aftermarket Pachmayr wrap-around number with obvious finger grooves. Pachs must be popular for .44s or at least were so a few years ago as my 1982-vintage 629 wore the exact same model grip shown here when it was given to me. The grips do work in helping to cushion recoil a bit and when you add in the ported barrel, the gun is downright pleasant to shoot.
Comparison With S&W Guns
I am asked, with some frequency, by shooters who know that I have reviewed many Taurus guns and have researched the Taurus company history about “why do Taurus revolvers look like S&W’s – isn’t that illegal?†I linked, above, my history of the company and how they can legally look like S&W guns, so we won’t go over that again. But, I did think that it might be a good thing if I illustrated the similarities and differences between the two. I’ll use my S&W .44 Magnum as the guinea pig as we compare the two. So, let’s look at the Taurus model 44 alongside my S&W 629. My gun has an 8 3/8†barrel, with the Taurus coming in at 6.5†so that is one obvious difference but you can get either gun in either barrel length.
Overall, both guns are very similar. Same type of grip frame, cylinder, cylinder release, ejector rod, etc… very much like each other. Here are some photos I took to show each gun. We’ll talk about differences later.
As you can see, the guns look remarkably alike. There are some differences, though. Here’s a quick list of ways the two guns are alike yet different…
- The S&W’s barrel’s top rib is grooved to break up reflections while the Taurus has a vent rib.
- The Taurus’s rear sight is adjustable and works in a similar manner to the one on the S&W.
- Both guns’ cylinders rotate counter-clockwise, unlike Colt guns.
- The firing pins are mounted differently – on the frame, Taurus and on the hammer, S&W. But…newer S&Ws use frame-mounted pin on most revolver models.*
- The triggers are different in terms of pull weight – see Specs below. Nothing unusual about that.
- The Taurus’s cylinder diameter and gun weight are greater. The Taurus weighs about 4 ounces more but has a shorter barrel. There is more “beef†with the Taurus, but (to be fair) it uses a full-length barrel underlug and my 629’s barrel is built the “old†way, with just the ejector rod covered. I’ve seen this referred to as a “quarter lug.†A new S&W 629 with a 6-inch barrel weighs 45 ounces, still not exactly a lightweight.
*Here’s another picture of the firing pins:
Perhaps you, eagle-eyed reader, can spot more similarities and differences but these are what I came up with. I did not remove the side plates and grips – didn’t want to do that to a gun that wasn’t mine – but if I did, the first thing I would notice would be the leaf mainspring in my S&W and the captured strut-and-spring of the Taurus, a la Ruger. There are other internal differences but these are enough for our purposes. Both guns are well-built.
Specs
| Capacity: | 6 rds. |
| Height: | 6" |
| Width: | 1.8" (1.762â€) |
| Weight: | 52 oz. (52.1 oz.) |
| Barrel Length: | 6.5" |
| Trigger Pull, Average, Single Action: | 3 lbs, 11 oz. |
| Trigger Pull Average, Double Action: | 7 lbs, 10 oz. |
| Overall Length: | 11.67" |
| Front Sight: | Fixed |
| Rear Sight: | Adjustable, W&E |
| Safety: | Transfer Bar |
| MSRP: | $647.72 |
Comparable S&W Measurements:
| Width: | 1.714†|
| Weight: | 48.2 oz. |
| Trigger Pull Average, Single Action: | 2 lbs, 5 oz. |
| Trigger Pull Average, Double Action: | 7 lbs, 6 oz. |
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Shooting The 44
I have already described the recoil reduction experienced because of the ported barrel (and the gun’s weight – 52 ounces will help to dampen recoil), so I won’t go over that again. Here is a target I shot with two loads – a CCI aluminum-cased 240 grain JHP and my handload of a 260 grain Lee cast SWC over 6.5 grains of Titegroup that clocks about 1060 fps out of my 629.
This was shot at 25 yards from a rest. I do confess that sometimes my target-shooting procedure isn’t very scientific – all those holes, from two different loads – which is which? Well…I don’t really think it matters. I was just having fun, shooting a .44 that didn’t beat me up and didn’t mind mixing the loads a bit. There is no question that this gun is accurate – I have that on authority from its owner – so I figured I could have a little fun. With the ammo situation the way it is, I can’t find much to shoot so I use whatever I have left at home and then utilize my handloads as well. I have no idea where I got aluminum-cased ammo from, but I used it nonetheless. If I were to take this gun hunting, I would dial in the rear sight so that the point of impact would be just on top of the front sight. That seems to work well for deer.
Whether you hunt, punch paper or knock steel down, you will want a load that allows a lot of practice without beating yourself (or the gun) up. After shooting the Taurus, I am of the opinion that you could use a slightly stiffer load in it for not much gain in recoil. Even a top-end midrange load (1100 – 1200 fps or so) would be comfortable to shoot in this gun. For those who enjoy shooting them, full-tilt top-end loads would show a similar reduction in recoil. Granted, ports tend to make shooting louder (a subjective assessment) but if you’re wearing hearing protection as you should that would not be an issue.
In terms of handling, the Taurus was great. The full-length barrel underlug helps keep the muzzle down and the overall gun weight surely doesn’t hurt. This is not a one-hand-shooter… you will want both hands on this when you pull the trigger unless you are built like Arnold Swartzenegger used to be. The sights were basic but allowed excellent target acquisition and precision shooting (my ability notwithstanding). If the gun were mine, I’d move the rear sight a bit right to center the groups on the target. I like to be dead on at 50 yards with my hunting handguns so that if a 75-yard shot is presented, I won’t have to hold high. You could sure do that with this gun. If you want to add an optic, you might be better off with the Raging Hunter and its railed top strap. One thing’s for sure – you might want to investigate a chest holster for it if you go far afield. Otherwise you might list a bit to starboard (or port, for lefties) after a day of tromping through the great outdoors with it on your hip. Fifty-two ounces is a chunk.
Conclusion
What did I think of the Taurus model 44? It is well-built, reliable and seemingly accurate. Its recoil is much less than that of my 629, which might allow more precision in the placement of shots…the ports really work. I do believe that I would like to own one of these, but maybe with the 4-inch barrel since I already have the longer tube covered with my Smith. Speaking of 4-inch Taurus 44s, another ported option might be the 5-shot Tracker model. It is lighter (35 ounces) and gives up one round in its slightly-smaller cylinder but might be a good choice for toting around the homestead or even into the hunting field. After shooting this gun, I am a believer in the ported barrel – with my everyday mid-range loads it would be fun to shoot.
If you are in the market for a .44 Magnum wheelgun, you might want to give this one a try. With its weight, construction and ports, I think you might end up with a gun that gets out of the safe more often than some you own. Whether you want this 6.5-inch barrel version or opt for the shorter 4-inch or longer 8 3/8-inch tubes, I think you might be pleased with your choice. If you’ve had experience with the model 44, please leave a comment below. As always, keep ‘em in the black and stay safe!
Good Review and Article. The one big factor difference is price. A model 29 MSRP is $1180, a Taurus M44 msrp is $648. At almost half the price, that’s a lot of ammo you can buy, or accessories.
Bemused, agreed. Each shooter has to decide for him- or herself if the extra cost of the S&W is worth it. They’re both great guns. Appreciate your comment!
I always enjoy Sniper Country reviews. As a novice shooter I learn something with every article. I currently own a Sig P365 & Ruger Mk IV and looking to expand into revolvers.
Bruce128, thanks for the compliment – I’m glad you are learning. You definitely ought to give revolvers a try. I might recommend a .22 to start with – that’s a staple that all shooters should have. Since you have a Mk. IV, you’ll have the ammo for it. Revolvers tend to not be as picky about ammo as autoloaders can be. From there, a centerfire is next =- maybe a .357 Magnum so you could start with .38 Spl. loads. Whether you go with a single action or a double action, that’s your call. You might want to check my article on those two types of revolvers: https://www.snipercountry.com/single-action-vs-double-action-revolver/. Let us know what you end up with and how it’s working out for you. I think you’ll have a lot of fun with it! Thanks for writing.
I’m glad I ran across this article as I have an M44, but in stainless steel. Contrary to what some of the Taurus bashers want to say, I think it is a fine revolver, really like mine. I’m glad someone else appreciates the M44 too. Thank you. Mine seems durable enough to me, and that’s comparing it to my other .44, a Ruger Redhawk. OK well, there is ammo sold that is loaded up for Ruger only, but I don’t use that anyway. Pulling the hammer back and firing in single action, wow, better be on target and ready to fire. My single action trigger pull is very light, comparable to my hunting rifles. Double action of course is a heavier pull (I know, no surprise there). I’ve never hunted with the M44, but I would probably grab it for hunting before the Ruger (5.5″ barrel). For those that aren’t familiar with the M44, this is a large frame revolver and not the same as the Taurus Tracker.
Keith, I’m glad you enjoy your M44. They seem to be very well built, with maybe even a touch more “beef” than my 629. When you compare it to a Redhawk, you say a lot. The Redhawks are some of the toughest-built DA 44s out there. Thanks for writing – I appreciate it!
Well, I wasn’t trying to say that the M44 compared apples to apples with the Redhawk. It’s just that my perspective is with the Redhawk in mind, and the Redhawk doesn’t diminish my view of the M44. The Taurus is a fine shooter, but the Ruger is definitely prettier with that beautiful (rosewood??) wood grip and is more highly polished. Oh, and that Ruger reputation for toughness…… I just appreciated your article giving the Taurus M44 a fair review, a fair review of a decent revolver.
Keith, I am a Ruger fan from way back and I know what you mean about the finish and build quality. I just wanted to throw another option out for those who think they want to try a .44 but may not be able to afford a Ruger or a S&W. The M44 is, as you say, a decent revolver. Thanks for the reply!
I enjoyed your review very much.
I also own a Taurus 44 Magnum.
My Taurus is a Raging Bull with a 8 3/8″ ported barrel. The Bull is an extremely fun and accurate shooting handgun. When playing at the shooting range, people always stop over and ask what I am shooting. I show them my hand cannon and they just love it. I guess it must be very loud. I can’t tell because I always wear my Walker electronic ear muffs.
I watched my son shoot it. The ports at the end of the barrel shoots fire out of them. Pretty cool. I figured it was named a Raging Bull because someone at Taurus must have grown up watching Bugs Bunny cartoons when Bugs was a Spanish matador taking on a bull that snorted fire. I love everything about this gun. Shooting it as single action revolver is much more accurate than double action, which is expected of any handgun.
I also own a Ruger Super Redhawk with a 7 1/2 ” barrel. It’s also a fantastic revolver with nothing to complain about. I am not as accurate shooting the Ruger over the Taurus. It may have something to do with the barrel ports on the Taurus.
Anyhow, thanks for the article. Vote for Trump and become an NRA member or we may lose the privilege of owning these guns.
Thomas, when I reviewed the Raging Bull .44 I was truly impressed. It was built to last, no doubt. Glad you enjoy yours. We are kindred spirits – I spent my childhood (and some of my grandkids’ as well) watching those old cartoons. They were great. Without getting political, I agree that we need to vote for our rights and I think we all pretty much which one, of the 2 candidates, will support them. Thanks for writing!
I used to have a 6″ smith model 29 and it shot like a dream . Super smooth trigger and just a bounce up a few inches then right back on target. I kick myself for selling it.
Patrick, yeah, I know what you mean… I had one, also. Very nice guns! My 629 is just old enough to have some of that older S&W “mystique” when it comes to their .44 Mag revolvers. Hopefully you can find something to replace it with – they’re out there, for sure. Thanks for writing!
You have educated me again with some great gun history and an excellent review. I owned that Taurus knockoff of the p92 and put hundreds of rounds thru it, never a problem.
The 44 is a great gun and caliber, I prefer the special rounds for target shooting.
Bert, thanks for the kind words. You’re right, the ,44 is a great caliber. Glad you enjoy yours. Thanks for writing again.
Back in the ’70’s, I bought an 8 3/8″ Model 29, and toyed with Mag-Na-Porting – opting instead to keep it original. After shooting it and a Ruger Super Blackhawk that I subsequently bought, I found I was pretty insensitive to recoil overall, so I’m glad I did. I suspect recoil sensitivity is a state of mind, but I can’t be sure. I had a .458 Magnum rifle built for me, which I stocked Mannlicher-style, Mag-Na-Ported, and with a high rollover comb and Pachmayr recoil pad, in anticipation of being knocked over. To my surprise, and I guess the point at which I concluded I wasn’t recoil sensitive, it was a pussycat to shoot – much less noticeable than the recoil from a Remington 742 in .30-06, for example. I would guess that apart from mindset, recoil velocity is the major determinant of what people object to in recoil effect – a .40 S&W from a lightweight Taurus G2c being noticeably more pleasant to shoot than a 7.62×25 from a CZ-52, for example. My son, likewise, seems largely unaffected by recoil, so perhaps it’s genetic – don’t know. I do know that I certainly enjoy the big bores, and having read your article, the Taurus .44 seems like an absolute bargain – like most Taurus products. Interesting comparison with the “King of the .44’s!”
George, that’s good that recoil doesn’t affect you. I think you might be in the minority but I’ve never seen a survey on the topic so I don’t know. Recoil definitely is subjective. Sounds like you have some fine firearms! Thanks for writing.
A friend let me shoot his 629 and told me to be aware of the recoil. At the time I was 68. What recoil? It was fun to shoot. I’ve since bought a Raging Bull – what a beast ? and what fun to shoot. There is a slight increase in kick but I like the Bull. I’m interested in a Tracker with a mid-length to shorter barrel just because. I own a Taurus .357 also, and a 38 Spl, and would buy them again. I recently bought a TX22 And will be on the range soon. Can’t go wrong with a Taurus and can save a few bucks to buy more ammo to practice more.
B, sounds like you have quite a few Tauruses (Taurii?)! I agree, they tend to represent good value in a gun. Hopefully they’ve gotten the bugs worked out. My G3c is quite a gun and has gotten good reviews. Their revolvers seem to have always been built well, from what I read. I. like you, am interested in a Tracker .44 – owning the long-barreled Smith, it seems a good addition. Thanks for writing!
Mike, great article as always, I recently picked up a Colt Anaconda that was ported a while back. Hope you could do an article one day on those Colts.
Honu, I did a tabletop review of an Anaconda a while back but was unable to shoot it, Talk about the epitome of .44s – that was one handsome gun! I’ll bet you enjoy yours. Thanks for writing!
Mike – Thanks for putting this together. My go to handgun is the PC 629 with the 2-5/8″ barrel, which is easy and fun because I do my own loads (in .44 mag). This really caught my eye and I think you sealed the deal. Thanks again !
Jim, I too have a 629 but there’s always room for one more. Thanks for writing!
I bought a used Taurus M44 used some 4 years ago and shooting only 240 gr. ammo it was Very accurate at 25 ft. with no problems . The recoil wasn’t about anything but I have a question : Can this particular revolver handle ammo between 300-310 gr. ammo like Buffalo Bore ?
I have owned the Ruger Redhawk and Super Redhawk . A S&W 629 deluxe 3” and I have a Model 44 Taurus 4” . As hard as I try I really cant find anything about the Taurus that I dislike . All of them are well made . I sold or traded my Rugers but only because I was a younger guy in need to buy food and pay rent . I did feel that the Super Redhawk was a tad ugly . Kind of like a very well made pipe wrench . Ive been into guns , hunting snd shooting for over 40 years and I feel that the Taurus 44 is a very sound choice . And I wont slight it calling it an entry level 44 . If it were my only firearm I would still be proud to own it .
What a GRRREAT story. I have the SAME model M44 and same color. What year are these from? my SN start with PH4_____. My Dad passed way (3 yrs ago) and left me all of this guns. This one I have is in not working order. I took apart and sonic cleaned EVERY part. Really is nice and clean now. But I need Extractor & the rod, Center pin spring & spring. Looks likes my dad didn’t take to much care of it or maybe missed place some of the parts. But I will keep this FOREVER. Do you think the parts i need would be the same as the S&W? I have tried ebay, gun broker. i also order the new Galloway springs to make it a lighter pull/fire..etc. any help you give me please. I sure will go research. i found your link on taurusarmed DOT net.