.44 S&W American

The .44 S&W American (commonly called the .44 American) is an American centerfire revolver cartridge.

Used in the Smith & Wesson Model 3, it was introduced around 1869.^[1] Between 1871 and 1873, the .44 Model 3 was used as the standard United States Army sidearm.^[1] It was also offered in the Merwin Hulbert & Co. Army revolvers.^[1]

It used an outside lubricated bullet of the same diameter as the .44 S&W Russian, with a slightly greater case neck diameter, and appeared in either Boxer and Berdan priming,^[1] and both black and smokeless powder loadings.^[1]

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 American ceased to be commercially available around 1940. It can be handloaded by shortening and reforming .44 Special cases.^[1] Original black-powder revolvers should only use black-powder loads; modern powders will generate excessive pressures.^[1]

During the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881, Wyatt Earp carried an 8-inch .44 caliber 1869 American model Smith & Wesson. Earp had received the weapon as a gift from Tombstone, Arizona mayor and Tombstone Epitaph newspaper editor John Clum.^[4]

See also

• List of cartridges by caliber
• Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
• 11mm caliber

References

Sources

• Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber. ".44 S&W American", in Cartridges of the World, pp. 167 & 177. Northfield, IL: DBI Books, 1972. ISBN 0-695-80326-3.
• Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber. ".32-20 Winchester" in Cartridges of the World, p. 46. Northfield, IL: DBI Books, 1972. ISBN 0-695-80326-3.
• Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber. ".44-40 Winchester" in Cartridges of the World, p. 61. Northfield, IL: DBI Books, 1972. ISBN 0-695-80326-3.

Smith & Wesson Revolvers Top Hinge Model 1 Model 1 1/2 Top Break Model 2 Model 3 Safety Hammerless I-frame Model 30 Kit Gun J-frame Model 36 Bodyguard Model 60 Model 340PD Centennial Model 640 K-frame Model 10 Model 12 Model 13 Model 14 Model 15 Model 17 Model 19 Model 617 Model 64 Model 65 Model 66 Model 67 L-frame Model 581 Model 586 Model 619 Model 620 Model 646 Model 681 Model 686 M-frame Ladysmith N-frame New Century .38/44 Model 22 Model 27 Model 28 Model 29 Model 57 Model 610 Model 625 X-frame Model 460 Model 500 Z-frame Governor C-frame (experimental) Model 73 Semi-automatic pistols Model 1006 Model 1913 Model 22A Model 39 Model 4006 Model 41 Model 422 Model 4506 Model 469 Model 52 Model 5906 Model 6904 Model 59 Model 61 Model 645 Model 910 Bodyguard 380 M&P M&P22 SD VE SW1911 SW99 Sigma Long guns Model 1940 M&P10 M&P15 M&P15-22 Model 320 Model 76 Assault Shotgun Cartridges .22 Short .32 S&W .32 S&W Long .35 S&W Auto .356 TSW .357 Magnum .38 S&W .38 Special .40 S&W .41 Magnum .44 Russian .44 Special .44 S&W American .44 Magnum .45 Schofield .460 S&W Magnum .500 S&W Magnum Horace Smith Daniel B. Wesson