Whether you know the round from Clint’s portrayal of “Dirty Harry” or because you adore sleek lever actions and stainless wheel guns, the reasons to love America’s Magnum are many. Yet how much do we really know about the details and history of the classic round? 
 

Table of Contents

The Metrics
Sharing Power
The Chicken or the Egg?
Father Elmer Keith
Bullet Bonanza
The Silver Screen
The Most Powerful Handgun on Earth?
Handguns Galore
Rifles & Carbines, Too

The Metrics

 

.44 Magnum metrics
My Nosler Reloading Guide Number 9 has full metrics for the .44 Magnum. (Photo: Kristin Alberts/Guns.com)


The youngish .44 Mag debuted in the mid-1950s. It uses a lengthier case than the .44 Special, at 1.285 inches, but shares the same rim diameter. Both also show the same 0.457-inch diameter. With an increased case capacity, bullet advancements, and sometimes spicy loads, the Magnum sees significant gains in velocity, energy, and of course, pressure. 
 

Sharing Power


In a safety move, the .44 Mag was designed longer than its Special parent round, in large part so that the hotter Magnum would not fit the Special’s firearms and be accidentally fired. In reverse, however, the plan is wonderful. Just as .38 Specials can be fired in .357 Magnums, so can the lighter-recoiling .44 Specials be launched from most any .44 Magnum firearm
 

The Chicken or the Egg?

 

.44 Special and .44 Magnum ammunition
The .44 Special round at left debuted in 1908, while the younger .44 Magnum at right came around in the 1950s.(Photo: Kristin Alberts/Guns.com)


To pose the famous question in .44 terms, which came first: the .44 Mag or the .44 Special? That’s an easy one. The .44 Special has been around since 1908, with undeniable roots in the .44 Russian. 

Without those two predecessors, and surely without decades of the .44 S&W Special’s service to law enforcement and plain accurate, controllable shooting, the Magnum would never have been born. The work of Skeeter Skelton surely helped keep the .44 Special viable, with or without the Magnum. 
 

Related: Testing The Difference Between .44 Special, .44 Magnum (VIDEO)
 

Father Elmer Keith


If you don’t already know the name Elmer Keith, it’s time to do some homework, as space constraints here lead to only a terribly condensed version of how the late Mr. Keith essentially fathered the .44 Magnum. While the .44 Special was flourishing, Keith – renowned for his ballistics, bullet design, firearms customization, and load development work – bulked up the .44 Special into a stouter, zippier version called the .44 Magnum. 
 

Bullet Bonanza

 

.44 Magnum ammunition
A versatile chambering, .44 Magnum ammunition is available in a wide range of bullet weights and types. (Photo: Kristin Alberts/Guns.com)


Due in large part to its popularity, the .44 Magnum plays host to a wide range of bullet weights and types. That, in turn, makes it an incredibly versatile chambering for handgunners and long guns alike. Common weights range from 180 to 300 grains, with options for everything from cowboy action shooting to self-defense to hunting most types of game animals. 
 

The Silver Screen


It’s impossible to discuss the history of the .44 Magnum without mentioning one of its defining moments. How many would own a stainless .44 Mag handgun today if not for Clint Eastwood and his Dirty Harry Callahan stardom? That 1971 portrayal inspired countless watchers to purchase their own .44 Mag sidearm and ask the question “Do you feel lucky, punk?” 


Related: Dirty Harry & Mack Bolan's Big Thunder – The Auto Mag Pistol in .44 AMP

 

The Most Powerful Handgun on Earth?


While the claim made by the aforementioned “Dirty Harry” character when referring to his Smith & Wesson Model 29 sounds stunning, it’s no longer true. As great the .44 Mag is – and it is indeed – the power factor has now been surpassed several times over by newer, zippier chamberings like .454 Casull, .460 S&W, and .500 S&W. 
 

Handguns Galore

The .44 Magnum was born of and for revolvers, namely Smith & Wesson. Since those early days, though, the .44 Mag has found a home on most every wheel gun built, from single actions to double, break single shots, and even a handful of semi-automatics. 

Of course, the S&W Model 29 is instantly recognizable, but so are the Magnum Research Desert Eagle, T/C Contender, Ruger Redhawk or Blackhawk, the venerable Colt Single Action Army (SAA), and countless others. 


Related: Hunter’s Dream Revolver – S&W 629 .44 Magnum Hunter
 

Rifles & Carbines, Too

Sure, the .44 Magnum built its fame on handguns – mostly revolvers, to be exact. But to forget about the dozens of long guns in the chambering would do a huge disservice. In fact, ballistics increase with the rifles, while felt recoil decreases. 
 

Related: Long-Gun Love – Our Five Fave .44 Magnum Rifles of 2023


Long gun buyers can snag anything from a budget-priced CVA Scout single shot to a higher-end lever gun from Henry, Marlin, or Winchester. No matter the firearm, the .44 Mag has deep roots in American firearms history and continues to dominate.

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