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A .44 Magnum Marlin Model 1894 carbine A Desert Eagle semiautomatic pistol in .44 Magnum. A Spanish-made Astra Model 44 revolver in .44 Magnum. The concept of a dual-purpose handgun/rifle cartridge has been popular since the Old West , with cartridges like the .44-40 Winchester , whose "high-speed" rifle loadings were precursors to magnum loads.
[5] [9] Another factor fueling the .44 Special's comeback is its ability to fit in the longer chambers of the .44 Magnum revolvers, much like the .38 Special fits in the longer chambers of the .357 Magnum. This makes the .44 Special cartridge an attractive alternative for reduced velocity target shooting and plinking. [5] The popularity of ...
Elmer Merrifield Keith (March 8, 1899 – February 14, 1984) [2] was an American rancher, firearms enthusiast, and author. Keith was instrumental in the development of the first magnum revolver cartridge, the .357 Magnum (1935), as well as the later .44 Magnum (1956) and .41 Magnum (1964) cartridges, credited by Roy G. Jinks as "the father of big bore handgunning."
Many shooters wonder why a .38 caliber firearm actually shoots bullets of .357 in (9.1 mm) diameter, and a .44 caliber firearm shoots bullets of .429 in (10.9 mm) diameter. In both of these cases, the name of the caliber derives from older heeled-bullet designs, and the name was kept even when the bullet was shrunk to fit inside the case.
S&W's production of a large N-frame revolver in .44 Magnum began in 1955; the Model 29 designation was applied in 1957. [2] At the time of its introduction, the Model 29 was the most powerful production handgun. There were a number of custom calibers that were more powerful, as in the old Howdah pistols of the 19th century.
The most well-known is the .44 Magnum which uses a 0.429 to 0.430 inch diameter bullet, depending on jacket or cast. Though less common than the smaller .38 caliber family of cartridges, the caliber is popular with many shooters and the .44 Magnum in particular facilitated the rise of handgun hunting .
Two small vents cut into the top of the barrel shroud vented excess gas and reduced apparent recoil of the gun, although this feature eliminated the option of using cast lead bullets due to lead and carbon accumulation. At the time, Dan Wesson M44 was the lightest recoiling .44 magnum ever produced.
The heeled bullets make the cartridge incompatible with .44 Russian, .44 Special, and .44 Magnum, which was made larger in diameter and longer to cover the exposed part of the bullet. Its power resembles the .41 Long Colt, [1].32-20 Winchester, [2] or .44-40 Winchester, [3] and it could be used to hunt small game at short range. [2]