.44 ammo question

P

Pj0759@aol.com

New member
Hello wise ones,I have a question: I recently aquired a Colt Anaconda .44 mag. I purchased some ammo for it,and guess I was admiring all the sleek lovelies in the case and not paying much attention. I bought a box of .44 special cowboy load to plink with. And a box of Winchester .44 S&W..Is this the correct ammo for this gun? Or is this for a specific caliber? I compared the two types and the cowboy load has a shorter case. I don't want to make a mistake here,guns usually do not like the wrong kind of ammo,they are funny that way. Thanks, PJ
 
You can shoot .44 specials in a .44 magnum revolver but you can't shoot .44 maguns in a .44 special revolver. Just like shooting .38's out of a .357 revolver. Hope this helps you.

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***Torpedo***
It's a good life if you can survive it!
 
Guess I should clarify the question a bit more: I have a box of Winchester ammo,it says .44 S&W special..Is this the same as a regular .44 special load,or is this a specific caliber for a smith and Wesson handgun(like the S&W Russian) The gun is a Colt Anaconda 44 mag,so I know I can shoot .44 specials,I just did not know if this particular load of ammo is the right kind?..PJ
 
What he said. Don't worry, it's idiot proof. :)

The .44 special is the weaker of the two rounds, and is shorter. The .44 mag is the stronger and is longer.

A .44 magnum can shoot both: its cylinder is long enough to support the magnum round and the gun itself is designed to handle the stresses of the more powerful magnum cartridge.

A .44 special is NOT able to handle the stresses of a .44 magnum round, but thats okay since its cylinder is too short to accept the longer magnum round (at least while still allowing the cylinder to rotate, which is necessary for the gun to function). Naturally this is by design.

No, I don't have much experience with either round nor do I own a gun chambered in either, so feel free to correct anything I've said here in error...but as far as I know thats the way it works (as Telcote said, same as .38spl/.357mag)

Mike

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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
 
Ah, you posted while I was writing:

As far as I know you're okay...but as I advised, my experience with the Dirty Harry is limited. I'll defer to wiser ones than I.

Mike

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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
 
PJ , it sounds like you know the .44 Special is ok to shoot in a .44 Mag. and your question is whether .44 Smith & Wesson Special is also ok. Yes, the cartidges are the same. Usually the S&W part is dropped but it is the official name of the cartridge.
 
PJ,

What no one has mentioned is that after shooting your .44 Special loads in your .44 Mag., you MAY find that .44 Mag. shells are hard to chamber and/or extract.

This is due to the shorter case leaving a ring of debris built up in the cylinder against the chamber "shoulder." The shoulder is a reduced diameter area of the chamber that prevents chambering of a case that is too long (in the case of a .38 Spl. gun, the shoulder prevents chambering of a .357 Mag.).

After shooting the .44 Spl., if inserting or extracting Mag. rounds becomes noticably more difficult, you'll need to clean each chamber thoroughly with a bronze bristle brush dipped in bore cleaner.

As others have noted, the .44 Special round was originally developed by Smith & Wesson, and was introduced in 1907.

The .44 Special, in the 1950s, was lengthened and brought out as the .44 Magnum, AGAIN by Smith & Wesson.

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Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.
 
pj,
You say the Cowboy load has a shorter case? It may be that the load is one of "the other" .44's. The .44 Russian or the .44 Colt(not the .44 Winchester Center fire aka: .44/40 which is NOT to be used in the Anaconda(prob wouldn't fit anywho). The .44 Russian is the parent of the .44 S&W Special, which is itself the parent of the .44 Remington Magnum. Can you list the mfg? I believe American Frontier makes what they call a 4 in 1 load that will fit any of the above, and is safe to fire in a .44 Mag. The .44 Colt is kinda rare, but you never know. With the growth of CAS, a lot of old guns are turning up, and some ammo makers are bringing out loads for them. www.oldcartridges.nu/colt.html
is a link to the .44 Colt. Like they say it's main use is in cap and ball that are known as "conversions", which have been converted to use centerfire metallic cartridges.

Here's a good link on the history of the .44 Magnum www.sixguns.com/range/44magnumsixguns.htm

Enjoy your .44. I love the caliber a lot.

[This message has been edited by RAE (edited September 12, 2000).]
 
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