View source for .44 Russian

{{short description|Revolver cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson (S&W)}}
{{Infobox firearm cartridge
| name = .44 Russian
| image = -44_Russian_w-_scale_2013-09-22_15-10.jpg | image_size = 300px
| caption = .44 Russian
| origin = United States
| type = Revolver
<!-- Service history -->
| service = 
| used_by = 
| wars = 
<!-- Production history -->
| designer = Smith & Wesson
| design_date = 1870
| manufacturer = Smith & Wesson
| production_date = 1870–present
| number = 
| variants = 
<!-- Specifications -->
| is_SI_specs = 
| parent = [[.44 S&W American]]
| case_type = Rimmed, straight
| bullet = .429
| neck = .457
| shoulder = 
| base = .457
| rim_dia = .515
| rim_thick = .060
| case_length = 0.970
| length = 1.43
| case_capacity = 27.10
| rifling = 1 in {{convert|20|in|mm|abbr=on}}
| primer = Large Pistol
| max_pressure = 14500
| max_cup = 
<!-- Ballistic performance -->
| is_SI_ballistics = 
| bw1 = 246
| btype1 = lead round nose
| vel1 = 750
| en1 = 310
| bw2 = 
| btype2 = 
| vel2 = 
| en2 = 
| bw3 = 
| btype3 = 
| vel3 = 
| en3 = 
| bw4 = 
| btype4 = 
| vel4 = 
| en4 = 
| bw5 = 
| btype5 = 
| vel5 = 
| en5 = 
| test_barrel_length = 
| balsrc = 
}}

The '''.44 Russian''' / '''10.9x24mmR''', (commonly known as the '''.44 S&W Russian'''), is a [[black powder|black-powder]] [[center fire|center-fire]] [[cartridge (weaponry)|metallic revolver cartridge]] developed and produced by [[Smith & Wesson]] in 1870.<ref name="gmdr">[http://www.gmdr.com/lever/44rutext.htm "44 S&W Russian"] GMDR website 44 Russian article. Accessed February 19, 2008.</ref> The .44 Russian design was the first use of an internally lubricated [[bullet]] in modern [[firearm]] [[ammunition]].<ref name="taffin tests">Taffin, J. [http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt44russ.htm "Taffin Tests: The .44 Russian"] Sixguns website. Accessed February 19, 2008.</ref>

==Development history==
In the early 1870s, General [[Alexander Gorloff]], the [[military attaché]] assigned to the [[Russian Empire|Russian]] Embassy in [[Washington, D.C.]], approached Smith & Wesson about the possibility of negotiating a [[arms industry|military sales contract]] for the purchase of a large number of [[Smith & Wesson Model 3]] [[revolver]]s for the [[Military history of Imperial Russia|Imperial Russian Army]].<ref name="gmdr"/><ref name="hane">Lawman, T. [http://www.sam-hane.com/sass/schofield/history.htm "Smith & Wesson's #3, Colt's Biggest Rival in the Old West"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228033351/http://www.sam-hane.com/sass/schofield/history.htm |date=2008-02-28 }} Sam Hane website. Accessed February 19, 2008.</ref>

However, Gorloff had some reservations about the standard [[.44 S&W American]] chambering of the pistol which, similar to today's [[.22 long rifle]], had an externally lubricated [[heeled bullet]]. Gorloff correctly recognized that such ammunition tends to pick up debris and contaminants which erode the bore when fired, so a qualification of the purchase contract was that Smith & Wesson develop an internally lubricated version of their .44 round.<ref name="hane"/><ref name="legends">Venturino, M. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_177_29/ai_n14816289 "American Legends: Those Fantastic .44s!"] ''American Handgunner'', September–October 2005. Accessed February 19, 2008.</ref>

Smith & Wesson did so by reducing the diameter of the .44 bullet to .429 and adding lubrication grooves to its base. This evolutionary improvement became an archetype, influencing future cartridge designs. With improved firearm metallurgy available, Smith & Wesson increased the bullet weight of the new cartridge to 246 [[grain (mass)|grains]] while retaining a heavy 23-grain black-powder propellant charge, which almost equaled that of the .44 American and produced a [[muzzle velocity]] of roughly 750&nbsp;ft/s.<ref name="taffin tests"/> As a result of these changes, the .44 Russian generated a much higher chamber pressure of 12,000 [[copper units of pressure]] (CUP) compared to the older .44 American round, which generated only 6,000–8,000 CUP. To prevent the new high-pressure ammunition from being fired in .44 American revolvers with disastrous results, the overall cartridge case length was increased by .06 in to 0.970 in.<ref name="gmdr"/> In addition, the [[cylinder (firearms)|cylinder]] design of the No. 3 revolver had to be changed from the straight bored .44 American configuration to a stepped arrangement which was .457 in at the rear of the cylinder to accept the case, and narrower from the case shoulder forward to give a tight fit for the smaller bore .44 Russian bullet.<ref>Taffin, J. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_171_28/ai_n6123166 "The .44 Special Cartridge of the Century? Accurate, Powerful and Reliable, the .44 Special Really Is Special"]. ''American Handgunner'', September–October 2004. Accessed February 19, 2008.</ref>

In 1872, while in the US, [[Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia|Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich]] visited the Smith & Wesson factory to review the progress of the Russian order. The American gun maker made him the gift of an engraved presentation Model 3 valued at more than $400 ({{Inflation|US|400|1872|fmt=eq|r=-2}}). The Duke was also feted with a US government–paid [[American Bison|buffalo]] hunting trip with [[Buffalo Bill|Buffalo Bill Cody]] and US generals [[Philip Sheridan]] and [[George Armstrong Custer]], where he was impressed with Cody's adeptness with firearms.<ref name="hane"/>

Over 131,000 S&W Model 3 revolvers were eventually sold to the Russian Army.<ref name="hane"/> In addition to the S&W-made revolvers, Belgian-, Spanish- and German-made copies were adopted by several European countries and were used until the 1920s. The .44 Russian chambering became a hit in the domestic market as well, gaining a reputation as the first American revolver cartridge offering inherent accuracy. In time it set many records, eventually becoming known as an established target round,<ref name="gmdr"/> enabling skilled shooters to achieve {{convert|3|in|mm|sing=on}} groups at {{convert|50|yd|m}}; notable for the time and still impressive today.<ref name="legends"/>

==Successor designs==
The .44 Russian was the parent cartridge for the [[.44 Special]] introduced in 1907, which in turn was the parent to the [[.44 Magnum]] in 1956.<ref name="taffin tests"/>

==Current loadings==
A number of ammunition companies still manufacture .44 Russian ammunition:

*[[Black Hills Ammunition|Black Hills]] [[Cowboy action shooting|Cowboy action]] ammunition 210 grain lead flat point 
*[[Fiocchi]] ammunition 247 grain lead round nose
*Ten-X ammunition blank BPC 
*Ten-X ammunition 200 grain lead round nose and flat point
*JMJ Smith Ammo Inc. ammunition 200 grain lead round nose, flat point
Additionally, Starline Brass makes new, unprimed cartridge cases in .44 Russian for handloaders.

==See also==
*[[List of rimmed cartridges]]
*[[List of handgun cartridges]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat}}

{{Rimmed cartridges}}

{{Smith & Wesson}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:44 Russian}}
[[Category:1870 introductions]]
[[Category:Pistol and rifle cartridges]]
[[Category:Military cartridges]]
[[Category:Rimmed cartridges]]
[[Category:Smith & Wesson cartridges]]