Nazarian

When it comes to squeezing maximum power from a revolver at a level of recoil that can be handled by any shooter who is determined to learn to cope with it, the .44 Magnum has long been, and probably always will be, one of the greatest cartridges to ever exist, mainly because firearm writers like to write about it and firearm readers like to read about it. The .44 Magnum has a lot of class. It also represents the most powerful cartridge that can be comfortably fired in a revolver of conventional size and weight.

Introduced in 1955 in the Model 29 revolver, the .44 Magnum was inspired by heavy loadings of the .44 Special that were once popular among a clan of pioneering handloaders lead by Elmer Keith. As a result of a bit of prodding by Keith and a few others who shared his passion for extremely powerful guns, Remington and Smith & Wesson teamed up to produce the answer to their prayers. Quick to hop aboard any bandwagon worth riding, Ruger wasted no time in introducing his Super Blackhawk in the equally new .44 Magnum chambering. Then came custom .44 Magnum conversions of the old Winchester Model 92 lever action, followed by a number of factory .44 caliber long guns, including the Ruger autoloading carbine, the Vulcan slide action carbine, the Remington Model 788 bolt action, the Winchester Model 94, the Marlin 336 and the current Marlin 1894.

One of the all time classic hunting loads for the .44 Magnum is a 240 grain bullet seated atop H110. For deeper penetration on larger game, a 300 grain bullet is preferred.