About
The .44 Special Ammo, also known as the .44 Smith & Wesson Special Ammo, is a centerfire, smokeless metallic cartridge for revolvers that was designed in 1907 and developed in 1908. During the late 19th Century, the large .44 caliber Ammo and .45 caliber Ammo were believed to be the epitome of handgun cartridges for self-defense, hunting, and home defense. And at the start of the 20th Century, the length of the .44 Russian Ammo was increased by 4.8mm, and the case capacity to hold the powder increased by 6 grains. And this design alteration of the .44 Russian Ammo led to the creation of the .44 Special Ammo. The potential of this cartridge allowed for heavier variants to be created, and due to its performance and versatility, experts claimed that the .44 Special Ammo is one of the best overall cartridges for handguns. The overall length of this bullet is 41.0mm, and the bullet diameter measures 10.9mm. The 246-grain variant of this cartridge can travel at a velocity of 755 feet per second while producing an energy level of 310 ft.lbf.
Manufacturer
The .44 Special Ammo was designed in 1907 and developed in 1908 by Smith & Wesson in the United States.
Uses
The lightweight and mild recoil of the .44 Special Ammo has made it the people's choice for low-velocity target shooting, small game hunting, and plinking. The .44 Special Ammo has also become popular in cowboy action shootings.
Smith & Wesson developed the .44 Special in 1907 and introduced it in 1908. It was developed from the .44 Russian cartridge and for Smith & Wesson’s new New Century revolver. They lengthened the case to allow 6 more grains of powder to be loaded to attain the accuracy the .44 Russian was known and admired for.
.44 Smith & Wesson Special History
.44 Smith & Wesson Special Usage
.44 Smith & Wesson Special Usage
The .44 Special was favored among target shooters for its accuracy. It has gained more popularity in modern times among cowboy action shooters and those wanting a reduced load practice round for their .44 Magnum firearms. It does see some use as a personal defense cartridge but is not widely used in this role.
.44 Smith & Wesson Special Trivia
The .44 Special only matched the ballistics of the black powder cartridge it was derived from, the .44 Russian, even with the additional casing capacity and switch to smokeless propellants. While the .44 Magnum was developed because shooters thought the .44 Special was underpowered, it has seen a resurgence with shooters who think the heavy recoil of the .44 Mag is too much.
.44 Smith & Wesson Special Trivia
.44 Smith & Wesson Special Design
.44 Smith & Wesson Special Design
The .44 Special is a rimmed straight walled cartridge with an overall length of 1.615” and a case capacity of 33.5 grains (H2O). It fires a .429” bullet and uses large pistol primers with a maximum pressure of 15,500 PSI.
.44 Smith & Wesson Special Types
The .44 Special has several options for users to choose from including cast lead, hard cast, hollow points, and soft points in weights ranging from 135 to 250 grains and various velocities dependent on needs.
