Gun Digest Book of the .44

by Taffin, John

• ISBN13: 9780896894167
• ISBN10: 0896894169
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-13
• Publisher: Gun Digest

Summary

Entertaining exploration of a unique slice of American firearms historyAuthor is the world's most respected authority on cowboy cartridges and large-bore handgunsDiverse appeal value - popular topic among shooters, collectors, historians and handgun huntersEvery gun has a story to tell, and no one tells those stories better than noted Old West and handgun expert John Taffin. In John Taffin's Book of the .44 readers follow the evolution of this classic American caliber, in a lively, fact-filled journey extending from the blackpowder era to today's magnum models. In this full color book, fans of .44-caliber handguns and rifles will discover:*Chapters devoted to .44 percussion revolvers, specials, sixguns, magnums, lever guns, and wildcat cartridges*Variations of .44 handguns from the vintage Colt Model 1872 to Dirty Harry's famous "Make my day" Smith & Wesson Model 29*Exclusive field-tested reloading data to improve shooter success

Table of Contents

Dedication	iii
Foreword	6	(1)
Introduction	7	(3)
Section 1 The First Forty-Fours
The Percussion Revolvers (1847-1860)	10	(11)
The First Successful Levergun - the .44 Henry Rimfire	21	(5)
The First Big Bore Sixgun - the .44 S&W American	26	(5)
The Colt Solution - the .44 Colt Cartridge Conversions	31	(5)
The Russians Have a Better Idea -- the .44 Russian	36	(7)
The Legendary Leverguns -- the .44 Winchester Centerfire	43	(6)
The Companion Sixguns -- the Frontier .44-40	49	(7)
Section 2 The .44 Special
The First .44 Special -- Smith & Wesson's Triple Lock	56	(7)
The Road to the .44 Magnum - Improving the .44 Special	63	(9)
Skeeter Resurrects the .44 Special---Carrying the Torch	72	(6)
Section 3 The .44 Special Sixguns - 100 Years of Service
Smith & Wesson's Hand Ejectors	78	(4)
Smith & Wesson's Postwar .44 Specials	82	(7)
Colt's Single Action Army and New Frontier	89	(4)
Colt's New Service	93	(5)
Great Western's .44 Specials	98	(4)
USFA's .44 Specials	102	(4)
Freedom Arms' Model 97	106	(4)
Texas Longhorn Arms' .44 Specials	110	(6)
The Bulldog and the Number Five	116	(6)
Custom Sixgunsmiths and the .44 Special	122	(20)
Section 4 The First .44 Magnum - S&W's Double Action Perfection
A Half-Century of the Model 29	142	(10)
The S&W Stainless Steel .44 Magnum Model 629	152	(6)
Big Bore Power, Lightweight Package---The 329PD	158	(6)
Section 5 The Ruger .44 Magnum - The Modernization of The Single Action
The First .44 Blackhawk -- the Flat-Top	164	(7)
The Ruger Super Blackhawk	171	(5)
The Ruger Bisley	176	(3)
The Ruger Hunter Model	179	(4)
Section 6 The New Breed of .44 Magnums
Texas Longhorn Arms .44 Magnum	183	(5)
Abilene, El Dorado, Seville, and Virginian Dragoon .44 Magnums	188	(5)
Ruger's Redhawk and Super Redhawk	193	(5)
Dan Wesson's .44 -- the Silhouetter's Dream Sixgun	198	(4)
Finally a .44 From Colt -- the Anaconda	202	(5)
The Bull from Brazil -- the Taurus Raging Bull	207	(4)
The Perfect Cartridge in the Perfect Sixgun -- Freedom Arms Model 83	211	(5)
Semi-Automatic and Single-Shot .44s	216	(6)
The Custom .44 Magnum -- Mag-Na-Port and SSK	222	(7)
Section 7 The Long Guns and Long Cartridges
The Replica 44 Leverguns	229	(6)
The Modern .44 Long Guns	235	(7)
The .444 Marlin	242	(5)
The .445 SuperMag	247	(6)
Section 8 Loads and Handloads for the .44s
44 Bullets, Powders, Primers, and Dies	253	(9)
Reloading The Frontier .44s	262	(10)
Reloading the 20th Century .44s	272	(8)
Factory Loads for .44s	280	(6)
Finis	286	(1)
Directory Of Services	287