Does anyone know if a .44 special revolver will take ammunition from a regular 44 magnum?

Question

I am in the market for a .44 magnum and found that Charter Arms makes a .44 special, is it a good weapon or should I save and buy a Smith/ Wesson or Ruger?

Answer 1

No, while the .44 Special and the .44 magnum are the same diameter, the .44 magnum is longer than the .44 Special. Even if you could stuff a .44 magnum into a gun chambered for the .44 pecial, it sould blow up because the .44 pecial is not designed to withstand the pressure of a ,44 magnum. However, the .44 poecial can be safely fired in a gun chambered for the .44 magnum round. It is the same as the .357 magnum gun firing a .38 Special round but the reverse is not possible.

Charter Arms make a crappy gun. Do yourself a favor and save up for the S & W. It is a much better gun and when you get ready to sell or trade it, it will be worth more than the Charter Arms piece of junk. I have a Smith and Wesson Model 29 and I love it.

Answer 2

Well, you got plenty of info on the 44 spl and 44 mag rounds. I'll limit my two cents to the choice of weapon.

The Charter Arms Bulldog, in .44 Special, is actually a nice little gun. It was designed to be a large bore, concealed carry gun. Hence, it is a five shot gun and very light for the caliber. That translates into considerable recoil. The short barrel and fixed sights do not lend themselves to long range shooting. It is an, "up close & personal" weapon.

The Smith & Wesson, .44 mag. revolver, model 629, are full sized, six shot, heavy weight revolvers. I have a couple of these and have owned several over the years. I consider them a medium duty gun. Reasonably capable of knocking down whatever you are shooting at, if the range is not considerable or the target too large.

Ruger makes two types of .44 mag. The Blackhawk series, which is a single action revolver, and the Redhawk series, a double action gun. I consider the Ruger's more capable of heavy loads than the S&W is. Quality has always been high in these guns.

If you want a personal defense gun, the Charter Arms will do the job. If you want a more all around gun, a four inch barreled S&W 29 or 629 is a decent choice. If you want to hunt with the .44 mag. or fire heavy duty stuff, the Ruger is the way to go.

Prices: Charter Arms is cheapest, the Ruger is next, and the S&W is the most expensive. Colt, by the way, makes the .44 Magnum Anaconda in four and six inch lenghts. A pricey but fine revolver.

Answer 3

44 Magnum is a slightly lengthened 44 Special cartridge loaded to much higher pressures. You should be aware that the late Elmer Kieth, while working up the higher-pressure 44 Special loads that led to the development of the 44 magnum, blew up quite a few handguns that were somewhat more robust in their construction than the Charter Bulldog. If you handload, you can get by "cheating" a little, with loads a little hotter than factory 44 Spl, but in no case could you safely fire 44 Magnum cartridges in the thing.
I happen to like 44 Spl, and have a Colt suitable for hunting and a snubby similar to the Bulldog, but the Super Blackhawk in 44 Magnum is the one I grab most often for hunting. By the way, I prefer the single-actions for hunting, and a different handgun and caliber altogether for defense, so there's no advantage for me in the Smith.

Answer 4

The Smith & Wesson 29 or 629 44 Magnum is a much more versatile handgun then the Ruger Super Blackhawk. The Smith & Wesson gives you the option of just pulling the trigger to fire the weapon or you can fire it by cocking the hammer back with each shot fired..The Ruger is a single action only and allows you to fire only by cocking the hammer back before each shot. You lose the option of just pulling the trigger. The Smith & Wesson also offers a variety of barrel lengths as does the Ruger. The Charter Arms only offers a 3" barrel...nothing longer. The 44 Magnum is also higher velocity then the 44 Special.I would definately wait and save your money for a Smith & Wesson..I recommend a 6" Barrel with the Target Sights, and Target Hammer & Trigger. Ruger or Charter Arms don't offer these options.......

Answer 5

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD A .44 REMMAG CARTRIDGE BE FORCED INTO A CHARTER ARMS BULLDOG, NOR SHOULD A .44 REMMAG LEVEL RELOAD IN SPECIAL BRASS BE SHOT IN A CHARTER BULLDOG!!!!!

I've owned a Charter Bulldog .44 for over 30 years. It weighs about 19 ounces. The .44 S&W SPL is loaded to maximum pressure level of 15,900 c.u.p.. The .44 RemMag is loaded to pressure levels over 40,000 c.u.p.!!!!!! IF, IF, the cylinder didn't come apart on the first shot, the recoil would probably plant that sharp hooked front sight right square in the middle of your forehead, and would injure your hand and wrist.

If you want a .44 RemMag, save your money and buy a Super Blackhawk, or an S&W M-629!!!!

Doc

Answer 6

I would NOT recommend the charter arms for anybody who could afford a better handgun.

.44 special can be fired in .44magnum, but NOT the other way around.
Different length cartridges, for a very good reason; to keep people from making this very mistake.

The magnum is a much more powerful round and weapons for .44 special are not designed to handle the stress of this 'heavier' round.

Same thing for .357magnum and .38special, for the same reasons.

Answer 7

The magnum rounds will not work in a 44 special. but the 44 spec rounds will work in the 44 mag. only 44 spl will work in a 44 spl. save your $ and buy the s&w

Answer 8

Avoid .44 unless you want to hunt or plan on making your own ammo on a reloader.

Revision: .44 Special revolvers only handle .44 S&W SPL and it's predecessor, the shorter .44 S&W Russian. .44 Magnum revolvers handle .44 Magnum shells and the previous two mentioned. Again, .44 caliber is really a specialty caliber and all factory ammo for this caliber is expensive. Big bore revolver ammunition (.41, .44, and .45) is really more for someone who hunts or reloads. Save your money unless you want to cowboy shoot, metallic silouhette target shoot or hunt. For general shooting it's just a waste.

Answer 9

.44magnum is a longer case and hotter load.

.44special is a shorter case and lighter load.

Not for sure, I think the special will fit the magnum, but the magnum will not fit the special. Double check with your local dealer to make sure on switching loads before you try it your self.

From personal experience, choose the Ruger. It has a transfer bar, that when you pull and hold the trigger as when you fire the weapon will engage the firing pin.
If you pull the hammer back and carefully release the hammer lock with the trigger, and hold the hammer and release the trigger the gun will not fire if the hammer drops. It needs the transfer bar to engage before it will fire.

Answer 10

No, the gun chambered for the .44 spl. WILL NOT chamber the longer .44 mags, because the chambers are shorter. All .44 Mags can use the shorter .44 spls. in them. Likewise all .38 spls. can be fired in .357 Mag revolvers, but .357's will NOT chamber in .38 spl. cylinders.