Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. These are the first four models of Hand Ejector revolvers in which S&W put the .44 Special cartridge. Top to bottom: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Models. All have 6½" barrels. With plug gauges Duke discovered his early S&W 1st Model Hand Ejector (triplelock) has .432" chamber mouths. Shown is the new S&W Model 21 Thunder Ranch Revolver .44 Special shown with the original S&W Model 21 that inspired it. CENTENNIAL .44-40s and our three U.S. Firearms .44-40s will all shoot tighter groups than any .44 Special I’ve encountered. But Wait . There’s more, as they say. Lacking special accuracy potential isn’t the only reason I don’t consider the .44 Special to be special. From the ammunition factories it’s never been loaded to any sort of “special” ballistics either. As said early on, for most of its 100-year production life the .44 S&W Special was loaded with 246 grain roundnose lead bullets at around 755 fps. Then starting in the 1980s the big three — Federal, Remington and Winchester — began to modernize factory loads. They put out various types of hollowpoint and/ or semiwadcutter bullets of only 200 grains traveling at speeds of about 900 fps. The keyword in this paragraph is “about” because in actual fact few of those factory loads reached their advertised specs. Usually the traditional 246 grain factory loads were lucky to hit 700 fps and the later 200 grain types often didn’t break 800 fps. As regards to self defense revolvers, why would anyone pick a .44 Special with its un-special factory loads, when revolvers chambered for .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP/.45 Auto-Rim and .45 Colt offered better options? It should be noted that coinciding with those new Thunder Ranch/Model 21 .44 Special revolvers, both Black Hills Ammunition and Cor-Bon have brought out some top-notch factory loads. They were almost a century late, though! Handloaders have always been able to improve on .44 Special factory load ballistics, but often haven’t been very smart about it. I was one of them once. As soon as I found a fine S&W targetsighted triplelock I had to load up Elmer Keith’s recommended heavy handload to try. I won’t mention its details here Continued on page 96 These four loads show various ways the .44 Special is loaded. This is the fabled S&W Model 1950 Target later given the number of Model 24. Left to right: Winchester “Cowboy” load with 240 grain RN/FP bullet; Winchester’s standard load with 246 RN bullet; Black Hill’s load with 250 grain SWC bullet; and one of Duke’s handloads using Redding/SAECO 248 grain RN cast bullet (#442). WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 51