Bullet weight 44 remington magnum. Company of large revolvers Magnum.44 and his friends

diets 26.07.2019

diets

The Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum is a classic example of a revolver that was very popular in the US in the first half of the 20th century. The Model 29 was developed by Smith & Wesson around the mid-1950s. Despite the fact that the era of revolvers has long ended, the model, thanks to the efforts of Hollywood, is in incredible demand not only in the United States, but throughout the world.

The word "Magnum", which in Latin means "large", very accurately characterizes this brutal .44 caliber revolver. The revolver is currently the most powerful serial revolver in the world.

How did the Model 29 revolver become so popular?

The revolver is chambered for .44 Magnum so its incredible popularity is a happy coincidence. Here is a list of reasons why it should not have become so popular:

The revolver appeared in the 1950s, when revolvers had long since given way to semi-automatic pistols, which were superior in almost every way;

was originally developed for hunting rifles, it was not supposed to be used in revolvers;

The incredible power of the charge for a pistol provides a return of such force that only trained professionals could shoot from this revolver.

Based on the above facts, it can be assumed that the Smith-Wesson company released this model with an “aim” for brutal Texas residents who love classic revolvers, or for explosive Latin Americans who also like to shake big “guns”.

Sales of the new revolver went according to plan, but suddenly everything changed dramatically in 1971. The film "Dirty Harry" with Clint Eastwood was released on the screens leading role. Hollywood producers unwittingly contributed to the wild popularity of the Model 29 revolver by handing it to the main character of the film.

After the film collected full theaters around the world, the revolver became very popular. Entire communities of fans of this weapon have appeared. The Smith-Wesson company quickly increased the pace of production of the revolver that suddenly began to be popular and released several more modifications that differ from each other only in the long barrel.

There is a misconception (especially in countries where pistols and revolvers are banned) that Model 29 revolvers are extremely popular with American police officers. In fact, this weapon is very rarely used by police or other official law enforcement agencies for the following reasons:

Great weight of the weapon;
The impossibility of hidden wearing;
Difficulties in removing the weapon from the holster;
Strong recoil;
Excessive ammunition power.

Nevertheless, this revolver, thanks to the film, is still perceived by the townsfolk as a reliable police weapon.

Smith & Wesson Model 29 Development History

The history of the appearance of the Model 29 revolver from the Smith-Wesson company began in 1955. Such an unusual revolver was developed by one of the Smith-Wesson engineers named Elmer Keith. This person was not just an engineer. In certain circles, he became famous as a famous hunter and an excellent shooter. It is not known exactly why it occurred to Keith to develop such a weapon. Most likely, this was due to the desire of a professional hunter to have with him not just a pistol, but an effective weapon capable of protecting his master from the attack of a large beast.

Deciding to base hunting cartridge.44 Magnum, a Smith & Wesson engineer ran into a problem, as a rifle cartridge without modifications was not suitable as ammunition for a revolver. Taking the standard .44 Magnum hunting cartridge of the 1907 model, Elmer Keith worked on it for a long time.

Since the power of the Magnum cartridge was planned to be left at the same level, it was necessary to strengthen the design of the revolver as much as possible. The Model 29 features the strongest frame of any Smith & Wesson revolver and a quality alloy barrel to withstand the pressure of a powerful round.

Long-term experiments with ammunition allowed Keith to eventually choose the optimal bullet weight for his modification of the cartridge. The new ammunition allowed the bullet to reach initial speed flight 460 meters per second. Tests carried out by Smith-Wesson specialists showed that the energy of the bullet in the new cartridge exceeds the energy of the bullet of the .357 Magnum cartridge by 2 times. The company decided to engage in the industrial production of a new type of ammunition.

Revolver SMITH & WESSON 44 MAGNUM,PERFOMANCE CENTER.

The only catch was the fact that the Smith-Wesson company in those years simply did not have the opportunity to independently produce cartridges. The production of the new ammunition was entrusted to the well-known American company Remington Arms, which had the necessary production facilities for the production of ammunition. The new cartridge that Remington released was called the .44 Remington Magnum, although among Model 29 revolver fans it is better known as the .44 Magnum.

In appearance, the new cartridge was slightly longer than its "donor" .44 S&W Special, and after a while new modifications of this cartridge were created.

Although the new revolver was called the Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum, it is most commonly referred to simply as the "44 Magnum".

The Dirty Harry movie that made the Model 29 popular

The Model 29 revolver was practically unpopular until 1971. Only cowboys, lovers of big "guns", some shooters-athletes and individual hunters bought it. Everything changed after the release of the film "Dirty Harry", with the title role. The brutal detective, who solved all issues with the help of a huge revolver, became the idol of Americans for several years. Detective Callahan's revolver was a Smith & Wesson Model 29.

Since Clint Eastwood had been practicing shooting with the Model 29 for several months before filming, he easily and naturally brandished this heavy revolver on the screen, giving a false impression that this weapon is quite convenient even for beginners in shooting. Many new owners of a revolver only after the purchase were convinced how difficult it really is to shoot from this model.

Watermelon 44 (44 Magnum)

After the film, all .44 caliber revolvers were literally swept off the shelves of gun stores, forcing the Smith-Wesson company to urgently increase the production of this model several times.

Description of the Model 29 revolver

The Smith & Wesson Model 29 is a classic double-action revolver designed specifically for the slightly modernized .44 Magnum hunting cartridge. Since these ammunition have unusual power for short-barreled weapons, the design of the revolver is significantly strengthened.

The Model 29 revolver is loaded according to one of the most common revolver reloading principles today - the drum is tilted to the side, after which, by pressing the extractor, the shooter immediately removes all the shells from the revolver chambers.

Initially, the Model 29 revolver had only three modifications, currently two more have been added to them:

classical base model has a barrel length of 6½ inches;
8⅜ inches;
10 inches;
Shortened models with 6 and 4 inch barrels were the last to appear.

In addition to the length of the barrel, these models differ from each other only in weight, the shorter the barrel, the lighter the revolver.

Although the Model 29 revolver was chambered for the .44 Magnum cartridge, the revolver's simple design allows it to accept other brands of cartridges. It can be either .44 Russian or .44 Special.

Sights revolver Model 29 open type. They are simple front sight and rear sight, which are coated with phosphor paint. There are special optical sights focused specifically on this model. They give the weapon a very interesting appearance. In order to at least partially compensate for the recoil, the handle of the weapon is made very heavy and at the same time comfortable. The drum of the revolver holds 6 cartridges.

Magnums! | Destruction Ranch | Zebra Translation

Advantages of the Model 29 revolver

The Model 29 revolver has both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantages of this weapon are as follows:

The accuracy of a revolver, especially long-barrel modifications, is simply amazing. Although true “iron” hands are needed for accurate high-speed shooting, the first shot will be unusually accurate, and subsequent ones are unlikely to be needed;

Can be used as an additional hunting weapons. Although this issue is rarely considered by hunters, almost every one of them carries a hunting knife, which, in addition to being a tool, often plays the role of a weapon of last chance. We will not go into details of what chance a hunter has to stab a wild boar, elk or bear with a knife, but using a powerful revolver will increase the chances of surviving several times. A powerful bullet can even take down a bear;

Powerful ammunition does not leave the enemy a second chance. One hit from the Model 29 revolver is enough to neutralize the enemy;

The design allows the use of caliber .44 cartridges from other manufacturers;

A formidable appearance can scare even a hardened bandit;

Reliability. This item is inherent in all revolvers, since their design, unlike the design of semi-automatic pistols, is simpler and more durable. The revolver will forgive rare cleaning and negligence in care. If a misfire occurs, you can immediately make a new shot;

A heavy revolver can be used as a melee blunt weapon.

Disadvantages of the Model 29 revolver

In addition to the advantages, this weapon has a number of significant disadvantages:

The powerful recoil of a revolver can be unpleasantly surprising for an inexperienced shooter. There is a high chance of getting injured on the first shot. The weapon can either twist the brush when recoiling, or simply fly off in the forehead of its owner. It is for this reason that it is not recommended for novice shooters. If you still really want to buy this particular brutal revolver, you need to shoot, holding it tightly with both hands;

Inability to conduct high-speed shooting. This disadvantage is associated with both recoil and the weight of the weapon;

The sound of a shot from this revolver is simply deafening;

A bright flash when fired can blind the shooter;

The dimensions of the revolver make it very difficult to carry and retrieve;

The weight of the lightest modification of the Model 29 is 1220 grams, which is also not a plus when holding the enemy “at gunpoint” for a long time;

The price of .44 Magnum cartridges is quite high.

At the same time, it is worth noting that with the appropriate physical and psychological preparation, as well as the experience of the shooter, the Model 29 revolver is an incredibly powerful, reliable and deadly weapon.

In addition to the Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver, there are several other revolvers and pistols, but to achieve the popularity of the Magnum-44, which is still used in various films and games as deadly weapon, no model has yet succeeded.

It has been common for man to arm himself since the Stone Age, when he first picked up a club. And moralizing about the use of weapons is always ambiguous. Objectively speaking, the quality of weapons created by a certain civilization speaks of the level of its development. And many technical inventions are first used in the military field.

And today we will talk about one such technical miracle, namely, a revolver Smith & Wesson Model 29, also known as the Magnum 44. This most powerful "cannon" is capable of knocking down a deer or a buffalo and even a bear with one shot.

And that's exactly what formidable weapon helped Hollywood productions achieve record-breaking box office returns. It was used by Dirty Harry himself! This is probably the most famous gun in the history of cinema. Everywhere, even in the Kalahari Desert, if you say the words “My home is my fortress”, you will be understood. The 60s, which were marked by hippies, gave way to the 70s with their increased crime, and film lovers got to know a harsh policeman who was used to upholding the law with the toughest and most “dirty” methods.

Revolver "Smith - Wesson model 29 Magnum", is the embodiment of the idea of the most powerful pistol. The idea was brought to life by the shooter and hunter Elmer Keith, one of the engineers famous company Smith & Wesson, in 1955, and 16 years later (in 1971), with the appearance on the screen of Clint Eastwood and his "Dirty Harry", this revolver became the most sought-after weapon.

The Americans began to rapidly buy up these weapons. In total, half a million revolvers of this model were produced. However, the .44 revolver that Dirty Harry was armed with is the most inappropriate for self-defense purposes in his house. Many people forget that this model of weapon throws up sharply when fired. Shooters with a weak hand, this revolver often hit the head when fired ... But when you pull it out, your enemy may run away from fear. However, if he didn't run away, you'd be better off hitting him in the head with this revolver than shooting him, because you can't handle his recoil. But if you still hit the first shot, you have nothing more to fear ...

In addition to a very solid return, the disadvantages of this model also include: a strong flash when fired and a fairly powerful sound, high-speed shooting is almost impossible to aim, a solid weight (more than 1 kilogram and 220 grams) and, finally, the relatively considerable cost of both the revolver itself and and "consumables" (that is, ammunition).

Well, the advantages can be safely written down: excellent accuracy, destructive power of ammunition (at the same time, the revolver can be loaded with almost any cartridge of the appropriate caliber), the ability to use it for hunting and, finally, a solid and intimidating appearance, which undoubtedly provides an additional psychological advantage .

The .44 Magnum revolver cartridge was created in 1955 by American shooter, enthusiastic hunter and gunsmith Elmer Keith in collaboration with well-known Smith & Wesson and Remington companies for use in hunting and sport shooting. Especially for the .44 Magnum cartridge, Smith & Wesson developed a new Model 29 revolver with a reinforced N-type frame, as the recoil when firing this cartridge from lighter frame revolvers was unacceptably strong. Later in this caliber, many rifles with Henry brace were produced, for example, the Winchester Model 1894 and Marlin Model 94. The .44 Remington Magnum cartridge also has the following designations: .44 Mag, .44 Magnum, .44 Rem Magnum, .44 Rem Mag, SAA 6520, 11.18x33 R, XCR 11 032 CBC 010. Like most revolver cartridges, the .44 Magnum has a rimmed case. When fired, the Hydra-Shock JHP bullet weighing 15.5 g of the Federal cartridge receives an initial velocity of 360 m / s and a muzzle energy of 1260 J. Despite the large mass of the weapon in which this cartridge is used, the recoil is still very significant. In addition to the Smith & Wesson Model 29 cartridge .44 Remington Magnum is used in the famous pistol Desert Eagle. Before the advent of the .454 Casull and .50 Action Express cartridges, the .44 Magnum cartridge was the most powerful handgun cartridge in the world. The .44 Magnum revolver cartridge is suitable for hunting medium-sized ungulates, getting wounded animals and self-defense while hunting or when traveling to remote areas, as well as for self-defense at home. Cartridge .44 Magnum and revolvers for it are widely known due to popular culture, and mienno a series of films about Dirty Harry (the role of Clint Eastwood), where the revolver is his weapon. Cartridge .44 Magnum has never been used in the armed forces of any country.

The revolver cartridge .44 Special (10.5 × 29 mm R), developed by Smith & Wesson on the basis of the very successful .44 Russian as a standard ammunition of their new at that time, is not very popular these days. However, this old cartridge is considered by many shooters, hunters and gun historians in the US to be highly underrated and deserving of more attention from gun manufacturers. The famous American manufacturing company agrees with this opinion. firearms Ruger, based in Southport, Connecticut, launched in 2017 mass production GP100 revolver chambered for .44 Special.

Cartridge

The .44 S&W Special was introduced to the general public in 1907. It was created by lengthening the .44 Russian case from 24.6 to 29 mm in order to obtain more volume for the powder charge, in order to achieve a higher muzzle velocity and muzzle energy of the bullet as a result. The original powder charge.44 Russian from smoky ("black") powder provided a bullet weighing 16 grams with an initial speed of 230 m / s with a muzzle energy of 420 J.

Unfortunately, the ballistics of the new cartridge simply duplicated the speed and energy of the old bullet. With the advent of smokeless powder, it became possible to replace black powder in a new cartridge with a new smokeless one. black powder left a large amount of solid products, heavily fouling the barrel and mechanisms of the weapon with soot, imparted a relatively low initial speed to the bullet and formed a thick cloud of smoke when fired. Smokeless powder was devoid of these shortcomings. In addition, the .44 Special with smokeless powder proved to be as accurate as its predecessor, the .44 Russian.

The .44 Special cartridge was probably at the peak of popularity in this caliber at the time when the famous American shooter, hunter and gunsmith Elmer Keith began to write about his experiments using lead bullets with a flat nose (semi-wadcutter) and powerful powder charges in 1950s. He turned the target cartridge into a hunting cartridge and proved it effective on a wide range of revolver hunting game, making sure that ammunition manufacturers offer powerful revolver cartridges for hunters.

However, manufacturers, not without reason, were afraid that someone would sooner or later load new powerful cartridges into the barrel of one of the old 44-caliber revolvers, which was originally designed for much less powerful loads. An oversight by the owner of the weapon would lead to a rupture of the drum with the possible injury or even death of the shooter. Accusations in this case threatened the manufacturer, both in the form of damage to reputation and in the form of lawsuits from the victim or his relatives.

Instead, Remington lengthened the case by another 3.1 mm to prevent the use of a new cartridge with a powerful charge of gunpowder in older revolvers that were not designed for it. Thus was created the cartridge .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, introduced to the public in 1955, which subsequently became widely known in popular culture thanks to the movie "Dirty Harry" starring Clint Eastwood and the famous quotes from it. You can learn more about the revolver, and about yourself in the relevant articles on our website.

Revival.44 Special and new Ruger GP100

It should be clarified that .44 Special cartridges can be safely used for firing revolvers chambered in .44 Magnum, which certainly kept this cartridge from disappearing from gun catalogs and gun store shelves all these years, as many prefer to train in shooting with lower power cartridges and less expensive. But only a few bought revolvers designed only for firing the .44 Special cartridge.

AT recent times cartridge .44 Special is becoming more and more popular, for several good reasons. More and more revolver enthusiasts have come to understand that the .44 Magnum cartridge is in many cases unnecessarily powerful, and the weapon under it is already very bulky and heavy. Such shooters wanted a more compact and light weapon chambered for a less powerful cartridge, but of the same caliber.

Another key factor fueling the return of the .44 Special is the aforementioned ability to fire .44 Magnum revolvers as well as the longer chambers of .44 revolvers. The advantage here is significantly less recoil when firing, less wear on weapon parts and lower cost of cartridges.

In addition, due to the growing popularity of the shooting discipline "Cowboy Action Shooting", where sport shooting is done with replicas of "cowboy" weapons from the times of the Wild West, firing cartridges of those times, the number of devoted supporters of the .44 Special cartridge also began to grow.

As a result, the famous American company Sturm, Ruger & Co. introduced the flagship model of their line of double action revolvers - GP100, chambered in .44 Special. By the way, in addition to double-action revolvers, the company's products include bolt-action rifles, self-loading, automatic and single-shot rifles, shotguns, self-loading pistols, as well as single-action revolvers. Yes, the GP100 model is far from cowboy-themed, but there is a certain audience of shooting enthusiasts who are interested in the GP100 series revolver in this caliber.

The first revolver of the . Since then, the line of these revolvers has been constantly updated with new designs that differ in caliber, drum capacity, barrel length, sights, handle, surface treatment and other details. The version chambered for .44 Special was presented to the public in 2017, 32 years after the appearance of the first model in this series.

The GP100 is a reliable double-action trigger revolver that has its own "army" of fans among gun and shooting enthusiasts in the United States of America. Yes, and outside of this arms power, whose arms market is the main goal of any arms manufacturers from different countries world, there are owners and lovers of this beautiful stainless steel revolver.

Ruger GP100 revolver in 1761 version chambered for .44 Special with a short barrel length of 76.2 mm is equipped with an interchangeable front sight with a fiber optic light-collecting insert Green colour and adjustable in horizontally and vertically micrometric entirely sports type. This is a multipurpose revolver. It's compact enough to be carried discreetly under loose clothing or in a special bag, with the right .44 Special ammo for self-defense.

Arms and society

This revolver is also well suited for use as a self-defense weapon against dangerous predators on hikes in the wilderness. Hunters, tourists, fishermen or travelers can appreciate the merits of this revolver, both as a primary weapon and as a secondary one. Short barrel and short sight line probably don't make it the best choice as the main hunting revolver for hunting large animals, but it works well as a weapon for getting wounded animals.

There is a wide variety of ammunition available on the US market. Buffalo Bore releases cartridges with 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 having an initial velocity of 291 m / s and a muzzle energy of 453 J, as well as having a small recoil when fired.

Of course the best way The test of the weapon is to shoot it. It's even better if you can legally buy this weapon and practice with it. Unfortunately, most of the readers of this article live in countries where gun laws prohibit citizens from even owning short-barreled combat weapons, let alone carrying them in 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 the encroachments of criminals. In addition, the possession of weapons by citizens with the proper level of weapons culture and civic consciousness is an effective barrier to any dictatorship.

In this regard, far from everything is simple in the countries of the former socialist bloc. Such components as weapons culture and civic consciousness, alas, are still at an extremely low level, which is the result of a number of reasons, the consideration of which is beyond the scope of the article about weapons and cartridges for them. Nevertheless, supporters of the “legalization of the short barrel”, the return to citizens of the right to a normal weapon of self-defense, should by no means give up, because there are excellent examples of the Baltic countries and countries of Eastern Europe. But back to the revolver.

Technical features of the GP100 caliber .44 Special

An effort trigger when firing in single action mode with a pre-cocked trigger, it is 2 kg. This effort is optimal for shooting in this mode, as it provides a sufficiently high accuracy with the required level of safety. When firing by self-cocking, the trigger pull is 4.4 kg. This is an excellent indicator, at the level of modern revolvers. Here I recall the monstrously heavy self-cocking descent from the widely known in the post-Soviet space, which can exceed 7 kilograms. The Ruger GP100 revolver is a simple weapon to shoot in any mode.

The GP100 caliber .44 Special is made of stainless steel with polished surfaces. Unlike the same manufacturer's newfangled cheap "LCR" and "LCRx" series revolvers, which use aluminum alloy and plastic parts, the GP100 is an all-steel revolver as strong as a bank vault. If you use factory cartridges with and without light bullets for shooting during training powerful charges gunpowder, this revolver can last for generations of its owners.

In addition to the "1761" version, Ruger offers the GP100 caliber .44 Special in the "Lipsey's Distributor Exclusive" and "Talo Distributor Exclusive" versions, which differ in longer barrels, surface treatment, sights and drum capacity. The revolver discussed in this article Spanish "1761" due to its small dimensions is the most versatile.

One of the main features of Ruger revolvers is the push-button latch of the drum. This feature is as convenient as the sliding latch used by most modern revolver owners on Smith & Wesson revolvers. Along with other revolvers of the GP100 series, executions in the .44 Special caliber have a drum that is hinged to the left for loading, unloading and extracting spent cartridges. The fixation recesses of the drum in five-shot versions are located away from the chambers, due to which the drum is able to withstand heavy loads when firing high-power cartridges.

Trigger mechanism of hammer type, double action, with a drummer placed in the frame. Wherein interesting feature is that the trigger mechanism is assembled in a separate unit and is removable, like the Soviet TT pistol, which is made for easier maintenance. The role of the fuse is played by the transmission lever. It ensures that the trigger contacts the firing pin only when the trigger is pulled.

The Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum is a classic example of a revolver that was very popular in the US in the first half of the 20th century. The Magnum 44 was developed by Smith & Wesson around the mid-1950s. Despite the fact that the era of revolvers has long ended, thanks to the efforts of Hollywood, he is in incredible demand not only in the United States, but throughout the world.

The word "Magnum", which in Latin means "big", very accurately characterizes this brutal .44 caliber revolver. Currently, the revolver is the most powerful serial revolver in the world, constantly flashing in cinema and computer games.

Like a .44 Magnum Revolver Achieved Such Popularity

The .44 Magnum revolver is a failed product from the start, so its incredible popularity is a happy coincidence. Here is a list of reasons why it should not have become so popular:

The revolver appeared in the 1950s, when revolvers had long since given way to automatic pistols, which surpassed them in almost all respects;
The Magnum-44 cartridge was originally designed for hunting rifles, it was not supposed to be used in revolvers;
The incredible power of the charge for a pistol provides a return of such force that only trained professionals could shoot from this revolver.

Sales of the new revolver went according to plan, but suddenly everything changed dramatically in 1971. The film "Dirty Harry" with Clint Eastwood in the title role was released. Hollywood producers unwittingly contributed to the frenzied popularity of the Magnum-44 revolver by handing it to the main character of the film.

The Magnum-44 revolver became a huge hit after the film hit theaters all over the world. Entire communities of fans of this weapon have appeared. The Smith-Wesson company quickly increased the pace of production of the revolver, which suddenly began to be popular, and released several more modifications that differ from each other only in the long barrel.

There is a misconception (especially in countries where pistols and revolvers are banned) that Magnum-44 revolvers are extremely popular with American police officers. In fact, this weapon is very rarely used by police or other official law enforcement agencies for the following reasons:

Great weight of the weapon;
The impossibility of hidden wearing;
Difficulties in removing the weapon from the holster;
Strong recoil;
Excessive ammunition power.

Nevertheless, this revolver, thanks to the film, is still perceived by the townsfolk as a reliable police weapon.

Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum Development History

The history of the appearance of the Magnum-44 revolver from the Smith-Wesson company began in 1955. Such an unusual revolver was developed by one of the Smith-Wesson engineers named Elmer Keith. This man was not just an engineer. In certain circles, he became famous as a famous hunter and an excellent shooter. It is not known exactly why it occurred to Keith to develop such a powerful revolver for a hunting cartridge. Most likely, this was due to the desire of a professional hunter to have with him not just a pistol, but an effective weapon that could protect its owner from the attack of a large animal.

Deciding to use the .44 Magnum hunting cartridge as a basis, the Smith-Wesson engineer ran into a certain problem, since the rifle cartridge without modifications was not suitable as ammunition for a revolver. Taking the standard hunting cartridge Magnum-44 of the 1907 model, Elmer Keith worked on it for a long time.

Since the power of the Magnum cartridge was planned to be left at the same level, the design of the revolver had to be strengthened as much as possible. The Mangum-44 features the strongest frame of any Smith & Wesson revolver and a quality alloy barrel that can withstand the pressure of the powerful .44 Magnum cartridge.

Long-term experiments with ammunition allowed Keith to eventually choose the optimal bullet weight for his modification of the cartridge. The new ammunition allowed the bullet to reach an initial flight speed of 460 meters per second. Tests carried out by Smith-Wesson specialists showed that the energy of the bullet in the new cartridge exceeds the energy of the bullet of the .357 Magnum cartridge by 2 times. The company decided to engage in the industrial production of a new type of ammunition.

The only catch was the fact that the Smith-Wesson company in those years simply did not have the opportunity to independently produce cartridges. The production of the new ammunition was entrusted to the well-known American company Remington Arms, which had the necessary production facilities for the production of ammunition. The new cartridge that Remington released was called the .44 Remington Magnum, although among admirers of the Magnum-44 revolver it is better known as the .44 Magnum.

In appearance, the new cartridge was slightly longer than its "donor" .44 S&W Special, and after a while new modifications of this cartridge were created.

Although the new revolver was called the Smith & Wesson Model 29.44 Magnum, it is most commonly referred to simply as the Magnum-44.

The movie "Dirty Harry" that made the Magnum-44 popular

The Magnum-44 revolver until 1971 was practically not popular. Only cowboys, lovers of big "guns", some shooters-athletes and individual hunters bought it. Everything changed after the release of the film "Dirty Harry", with Clint Eastwood in the title role. The brutal detective, who solved all issues with the help of a huge revolver, became the idol of Americans for several years. Detective Callahan's revolver was a Smith & Wesson Model 29.

Since Clint Eastwood had been practicing shooting with the Magnum-44 for several months before filming, he easily and naturally brandished this heavy revolver on the screen, giving false confidence that this gun is quite convenient even for beginners in shooting. Many owners of this weapon, only after the purchase, were convinced how difficult it really is to shoot from a revolver of this model.

After the film, all Magnum-44 calibers were literally swept away from the shelves of gun stores, forcing the Smith-Wesson company to urgently increase the production of this model several times.

Description of the revolver Magnum-44

The Smith & Wesson Model 29 is a classic double-action revolver designed specifically for the slightly modified .44 Magnum hunting cartridge. Since these ammunition have an unusual pistol cartridges power, the design of the revolver is significantly strengthened.

The Magnum-44 revolver is reloaded according to one of the most common revolver reloading principles today - the drum leans to the side, after which, by pressing the extractor, the shooter immediately removes all the shells from the revolver chambers.

Initially, the Magnum-44 revolver had only 3 modifications, currently 2 more have been added to them:

The classic base model has a barrel length of 6½ inches;
8⅜ inches;
10 inches;
Shortened models with 6 and 4 inch barrels were the last to appear.

In addition to the length of the barrel, these models differ from each other only in weight, the shorter the barrel, the lighter the revolver.

Although the Magnum-44 revolver was designed for the .44 Magnum cartridge, the simple design of the revolver allows it to use cartridges of other brands. It can be either .44 Russian or .44 Special.

Sights revolver Magnum-44 open type. They are simple front sight and rear sight, which are coated with phosphor paint. There are special optical sights focused specifically on this model. They give the weapon a very interesting appearance. In order to at least partially compensate for the recoil, the handle of the weapon is made very heavy and at the same time comfortable. The drum of the revolver holds 6 cartridges.

Advantages of a revolver from Smith-Wesson

The Magnum-44 revolver has both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantages of this weapon are as follows:

The accuracy of a revolver, especially long-barrel modifications, is simply amazing. Although true “iron” hands are needed for accurate high-speed shooting, the first shot will be unusually accurate, and subsequent ones are unlikely to be needed;
Possibility of use as an additional hunting weapon. Although this issue is rarely considered by hunters, almost every one of them carries a hunting knife, which, in addition to being a tool, often plays the role of a weapon of last chance. We will not go into details about what chance a hunter has to stab a wild boar, elk or bear with a knife, but using the powerful Magnum-44 will increase the chances of surviving several times. A powerful bullet can even take down a bear;
Powerful ammunition does not leave the enemy a second chance. One hit from the Magnum-44 revolver is enough to neutralize the enemy;
The design allows the use of 44 caliber cartridges from other manufacturers;
A formidable appearance can scare even a hardened bandit;
Reliability. This item is inherent in all revolvers, since their design, unlike the design of automatic pistols, is simpler and more durable. The revolver will forgive rare cleaning and negligence in care. If a misfire occurs, you can immediately make a new shot;
A heavy revolver can be used as a melee blunt weapon.

Disadvantages of the Magnum-44 revolver

In addition to the advantages, the Magnum-44 has a number of significant disadvantages:

The powerful recoil of a revolver can be unpleasantly surprising for an inexperienced shooter. There is a high chance of getting injured on the first shot. The weapon can either twist the brush when recoiling, or simply fly off in the forehead of its owner. It is for this reason that it is not recommended for novice shooters. If you still really want to buy this particular brutal revolver, you need to shoot, holding it tightly with both hands;
Inability to conduct high-speed shooting. This disadvantage is associated with both recoil and the weight of the weapon;
The sound of a shot from a revolver is simply deafening;
A bright flash when fired can blind the shooter;
The dimensions of the revolver make it very difficult to carry and retrieve;
The weight of the lightest modification Magnum-44 is 1.220 grams, which is also not a plus when holding the enemy for a long time “at gunpoint”;
The price of special 44 magnum cartridges is quite high.

At the same time, it is worth noting that with appropriate physical and psychological preparation, as well as the experience of the shooter, the Magnum-44 revolver is an incredibly powerful, reliable and deadly weapon.

In addition to the Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver, better known as the Magnum-44, there are several other revolvers and pistols designed to fire .44 Magnum ammunition. To achieve the popularity of the Magnum-44, which is still used in various films and games as a deadly weapon, no model has yet succeeded.