44 Magnum History

.

.

.

The .44 Magnum or also .44 Remington Magnum (.44 Mag.) is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers but later also used for carbines and rifles. The 44 Magnum is designed by Elmer Keith and is the result of the load up soap from the .44 Special with heavy powder charges and heavier bullets. When loaded to its maximum and with heavy, deeply penetrating bullets, the .44 Magnum cartridge is suitable for short-range hunting of all North American game and was by Elmer Keith specially designed to hunt the American black bear. Even today, the .44 Magnum is carried by many hunters as a back-up weapon as protection against Black Bear.

.

Elmer Keith encouraged Smith & Wesson and Remington to produce a commercial version of this new high-pressure loading, and revolvers chambered for it. Smith & Wesson's first .44 Magnum revolver, the Model 29, was built on December 15, 1955. The Smith and Wesson model 29 in the .44 Magnum was in the beginning rather an average success.

..

In the films “Dirty Harry” played by Clint Eastwood as fictive figure of Inspector Harry Callahan carried a Smith & Wesson Model 29 as typical weapon signature and describes it as "the most powerful handgun in the world". Dirty Harry was a critical and commercial success and set the style for a whole genre of police films. It was followed by four sequels: Magnum Force in 1973, The Enforcer in 1976, Sudden Impact in 1983 (directed by Eastwood himself) and The Dead Pool in 1988.

Dirty Harry helped popularize the Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver, chambered for the powerful .44 Magnum cartridge. The film initiated an increase in sales of the powerful handgun, which continues to be popular forty years after the film's release.

.

.

Bullet proof packet NIJ-3A 

.

Even today the .44 Magnum is a widespread caliber available for a reasonable price. His popularity has forced the manufactures of bullet proof vests to take a count with the .44 Magnum caliber.  The multi functional ballistic packets NIJ-3A can be used in school bags, backpacks briefcases and in T-shirt carriers

.

.

.

.

.

While the 9x19 mm is the primary caliber, the caliber .44 Magnum is the secondary caliber tested for the NIJ-3A certifications according the National Institute of Justice. In this NIJ test protocol, the .44 Magnum Semi Jacketed Hollow Point (SJHP) bullet with a specified mass of 15.6 g (240 gr) and a velocity of  427 m/s (1400 ft/s)  is used to test the blunt force trauma impact which may not be more than 44 mm to satisfy the safety requirements .

.

.

.

Protection level NIJ-3A (9x19-.44Mag) is also the minimum level to use hard ballistic plates in conjunction with a soft ballistic panel to stop rifle bullets 

.

.

.

At VBR-Belgium the Smith & Wesson Model 29 in the .44 Magnum caliber was also used to make a few special bullets which technology was covered by the VBR-Belgium Armor Piercing and Controled Fragmentation technology.

.

.

A .44 caliber nonoblock brass projectile was provided with two deep fragmentation groves which could by impact controlled fragmenting in three parts. 

.

.

The .44C3F hunting bullet cause a 3 part controlled fragmentation deep in the calibrated gelatin with the objective to hit the vital organs of the big game. This increases the content of the permanent wound cavity and triples the chance to hit a vital organ.

.

.

5.7mm hole in a 3 mm thick titanium plate

11.92mm hole in a 3 mm thick titanium plate

.

.