.44 Special
Encyclopedia
The .44 Special or .44 S&W Special is a smokeless powder
center fire metallic cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson
in 1907 as the standard chambering for their New Century revolver
, introduced in 1908.
ammunition for self-protection and hunting. Black powder rounds such as the .44 American
, .44 Russian
, .44-40 Winchester
, and .45 Colt
enjoyed a well-earned reputation for effective terminal ballistics
, accuracy, and reliability.
With the dawn of the 20th Century, Smith & Wesson decided to celebrate by introducing a brand new revolver design which they called the New Century
.
Smith & Wesson wished to pair their new revolver design with a worthy new ammunition chambering. At the time, state of the art in ammunition technology was smokeless powder. Older black powder ammunition was in the process of being converted to smokeless. Smith and Wesson's popular .44 Russian cartridge had established a reputation for superb accuracy and was a renowned target load, and they decided to use an improved smokeless powder version as the basis for the new round. Due to the lower energy density
of the early semi-smokeless powders, prior efforts to convert the .44 Russian to smokeless had produced less than stellar ballistic performance
. Smith & Wesson addressed this issue by lengthening the .44 Russian cartridge case design by 0.2 inches (5.1 mm), increasing the powder capacity by 6 gr. The resulting design, which S&W called the .44 Special, had a case length of 1.16 inches (29.5 mm).
of the new cartridge merely duplicated the 246 gr bullet @ 755 ft/s statistics of the .44 Russian, when the powder capacity of its case would have supported performance rivaling that of the .45 Colt and close to the .44-40. Nevertheless, the .44 Special retained its progenitor's reputation for accuracy.
The picture to the right shows a Smith and Wesson revolver and the ballistics of black powder loads, both original and with the powder replaced with modern Goex FFFg.
(Cumpston 2005)
The SAAMI maxiumum pressure standard for the 44 SW special is 15,500 PSI.
Almost from its introduction, firearms enthusiasts and cartridge handloaders
saw that the potential of the .44 Special chambering was far from being realized and by the end of the 1920s were loading it to much higher bullet
velocities than factory standards. Led by articles in firearms periodicals penned by gun writers such as Elmer Keith
and Skeeter Skelton
, a loose cadre of enthusiastic fans who called themselves the ‘.44 Associates’ formed. Trading information such as .44 Special handloading data and tips regarding the conversion of revolvers to .44 caliber, they proliferated the belief espoused by many firearms authorities and experts that the .44 Special chambering is one of the best overall in the handgun realm.
He also championed the concept of higher powered big-bore revolvers with Smith & Wesson and Remington Arms
, eventually leading to the development of the .357
, .41, and .44 Magnum
s. Keith's suggested designation for the proposed .44 caliber round was the '.44 Special Magnum', but when Remington Arms developed the cartridge they chose to name it the .44 Remington Magnum. Nonetheless, the new cartridge was developed directly from the .44 Special design by simply lengthening the older case by .125 inch. Remington's stated rationale for the making of this change was to preclude higher pressured Magnum loads from being chambered in .44 Special revolvers.
and plinking
. The recent popularity of cowboy action shooting
has also helped pique interest in the .44 Special, motivating manufacturers to offer modern and reproduction firearms chambered for this classic cartridge.
Currently a variety of factory ammunition loadings are available in .44 Special, including bullet weights of 135, 165, 180, 200, 240, 246, and 250 gr at various velocity levels. Special high performance terminal ballistic loads are also offered, such as the Hornady
JHP, Winchester
Silvertip JHP, Speer Gold Dot JHP, Federal
LHP, Cor-Bon
JHP, and various other jacketed hollow point and soft point
designs.
Smokeless powder
Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of propellants used in firearms and artillery which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older gunpowder which they replaced...
center fire metallic cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...
in 1907 as the standard chambering for their New Century revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
, introduced in 1908.
Development history
In the days of the late 19th Century American frontier, large .44- and .45-caliber cartridges were considered the epitome of handgunHandgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
ammunition for self-protection and hunting. Black powder rounds such as the .44 American
.44 S&W American
The .44 S&W American is an American centerfire revolver cartridge.Used in the Smith & Wesson Model 3, it was introduced around 1869. Between 1871 and 1873, the .44 Model 3 was used as the standard United States Army sidearm. It was also offered in the Merwin Hulbert & Co...
, .44 Russian
.44 Russian
The .44 Russian, also known as the .44 S&W Russian, is a blackpowder center fire metallic revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1870...
, .44-40 Winchester
.44-40 Winchester
The .44-40 Winchester, also known as the .44 Winchester, the .44 WCF , and the .44 Largo was introduced in 1873 by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. It was the first centerfire metallic cartridge offered by Winchester,and was brought out as the standard chambering for the new Winchester Model...
, and .45 Colt
.45 Colt
The .45 Colt cartridge is a handgun cartridge dating to 1872. It began as a black powder revolver round developed for the Colt Single Action Army revolver, but is offered as a magnum level handgun hunting round in modern usage. This cartridge was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1873 and served as the...
enjoyed a well-earned reputation for effective terminal ballistics
Terminal ballistics
Terminal ballistics, a sub-field of ballistics, is the study of the behavior of a projectile when it hits its target. It is often referred to as stopping power when dealing with human or other living targets. Terminal ballistics is relevant both for small caliber projectiles as well as for large...
, accuracy, and reliability.
With the dawn of the 20th Century, Smith & Wesson decided to celebrate by introducing a brand new revolver design which they called the New Century
Smith & Wesson Triple Lock
The Triple lock, officially the Smith and Wesson .44 Hand Ejector 1st Model 'New Century', is a double action revolver. It was and is considered by many, including handgun enthusiast and expert Elmer Keith, to be the finest revolver ever made....
.
Smith & Wesson wished to pair their new revolver design with a worthy new ammunition chambering. At the time, state of the art in ammunition technology was smokeless powder. Older black powder ammunition was in the process of being converted to smokeless. Smith and Wesson's popular .44 Russian cartridge had established a reputation for superb accuracy and was a renowned target load, and they decided to use an improved smokeless powder version as the basis for the new round. Due to the lower energy density
Energy density
Energy density is a term used for the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume. Often only the useful or extractable energy is quantified, which is to say that chemically inaccessible energy such as rest mass energy is ignored...
of the early semi-smokeless powders, prior efforts to convert the .44 Russian to smokeless had produced less than stellar ballistic performance
External ballistics
External ballistics is the part of the science of ballistics that deals with the behaviour of a non-powered projectile in flight. External ballistics is frequently associated with firearms, and deals with the behaviour of the bullet after it exits the barrel and before it hits the target.-Forces...
. Smith & Wesson addressed this issue by lengthening the .44 Russian cartridge case design by 0.2 inches (5.1 mm), increasing the powder capacity by 6 gr. The resulting design, which S&W called the .44 Special, had a case length of 1.16 inches (29.5 mm).
Ballistics
Unfortunately the ballisticsPhysics of firearms
From the viewpoint of physics , a firearm, as for most weapons, is a system for delivering maximum destructive energy to the target with minimum delivery of energy on the shooter. The momentum delivered to the target however cannot be any more than that on the shooter...
of the new cartridge merely duplicated the 246 gr bullet @ 755 ft/s statistics of the .44 Russian, when the powder capacity of its case would have supported performance rivaling that of the .45 Colt and close to the .44-40. Nevertheless, the .44 Special retained its progenitor's reputation for accuracy.
(Cumpston 2005)
The SAAMI maxiumum pressure standard for the 44 SW special is 15,500 PSI.
The .44 Associates
Handloading
Handloading or reloading is the process of loading firearm cartridges or shotgun shells by assembling the individual components , rather than purchasing completely assembled, factory-loaded cartridges...
saw that the potential of the .44 Special chambering was far from being realized and by the end of the 1920s were loading it to much higher bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
velocities than factory standards. Led by articles in firearms periodicals penned by gun writers such as Elmer Keith
Elmer Keith
Elmer Keith was an Idaho rancher, firearms enthusiast, and author. Keith was instrumental in the development of the first magnum revolver cartridge, the .357 Magnum, as well as the later .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum cartridges.-Personality and life:Keith's trademarks were his cigars, his ten-gallon...
and Skeeter Skelton
Skeeter Skelton
Charles Allan 'Skeeter' Skelton was an American lawman and firearms writer. After serving in the US Marine Corps from 1945-46 he began a law enforcement career which included service with the US Border Patrol, a term as Sheriff of Deaf Smith County, Texas, and investigator with both the US...
, a loose cadre of enthusiastic fans who called themselves the ‘.44 Associates’ formed. Trading information such as .44 Special handloading data and tips regarding the conversion of revolvers to .44 caliber, they proliferated the belief espoused by many firearms authorities and experts that the .44 Special chambering is one of the best overall in the handgun realm.
Elmer Keith and his Magnums
Keith, one of the most famous and popular firearms related authors at the time, developed a number of classical heavy handloads for the .44 Special; many are still highly regarded today.He also championed the concept of higher powered big-bore revolvers with Smith & Wesson and Remington Arms
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....
, eventually leading to the development of the .357
.357 Magnum
The .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...
, .41, and .44 Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
s. Keith's suggested designation for the proposed .44 caliber round was the '.44 Special Magnum', but when Remington Arms developed the cartridge they chose to name it the .44 Remington Magnum. Nonetheless, the new cartridge was developed directly from the .44 Special design by simply lengthening the older case by .125 inch. Remington's stated rationale for the making of this change was to preclude higher pressured Magnum loads from being chambered in .44 Special revolvers.
Current usage and loadings
The hype and excitement surrounding the introduction of the .44 Magnum in the mid 1950’s eclipsed the .44 Special, causing the latter to fall out of popularity with firearms manufacturers. As a result, gunmakers offered fewer revolver models chambered in .44 Special for several years. Recently the .44 Special has experienced something of a resurgence, as many firearms enthusiasts have realized that the heavily recoiling Magnum round is really 'too much pistol' for many applications, and the heavier and more bulky revolvers in which it is chambered are not as convenient to carry. Another key factor fueling the Special’s comeback is its ability to fit in the longer chambers of the aforementioned .44 Magnum revolvers, much like the .38 special fits in the larger .357 Magnum. This makes the .44 Special cartridge an attractive alternative for reduced velocity target shootingShooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
and plinking
Plinking
Plinking refers to informal target shooting done at non-traditional targets such as tin cans, glass bottles, and balloons filled with water. The term is an onomatopoeia of the sound a bullet or other projectile makes when hitting a tin can, or other similar target, referring to the sharp, metallic...
. The recent popularity of cowboy action shooting
Cowboy action shooting
Cowboy Action Shooting , also known as Western Action Shooting or Single Action Shooting, is a competitive shooting sport that originated in California, USA, in the early 1980s...
has also helped pique interest in the .44 Special, motivating manufacturers to offer modern and reproduction firearms chambered for this classic cartridge.
Currently a variety of factory ammunition loadings are available in .44 Special, including bullet weights of 135, 165, 180, 200, 240, 246, and 250 gr at various velocity levels. Special high performance terminal ballistic loads are also offered, such as the Hornady
Hornady
Hornady Manufacturing Company is an American manufacturer of ammunition and handloading components, based in Grand Island, Nebraska.The company was founded by Joyce Hornady in 1949 and is currently run by his son Steve Hornady who took over after his father's death in a plane crash in 1981.Hornady...
JHP, Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
Silvertip JHP, Speer Gold Dot JHP, Federal
Federal Cartridge
Federal Cartridge is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alliant Techsystems, located in Edina, Minnesota. With a work force of nearly 1,000 in Anoka, Minnesota, Federal manufactures a complete line of shotshell, centerfire, and rimfire ammunition and components....
LHP, Cor-Bon
Cor-Bon
Cor-Bon is a brand of small arms ammunition produced by Dakota Ammo Incorporated. The company, based in Sturgis, South Dakota, was founded in 1982 by Peter Pi....
JHP, and various other jacketed hollow point and soft point
Soft point bullet
A soft-point bullet , also known as a soft-nosed bullet, is a lead expanding bullet with a copper or brass jacket that is left open at the tip, exposing some of the lead inside and is thus an example of a semi-jacketed round...
designs.