Taurus 44 Mag Review by Alien Gear Holsters

Alien Gear Holsters' Taurus 44 Mag Review

Wondering if the Taurus 44 Mag is worth fooling with? It's a .44 Maggie for a Budweiser budget, so to speak, so there has to be a catch in there somewhere...or does there?

Not really, as it turns out. It's a solid working-class gun. If you wanted a Modest Maggie that goes boom when you want it...it gets the job done without breaking the bank.

If you're expecting a Ferrari for 10-year-old Chrysler prices you'll be let down, but if you go in thinking you'll get a serviceable large-bore magnum for a reasonable price, you'll be pleasantly rewarded...

Taurus 44 Mag Specifications

The first of the Taurus 44 Mag specifications to be aware of is the barrel length, as there are three different models available. Taurus offers the gun with 4-, 6.5- and 8.37-inch barrel lengths. The 6.5- and 8.37-inch models have ventilated ribs, ostensibly for mounting a scope, but the 4-inch model does not. The finish is stainless steel only.

We received the 4-inch model, which would be more of what used to be called a "packin' gun," a big-bore pistol that's powerful enough to do almost anything you need a handgun to do (defense, hunting, what have you) but is compact enough to not be unwieldy.

All models are 1.8 inches at the cylinder, and stand 6 inches tall at the rear sights. Overall length is 9.37 inches for the 4-inch model, 11.67 inches for the 6.5-inch barrel model and 13.75 inches with the 8.37-inch barrel. Unloaded weight is 45 ounces, 52 ounces, and 57 ounces in that order as well.

As to features, all models have an adjustable black steel rear sight and a pinned, dovetailed black steel front blade sight. The sights are basic, but are decently visible. The barrel is ported on top of the muzzle.

The grips of the Taurus 44 Mag are Taurus's basic black molded rubber grips. This was changed not too long ago; previously, the gun was offered with soft radiator-style grips which some people don't care for.

As far as the guts of the revolver, the firing mechanism includes a transfer bar safety, with a double-locking cylinder (at the crane and the rear of the cylinder) and a Smith and Wesson-style cylinder release.

MSRP is $647.72 for the 4- and 6.5-inch models, and $663.97 for the 8.37-inch barrel model. Street prices will be a little lower, probably somewhere between $500 and $550.

Taurus 44 Mag Review

About the only critical things we'd have to say in this Taurus 44 Mag review is that the trigger could use some smoothing and the grips could be a little more comfortable. Other than that, it's a rock-solid, working-class magnum revolver.

Could it be more refined? Sure, but what gun couldn't? Look, it's not a Model 29 and everyone knows it, but the thing is you wouldn't confuse it for one; you get this gun because of what it is - a solid working-class gun - not because of what it isn't.

So let's get into it.

The grips are comfortable enough to work with, and do help absorb some of the shove of .44 Magnum, and the barrel porting does its portion as well. Middling loads are quite manageable, and full-house .44 Magnum loads can certainly be lived with. It's more than accurate enough for everything from target shooting to home defense to handgun hunting at reasonable distances.

The double-action trigger pull is long, hard and while a little gritty, isn't all that bad. The single-action pull is short, crisp and a wee bit of takeup but otherwise pretty decent. Trigger pull weight varies from gun to gun; if you put a Lyman gauge on yours, you'll probably get a different weight than with ours. However, expect a DA pull somewhere between 12 to 14 pounds, and about a 5 to 7 lb single action pull. It might be more, it might be less.

Folks, it's a big double-action revolver. If you're used to a Glock, you're going to be in for a nasty surprise.

The sights are of good size, so they are usable. However, you'll probably find some difficulty shooting at a black target such as an NRA B8 or something along those lines. Taurus doesn't offer replacement or upgrade sights for this model.

That said, you could replace the sights if you could get the dovetail dimensions and find a replacement sight for said dimensions. Aftermarket sights for S&W and Ruger pistols exist, so - again - if Taurus uses the same dovetail dimensions, you're good to go.

So far, I haven't been able to track down what the dovetail dimensions are, so I can't say you'll be able to upgrade the sights. We'll update this review if we happen to learn one way or another.

Overall, it's a solid working-class gun; everything you need, nothing you don't, and a price that's nice. What else could you ask for?