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Smith & Wesson .38/44 identifies a series of 6-round cylinder, double-action, Smith & Wesson N-frame revolvers chambered for the .38 Special cartridge loaded to higher pressures than were considered appropriate for earlier revolvers chambered for that cartridge.
The .38-44 is a cartridge designation but also is a term for the revolver intended to use the new loading, which could reach 1,125 fps with a 158-grain bullet—but at the cost of serious wear and tear on standard revolvers.
Back in the 1930’s when .38-44 factory loads became available, there were only a few handgun models suitable for it. Those were S&W’s N-Frames — the fixed-sight Heavy Duty with 4″, 5″ and 6½” barrel lengths, and slightly later the Outdoorsman with target sights and only 6½” barrel length.
Most feel the .38-44 set the stage for the .357 Magnum revolver—and it did—but the .38-44 is more than a footnote in history. This is a fine revolver that is useful on its own merits. Buffalo Bore Ammunition offers a .38-44 load in its Heavy .38 +P Outdoorsman.
The .38/44 Heavy Duty was the only S&W revolver qualified to safely handle the new loads. It was introduced in 1930 with a fixed sight, 5-inch barrel, blued or nickeled finish, and walnut...
The .38/44 was a great step forward, both in the two models of Smith & Wesson sixguns and the accompanying ammunition. Not only, as Captain Baldwin said, did it fulfill the need for a heavy-duty sixgun capable of target accuracy, long-range accuracy and self defense, it set the stage for the arrival of the first Magnum 5 years later.
It simply means a .38 built on the large .44 Hand Ejector frame. Muddying the waters a bit is the fact that there had been another, entirely different S&W “.38-44” several years before: a top-break target revolver chambered for a unique .38-caliber cartridge, in which the bullet was completely enclosed within the case, which itself ...