Craig Boddington was the senior contributing editor of our modern gun and ammunition caliber dictionary. Craig was involved in the development and testing of many of these and writes from first hand experience. This dictionary was written exclusively for Wholesale Hunter with unique information found nowhere else.
GUN CALIBER DICTIONARY
Handgun Ammo
44 Russian
The .44 Russian (.44 S&W Russian) was The .44 Russian, also known as the .44 S&W Russian, is a black-powder center-fire metallic revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1870, another of the very earliest centerfire cartridges. Legend has it that the .44 Russian was developed by Smith & Wesson following Grand Duke Alexis' legendary hunt with William F. Cody, and his admiration for Cody's S&W revolver (in the less powerful .44 S&W). Fact is Smith & Wesson developed a more powerful .44-caliber cartridge, and the Russian government placed a large order. Although the .44 Russian has a fairly short .9701-inch case, the .44 Russian is a powerful cartridge, propelling a heavy 246-grain bullet at 770 fps. The bullet diameter is .4323-inch. The .44 Russian was a major success for Smith & Wesson, with production continuing until 1940. — Craig Boddington
