Defensive cartridges come and go, and many are underappreciated. The 10mm, the .30 Carbine, 16 gauge, .41 Magnum, and many more are adequate, capable, and honestly offer something somewhat unique that’s often ignored. One caliber that was briefly very successful but quickly faded away was the .44 Special. The cartridge hasn’t completely disappeared, though. It still has a cult following.
Smith and Wesson designed the cartridge in 1907 as the caliber of choice for their New Century revolver, aka the triple lock. It was S&W’s first smokeless revolver cartridge, and they based it on the .44 Russian. S&W designed the black powder .44 Russian round for use in the S&W No. 3 revolver for a specific Russian contract. The Russian cartridge became quite popular in the United States, and it was a bit of an intermediate in the big bore world.
In this era, we didn’t have the fancy jacketed hollow points we have now. Big cartridges created big holes, and that often made calibers starting with a “4” desirable. In 1907 we still relied on those big projectiles. S&W decided that for the New Century revolver, they would replicate the power and size of the .44 Russian but with smokeless powder. That gave us the .44 Special.
The .44 Associates
The .44 Special was quite popular upon its release. The stars aligned, and S&Ws new revolver was quite well received by the firearm world. It had lots of extra case capacity due to the efficient use of smokeless powder. Handloaders began upping their load and making the it hotter and hotter. Firearm writers and experts like Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton led the charge, and they all shared their various recipes.
This informal group of hand loaders, experts, and writers became known as the .44 Associates. They were massive fans of the cartridge and pushed the round to higher limits and beyond what S&W ever expected.
Elmer Keith eventually loaded the .44 Special hot enough that he needed a longer case to make it more powerful. Keith had long been a proponent of big, fast bullets, and this led to the creation of the .44 Magnum. Remington created the round based on Keith’s expertise, and they extended the case .125 inches to prevent the round from being chambered in existing .44 Special revolvers.
The creation of the .44 Magnum and the advent of automatic handguns lead to the .44 Special’s decline in popularity.
The .44 Special Today
While the .44 Special isn’t the first-round draft pick of most concealed carriers, it’s a very capable round. In 2023 it has not disappeared, chugging along with a modern group of .44 Associates. Likely, the round’s primary use is in .44 Magnum revolvers, as they tend to be more common. Much like the .38 Special and .357 Magnum, the .44 Special drops into .44 Magnums easily. It allows for a less spicy cartridge with a lot less recoil than the .44 Magnum rounds.
Some .44 Mangum lever guns can handle .44 Special. There isn’t an issue with power but with overall length. Some lever guns can be picky about the overall length of the cartridges loaded, so just be cautious with lever guns.
A few .44 Special revolvers are still in production. Ruger makes a limited edition of the GP 100 for it. Charter Arms famously made the original Bulldog, and they still produce various .44 Special revolvers, including the Bulldog and the pint-sized Boomer. A lot of cowboy guns are made for it as well. Taylor’s & Company, Cimarron, Uberti, and many more produce revolvers in the cartridge.
Where the cartridge Special Shines
This is one of the few big bore, smokeless powder rounds designed for reasonable self-defense. Most revolver cartridges that start with a “4” have too much recoil for self-defense and come in giant platforms, but the .44 Special can be fairly compact and reasonable. The recoil is mild, and the round handles well for fast follow-up shots.
It’s got great penetration and with the right ammo, you can get some crazy expansion. We are talking over three-quarters of an inch of expansion. This creates a nice big hole that has the potential to create more blood loss and disable internal organs. Shot placement matters more than anything else, and this cartridge is well known for its accuracy.
Is it better than 10 to 15 rounds of 9mm? Well, it depends on what threat you are dealing with. For the average city dweller, it’s probably not. However, if you have to face off with nature, the bigger projectile and deep penetration can help stop both two and four-legged vermin.
My Favorite Load: The .44 SPL Hornady 165 Grain FTX
I have an original .44 Special Bulldog with a three-inch barrel. It’s one of my favorite revolvers, and there is something about a big-bore compact revolver that tickles my fancy. I carry it every now and then, mainly when I’m hiking or hunting and want something for self-defense. With that in mind, there are lots of great loads on the market. My favorite is the Hornady Critical Defense 165-grain round with the FTX projectile.
I like this specific load because it’s designed to function in shorter barrels. There is very limited recoil, and while not soft shooting, it’s very manageable. A lot of folks assume that using a big bullet means they don’t need to worry about follow-up shots, and shot placement is less of a concern. That’s just plain wrong.
You still need to be able to land rapid, fast follow-up shots on target if need be. In that case, I can put two rounds nearly on top of each other from a low ready in 1.5 seconds. The ammo is consistent and very accurate. Out to 25 yards, the consistency makes it easy to land accurate shots on the chest of a threat target.
Additionally, gel testing has shown that these rounds expand quite a bit. They are very capable, even through heavy clothing, thanks to the FTX projectile design. The Hornady Critical Defense works best when fired through short barrels. That’s what it’s designed to be fired from. From longer barrels, it gets a bit faster, and that velocity causes expansion early, slows down, and limits effective penetration.
The Big Boys
The .44 Special is a big boy and an old one. It’s not well known these days but it still has earned its place as a defensive firearm cartridge. It’s still around and still pulls in enough numbers to justify creating premium defensive ammunition for it. What are your thoughts about it? Let us know below!
