Craig Boddington was the senior contributing editor of our modern gun and ammunition caliber dictionary. Craig was involved in the development and testing of many of these and writes from first hand experience. This dictionary was written exclusively for Wholesale Hunter with unique information found nowhere else.
GUN CALIBER DICTIONARY
Handgun
44 Special
The 44 Special (44 S&W Special) was developed by Smith & Wesson in 1907 and introduced in their New Century revolver in 1908. Although essentially a lengthed 44 Russian case, it was one of the first large-caliber revolver cartridges designed for smokeless powder, with a thick rim, heavy brass, and a 1.16-inch case. Bullet diameter is .429. The original load used a 246-grain bullet at 755 feet per second, slow but hard-hitting and2350 with an excellent reputation for accuracy. The 44 Special has continued in production and has recently seen a resurgence in popularity. 44 Special ammunition can be safely used in 44 Magnum revolvers for low-recoil practice. — Craig Boddington