Best 44 S&W Special Ammo

With almost 12 decades of service under its belt, the 44 S&W Special qualifies as one of the great handgun cartridges of all time. But it’s not just an antique, as a growing number of modern shooters discover that the caliber is powerful, accurate and fairly easy to control. Let’s examine how the cartridge got here and what loads are the best 44 S&W Special ammo for defense.

44 S&W Special’s Ammo Ancestry

The 44 S&W Special’s origins date to the early 20th century. Smith & Wesson wanted to introduce a new revolver design called the New Century and sought to pair the gun with a new chambering. The company’s 44 Russian black powder centerfire cartridge had a reputation for accuracy, and S&W used an improved smokeless powder version to create the new round. Designers lengthened the 44 Russian case by .19 inch and boosted the powder capacity by 6 grains. Ballistics for the new load duplicated those of the 44 Russian, and shooters also found the 44 S&W Special to be accurate.

Development wasn’t finished, however. Shooters and handloaders soon realized the 44 S&W Special chambering had even more potential. By the late 1920s, many were loading it to much higher velocities than the original factory specs. Renowned gun writer Elmer Keith developed several special handloads for the 44 S&W Special, many of which are still used. One of his higher-pressure loadings later became the 44 Magnum, introduced commercially by Smith & Wesson in 1956.

Nowadays, the 44 S&W Special is in the midst of a comeback. Many shooters consider the heavy recoil of the 44 Mag. to be too much in some situations. Also, revolvers chambered for the 44 Mag. are typically bulkier, heavier and not as convenient to carry. Further, 44 S&W Special cartridges fit into the longer chambers of 44 Mag. revolvers, much like the 38 Special fits into 357 Mag. chambers, making it popular for reduced-velocity plinking and target shooting. And cowboy action shooting also boosted the 44 S&W Special, prompting some gun makes to produce more firearms for the cartridge.

Currently, many ammo makers offer 44 S&W Special loadings, with bullet weights ranging from 135 to 250 grains. Speer’s Gold Dot Personal Protection 44 S&W Special load uses a 200-grain hollow point bullet, with a muzzle velocity of 875 fps.