Munitions

.44 Smith & Wesson Special cartridge

Also known as
  • .44 Special
  • 44 Special
  • .44 S&W Special
  • 44 S&W Special
  • .44 Spl
  • 44 Spl
  • 44 S&W Spl

The .44 Smith & Wesson Special is a U.S. rimmed centerfire revolver cartridge developed from the .44 Russian lineage for Smith & Wesson's New Century / Triple Lock revolver context. C.I.P. lists the cartridge at 29.46 mm case length, 41.02 mm overall length, and 1000 bar Pmax, while SAAMI lists 15,500 psi MAP and recognizes 44 S&W Spl as the abbreviated name. Later .44 Remington Magnum development used the .44 Special case family as its starting point.

.44 Smith & Wesson Special cartridge, Revolver cartridge, Munitions
Image source: 40sw 38-40 44spl-highlighted 45acp.png
Design Lineage And Magnum Relationship

The .44 Smith & Wesson Special sits between Smith & Wesson's earlier .44 Russian lineage and later magnum revolver development. American Rifleman describes it as a lengthened .44 Russian-family cartridge introduced with the New Century / .44 Hand Ejector First Model revolver, while later Model 29 histories trace .44 Magnum development to high-pressure .44 Special work by Elmer Keith and others.

Earlier case family

American Rifleman describes .44 Special as a lengthened .44 Russian-family cartridge with greater powder capacity for Smith & Wesson's large-frame hand-ejector revolver.

Magnum contrast

C.I.P. lists .44 S&W Special at 29.46 mm case length and 1000 bar Pmax, versus .44 Remington Magnum at 32.64 mm and 2800 bar Pmax.

Modern catalog role

Federal, Winchester, and Remington still catalog .44 S&W Special loads for target, cowboy-action, revolver, or lever-rifle use.

Source labels used here: The .44 Special: History & Performance - American Rifleman, Smith & Wesson's Three Hand-Ejector Revolvers, 44 S&W Special - C.I.P., 44 Magnum - C.I.P., 10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About The Smith & Wesson Model 29, Champion Training 44 S&W Spl - Federal, USA44CB - Winchester Ammunition, and Performance WheelGun 44 S&W Spl - Remington.

Profile / Specs

Specifications

Cartridge type
Rimmed centerfire revolver cartridge
SAAMI abbreviated name
44 S&W Spl
Case length
29.46 mm C.I.P.
Overall length
41.02 mm C.I.P.
Bullet diameter
10.98 mm C.I.P.
C.I.P. maximum pressure
1000 bar Pmax, transducer method
SAAMI maximum average pressure
15,500 psi, transducer method
SAAMI drawing status
Issued 1979-05-29; revised 2021-07-12
Standard load example
Federal Champion Training C44SA, 200-grain semi-wadcutter hollow point at 870 fps from a 4-inch vented test barrel
Cowboy-action load example
Winchester Super-X USA44CB, 240-grain 44 Smith & Wesson Special load for target shooting, hunting, and cowboy action
Revolver and lever-rifle load example
Remington Performance WheelGun 29-22333, 246-grain 44 S&W Special load at 755 fps
Standards And Factory Loads

SAAMI and C.I.P. give complementary standards context for the cartridge, while current factory listings show the older revolver round still sold in target, cowboy-action, and wheelgun loadings.

SAAMI name

SAAMI lists the full name as 44 Smith & Wesson Special and the abbreviated name as 44 S&W Spl.

Dimensional standards

SAAMI lists a 1.160 in / 29.46 mm maximum case length and 1.615 in / 41.02 mm maximum cartridge length; C.I.P. lists the same metric maxima.

Pressure standards

SAAMI lists a 15,500 psi transducer maximum average pressure; C.I.P. lists 1000 bar Pmax by transducer method.

Source labels used here: SAAMI Z299.3-2022 - SAAMI, 44 S&W Special - C.I.P., Champion Training 44 S&W Spl - Federal, USA44CB - Winchester Ammunition, and Performance WheelGun 44 S&W Spl - Remington.

Related Magnum Cartridge

.44 Special and .44 Remington Magnum share a cartridge family, but the magnum round uses a longer case and much higher proof-standard pressure.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
.44 Remington Magnum cartridge, Revolver cartridge, Munitions.44 Remington Magnum cartridgeLonger high-pressure descendant cartridge

C.I.P. lists .44 Remington Magnum with the same projectile diameter family but a longer 32.64 mm case and 2800 bar Pmax, compared with .44 S&W Special's 29.46 mm case and 1000 bar Pmax; SAAMI separately lists .44 S&W Special as generally safe to shoot in firearms chambered for .44 Remington Magnum.

Sources: 44 S&W Special - C.I.P., 44 Magnum - C.I.P., Generally Accepted Firearms and Ammunition Interchangeability - SAAMI

Firing Weapons

Current factory ammunition pages identify .44 S&W Special as a handgun or wheelgun cartridge, while the catalog's model-unspecified handgun page covers revolvers when sources do not require a more specific firearm model.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
Handgun/pistol, Handheld small arm / sidearm, Infantry WeaponsHandgun/pistolRevolver and handgun platform class

Federal sells 44 S&W Spl under handgun Champion Training loads, Winchester lists a 44 Smith & Wesson Special Super-X handgun load, and Remington markets a 44 S&W Special Performance WheelGun load for revolver and lever-rifle use.

Sources: Champion Training 44 S&W Spl - Federal, USA44CB - Winchester Ammunition, Performance WheelGun 44 S&W Spl - Remington

Timeline

.44 Smith & Wesson Special cartridge Key Events

  1. Large-frame S&W revolver work

    Smith & Wesson began work on a larger .44-caliber hand-ejector frame after developing smaller solid-frame swing-out-cylinder revolvers.

  2. .44 Special reaches the market

    American Rifleman places the .44 Smith & Wesson Special's market arrival in 1908 with Smith & Wesson's New Century / .44 Hand Ejector First Model revolver context.

  3. Colt chambering follows

    American Rifleman notes that Colt began chambering the Single Action Army for .44 Special in 1913 after the cartridge's Smith & Wesson introduction.

  4. .44 Magnum development follows heavy .44 Special work

    Later .44 Remington Magnum development drew on heavy .44 Special experimentation by Elmer Keith and others before moving to a longer, higher-pressure commercial cartridge.

  5. SAAMI drawing issued

    SAAMI's centerfire pistol and revolver standard lists the .44 Smith & Wesson Special cartridge drawing as issued on May 29, 1979 and revised on July 12, 2021.

  6. C.I.P. TDCC entry dated

    C.I.P. lists the .44 S&W Special tabulation date as December 14, 1986, with later revision history and U.S. country-of-origin context.

Media

.44 Smith & Wesson Special cartridge Images

.44 Smith & Wesson Special cartridge, Revolver cartridge, Munitions - view 1
Source: 44spl Aluminum cartridges.jpg
.44 Smith & Wesson Special cartridge, Revolver cartridge, Munitions - view 2
Source: 40sw 38-40 44spl 45acp.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
.40 S&W cartridge, Semi-automatic pistol cartridge, MunitionsMunitions.40 S&W cartridgeSemi-automatic pistol cartridge.40 S&W is an American centerfire semi-automatic pistol cartridge introduced by Smith & Wesson and Winchester Ammunition in 1990. It packaged the FBI's reduced-velocity 10mm service-load concept into a shorter cartridge suitable for 9mm-size duty pistols, while SAAMI and C.I.P. standards define the cartridge's pressure and dimensional limits. The strongest documented context is design history, specifications, and firearm compatibility rather than conflict-specific battlefield use.
45 Automatic (45 Auto), Rimless centerfire pistol cartridge, MunitionsMunitions45 Automatic (45 Auto)Rimless centerfire pistol cartridge45 Automatic (45 Auto) is SAAMI's recognized name for the .45 ACP cartridge developed around John Browning and Colt's early self-loading pistol work and adopted by the U.S. Army with the Model 1911 pistol. This relationship-only page covers the cartridge as a standardized handgun and submachine-gun round, with SAAMI and C.I.P. dimensions, U.S. military ball-cartridge context, current commercial loads, and a sourced compatibility link to the Glock 21 family.

Sources

The .44 Special: History & Performance - American RiflemanPublisher: American Rifleman | Note: Supports .44 Special origin context, Smith & Wesson New Century revolver context, and the cartridge's relationship to .44 Russian and later large-bore revolver development. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Smith & Wesson's Three Hand-Ejector RevolversPublisher: American Rifleman | Note: Supports the New Century / .44 Hand Ejector First Model context and its exclusive early association with the .44 Special cartridge. | Accessed: 2026-07-0444 S&W Special - C.I.P.Publisher: C.I.P. | Note: Supports .44 S&W Special U.S. origin, C.I.P. date/revision context, dimensions, projectile diameter, and 1000 bar Pmax value. | Accessed: 2026-07-04SAAMI Z299.3-2022 - SAAMIPublisher: Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute | Note: Supports SAAMI name/abbreviation, 15,500 psi transducer MAP, 1979 issue and 2021 revision dates, cartridge dimensions, and pressure-test context for .44 Smith & Wesson Special. | Accessed: 2026-07-0444 Magnum - C.I.P.Publisher: C.I.P. | Note: Supports the dimensional and pressure comparison with .44 Remington Magnum. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Generally Accepted Firearms and Ammunition Interchangeability - SAAMIPublisher: Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute | Note: Supports the one-way interchangeability context that firearms chambered in .44 Remington Magnum may generally safely shoot .44 S&W Special. | Accessed: 2026-07-0410 Things You Probably Didn't Know About The Smith & Wesson Model 29Publisher: American Rifleman | Note: Supports the transition from .44 Magnum development work by Elmer Keith and others to the strengthened Smith & Wesson revolver that became the Model 29. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Champion Training 44 S&W Spl - FederalPublisher: Federal Premium | Note: Supports a representative current Federal .44 S&W Special target load with 200-grain bullet, 870 fps velocity, and 4-inch vented test barrel. | Accessed: 2026-07-04USA44CB - Winchester AmmunitionPublisher: Winchester Ammunition | Note: Supports Winchester's current 44 Smith & Wesson Special 240-grain Super-X load and its target, hunting, and cowboy-action usage categories. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Performance WheelGun 44 S&W Spl - RemingtonPublisher: Remington Ammunition | Note: Supports Remington's current .44 S&W Special Performance WheelGun load for revolver and lever-rifle use, including 246-grain bullet and 755 fps velocity. | Accessed: 2026-07-0444spl Aluminum cartridges.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a .44 Special cartridge photograph. | Accessed: 2026-07-0440sw 38-40 44spl-highlighted 45acp.pngPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary comparison photograph that highlights a .44 Special cartridge. | Accessed: 2026-07-0440sw 38-40 44spl 45acp.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the original cartridge comparison photograph that includes .44 Special. | Accessed: 2026-07-04