.44 Russian

ATN082268 · January 29, 2021, 10:58 AM

I had a question about the .44 Russian cartridge. Does .44 Russian shoot safely out of handguns chambered for .44 Magnum? Thank you.

Jim Watson · January 29, 2021, 11:05 AM

Yes.

**Mike Irwin** · January 29, 2021, 11:24 AM

Absolutely.

However, if you shoot them regularly in a .44 Mag. you will likely have to very thoroughly clean the cylinder with a bristle brush to remove the lead and fouling ring that tends to build up right where the case mouth sits in the cylinder.

This is a common thing for people (me) who shoot .38 Spl. ammo in .357 Mag. revolvers.

Webleymkv · February 10, 2021, 06:05 PM

I've done it myself and, as others have said, it works just fine. Likewise, .38 Short Colt and .38 Long Colt will chamber and fire just fine in a revolver chambered for .38 Special, .357 Magnum, or .357 Maximum. Other than the fouling issue Mike Irwin mentioned, sometimes shooting cartridges significantly shorter than that which the revolver was chambered for can result in mediocre accuracy as the bullet has to make a rather long jump from the case to the cylinder throat. Normally I would say that there's no real reason to shoot .44 Russian in a .44 Special or Magnum revolver as .44 Russian ammo is typically more difficult to find and more expensive than .44 Special or .44 Magnum, but with the current ammo situation it could be a viable alternative if the more common ammo is unavailable but .44 Russian can be found.

Bob Wright · February 10, 2021, 08:26 PM

Your question has already been correctly answered. But I wanted to add my early experience.

When I got my first .44 Magnum, the first thing I did was buy all three types of ammunition, .44 Magnum, .44 Special, and .44 Russian. Then fired these cartridges in my Super Blackhawk.

The .44 Russian cartridges that I had left over are now collector's items.

I had a few rounds left over from the box pictured here.

Bob Wright

Bob Wright · February 11, 2021, 10:33 AM

AND............another matter of note regarding the .44 Russian cartridge.

Along about 1975 or so I had a ,44 Special Charter Bulldog. Cute little revolvers and I gave some consideration to using as a defensive revolver. I loaded soe .44 Russian cases to use in the gun. The little Bulldog had sort of a short exractor throw and the shorter Russian cases ejected more positiviely.

At the time my bullet was the 225 gr. Speer half jacket bullet behind a charge of Unique powder.

Bob Wright

Jim Watson · February 11, 2021, 11:50 AM

My real Smith and Wesson No 3 New Model .44 Russian came with a couple of boxes of ammunition loaded in cut off .44 Magnum cases.

When that was used up, I chronographed my reloads in the Model 29 so I would know when I was in the right velocity bracket for the caliber.

rc · February 12, 2021, 11:46 AM

Some cowboy shooters prefer the russian case for downloaded ammo.

Driftwood Johnson · February 14, 2021, 01:19 AM

[QUOTE Some cowboy shooters prefer the russian case for downloaded ammo. [/QUOTE]

I do a fair amount of Cowboy Shooting and I am not aware of any shooters who use 44 Russian brass to download their ammo. When shooting Smokeless powder it is easy enough to download standard 44 Magnum or 44 Special brass to what ever power level is desired.

Black Powder is a different story. All of these antique Smith and Wesson Top breaks are chambered for 44 Russian. At the top on the left is a Russian 2nd Model, to its right is a Russian 1st Model. Directly below them are a pair of 44 Double Action Top Breaks, and below them are a pair of New Model Number Threes. They are all chambered for 44 Russian, they will not chamber a 44 Special or 44 Magnum cartridge. I only shoot them with Black Powder. The case gets loaded with enough powder so that when the bullet is seated the powder is compressed about 1/16"-1/8".

Most of the rounds pictured are old commercial 44 Russian rounds. The rounds in the blue box all the way on the right and the rounds below the blue box are my own 44 Russian Black Powder loads. I buy 44 Russian brass from Starline.

January 29, 2021, 10:58 AM	#1
ATN082268 Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2013 Posts: 975	.44 Russian I had a question about the .44 Russian cartridge. Does .44 Russian shoot safely out of handguns chambered for .44 Magnum? Thank you.

January 29, 2021, 11:24 AM	#3
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,388	Absolutely. However, if you shoot them regularly in a .44 Mag. you will likely have to very thoroughly clean the cylinder with a bristle brush to remove the lead and fouling ring that tends to build up right where the case mouth sits in the cylinder. This is a common thing for people (me) who shoot .38 Spl. ammo in .357 Mag. revolvers. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

February 10, 2021, 08:26 PM	#5
Bob Wright Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2012 Location: Memphis, Tennessee Posts: 2,989	Your question has already been correctly answered. But I wanted to add my early experience. When I got my first .44 Magnum, the first thing I did was buy all three types of ammunition, .44 Magnum, .44 Special, and .44 Russian. Then fired these cartridges in my Super Blackhawk. The .44 Russian cartridges that I had left over are now collector's items. I had a few rounds left over from the box pictured here. Bob Wright __________________ Time spent at the reloading bench is an investment in contentment.

February 11, 2021, 10:33 AM	#6
Bob Wright Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2012 Location: Memphis, Tennessee Posts: 2,989	AND............another matter of note regarding the .44 Russian cartridge. Along about 1975 or so I had a ,44 Special Charter Bulldog. Cute little revolvers and I gave some consideration to using as a defensive revolver. I loaded soe .44 Russian cases to use in the gun. The little Bulldog had sort of a short exractor throw and the shorter Russian cases ejected more positiviely. At the time my bullet was the 225 gr. Speer half jacket bullet behind a charge of Unique powder. Bob Wright __________________ Time spent at the reloading bench is an investment in contentment.

January 29, 2021, 11:05 AM	#2
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,541	Yes.

February 10, 2021, 06:05 PM	#4
Webleymkv Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 10,446	I've done it myself and, as others have said, it works just fine. Likewise, .38 Short Colt and .38 Long Colt will chamber and fire just fine in a revolver chambered for .38 Special, .357 Magnum, or .357 Maximum. Other than the fouling issue Mike Irwin mentioned, sometimes shooting cartridges significantly shorter than that which the revolver was chambered for can result in mediocre accuracy as the bullet has to make a rather long jump from the case to the cylinder throat. Normally I would say that there's no real reason to shoot .44 Russian in a .44 Special or Magnum revolver as .44 Russian ammo is typically more difficult to find and more expensive than .44 Special or .44 Magnum, but with the current ammo situation it could be a viable alternative if the more common ammo is unavailable but .44 Russian can be found.

February 11, 2021, 11:50 AM	#7
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,541	My real Smith and Wesson No 3 New Model .44 Russian came with a couple of boxes of ammunition loaded in cut off .44 Magnum cases. When that was used up, I chronographed my reloads in the Model 29 so I would know when I was in the right velocity bracket for the caliber.

February 12, 2021, 11:46 AM	#8
rc Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2001 Location: CA Posts: 1,767	Some cowboy shooters prefer the russian case for downloaded ammo.

February 14, 2021, 01:19 AM	#9
Driftwood Johnson Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2014 Location: Land of the Pilgrims Posts: 2,033	[QUOTE Some cowboy shooters prefer the russian case for downloaded ammo. [/QUOTE] I do a fair amount of Cowboy Shooting and I am not aware of any shooters who use 44 Russian brass to download their ammo. When shooting Smokeless powder it is easy enough to download standard 44 Magnum or 44 Special brass to what ever power level is desired. Black Powder is a different story. All of these antique Smith and Wesson Top breaks are chambered for 44 Russian. At the top on the left is a Russian 2nd Model, to its right is a Russian 1st Model. Directly below them are a pair of 44 Double Action Top Breaks, and below them are a pair of New Model Number Threes. They are all chambered for 44 Russian, they will not chamber a 44 Special or 44 Magnum cartridge. I only shoot them with Black Powder. The case gets loaded with enough powder so that when the bullet is seated the powder is compressed about 1/16"-1/8". Most of the rounds pictured are old commercial 44 Russian rounds. The rounds in the blue box all the way on the right and the rounds below the blue box are my own 44 Russian Black Powder loads. I buy 44 Russian brass from Starline.