.44 Magnum

2025-09-30T01:55:33Z

2600:1700:1152:3D70:A16F:6E24:C8C2:B249: /* top */the .600 nitro express is a rifle cartridge, it has no place in this list of pistol cartridges.

{{short description|Revolver cartridge designed by Elmer Keith and Smith & Wesson (S&W)}}
{{about|the firearm cartridge|the Japanese heavy metal band|44 Magnum (band)}}
{{Infobox firearm cartridge
|name= .44 Magnum
|image= 44-cartridge.jpg | image_size = 300px
|caption= .44 Magnum cartridge
|origin= [[United States]]
|type= [[Handgun]], [[Pistol caliber carbine|Carbine]]

|service=
|used_by=
|wars=

|designer= [[Elmer Keith]]<br>[[Smith & Wesson]]
|design_date= 1950s
|manufacturer= [[Remington Arms]]
|production_date= January 19, 1956–present
|number=
|variants=

|parent= [[.44 Smith & Wesson Special]]
| case_type = Rimmed, straight
|bullet=.429
|land=.417
|neck=.457
|shoulder=
|base=.457
|rim_dia=.514
|rim_thick=.060
|case_length=1.285
|length=1.61
|case_capacity=37.9
|primer=Large pistol
|max_pressure=40600
|pressure_method=CIP
|max_pressure2=36000
|pressure_method2=SAAMI
|max_cup=

|is_SI_units=
|bw1=240
|btype1=SJHP Remington
|vel1=1180
|en1=741
|bw2=240
|btype2=JHP Cor-Bon
|vel2=1475
|en2=1160
|bw3=270
|btype3=LFN GC Buffalo bore heavy
|vel3=1550
|en3=1440
|bw4=300
|btype4=JSP Cor-Bon
|vel4=1250
|en4=1041
|bw5=340
|btype5=LFN +P+ Buffalo bore heavy (+P+ used in special guns only)
|vel5=1425
|en5=1533
|test_barrel_length={{convert|7.5|in|abbr=on}} [*{{convert|6.5|in|abbr=on}}]
|balsrc= Ballistics 101<ref name="Ballistics101">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ballistics101.com/44_magnum.php|title=44 Magnum Ballistics Chart | Ballistics 101|website=www.ballistics101.com|access-date=2019-09-21|archive-date=2019-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916063630/http://www.ballistics101.com/44_magnum.php|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CIP TDCC">{{cite web |title=CIP TDCC sheet 44 Rem. Mag .|url=https://bobp.cip-bobp.org/uploads/tdcc/tab-iv/44-rem-mag-200922-en.pdf|publisher=C.I.P.}}</ref>
}}

The '''.44 Remington Magnum''', also known as '''.44 Magnum''' or '''10.9x33mmR''' (as it is known in unofficial metric designation), is a [[Rim (firearms)#Rimmed|rimmed]], large-bore [[Cartridge (firearms)|cartridge]] originally designed for [[revolver]]s and quickly adopted for [[carbine]]s and [[rifle]]s. Despite the ".44" designation, guns chambered for the .44 Magnum round, its parent case, the [[.44 Special]], and the .44 Special's parent case, the [[.44 Russian]] all use {{convert|0.429|inch|mm|1|abbr=on}} diameter bullets.<ref name="lyman">''Lyman Reloading Handbook'', 48th edition, 2002</ref> The .44 Magnum is based on the [[.44 Special]] case but lengthened and loaded to higher pressures for greater velocity and energy.

Famously called "the most powerful handgun [cartridge] in the world" by [[Dirty Harry (character)|the title character]] in ''[[Dirty Harry]]'', the .44 Magnum has since been eclipsed in power by the [[.45 Winchester Magnum]], [[.454 Casull]], [[.460 S&W Magnum]], [[.475 Wildey Magnum]], [[.480 Ruger]], [[.50 Action Express]], [[.500 S&W Magnum]], and the [[.500 Bushwhacker]]; nevertheless, due in part to its more manageable [[recoil]], it has remained one of the most popular commercial large-bore magnum cartridges.<ref name="50yearsyoung"/><ref name="cotw10"/>

==Origin==
The .44 Magnum cartridge was the result of years of tuned [[handloading]] of the .44 Special.<ref name="COTW">{{cite book | last1 = Barnes| first1 = Frank C.| last2 = Skinner|first2=Steve| title =Cartridges of the World: 10th Edition, Revised and Expanded | publisher = Krause Publications| year = 2003| page = 528| isbn = 978-0-87349-605-6}}</ref> In the early 20th century, experimenters loaded the .44 Special and other large-bore handgun cartridges with heavy bullets and higher than normal powder charges to achieve superior ballistics and better hunting performance. One of these hand-loaders was [[Elmer Keith]], a prominent writer and outdoorsman of the 20th century.<ref name="50years">{{cite journal |url=http://www.gunsandammomag.com/ammunition/fifty_101105/ |last=James |first=Garry |title=A Big 50 For The .44 |journal=Guns & Ammo |date=June 2005 |access-date=2007-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203184717/http://www.gunsandammomag.com/ammunition/fifty_101105/ |archive-date=2008-12-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Magnum44 900pix.jpg|thumb|A high-speed photograph of a .44 Magnum revolver taken using an [[air-gap flash]], clearly showing the bullet in flight after having exited the barrel of the revolver.]]

Keith settled on the .44 Special cartridge as the basis for his experimentation, rather than the larger [[.45 Colt]]. At the time, the selection of .44 caliber projectiles for hand-loaders was more varied, and the .44 Special's brass was thicker and stronger than the dated .45 Colt case. Also, the .44 Special case was smaller in diameter than the .45 Colt case. In revolvers of the same cylinder size, this meant that the .44 caliber revolvers had thicker, and thus stronger, cylinder walls than the .45. This allowed higher pressures to be used with less risk of a cylinder failure.<ref name="50yearsyoung">{{cite journal |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_177_29/ai_n14816284 |author=[[John Taffin|Taffin, John]] |title=The .44 Magnum: 50 years young! |journal=American Handgunner |date=September–October 2005 |access-date=2007-02-16 }}</ref>

Keith and his associates successfully lobbied [[Smith & Wesson]] and [[Remington Arms|Remington]] to produce a commercial version of this new high-pressure loading, along with revolvers chambered for it. Smith & Wesson's first .44 Magnum revolver, the precursor to the [[Smith & Wesson Model 29|Model 29]], was built on December 15, 1955, and the gun was announced to the public on January 19, 1956<ref name="smith&wesson44">{{cite journal |url=http://www.shootingillustrated.com/index.php/12660/smith-wesson-model-29/ |last=Hacker |first=Rick |title=Smith & Wesson Model 29 |website=ShootingIllustrated.com |date=July 21, 2011 |access-date=December 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328054044/http://www.shootingillustrated.com/index.php/12660/smith-wesson-model-29/ |archive-date=March 28, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> for a price of US$140 (roughly ${{Inflation|US|140|1956|r=-2|fmt=c}} today).{{Inflation-fn|US}} Julian Hatcher (technical editor of ''[[American Rifleman]]'') and Keith received two of the first production models. Hatcher's review of the new Smith & Wesson revolver and the .44 Magnum cartridge appeared in the March 1956 issue of the magazine. Smith & Wesson produced 3,100 of these revolvers in 1956.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite book | last = Supica| first = Jim|author2=Nahas, Richard| title =Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson : 3rd Edition| publisher = Gun Digest Books| year = 2006| page = 162| isbn = 978-0-89689-293-4}}</ref>

By the summer of 1956, [[Sturm, Ruger]] became aware of this project and began work on a [[single action]] [[Ruger Blackhawk|Blackhawk revolver]] for the new .44 Magnum cartridge. There is a popular rumor that a Ruger employee found a cartridge case marked ".44 Remington Magnum" and took it to [[William B. Ruger|Bill Ruger]], while another says a Remington employee provided Ruger with early samples of the ammunition.<ref name="flattop">{{cite journal |url=http://www.gunblast.com/Hamm_44-Flattop.htm |last=Hamm |first=Bill |title=Ruger Blackhawk .44 Magnum 'Flattop' |website=GunBlast.com |date=September 28, 2004 |access-date=February 16, 2007 |archive-date=January 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131231429/http://www.gunblast.com/Hamm_44-Flattop.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Ruger began shipping their new revolver in late November 1956.

The .44 Magnum case is slightly longer than the .44 Special case. This alteration was not primarily intended to increase the propellant capacity of the cartridge, but rather to prevent the far higher pressure round from being [[Chamber (firearms)|chambered]] in older, weaker .44 Special firearms and potentially causing injury or death to shooters.<ref name="50yearsyoung" />

The .44 Magnum was an immediate commercial success. The direct descendants of the S&W Model 29 and the .44 Magnum Ruger Blackhawks are still in production, and have been joined by numerous other makes and models of .44 Magnum revolvers and even a handful of [[semi-automatic pistol|semi-automatic models]], the first being produced in the 1960s.<ref>Dougherty, Martin J., ''Small Arms: From the Civil War to the Present Day'' Fall River: 2005, page 61, {{ISBN|978-0-7607-6329-2}}</ref> The film ''[[Dirty Harry]]'', prominently featuring the S&W M29 shooting [[.44 Special]] ammo, contributed to that model's popularity.<ref>Dougherty, Martin J., ''Small Arms: From the Civil War to the Present Day'' Fall River: 2005, page 46, {{ISBN|978-0-7607-6329-2}}</ref>

Ruger introduced its first long gun, a semi-automatic carbine called the [[Ruger Model 44]] chambered for .44 Magnum, in 1959. Marlin followed soon after with the [[lever action]] [[Marlin Model 1894|Model 1894]] in .44 Magnum.<ref name="cotw10">{{cite book |title=Cartridges of the World, 10th Ed. |publisher=Krause Publications |author=Frank C. Barnes, ed. Stan Skinner |isbn=978-0-87349-605-6 |year=2003}}</ref><ref name="50years" /> Having a carbine and a handgun chambered in the same caliber is an old tradition; the [[.44-40 Winchester]] was introduced by Winchester in a lever action in 1873, and Colt followed in 1878 with a revolver in the same caliber. The [[.38-40 Winchester]] and [[.32-20 Winchester]] were also available in both carbines and revolvers, allowing the shooter to use one type of ammunition for both firearms.<ref name="himmelwright">{{cite book |title=The Pistol and Revolver |url=https://archive.org/details/pistolandrevolv02himmgoog |author-link=Abraham Lincoln Artman Himmelwright |year=1908|publisher=New York, Printed by J. J. Little }}</ref>

Although improved modern [[alloy]]s and manufacturing techniques have allowed even stronger cylinders to be made, leading to larger and more powerful cartridges such as the [[.454 Casull]] and [[.480 Ruger]] in revolvers the same size as a .44 Magnum, the .44 Magnum is still considered an exceptional weapon.<ref name="fabulous">{{cite magazine|last=Boddington |first=Craig |url=http://www.gunsandammomag.com/ammunition/fabulous_44_mag/ |title=The Fabulous .44 Mag |author-link=Craig Boddington |magazine=Guns & Ammo |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060326043249/http://www.gunsandammomag.com/ammunition/fabulous_44_mag/ |archive-date=2006-03-26 }}</ref> In 2006, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the .44 Magnum, Ruger introduced a special 50th anniversary Blackhawk revolver, in the "Flattop" style.<ref name="flattop" />

==Technical specifications==
[[File:Anaconda-502.jpg|thumb|.44 Magnum [[Colt Anaconda]]]]
The .44 Magnum fires a large, heavy bullet at a high velocity for a handgun. In its full-powered form, it produces so much recoil and muzzle blast that it is generally considered to be unsuitable for use as a police weapon. Rapid fire is difficult and strenuous on the user's hands, especially for shooters of smaller build.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/nov96biteout.html |title=Taking the Bite Out of the Mighty .44 Magnum |journal=Performance Shooter |last=Riebling |first=Terry |date=November 1996 |access-date=2008-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311061623/http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/nov96biteout.html |archive-date=2008-03-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Taylor">{{cite book | last =Taylor | first =Chuck| title =Complete Book Of Combat Handgunning | publisher = Paladin Press| year = 1981| location = Boulder, CO| page = 200| isbn = 978-0-87364-327-6 }}</ref>

Although marketed as a [[.45 caliber pistol|.44 caliber]], the .44 Magnum and its parent .44 Special are actually .429-.430 caliber. The .44 designation is a carryover from the early measurements of [[heeled bullet]]s used in the late 19th century. In those times, bullet diameter typically matched the external dimension of its respective cartridge, not the interior of the round. After the [[.44 Russian]] was developed, the forefather of the .44 Special and thus the .44 Magnum, the measurement of bullet caliber was taken from inside of the cartridge, resulting in .429 caliber.

Some gun styles are more comfortable to use when shooting this caliber. Many shooters find the rounded grip shape of the single action better for handling heavy recoil than the grip shape of [[double-action]] revolvers, which have a shoulder on top of the grip. Many shooters consider the ideal type of grip for heavy recoiling guns to be the longer "Bisley" style [[single action]] grip, and it can be found on single actions from Ruger (models marked "Bisley") and [[Freedom Arms]], as well as many custom makers.<ref>{{cite web |title=I LIKE SINGLE ACTIONS BECAUSE... |last=Taffin |first=John |publisher=Sixguns.com |url=http://www.sixguns.com/range/single_actions.htm |access-date=2008-02-21 |archive-date=2008-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311005338/http://www.sixguns.com/range/single_actions.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Dual-purpose use===
[[File:Marlin Model 1894 .44 Magnum carbine.jpg|thumb|A .44 Magnum [[Marlin Model 1894]] carbine]]
[[File:Deagle44.jpg|thumb|A [[Desert Eagle]] semiautomatic pistol in .44 Magnum.]]
[[File:Astra 44, Wiki.jpg|thumb|A Spanish-made [[Astra Model 44]] revolver in .44 Magnum.]]
The concept of a dual-purpose handgun/rifle cartridge has been popular since the [[American Old West|Old West]], with cartridges like the [[.44-40 Winchester]], whose "high-speed" rifle loadings were precursors to magnum loads. Other dual-use rounds were the [[.32-20 Winchester]] and the [[.38-40 Winchester]].<ref name="cotw10" /><ref name="himmelwright" />

Some past dual-purpose cartridges, like the .44-40 Winchester, gave their manufacturers trouble when people loaded the "high-speed" versions designed for rifles into handguns.<ref name="cotw10" /> Since the .44 Magnum was designed from the start as a revolver cartridge, there are no such issues, and [[SAAMI]]-compliant ammunition fires from any handguns or rifles chambered for the .44 Magnum.

For a handgun cartridge, the [[bolt thrust]] is considerable at [[C.I.P.]] conform maximum loads and an important factor in weapons design. The greater the bolt thrust, the stronger the locking mechanism has to be to withstand it.

As a rifle or carbine cartridge, the .44 Magnum is sufficiently powerful for medium-sized game, yet fits easily into a compact, lightweight package. In 1961, Ruger introduced their [[Ruger Model 44|.44 carbine]], the first .44 Magnum carbine. The [[lever-action]] [[Marlin Model 1894]], and many other firearms are currently available in this caliber. With significantly longer barrels than revolvers and no cylinder gap (except in [[revolving rifle]]s), carbines will generate a significantly higher velocity than a revolver loaded with the same ammunition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/44mag.html|title=BBTI – Ballistics by the Inch :: .44 Mag Results|website=www.ballisticsbytheinch.com|access-date=2010-04-30|archive-date=2010-05-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502000032/http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/44mag.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Tests with various ammunition in the [[Ruger Deerfield carbine|Ruger Deerfield]] yielded a {{convert|100|yd|m|abbr=on}} velocity of over {{convert|1300|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} with a {{convert|240|gr|g|adj=on}} bullet, comparable to the muzzle velocity out of a revolver.<ref name="woods">{{cite web|url=http://www.chuckhawks.com/woods_rifles.htm|title=Woods and Brush Rifles|last=Hawks|first=Chuck|access-date=2008-02-21|archive-date=2008-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304174936/http://www.chuckhawks.com/woods_rifles.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Jamison |first=Rick |title=Ruger's All New .44 Deerfield |journal=Shooting Times |url=http://www.galleryofguns.com/shootingtimes/articles/DisplayArticles.asp?ID=38 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927212327/http://www.galleryofguns.com/shootingtimes/articles/DisplayArticles.asp?ID=38 |archive-date=September 27, 2007|date=August 2000}}</ref> Loads using slow-burning powders maximize performance in both short and long barrels, with one published load generating {{convert|1500|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} from a revolver, and {{convert|1625|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} from a carbine with a {{convert|240|gr|g|adj=on}} bullet.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

===Suitable game===
The .44 Magnum is well suited to kill animals up to [[elk]] size. With precise shot placement and deep-penetrating cartridges, it has even been used to kill the largest of game, including [[Cape Buffalo]]. Publisher [[Robert E. Petersen]] killed a record-setting [[polar bear]] with a [[Smith & Wesson Model 29]] .44 Magnum.<ref name="50years" /><ref name="taffin">{{cite web |url=http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt44mag.htm |title=Taffin Tests: the .44 Magnum |last=Taffin |first=John |access-date=2008-02-21 |archive-date=2008-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307072052/http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt44mag.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> It has even been used to kill [[elephant]]s with success.<ref>{{cite web| last = Fryxell| first = Glen E.| title = The Bullets of SSK| work = Sixguns| publisher = John Taffin| url = http://www.sixguns.com/crew/sskbullets.htm| access-date = 2009-10-20| archive-date = 2010-05-12| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100512190850/http://www.sixguns.com/crew/sskbullets.htm| url-status = live}}</ref>

In addition to beating the ballistics of the old .44-40 rifle loads, long considered a top deer cartridge,<ref name="cotw10" /> the heavy, flat-point bullets typically used in the .44 Magnum have an additional advantage. Tests performed where bullets are shot through light cover, intended to represent twigs and brush, have shown that the high-velocity, lightweight, thin-jacketed, pointed bullets used by most hunting cartridges today are easily deflected by contact with the brush. The ideal bullets for penetrating brush with minimal deflection are heavy, flat-point bullets at moderate velocities.<ref name="woods" />

===Range===

The accuracy of the .44 Magnum is very good, with models from Colt, Smith & Wesson, and Ruger producing bullet groups of {{convert|3|to|4|in|cm|abbr=off}} at {{convert|50|yd|0}}, with most ammunition.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/oct97gggmagnums.html |title=.44 Magnums: Accuracy Problems Plague the Model 29 |journal=Guns, Gear & Game |author=GGG Staff |date=October 1997 |access-date=2008-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311061634/http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/oct97gggmagnums.html |archive-date=2008-03-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/jul97silhouette.html |title=Stock Silhouette Revolvers: Anaconda Versus Redhawk |journal=Performance Shooter |author=PS Staff |date=July 1997 |access-date=2008-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311061613/http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/jul97silhouette.html |archive-date=2008-03-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The limiting factor of the .44 Magnum cartridge is not [[terminal ballistics]]. When fired from a {{convert|6|in|0|abbr=on|adj=on}} revolver, a typically loaded .44 Magnum {{convert|240|gr|abbr=on}} bullet will have more impact energy at {{convert|150|yd|0|abbr=on}} than a {{convert|246|gr|abbr=on}} .44 Special has at the muzzle, when fired from the same weapon.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramientas|first=Mike|title=.44 Magnum Rifles – When Revolvers Aren't Enough|url=https://gunnewsdaily.com/44-magnum-rifle/|access-date=2020-08-01|website=Gun News Daily|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915033524/https://gunnewsdaily.com/44-magnum-rifle/|url-status=live}}</ref> When loaded with a heavy, non-expanding bullet, the .44 Magnum will easily shoot through large game such as elk and even [[bison]].<ref name="reloading">{{cite journal |url=http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammunition/44mag_081005/index1.html |title=Reloading the .44 Magnum |last=Sweeney |first=Patrick |author-link=Patrick Sweeney (gunsmith) |journal=Guns & Ammo Handguns |access-date=2008-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218235057/http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammunition/44mag_081005/index1.html |archive-date=2008-02-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The limiting factor is the bullet's trajectory: the best hunting bullets are heavy, so they are relatively slow. This means the projectile's trajectory will drop significantly at ranges beyond {{convert|100|yd|0}}; there will be virtually zero significant drop at {{convert|50|yd|0|abbr=on|adj=on}}, so the gun's aimed "line of sight" can meet the "bullet's trajectory" at the same point. When drop-out at {{convert|100|yd|0|abbr=on}} is about {{convert|2|in|cm|abbr=off}}, the drop-out at {{convert|150|yd|0}} is more than {{convert|8|in|cm|abbr=off}}; with a {{convert|100|yd|0|abbr=on|adj=on}} zero drop-out, the drop-out at {{convert|150|yd|0|abbr=on}} will still measure more than {{convert|6|in|cm|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/ballistics/comparative_ballistics_results.aspx?data=R44MG2*R44MG3*RH44MGA |title=Ballistics Results |publisher=Remington |access-date=2008-02-21 |archive-date=2008-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311030953/http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/ballistics/comparative_ballistics_results.aspx?data=R44MG2*R44MG3*RH44MGA |url-status=live }}</ref> Experts limit hunting ranges to {{convert|100|yd|m}} when shooting .44 Magnum cartridges, less if practical accuracy requires it.<ref name="woods" /><ref name="handgunhunting">{{cite web |url=http://www.chuckhawks.com/handgun_hunting.htm |title=Handgun Hunting |last=Hawks |first=Chuck |access-date=2008-02-21 |archive-date=2011-05-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501015713/http://www.chuckhawks.com/handgun_hunting.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==In popular culture==
[[File:SW Model 629.jpg|thumb|right|Smith & Wesson Model 629 with an {{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on}} barrel.]]
The .44 Magnum remained mildly popular among shooters for many years after its introduction, but did not come to the attention of the general public until 1971 when it was prominently featured in the American feature film ''[[Dirty Harry]]'' starring [[Clint Eastwood]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066999/characters/nm0000142 "Dirty Harry"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308105756/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066999/characters/nm0000142 |date=2021-03-08 }}. </ref> In one of the classic lines in cinema, title character [[Dirty Harry (character)|"Dirty" Harry Callahan]] describes his Smith & Wesson Model 29 as "the most powerful handgun in the world". Although the more powerful [[.454 Casull]] [[wildcat cartridge]] was announced in 1959,<ref name="cotw10" /> the .44 Magnum was the most powerful production cartridge until the 1980s when the first production [[.454 Casull]] revolver was produced.<ref>{{cite book|page=58|title=The Total Gun Manual|author=David Petzal and Phil Bourjaily|year=2017|publisher=[[Bonnier Group|Weldon Owen]]|isbn=9781681886336}}</ref>

Demand for the [[Smith & Wesson Model 29|Model 29]] increased so much that they were selling for up to three times the suggested retail price. When the Model 29 could not be obtained, customers sought other handguns chambered in this caliber, such as the [[Ruger Redhawk]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Goldberg|first=Jefferey|title=The Deadliest Gun in Town|date=6 September 1993|journal=New York|pages=32–34|issn=0028-7369}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[10 mm caliber]]
* [[.357 Magnum]], the first "magnum" cartridge and the immediate predecessor of the .44 Magnum
* [[.41 Remington Magnum]], developed as an intermediate between the .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum
* [[.44 AMP]]
* [[.445 SuperMag]]
* [[AutoMag (pistol)|.44 AutoMag]]
* [[LAR Grizzly Win Mag]]
* [[Table of handgun and rifle cartridges]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/44mag.html Ballistics By The Inch .44 Magnum results]

{{Remington Cartridges Firearms}}
{{Smith & Wesson}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:44 Magnum}}
[[Category:.44 Magnum firearms]]
[[Category:Magnum pistol cartridges]]
[[Category:Rimmed cartridges]]
[[Category:Pistol and rifle cartridges]]
[[Category:Remington Arms cartridges]]
[[Category:Smith & Wesson cartridges]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1955]]

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.44 Magnum