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The .44 Russian / 10.9x24mmR, (commonly known as the .44 S&W Russian), is a black-powder center-fire metallic revolver cartridge developed and produced by Smith & Wesson in 1870. [1] The .44 Russian design was the first use of an internally lubricated bullet in modern firearm ammunition .
Standard chambering was .44 Russian (barrels were often stamped 44 S&W and was Smith and Wesson's attempt to re-brand the 44 Russian cartridge), although other calibers were available on special order or in related models such as the .44-40 Frontier model, the .32-44 and .38-44 Target models, and the very rare .38-40 Winchester model. [8]
The heeled bullets make the cartridge incompatible with .44 Russian, .44 Special, and .44 Magnum, which was made larger in diameter and longer to cover the exposed part of the bullet. Its power resembles the .41 Long Colt, [1].32-20 Winchester, [2] or .44-40 Winchester, [3] and it could be used to hunt small game at short range. [2]
The .44 Smith & Wesson Special, also commonly known as .44 S&W Special, .44 Special, .44 Spl, .44 Spc, or 10.9×29mmR, is a smokeless powder center fire metallic revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1907 as the standard chambering for their New Century revolver, introduced in 1908.
The most well-known is the .44 Magnum which uses a 0.429 to 0.430 inch diameter bullet, depending on jacket or cast. Though less common than the smaller .38 caliber family of cartridges, the caliber is popular with many shooters and the .44 Magnum in particular facilitated the rise of handgun hunting .
The .44 Magnum was an immediate commercial success. The direct descendants of the S&W Model 29 and the .44 Magnum Ruger Blackhawks are still in production, and have been joined by numerous other makes and models of .44 Magnum revolvers and even a handful of semi-automatic models, the first being produced in the 1960s. [12]
The media attention gathered by the .38/44 and its ammunition encouraged Smith & Wesson to develop the longer .357 Magnum cartridge in 1935. The .38/44 was an option for purchasers unwilling to pay the premium pricing of the new .357 Magnum revolvers. The .38/44 revolvers were available with either a blued or nickel-plated finish.
In 1991 S&W introduced the Model 940, similar in appearance to the 640, but chambered in 9mm Luger. Use of a moon clip is required to headspace and extract the rimless 9mm cartridges. The 940 could also chamber and extract the short-lived 9mm Federal (9×19mmR) rimmed cartridge.