What is the future of .44 special?

[fiVe]

I read somewhere that .44 special is really a reloader's round.

Will there ever come a day when the average guy cannot buy .44 special ammo?

Will there ever come a day when the you cannot buy a new .44 special (not .44 magnum) revolver?

R/fiVe

 

[roo_ster]

It has no future.

I suggest you sell me all your .44spec firearms at $0.10/dollar so you don't lose even more money in the future.

I'm looking out for you, really, I am.

-----------

More seriously, I think the cartridges will always be available, but they will be MORE expensive than .44mag and the suitable defensive HP ammo will be nearly non-existent.

 

[cookekdjr]

As long as there is a .44 magnum, there will be a .44 special.

 

[fiVe]

and the suitable defensive HP ammo will be nearly non-existent.

I'm curious--why would that be? If .44 special ammo is manufactured, wouldn't they make HP or is this becoming a SAS/Cowboy Action round?

 

[ArmedBear]

It is becoming a SASS round, from what I can tell.

It fits in old designs that aren't quite big enough to fit .45 Colt, but is easier to reload than the necked .44-40.

These guns, for example, are .44 Specials.

 

[Hutch]

I think the future is brighter than it has been. Back in the '70's, there was, AFAIK, the Charter Bulldog in that chambering. Since then, several S&W models have come (and some have gone...), along w/ Taurus and Rossi. Finally, the Cowboy Action Shooting craze (of which I'm a part) has pumped in many, many thousands of .44Spl thumb-busters.

Regarding HP rounds, there are 2 commonly available that I know of, the Speer Blazer 200 gr GDHP, and a Federal 200gr LSWCHP, which resembles a hyper-thyroid .38Spl FBI Load. Cor-Bon and specialty reloaders pump out some "now you see 'em, now you don't" HP loads as well. Availability is spotty.

 

[graffer]

44 spl future

I don't know for sure. However, a 44 magnum gun can be bought
and reloads are possible at both power levels.

Unless you have a lot of dollars to buy factory, you will forsake either
round due to cost and only shoot it very ocassionally.

Either round commercially bought is in the $25.00 for fifty box range.
Reloads will run as little as $7.00 per box. The cost savings will soon
pay for the reloading equipment. People who have been reloading other
calibers can switch over to 44 magnum dies and a few accessories for
less than $60.00. In that case, at a savings of $18.00 per box, only two hundred rounds would have to be loaded to recoup the equipment expense.

In a similar vain, 45 LC cost figures are similar to the 44 mag.

I hope this helps some.

I would not go broke shooting factory 44 spl or 44 mag to the point that
I would sell my guns and go for less expensive alternatives.

graffer

 

[fiVe]

I hope this helps some.

I would not go broke shooting factory 44 spl or 44 mag to the point that
I would sell my guns and go for less expensive alternatives.

This post has been very helpful. I was ½-way considering the Charter Bulldog. I have a S&W 642 now and will probably stay in the .38/.357 family.

Thanks for all the info.

Safe shootin',
fiVe

 

[SDGlock23]

The 44 Special is a great cartridge.For those who carry a .44 revolver, it makes a good choice as a SD cartridge vs. the .44 Magnum

 

[medmo]

Last time I checked Winchester was still making Silver Tips for this round.

 

[Crosshair]

44 Special is a good defence round because at low velocity, HP bullets do not expand all the time. Though modern designs almost eliminate this problem, you still can't argue with a big hunk of lead at low velocity going though a BG. Since a revolver only has 5-6 rounds, they might as well be as big as you can handle. The recoil is also less "snappy" to some people than a .357..

 

[IndianaDean]

I really enjoyed shooting .44 specials last weekend. I also was comparing them to my .45 acp cartridges and there is very little difference in size. I think it's a shame the round isn't more popular and common.

 

[Stainz]

I'll go a step further... where is the .44 Russian when you need it? Seriously, modern propellants/guns could fire standard .44 Special level rounds from this shorter case - which really is nearly the size of a .45 AR/ACP. I have repeatedly demo-ed a 'poof' load with a 240gr LRNFP/LSWC over 3.5gr Titegroup in Starline .44 Russian shot from my 3" 696 and yielding a chrono-ed 692 fps - for a 'major' power factor just over 165. You can shoot this all day, too... really mild load. Real tight grouping round when shot from my 6.5" Heritage 24.

BTW, since 1907, when S&W superceded the Russian case with the longer .44 S&W Special, which meant it could be loaded with either the new smokeless, or, like the Russian, which was the first mass-produced centerfire handgun round in 1871, blackpowder. They have made such chambered revolvers ever since, albeit never as popular as one would think. The last catalog .44 Special, the 396, followed it's siblings, the 296 & 696, into oblivion last year. I bought my 296, 696, and 2001 6.5" Heritage 24 new... and wouldn't think about selling them... but I reload. The limited production TR21, of course, is a blued fixed sight 'holster' version of the 24 - and is available, albeit pricey.

As for low velocity protective .44 rounds, consider the Speer #4427 200gr Gold Dot JHP designed for Special velocities of 800-1,000 fps. It's thin-walled HP opens reliably at impact velocities of 800+ fps. It is available from CCI as a .44 Special Blazer in Al cases - $12.86/50 locally from 'Academy Sports' chains, or in Starline brass from Georgia Arms for ~$20/50. They both make 805 fps from my 2.5" 296... and thus far, have been a great deterrent...

Stainz

 

[unspellable]

44 Special

The 44 Special will be with us for ever. With out it, how would all those gun writers be able to write articles about how useless it is and its imminent demise? They all buy a few boxes to test for their article and that alone is enough to keep the production lines going.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Great topic!

I love the .44 special and the russian.

In fact, I've been looking around for a concealable .44 spl round. I really really like this round.
I hope it doesn't disappear and doubt it will. If the SASS shooters accepting it makes it do anything like the 45 colt did, I'd say that it'll be nothing but good from here.

Carry a .44 russian wheelgun loaded with black powder rounds! If you don't plug 'em, you'll set 'em on fire!!!

 

[Steve C]

30 years ago the .44 spl was pretty much on the way out. None of the manufacturers made a pistol in .44 spl and the ammo makers only had one load in it and that was a LRN. The .44 mag was the king of the big bore and some shooters would use the spl in their mag pistols. Then Charter Arms introduced their little 5 shot .44 spl Bulldog and rekindled some interest in the old cartridge. Now with CAS being so popular and manufacturers again making .44 spl pistols and a greater variety of ammo, the old cartridge should be around for another 30 years.

 

[P. Plainsman]

The .44 Special cartridge isn't going anywhere. Between CAS shooters, a fair number of Bulldog-class five-shot guns out there, and the Special's usefulness as a subload for .44 Magnum owners, it's in decent shape.

I use tons of factory .44 Special in my S&W 629, including CCI Blazer Gold Dots for home defense. It's like a revolver version of a 1911 -- big comfy steel pistol shooting old big-bore round at moderate speeds.

I do think non-retro/non-CAS handguns chambered specifically for the .44 Special will continue to be rare. Too many people reason: "Why not buy a .44 Magnum instead, and get both rounds?" A pity, since I'd happily buy a new production stainless Taurus 445 or S&W 696.

I agree that in an ideal world the current wimped-out .44 Special factory loads should be re-packaged in .44 Russian cases, and factory .44 Special loads should be nudged up to the 900-1000 fps range. Very useful.

 

[JNewell]

Steve C beat me to the point. There are a lot more .44 Special guns, and shooters, than there were 20 or 30 years ago. I wouldn't worry about ammo availability.

 

[fiVe]

Good info here. I may yet keep the Charter Arms Bulldog on my list.

Thanks. This thread is another example of why THR is so great.

R/fiVe

 

[TexasRifleman]

Last time I checked Winchester was still making Silver Tips for this round.

Sure do. My 329OD is stoked with a cylinder full of them right now.

The .44 Special will be around.

Heck it's even available in Blazer. The Blazer line doesn't exactly specialize in obscure obsolete loadings.

 

[JNewell]

I very highly recommend the GD Blazer load as well.

 

[Gordon]

My 296 goes with me to the store and beach ect..At 18 oz (unloaded) , impervious to the elements and with 180 Hornady xtp loads at 900fps , it is a major defensive round in a small package!I can shoot 3" groups with it at 15 yards all day, well at least until my palm and wallet wear out!

 

[shermacman]

Rest easy, there will always be a greater demand for the .44 Special than the .45GAP.

 

[roo_ster]

shermacman:

Talk about d@mning with faint praise...

 

[cookekdjr]

looking at buying a .44 spl today....