Howdy
Why the 44 Special? Because it has been around since 1908, unlike the 44 Magnum, which is a relative newcomer, having first been chambered by S&W in 1955.
The 44 Special was the next development in S&W 44 caliber cartridges after the 44 Russian, which first appeared around 1871. The 44 Russian was what the Russians required of S&W for their massive contracts with the firm. S&W eventually produced around 150,000 Russian revolvers, most going to Czarist Russia, but some went to Turkey and Japan.
This is a S&W Russian 1st Model. Visually identical to the 44 American model, the only difference is the chambers were cut for the 44 Russian cartridge, rather than the 44 S&W American cartridge. The American round used a heeled bullet, meaning the OD of the bullet was the same as the OD of the brass. A smaller diameter 'heel' at the rear of the bullet was inserted into the case and crimped. Check out a 22 Rim Fire round some time if you want to see a round loaded with a heeled bullet. Notice that the waxy bullet lubricant is on the outside of the bullet. The 'outside lubricated' bullet was a problem with heeled bullets, the soft bullet lube used at the time tended to attract dirt and other contamination. So the Russians specified a round with the same dimensions as the 44 S&W American, except with a heeled bullet.
Here is a S&W Russian 2nd Model with some period 44 Russian ammunition. Notice the large, pointy hump on the rear of the grip, and the spur on the trigger guard, both features that the Russians specified for the Russian Model revolvers.
Left to right in this photo are a 44 S&W American round, a vintage 44 Russian, a modern factory 44 Russian, one of my 44 Russian reloads, a 44 Special and a 44 Magnum. You can see on the 44 American round how the bullet is the same diameter as the cartridge case. You can also see a lube groove on the bullet. Most of the lube has disappeared over the years, but a tiny amount remains. So when the 44 Russian round was first produced, the bullet was a smaller diameter than the case, so it could be inserted into the case and crimped with the lube contained in grooves not exposed to contamination. Which by the way is why the 44 Russian, 44 Special, and 44 Magnum round all have bullet diameters of .429. So they could fit inside a case basically the same size as the old 44 American round.
The 44 Russian was a very popular cartridge with Smith and Wesson, in addition to the Russian models, the New Model Number Three and the 44 Double Action were chambered for it, and 44 Russian was the most common chambering for both of these models.
Here is a pair of New Model Number Threes both chambered for 44 Russian:
And here is a pair of 44 Double Actions both chambered for 44 Russian:
I have gotten a little bit off topic, but bear with me. The case length of the 44 Russian round was nominally .970. It carried 23 grains of Black Powder under a 246 grain bullet.
In 1908, S&W produced the 44 Hand Ejector, 1st Model, also known as the New Century, but most commonly known by its nickname, the Triple Lock.
This is a very early one, Roy Jinks, the S&W historian told me it shipped in 1907. Almost all the blue is worn off, and the grips are very worn. Notice the cartridge name stamped on the barrel simply says 44 S&W CTG. (CTG means Cartridge) Later versions say 44 S&W Special CTG on the barrel.
This nickel plated Triple Lock shipped the last year of production, in 1915.
This target model shipped in 1913.
In this photo, the 3rd lock, or latch, can be seen protruding out of the barrel underlug. The conventional latch that engaged the front end of the extractor rod is also visible in the recess in the under lug. Actually, both of these latches were one U shaped piece. When the rod inside the extractor rod pushed the upper latch forward, it also released the lower latch.
Here is a view of the hardened insert in the yoke that received the 3rd Latch.
Smith and Wesson introduced the 44 Special cartridge with the Triple Lock. The case length of the new cartridge was 1.160. In all other aspects, bullet diameter, case diameter, rim diameter, and rim thickness, the 44 Special was identical to the 44 Russian. Why the extra .190 of case length? There is some controversy about that. Some say it was so an extra 3 grains of Black Powder could be stuffed into the cartridge. Others say the latching mechanism of the Triple Lock was too precise and Black Powder fouling would have been gummed up 3rd latch.
In any case, that was the birth of the 44 Special.
S&W ceased production of the 44 Hand Ejector 1st Model (Triple Lock) in 1915 and introduced the 44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model. The 3rd latch was gone, never to be produced again. The 44 HE 2nd Model had a conventional lock up with the cylinder latching at the rear and at the front of the ejector rod. Also gone was the large underbarrel lug, replaced by a more conventional under lug that simply housed the spring and plunger for the front latch. Why did Triple Lock production stop? One reason is cost. The Triple Lock sold for $21, which was a lot of money in 1908. The 44 HE 2nd Model, without the fancy extra latch sold for $19. Snooping around for inflation calculators I found that $21 in 1908 equaled $605.12 in 2019. $19 in 1915 equaled $486.41 in 2019. Much of that difference can be attributed to the lack of the 3rd latch. (sorry, I did not find an inflation calculator that went back to 1908
and up to 2020).
This 44 HE 2nd Model shipped in 1921.
This one has a bit more wear on it, it too shipped in 1921.
In 1926, due to popular demand, S&W reintroduced the large underbarrel lug with the 44 Hand Ejector 3rd Model. Sometimes known as the Wolf & Klar Model after the large Texas dealer that requested it. The large underlug became a staple with many of the Magnum S&W revolvers. There was no return to the 3rd latch, still only 2 latches. This very worn old 3rd Model is one on my favorite 44 Special revolvers. It shipped in 1929 and was carried by an officer in WWII. This one has been refinished, witness the nickel plated hammer and trigger. Still, it is one of my favorite 44 Specials.
This 44 Hand Ejector 4th Model Target shipped in 1955. I looked for a Model 24, the successor to the 44 HE 4th Model, for years, but they are scarce as hen's teeth. I stopped looking when I found this 44 HE 4th Model.
Lastly, rounding out my stable of 44 Special revolvers is this Model 624 that shipped in 1985.
So, that's why 44 Special. So much cooler than 44 Magnum. Yes, you can fire 44 Special in any 44 Mag, but any revolver designed specifically for 44 Special will be lighter to carry and point.
Regarding reloading 44 Special for your brother, tell him to start reloading himself. I never shoot handloads loaded by anybody but me in any of my revolvers.
