Cartridge .44 Magnum mod. 1955 Why did this “cannon” cartridge become a phenomenon of American popular culture? 1. Before Dirty Harry

This type of individual weapon, such as a revolver, is especially popular on the North American continent, in particular in the USA and Canada. And if the average American is asked “which of these pistols is the most powerful?”, without a second of hesitation he will answer “Magnum 44”.

This weapon, produced since 1955, is still considered one of the most powerful revolvers in the world and, moreover, the most famous thanks to its appearance in the cult film of the 70s with Clint Eastwood. What is so special about the creation of Smith & Wesson?

.44 Magnum 11.18x33R cartridge

What is a magnum?

The word Magnum is of Latin origin and literally means large, great. Accordingly, the .44 Remington Magnum cartridge is a high-power ammunition (meaning comparison with the .44 Special).

44 Magnum (10.9x32.6 mmR) is a large caliber cartridge designed for revolvers, but it is also used in many rifles. The ammunition was developed in the mid-1950s by lengthening the .44 Special, giving the ammunition increased velocity.

The 44 Magnum was the result of guns with reinforced frames that could handle a cartridge more powerful than the .44 Special. .44 Special cartridges were often loaded with a heavier bullet for better hunting results.

Elmer Keith, who worked for a weapons company, took the .44 Special caliber as a basis, slightly lengthening the cartridge case. 44 caliber was not chosen by Elmer by chance. Unlike the .45 Colt, the .44 was thinner, which made the walls in the revolver cylinders thicker and therefore the revolvers could withstand the enormous power of the ammunition while maintaining dimensions.

The .44 Magnum case is slightly larger compared to the .44 Special. This is to prevent loading a more powerful cartridge into old, weak .44 Special chambers, due to the risk of bursting the barrel or chamber.

The .44 Magnum cartridge was an immediate success in the marketplace, and redesigned Model 29 and .44 Magnum Ruger Blackhawks revolvers are still in production and modifications today. There are also a number of semi-automatic pistols chambered for this ammunition, such as the Desert Eagle.

Description of the pistol

The S&W Model 29 is structurally a classic double-action revolver, that is, when you press the trigger, the trigger performs two actions: first it is cocked (self-cocking), and then it hits the cartridge primer, which entails a shot. Designed specifically for .44 Magnum ammunition. The pistol has a reinforced design, which is necessary given the power of the cartridge.

The drum capacity is 6 cartridges. The removal of spent cartridges occurs simultaneously. To do this, you need to tilt the drum to the side and use a special extractor that pushes all the cartridges out of the chambers.

The Magnum 44 revolver has several modifications that differ in barrel length.

The classic version had a 6.5-inch barrel. Then long-barreled versions were produced - 83/8 and 10 inches (213.5 mm and 255 mm, respectively). The designers of Smith & Wesson did not abandon the lovers of “short-barreled” guns - they came out with modifications with barrel lengths of 4 and 6 inches (102mm and 153mm, respectively). Naturally, in addition to these differences, the versions also differ in weight.

The sighting base of the pistol includes a front sight and rear sight. For ease of aiming, they are coated with phosphorus. The handle of the revolver is artificially weighted - this allows for a slight reduction in recoil when firing. In addition to the above ammunition, .44 Russian and .44 Special containing black powder are also suitable for firing the 44 Magnum.

The history of the creation of the magnum 44 revolver

The history of the famous Magnum from Smith & Wesson begins in 1955, with the launch of a revolver with a reinforced N-shaped frame chambered for the .44 Magnum cartridge. The name Model 29 was received a little later - in 1957. At that time it was the most powerful pistol, mass-produced in the United States.

The main impetus for the creation of a heavy-duty revolver was Elmer Keith's maximization of the .44 Special cartridge. Thus, production of the classic N-frame pistol began in 1955, with the official Model 29 designation appearing two years later in 1957. For a long time, the revolver was known in narrow circles: among hunters, long-range shooters and some police officers in the USA and Canada.

The Model 29 can fire two types of cartridges - .44 Magnum and .44 Special, since the latter is a shortened version. Weapon production ceased in the late 1990s.

Smith Wesson model 29 44 Magnum

Thanks to Elmer Keith's achievement in creating the high-power .44 cartridge, it was only a matter of time before a revolver with a reinforced frame could be chambered for more powerful ammunition was created. The pistol was intended to use the new .44 magnum cartridge as a replacement for a large caliber short-barreled shotgun, but not for self-defense. However, today there is special ammunition on the market that is suitable for self-defense.

Introduced in 1955 in 44 Magnum, the Model 29 is based on the large N-frame that was introduced in 1907. Development of the Model 29 took place over several years with revolver enthusiast, hunter, and author Elmer Keith. He believed that the large frame of the .44 Special could be strengthened to accommodate a more powerful cartridge. The Magnum 44 pistol was available in both blued and nickel finishes, and in 1978 Smith & Wesson introduced the Model 629, identical to the Model 29 but in stainless steel.

Smith & Wesson discontinued the Model 29 in 2000, but reintroduced it five years later as a 50th anniversary model with a 6.5-inch barrel, blue trim, and gold S&W emblem.

The Smith & Wesson Model 329 is a titanium-scandium version of the gun that is popular with hikers and self-defense enthusiasts. On hikes, weapons are often equipped with more powerful ammunition to prevent attacks by large animals. When used for self-defense, the weapon is often loaded with .44 Special ammo or lightweight .44 Magnum ammo.

It is worth noting that the Model 29 is not the most powerful revolver; there are models with higher ammunition energy, for example, the Model 454 chambered for the .454 Casual cartridge has a muzzle energy of 2000 joules (for example, the standard .44 Magnum cartridge produces 1500 J).

How the Magnum 44 revolver became so popular

Initially, the revolver gained popularity only in narrow circles of big game hunters, as well as among some law enforcement officers. The situation changed in 1971, when cinemas began showing the film “Dirty Harry”, starring Clint Eastwood. After the phrase “This is Magnum 44, the most powerful revolver in the world!” The revolver became a bestseller, which radically changed the perception of the product in American gun history. Few handguns combine power and appeal, but the Smith & Wesson Model 29 easily delivers. The Magnum 44 Model 29 revolver has truly been at the top of the list of powerful weapons for many decades. Although more powerful pistols and ammunition types have been introduced since then, the Model 29, chambered in .44 Magnum ammunition, remains one of the most powerful and practical pistols available.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Magnum 44 revolver

Pros
Reliability. The Model 29 design has virtually no moving parts, which greatly increases the service life of the weapon.

High shooting accuracy. There is no automation in the design, due to which vibrations are reduced to a minimum. This has a positive effect on the accuracy and accuracy of shooting.

Ease of maintenance. The simplicity of the design makes it easy to clean and maintain the gun.

Powerful ammunition and high stopping power. This ammunition energy (from 1500 J) allows the pistol to be used in hunting large animals (bears, moose, etc.)

Minuses

Heavy weight

Strong recoil

Low rate of fire

Small magazine capacity

Long reloading (due to the lack of a detachable drum, each cartridge has to be loaded into the drum separately)

Dirty Harry's Main Argument

After appearing on the shelves, the Smith & Wesson revolver was not particularly popular; the 45 caliber was preferable. The main and few buyers of the Smithenwess pistol were hunting enthusiasts and athletes involved in sports shooting.

But everything changed in 1971, when the famous film “Dirty Harry” was released. In it, the main character, played by the king of westerns, Clint Eastwood, famously handles the Magnum 44, dispensing justice to it and proving the truth of Al Capone’s immortal phrase “A kind word with a revolver in your hand is much more convincing than just a kind word.”

The film became a bestseller. This radically affected the “career” of both the revolver and Clint “Dirty Harry” Eastwood.

Clint became a star, and the .44 Magnum was simply swept off the shelves of gun stores.

Moreover, the demand for it was such that Smith & Wesson had to urgently launch a new production line. The total number of weapons sold during this wave of popularity was more than 500 thousand.

The Magnum 44 pistol is not for the weak, its weight and recoil require some physical training. Realizing this, Clint Eastwood practically never left him for a month, constantly practicing shooting. Thanks to this, in the film the revolver looks like an extension of the actor’s hand.

Ballistics [edit]

Unfortunately, the new cartridge's ballistics simply duplicated the 246-grain (15.9 g) bullet at 755 ft/s of the .44 Russian, while its case powder capacity maintained performance comparable to that of the .45 Colt and similar. to .44-40. However, the .44 Special retained its predecessor's reputation for accuracy. [3] The SAAMI maximum pressure standard for the special model 44 SW is 15,500 psi. [7]

Factory black powder cartridges from 1907-20 [8]

Advantages and disadvantages of a revolver

Pros:

• High shooting accuracy, especially for modifications with an extended barrel.
• Power that will allow you to kill even a large animal with one shot while hunting. The revolver is often called a "weapon of last chance" because a Magnum bullet leaves no chance for the enemy.
• The simple and durable design ensures safety and reliability during use, and also guarantees long-term use. The mechanism allows you to immediately fire again if it misfires.
• The ability to use cartridges of various brands makes the revolver quite versatile.
• The large mass, if necessary, makes it possible to use the revolver as a heavy crushing weapon.
• The appearance poses a significant threat and has a psychological effect on the enemy.

Fact. The popularity of this weapon is not diminishing even today. True, today it is most often used for its intended purpose, for hunting and sports.

Minuses:

• The large mass does not allow you to hold the revolver for a long time in an outstretched hand, which makes a long fight impossible. It also makes high-speed aimed shooting impossible.
• Powerful recoil can cause damage to an untrained shooter. Using a weapon requires some training.
• A revolver cannot be used where stealth is needed. The deafening sound of a shot and a bright flash will immediately indicate the location of the shooter.
• The large dimensions of the Magnum make it impossible to carry it concealed.

Important! The cost of ammunition for weapons significantly exceeds the average price category.

Guns and society

This revolver is also well suited for use as a self-defense weapon against dangerous predators while hiking in the wilderness. Hunters, tourists, fishermen or travelers can appreciate the advantages of this revolver, both as a main weapon and as an additional weapon. The short barrel and short sight line probably don't make it the best choice as a primary hunting revolver for big game hunting, but it works well as a takedown weapon.

There is a wide variety of ammunition available on the US market. Buffalo Bore produces 16.5 g Keith-type bullets with a muzzle velocity of 305 m/s. This equipment option is suitable for deer hunting and for self-defense against dangerous animals up to 136 kg. For self-defense in urban conditions, Hornady FTX Critical Defense cartridges with a 10.6 g bullet are suitable, when fired from a Ruger GP100 it has an initial speed of 291 m/s and a muzzle energy of 453 J, and also has a slight recoil when fired.

Of course, the best way to test a weapon is to shoot it. It's even better if you can buy this weapon legally and practice with it. Unfortunately, the majority of readers of this article live in countries where weapons legislation prohibits citizens from even owning short-barreled combat weapons, not to mention carrying them for self-defense. Of course, this is a serious infringement of human rights to effective self-defense, protection of loved ones and other people, as well as property, from attacks by criminals. In addition, the presence of weapons among citizens with the proper level of weapons culture and civic consciousness is an effective barrier to any dictatorship.

This attitude is far from simple in the countries of the former socialist camp. Components such as weapons culture and civic consciousness, alas, are still at an extremely low level, which is a consequence of a number of reasons, the consideration of which is beyond the scope of the article about weapons and ammunition for them. However, supporters of the “legalization of short-barreled guns”, returning citizens the right to normal self-defense weapons, should under no circumstances give up, because there are excellent examples of the Baltic countries and Eastern European countries. But let's return to the revolver.

TTX

Technical characteristics of Magnum 44 are presented in the following table:

Introduced in '55, the S&W Model 29, or simply Magnum 44, remains one of the most powerful revolvers in the world.

Coupled with reliability and accuracy, this still keeps it among the top sellers, despite the specificity of the pistol in use.

After all, probably every firearms lover imagined himself in the place of Dirty Harry, shaking a huge barrel at the nose of another bad guy.

Results

The .44 Special cartridge is currently offered by leading ammunition manufacturers in a variety of load versions, including bullet weights ranging from 8.6 to 16.1 g. Self-defense cartridges with high terminal ballistic performance are also offered, such as Hornady JHP, Winchester Silvertip JHP, Speer Gold Dot JHP, Federal LHP and Cor-Bon JHP.

For a shooter looking for a revolver that is a little off the beaten path with popular calibers and has some history, a gun chambered in .44 Special is a great option. The Ruger GP100 in this caliber opens up a wide range of options for any shooter, whether it's self-defense, defense against predators in the wild, hunting or target shooting, this revolver will get the job done.

All versions of the Ruger GP100 revolver, including versions in .44 Special caliber, are distinguished by the high quality of the materials used, the manufacture of parts, their processing and final assembly. This is a really high-quality, solid-looking, reliable and powerful revolver that will decorate the collection of any lover of weapons, shooting and hunting.

The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the Ruger GP100 .44 Special caliber revolver in the "1761" version at the beginning of 2022 is $829.

Design

To build the Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum, a turret frame with the letter N was used.

The weapon is equipped with a double-action trigger mechanism. When you press the trigger, the hammer is cocked, after which it uncocks and a shot occurs. This allows you to significantly increase the rate of fire, however, it reduces its accuracy, since with an increased travel of the trigger the shooter needs to apply more force.

However, this model has the ability to fire while the hammer is pre-cocked, making it versatile for both close combat and long-range shooting.

To eject spent cartridges, you need to tilt the drum to the side and use an extractor, which will remove all cartridges from the chambers.

Interesting. Magnum 44 is a must-have attribute for paramilitary computer games. It's hard to imagine game heroes without this huge and powerful weapon.