44 mag/44 Russian

[Irish Dave]

Hi pards:

Got a question.

I am thinking about acquiring a stainless Vaquero in .44 Mag for conversion into a traditional ejectorless Sheriff's Model. (I have done this before with a .45LC).

I want to shoot the period correct .44 Russian round in this revolver. I know that the bore etc. will work fine, and it will no doubt chamber OK. But what I'd like to know is whether the "free bore" so to speak of the elongated .44 mag chamber will be too much to allow the considerably shorter .44 Russian to shoot accurately.

I guess I could get a spare stainless .357 cyl and have it bored to .44 Russian, but would like to avoid this additional expense if the mag cyl will work. I figured someone here could tell me.

Much obliged for the info.

[Delmonico]

Dave. I'd try it first and see what happens, free bore in guns is a strange thing, some acually shoot better with free bore.  I doubt at the distance you'd be shooting that one at you'd see much differance.  I'd try both cases and compare before you did all the extra work and expense.  Go maybe 10% heavier on the 44 mag case to get the velocity more equal. 

[Adirondack Jack]

With my experience with the Cowboy .45 Special, I'd say yer gonna be just fine.

Here's why.  The shorter case offers less case capacity and therefore higher pressures at reasonable CAS velocities.  This means a better burn, and any minimal degradation possibly occuring due to freebore is more than offset by a much better burn.  The Cowboy .45 Special is shorter than a .44 Russian by a tad, and fired from cylinders chambered for .45 Colt, (exactly the same length as .44 mag chambers), shoots to one hole groups at 15 yards with decent load development.

[Long Johns Wolf]

May I suggest a "compromise: Have you considered using the .44 Colt instead of the .44 Russian? It got the same diameter, i. e. .429, is period correct, too, has a longer case but is still shorter then the .44 mag case.
Bootsie

[gotzguns]

been shooting 44 russian, 44colt 44spl. and 44mag out of my s&w 29 6 1/2" for years.never noticed any loss in acc. gotzguns

[Irish Dave]

Thanks, pards. Very much obliged.

Bootsie:
Appreciate the thought. I would consider that, 'cept I already reload the 44 Rusky for other guns and don't really want to set up another caliber.

Anybody else have thoughts?

[Montana Slim]

Dave,

I've shot a few .44 Russian (BP) through a Ruger SBH 44 Mag with decent results, but I was just plinking around the farm. No target work for comparison. I shoot the russian in my .44 R-Ms and opentop, which are .44 Colt Chambers. I've considered picking up a model 1873 clone in .44 special, if a deal comes up.

Slim
(broadcasting"live" from beatiful Oxford, AL)