As I mentioned in my post in the classifieds, I'm looking to buy a 44 Mag T/C pistol BBL.  Is there a significant difference in performance btwn a 12" bbl and a 15" bbl.  
 
Also, does anyone have any experience dealing with Ed's Contender's?  They seem to have some very good prices.
 
KD

I do not have a great deal of experience with Contenders...like most, I've shot them.  Mostly it was just working on them for customers.

Here is a little chart I found some time back:

Thanks jAy.  So, using math for Marines, there aint much difference at 49 fps.  I guess if my eventual goal for this is hunting, comfort/ease in carry is probably a more important consideration in this case than performance, eh.

 
KD

You know KD...I believe that is exactly right.

Since you are going to actively hunt with this rascal, I would reckon that a low power pistol scope would be in order.  That is going to up the weight some.

Following that line of thought ...I would venture that you will have a special holster (that houses the pistol-scope combination) which either hangs under your arm or across your chest.  I would think that barrel length might be a consideration here.  I know that when I was a police officer, I often wished that 6" barrels weren't mandatory. (Back in the days when we carried revolvers rather than semi-autos.)

Years ago, when I traded into my 25-5 S&W .45 Colt, I also traded into a 8 3/8" barrel to swap out.  I've never made the change from the 6" and have never regretted it.  (I believe I still have that long barrel in my machinist box.)

The longest barrels that I've ever taken deer with are 7 1/2" barrels in cap & ball revolvers...and only because that is the way they came.

Putting a hole through lungs, heart, brain or spine (i.e. no marginal shots) seems to render the longer barrels unnecessary.  Of course, my shots do not exceed 75 yards and my upper limit is more like 50 yards.  To date...the shots have been more in the 25 yard to 35 yard range.

Yep and in my unasked for opinion the gain in velocity from 4" to 15 " is not worth the aggravation in carrying that long barrel. Even my 61/2" ruger got to be a pain at times.

Think crawling through thicket/swamp to close to 20 yards on an animal. Course some practice will quickily give you a 100 yard range but then why not use a rifle.