The .44 Magnum: A Practical Guide to .44 Remington Magnum

The .44 Remington Magnum, often shortened to .44 Magnum.44 Mag or 44 mag, is a rimmed centerfire cartridge built around much higher performance than the older .44 Special. It began in the 1950s through work involving Smith & Wesson, Remington and Elmer Keith, and today it is chambered in large revolvers and lever action rifles. Its main appeal is power in a portable firearm, but that power also brings substantial recoil and strict ammunition compatibility rules.

What the .44 Remington Magnum is

SAAMI lists the cartridge as .44 Remington Magnum and gives the abbreviation as 44 Rem Mag in its Z299.3 2022 centerfire pistol and revolver standard. The cartridge is a centerfire pistol and revolver round with a rimmed case, as shown by SAAMI’s .514 inch rim diameter specification.

In everyday use, shooters usually say .44 Magnum or .44 Mag. Some search for it as 44 mag. All of those names point to the same cartridge family when they refer to .44 Remington Magnum factory ammunition.

The .44 Magnum is closely tied to the .44 Special. American Rifleman describes it as a more powerful counterpart to the .44 Special, in the same broad way that the .357 Magnum grew from the .38 Special. Shooting Illustrated says Remington lengthened the case 0.1 inch beyond the .44 Special during development.

That extra length matters. The shorter .44 Special may be usable in some .44 Magnum firearms when the firearm maker says so, but .44 Magnum ammunition should not be used in firearms chambered only for .44 Special.

Origin and early history

Smith & Wesson says it developed the .44 Magnum at the urging of handgunner Elmer Keith, and that the revolver was completed in 1955. Smith & Wesson also says the original revolver was offered with 4 inch and 6 1/2 inch barrels, with an 8 3/8 inch barrel added later.

American Rifleman says Smith & Wesson and Remington collaborated on the .44 Magnum project, and that the first .44 Magnum revolver was completed on December 29, 1955. Shooting Illustrated gives more detail on the early production timeline, saying the first production gun was completed on December 15, 1955, another revolver was presented to Remington on December 29, 1955, and the revolver was publicly announced on January 19, 1956.

Shooting Illustrated also says the .44 Magnum name became the Smith & Wesson Model 29 in 1957. That name is part of the cartridge’s later fame, but the cartridge itself was already defined by the Smith & Wesson and Remington project that brought the .44 Magnum revolver and cartridge to market.

SAAMI specifications

SAAMI Z299.3 2022 is the current centerfire pistol and revolver standard cited here for .44 Remington Magnum dimensions and pressure. SAAMI’s .44 Remington Magnum cartridge and chamber drawing was originally issued on November 6, 1979 and revised on July 12, 2021.

One key SAAMI dimension cited here is the .514 inch rim diameter, with a minus .010 inch tolerance.

SAAMI’s pressure table uses scaled units. For .44 Remington Magnum, SAAMI lists 400 CUP/100 and 360 psi/100 as maximum average pressure values. Written out, those are 40,000 CUP and 36,000 psi.

Factory ballistics examples

There is no single universal .44 Magnum velocity. Bullet weight, bullet design, pressure, barrel length and test method all affect the published number.

Factory ballistics tables commonly identify the bullet, the firearm or test barrel, velocity and energy. When comparing factory loads, barrel notes matter. A velocity from a handgun length barrel should not be treated as identical to a velocity from a longer test barrel.

Revolvers, lever actions and field use

The .44 Magnum is best known as a revolver cartridge, but current firearm makers also chamber it in lever action rifles. Ruger lists .44 Magnum models in the Super Redhawk line, while Henry and Marlin list .44 Magnum and .44 Special lever action models.

For hunting and field use, the cartridge appears in both handgun and rifle contexts. Ruger describes its Super Redhawk .44 Magnum line as handling powerful big game loads. Henry lists target, hunting and large game as best uses for its .44 Magnum/.44 Special Side Gate lever action models.

Lever actions add another practical category. Henry’s Big Boy manual lists .44 Mag/.44 Spl as a chambering option and says .44 S&W Special can also be fired in the .44 Magnum model. Marlin’s 2023 notice for the Model 1894 Classic describes a .44 Rem Mag lever action with a 20 inch barrel and a tubular magazine that accepts 10 rounds of .44 Magnum or 11 rounds of .44 Special.

For backcountry or woods carry, it is best to choose ammunition according to the firearm maker’s instructions and the shooter’s intended use.

Recoil and shootability

The .44 Magnum has substantial recoil compared with milder handgun cartridges. The manufacturers and historical accounts cited here do not give a single recoil number, but they do point to firearm design features meant to manage powerful loads.

Ruger says the Hogue Tamer Monogrip on its Super Redhawk helps reduce the impact of powerful loads. Shooting Illustrated says Smith & Wesson added weight to the early .44 Magnum revolver, and that the heavier barrel and longer cylinder helped tame recoil.

That is the practical tradeoff of the .44 Magnum. Larger, heavier firearms may be easier to manage with full power loads than lighter ones, but they are also bulkier to carry. Shooters who plan to use .44 Magnum in a revolver or lever action should follow the firearm maker’s ammunition guidance and avoid assuming that one load will feel the same in every firearm.

.44 Special compatibility and safety

The safe compatibility rule is simple: use only the ammunition the firearm maker says is correct for that firearm.

Several makers specifically state that .44 Special can be used in their .44 Magnum firearms. Ruger says its .44 Magnum Super Redhawk models accept factory .44 Special cartridges. Ruger’s New Model Blackhawk manual says the .44 Magnum cylinder in the 44 40/44 Mag Super Blackhawk Convertible can use factory .44 Magnum and .44 Special cartridges. Marlin’s current Model 1894 manual says firearms chambered in .44 Magnum are also compatible with .44 Special ammunition. Henry’s Big Boy manual says the .44 S&W Special cartridge can also be fired in the .44 Magnum model.

That does not mean every firearm marked .44 on the barrel can use both cartridges. Henry instructs users to use the correct ammunition for the particular firearm and not to use nonstandard, reloaded or handloaded ammunition that has not been pressure tested.

The reverse direction is the dangerous one. Do not use .44 Magnum ammunition in a firearm chambered only for .44 Special. Firearm makers warn users to use only the correct ammunition for the particular firearm.

There is also a cleaning issue when shooting the shorter cartridge in a longer chamber. Marlin warns that shorter .44 Special cartridges can cause lead buildup in the forward part of a .44 Remington Magnum chamber and says to clean the chamber after using .44 Specials.

What to check before buying or shooting .44 Magnum

Before using .44 Magnum or .44 Special in any firearm, check the exact barrel marking, the owner’s manual and the ammunition box. Confirm whether that specific firearm model is rated for .44 Magnum, whether the maker allows .44 Special, and whether there are cleaning instructions after using shorter .44 Special cartridges.

For hunting, also check the current regulations from the state, province or territory where you will hunt. Cartridge rules, handgun rules, rifle rules and game specific requirements are set by wildlife agencies and can change.