Tell me the .44 Special isn't dying in CAS

[RowdyBill]

Seems all the major firearms makers for CAS are focusing primarily on the .357/.38, .44-40, and .45 Colt.  See very few offererings for revolvers in .44 Special (Taylor's maybe).

Is the .44 Special a dying round?

[Big John Denny]

Heck no. Lots of pards use the .44 Spcl. It's been around longer then the .44 Magnum, and is a very accurate round in a good revolver.

[hellgate]

I think it used to be more popular when SASS started out and folks would just grab their 44mag rifle and come out to shoot. The 44 special would shoot in the 44 mags so alot of folks used them there. Since the emphasis on speed has taken hold people are down sizing to the 38/357. Also the 45 Colt is what most folks will use if they want to shoot the bigger lead. In the 44mag, there is alot of blowback (especially with BP) due to the thicker brass so the chambers could get fouled quicker. Using a 44 special was a cure but i do think the 44 Spl will go the way of the 44 Mag. The '73s & 66s aren't chambered for 44Mag and those models are the new race guns.

[Standpat Steve]

Howdy,

I shoot .44 special, and it has always been harder to have a wide array of choices in this caliber. I just came home from Winter Range tonight. While I was there, I asked Cimarron what they had in .44 special handguns. They had an open top that was already sold, and a pair of consecutive serial number, 4 3/4" bbl colt clones . . .that was it.

When people who are starting out ask about caliber, I always tell them they will have the most choices in .38/357 and .45 colt. It's too bad, but it's true.

[Sacramento Johnson]

Howdy!
I'd say it's pretty rare around here; know only one shooter in all the S. NV clubs that uses it.  I agree, it was probably more popular 10 years ago in CAS, when 44mag rifles (like the Win '94) were pretty common (I started with such a rifle and a pair of RVs in 44mag back in '93 and loaded them with 44 spec).  I'd also have to say that 44-40 is also dissappearing, except among dedicated BP shooters.  38/45LC seem to be about the only stuff out there as vendors drop less profitable calibers and concentrate on what sells the best.  (Ruger droping the 44-40 several years ago was the harbinger...)  A sign of the changes in CAS, I'm afraid...

[Smokin Gator]

I shoot 44 specials in my revolvers.  Used to shoot it in rifle but switched to a 44-40 when I started shooting black powder.  I think 44 spl is a great caliber.  The case isn't as huge as a 45 Colt, but it's still a big bore.  Perfect for black powder too.  I get about 24-25 grns. BP with a 200 gr bullet in 44 spl.  About 10 grns. less than a 45.  I was going to buy a couple of .357 New Ruger Vaqueros, but decided to get another Ruger Vaquero in 44 mag instead.  This was after putting some Eagle gunfighter grips on my first Vaquero and really liking the feel with the new grips.  Anyway, I love the 44 special.   later,   Smokin Gator

[Birdshot]

Yep, the 44 Spl is dying out.  It never was any good for this game or for anything else. 

Tell you what, since I'm just a sentimental fool, I'll give you $50 for every 44 Spl you have just so you can get on to buying something really good.

Birdshot

[EDK]

I'm afraid you're right about the decline of the .44 special.  I like the .44s for their all around use for CAS or on farm/ranch chores.  BUT it keeps coming back to life when a new generation of shooters discover how good it is.    A 5 1/2 Bisley or Vaquero or Super Black Hawk in stainless is hard to beat---especially if Jim Stroh (Alpha Precision) has put the master's touch on it.

[Roy Mason]

You don't see many, but I shoot 2ea  .44 Mag Vaqueros and a Win 66 in .44 Special for Classic Cowboy.

[SFT]

I started out with one old Cimmaron 44-40, which promptly broke, then I was set up all the way around w/ .44's, mostly due to the ability for me to use them double duty for CAS and hunting.  Then I got in financial trouble from health bills and had to sell most of my gear, including a sweet Marlin 1894 CB II Limited, which was a mistake, but I make those all the time.  Got back into CAS big time with all .45's, but now down to only two .45 Ruger's.  However, I missed the versatility of the .44 magnum and picked up a "project" gun some two years ago, and neglected 1976 production 1894 .44, which is now goes with me to most every match and helps put piggies in the freezer.  Lately I've shot two matches using only my .44 rifle along with my .45 Rugers, it isn't something I'd recommend to a beginner having to keep track of two calibers of ammo but it works for me.

Around here factory cowboy loads in .44 special and .45 LC are usually just as numerous on the shelves and cost about the same, and there are a few folks I see still shooting 44 revolvers.

[Grapeshot]

We have a shooter at Jefferson, PA that shoots .44 Special and I have three revolvers chambered for it for CAS and a Cimmaron M1866 Short Rifle in .44 Special that I got for SASS.

I have been using a '66 in .44 WCF for the last few years and truly love it and use .44 Colt or .44 Russian in all the revolvers that are chambered in .44 Special..

The only .44 Special I have that I shoot exclusively with .44 Special is my S&W M21 Thunder Ranch edition.  It's the nicest shooting .44 I have.

[McGavin]

I'd say based on what I've seen that the .44 Special is losing popularity. With Cimarron making guns chambered in .44 Colt, though, there is a need for rifles in .44 Special and Cimarron still catalogs both the '73 and the '66 in .44 Special and the '92 in .44 Mag. My OTs will chamber .44 Specials made for CAS and function fine. Since the cowboy loads in .44 Special and .44 Colt are about the same it's just a matter of OAL.

Now, I've shot .44 Colt in my '66, but any hesitation in stroking the lever will result in a cartridge getting hung up on the cartridge lifter since the round is shorter, allowing the next one to protrude from the tube. Easily enough to fix, but it will ruin a string.

I think that with a variety of revolvers out there chambered for .44 Colt or .44 Russian the .44 Special will still be with us. The availability may be spotty, and the selection less than broad, but a bit of patience will reward the shooter.

[SFT]

I agree, and I think what has added to the dimished popularity of the .44 caliber is Ruger's decision not to chamber the NMV in .44, which I believe due to the smaller cylinder and less metal.  This may or may not be the reason Ruger chose to do this, so it's just as likely they just weren't selling the OMV in great enough numbers to continue the .44 in the new model.

Still, it's an historically correct caliber if not the case itself, and is just as capable and accurate as anything else out there.  In fact it's usually available in factory cowboy loads along with .45 LC and .38 in the same quantities so I never have problems finding some.  The 38-40 is gaining popularity and I now see it offered in factory loadings a little more often at the chain stores.

[McGavin]

If you look upon the .44 Special as a .44 Russian "Improved" -- and the .44 Mag as a .44 Russian "Much Improved" -- it puts it in perspective. The Special is only 0.2" longer in the case, the increase due to the greater bulk of smokeless powder. Shooting a gun chamberd in .44 Special allows you to shoot authentic period cartridges as well as a couple of new ones.

The .44 Colt round as used in the Cimarron OT and their conversions is not exactly like the one available in the period, but it comes close. Like the first .44 S&W cartridge, the American, the original Colt .44 used a heeled bullet. The new loading doesn't. It's about 0.06" shorter than a .44 Special and has a smaller case diameter to allow it to fit in the cylinder diameter of a '60 Army.

I'm sorry Ruger chose not to chamber the NRV in .44 Special. As for .38 WCF, it is a great caliber. I had an Old RV in the dual cylinder version chambered for .38-40 and .40 S&W. If the gun was one of the NRVs, less clunky and more "Colt-like," I would have kept it. The .38 WCF was my father's choice for a handgun cartridge and he carried a Colt Model P chamberd in it in Nicaragua back in the late 20s, along with his trusty Savage 99 saddle gun chambered in .250-3000. I once asked him why he didn't use a Winchester '92 in .38-40 and he smiled and said, "Because that Savage was one flat-shooting long-range gun and the '92 wouldn't have been. For short range, I had the Colt." My old man always had a good answer ready.

[Izzoquazzo]

Well I'm doing what I can to keep it alive. Just getting back into shooting after 30 years. Dug around in the basement and found 550 brand new Winchester brass in .44 Special. It was like finding gold. Ordered two consecutive serial number Ruger Vaqueros in .44 Spl and picked them up a couple days ago. They are blued 4 5/8" models. Last week I got a Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag to go with it.

I want to thank Lipsey's for getting Ruger to make these sweet sixguns. Can't wait to take them to the range.

Bear Bottom Bill

[maldito gringo]

"Reports of it's death have been greatly exaggerated"

[Marshal Deadwood]

Just bought a dual cylinder USFA in .44 special and 44WCF.

MD

[Abilene]

Here's what Uberti produces in .44 spcl:

Model P (in both frame styles and 3.5" through 7 1/2")
Thunderer
Bisley
1872 Opentop
1860 Richards-Mason conversion
Type 2 Richards conversion
1866 Yellowboy
1873 Winchester

I have a '66, two Colt SAA's and a Thunderer in .44 spcl and love it.  A conversion or two is on my wish list.

Correction: Although they make the '72 OT and the 1860 Type II in 44 Spcl, for some reason the 1860 Richards-Mason is only made in .44 Colt, although it is very easy to ream the cylinder to .44 Spcl (the importer will generally do this for you if you ask).

[Izzoquazzo]

Those open top conversions in .44 Special are cool. Just might have to get me a pair some day.