Q: Does Anybody Make a Modern Day 44 Russian?

[bgavin]

Just curious.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

You need to clarify what you are talking about?  The question cannot be answered as written.

 

Modern day .44 Russian ammuntion

 

Modern day guns chambered in .44 Russian

 

Modern day reproductions chambered in .44 Russian

 

Modern day reproductions of the actual S&W .44 "Russian"

 

Other

[Sedalia Dave]

Cimarron offers one.

 

Model No. 3 Russian .44 Russian, 6 1/2"

 

[bgavin]

Sorry, I was not clear enough.

When I asked about a "a Modern Day 44 Russian" that context was singular, which excludes ammunition.
My thought was a modern (manufactured) firearm chambered in 44 Russian.

I'm curious if anybody here has a Derringer, etc, or other modern compact revolver that shoots this cartridge.

I can most certainly shoot this cartridge in my 44 chambered revolvers but there is a large jump from the chamber to the forcing cone.

It would be entertaining to see if there is a SP101 or Bulldog clone, chambered in 44 Russian, and how the owner likes it.

As noted above, "just curious".


 

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

With that clarification, none that I have ever seen or heard of.

[bgavin]

Thanks.
I haven't seen any either, though I would ask here.
Just kickin' tires.

[John Kloehr]

I'm shooting .44 Russian out of .44 Special single action revolvers. That can count, right? Modern reproduction single action .44 Special revolvers.

 

Saving the brass for future reload with black powder.

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

I have an Armi Sport Spencer in 44 Russian. 

[bgavin]

I have several 44 mag Rugers.
I'm curious if the shorter (0.180") COAL has any meaningful issues with the longer distance to the forcing cone.

 

I do understand shooting shorter cartridges in 44 mag chambers will result in carbon rings that have to be cleaned.
Somehow... it seems sorta silly shooting 44 Russian in my Alaskan.
I'm loading them up with Trail Boss and BHN=9 HiTek lead for plinking purposes with much reduced recoil for ladies and kids.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

.44 Russian, .44 Special in a .44 Mag.  No different that shooting .38 Short Colt, .38 Long Colt, or .38 Special in a .357 Mag (I shoot all four) or .45 Cowboy and .45 Colt in a .454 Casull or .460 S&W.  The only way to avoid cleaning your gun(s) is to not shoot them at all.

[Alpo]

19 minutes ago, Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L said:

I have an Armi Sport Spencer in 44 Russian. 

Does it give you any trouble?

 

 

I also have an Armi Sport Spencer in 44 Russian.

 

I always liked the idea of the Spencer, and getting one in 44 Russian would be a nice match for my Number 3 Smith.

 

But it's a jam-amatic.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

12 minutes ago, Alpo said:

But it's a jam-amatic.

 

I know two other people that have them and they are also jam-amatics.  Probably why the .44 Russian chambering was discontinued.  Local Cabellas had a used one for a long time before it disappeared from the shelf.

[Three Foot Johnson]

Gotta have an identical backup, doncha know. 

 

I often use Russians in my .44 Special New Vaqueros too, and have never noticed any accuracy problems.

 

[Alpo]

I shoot 44 Russian in my 696.

 

 

It's chambered in 44 special, but with the short barrel it has a short ejector rod. It will not completely clear 44 special brass. Knocks 44 Russian out with no problem.

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

3 hours ago, Alpo said:

Does it give you any trouble?

But it's a jam-amatic.

 

I did in the beginning but I don't get any jams anymore. Over the years I have worked out the kinks. 

 

It functions fine when I load less than the nine rounds (I load five at a time for matches) and tilt the Spencer 45 degrees to the left (CCW) when levering.

 

 

[Alpo]

First match I shot mine at I used it, my Russian (only had the one, so I reloaded on the clock) and a underlever hammer Husqvarna (in case you can't guess, that's my daughter shooting my shotgun - I have no pictures of me shooting my shotgun). 

 

 

Figured there was no way I would be fast, but boy howdy would I have style points. After the first stage the timer guy said he had started watching the timer, and when I was shooting the Spencer it was about a second and a half between shots between shots. Never thought about the Blakeshee.

 

Took it to Fandango the first year I had it, and since I was also using the Smith, the cartridge loops on my belt were full of Russian. Second stage, third shot, jammed up tight. Put it on halfcock, pulled the follower, tilted it to about 45° and slapped the receiver, and all the shells slid out and landed on the ground. Reloaded it from my belt, got another four shots off, another jam. Dumped that batch and reloaded it again. All the while the timer guy's telling me that I should just call the gun broken and set it aside. But I was stubborn. That stage took over 3 minutes.

 

[Three Foot Johnson]

Using a tube to reload during a stage is not a legal reload. 

[Dutch Coroner]

There were some Schofields made in 44 Russian with the 3 1/2" barrels.  I've got three of them.  One if them is actually mismarked 44 Special.

 

Dutch

[WOLFY]

My wheelguns group identically between 44 spl and 44 russian

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

I have the Uberti .44 Russian, which I really like to shoot.

 

I have a Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 spl. Light weight (19.5 oz.) short barrel. This thread has me thinking I'll shoot some .44 Russian in it. .44 spl kicks pretty good in that light revolver....

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I load 44 Russian for my Cattlemen and my Bulldog. 

A 44 Russian with a 240 XTP is a great load for the Bulldog revolver  .

I have a Smith shop short carrier for my 66 one day I'm going to put it in a duplicate some 44 rimfire 66 ammo !

Rooster 

[WOLFY]

Mr Red,

My recipe for 44 russian isn’t much lighter than 44 special, just saying.  I also have Charter Arms revolver but that’s a carry gun so it’s just loaded with factory ammo.

I heard a recomendation against using hand-loads in a defensive weapon (but can’t remember the reasoning behind the advice).

 

Rooster,

That’s my intention for converting my Uberti Henry to 44 Russian.  

[Alpo]

16 minutes ago, WOLFY said:

I heard a recomendation against using hand-loads in a defensive weapon (but can’t remember the reasoning behind the advice).

Prosecutor: So regular Factory ammunition was not good enough for you. You had to go to your private ammunition manufacturing plant, and make some SUPER KILLER BULLETS to shoot that man with.

 

 

That's the reasoning behind that advice.

[WOLFY]

Thanks Alpo… makes perfect sense.

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

I'll use factory .44 spl carrying the Bulldog; it's the pistola I carry in the back woods. Light so I can pocket carry, which is the thing with a backpack with a hip belt. But at the range I'd like to try the .44 russky.

[Alpo]

11 hours ago, WOLFY said:

Thanks Alpo… makes perfect sense.

Actually I think it's nonsense. It's like the argument against carrying your cowboy gun for self-defense.

 

We have Bill. Bill has many guns - single action revolvers, double action revolvers, single action autos, double action autos. Even got some plastic Tupperware stuff. But what he feels the most comfortable with, and what he shoots the best, is his five and a half inch Single Action Army in 45 Colt. So that's what he carries for self-defense. He's aware that it doesn't have a fast reload and it has a low capacity, but he runs under the theory that if he can't get it done with five 45s, he probably couldn't get it done anyway.

 

Then we have Bob. Bob is quite new to the game. Young man. These are the first guns he's ever owned. So what does he carry for self-defense? The 4 and 5/8 Vaquero in 357. He's only got two pistols, and they're both the same. His choice is the Vaquero or unarmed.

 

And the possibility exists that if either Bill or Bob have to shoot somebody with their cowboy pistol, and you have an anti-gun prosecutor, it would go something like this:

 

So you dress up in cowboy clothes on the weekend and go out and shoot pretend bad guys with your cowboy gun? But that wasn't enough for you was it? Now you take your cowboy gun and go walking the streets looking for (using air quotes) "bad guys" to shoot with your cowboy gun. That's what it was, wasn't it Marshall Dillon?

 

 

[Rip Snorter]

Just imagine the psychological and actual impact of a heavy black powder load in a self defense situation.  

[Eyesa Horg]

1 hour ago, Rip Snorter said:

Just imagine the psychological and actual impact of a heavy black powder load in a self defense situation.  

Even ifin ya missed, the bad guy would freak and thought he'd been hit by a cannon!

[WOLFY]

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

18 hours ago, WOLFY said:

I heard a recomendation against using hand-loads in a defensive weapon (but can’t remember the reasoning behind the advice).

It comes from an old story from Massad Ayoob. A man had given his wife a revolver handloads in it. She wound up shooting herself, but the Police didn't believe it, because he'd loaded the ammo in a .38+P case. He discusses it here:

 

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I have carried just about everything over the years .

I feel the best gun for concealed carry is the one you have on you.

No one wants to get shot by anything.

7 rounds in my pocket 380 is much better than 7 rounds in my 45 at home because it's to heavy to carry all day , and I'm only running up to the Bathhouse  around the corner so I really don't need to take that heavy 1911 !

So every morning the M&P Bodyguard 380 goes in my right front pocket .

My Kershaw folder goes in my change pocket. 

My wallet and mini flashlight goes in the left pocket .

My EDC !

If I feel I need to carry a bigger gun for some reason or another. 

My 1911 or my Bulldog 44 special goes on a belt holster but my M&P 380 in always in my pocket .

It's amazing that everyday I use my knife and flashlight for something. 

Thank God I have never had to use my gun .

I don't believe in showing my gun to intimidating a badguy .

If I feel threatened enuff that I can't handle the issue and I have to pull my gun .

They better run because I'm going to use it !

I was a NRA firearms instructor for 20 years .

And in all my classes .

I thought just that .

If you feel so threatened to pull your firearm use it .

Like Tuco said 

When you have to shoot shoot don't talk !

 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

16 minutes ago, Rooster Ron Wayne said:

I don't believe in showing my gun to intimidating a badguy .

If I feel threatened enuff that I can't handle the issue and I have to pull my gun .

They better run because I'm going to use it !

I thought just that If you feel so threatened to pull your firearm use it .

I open carry. One of the reasons I do is that as fat as I am, I'd about have to wear a tent to CCW. Another reason is not to intimidate, but it DOES let some goblin who might have Bad Intentions know that there is somebody around that will stop him. This has shown itself to be true on several occasions.

A retired LEO friend of mine and I were talking recently, and he also said not to pull a gun unless you intend to use it, and if you need to use it, don't hesitate.

[Alpo]

That was an interesting video about the woman that committed suicide. But I do got a question.

 

Did she only put one round in the gun?

 

"Oh we have to test the ammunition to make sure what happened. So we will go to his house and get some of his ammunition"

 

Well how about using the other shells that are in the damn gun.

 

Somebody jumps me and I shoot him and I tell him that he was three inches away from me and they say that they need comparative ammunition to check it, and according to the brass I used Super Vel. So they need to find some Super Vel to compare it.

 

Or, there's four more shells in the gun, so use one of them.

[Eyesa Horg]

And what happened to a jury of "YOUR" peers, if you're the defendant?

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

1 hour ago, Alpo said:

That was an interesting video about the woman that committed suicide. But I do got a question.

 

Did she only put one round in the gun?

 

"Oh we have to test the ammunition to make sure what happened. So we will go to his house and get some of his ammunition"

 

Well how about using the other shells that are in the damn gun.

 

Somebody jumps me and I shoot him and I tell him that he was three inches away from me and they say that they need comparative ammunition to check it, and according to the brass I used Super Vel. So they need to find some Super Vel to compare it.

 

Or, there's four more shells in the gun, so use one of them.

I honestly can't answer you questions. But this story is where the "Don't Carry Reloads" advice comes from. While Mas doesn't say it here, I seem to recall hearing that the gun had several different loads in it.