.44 Magnum

The .44 Magnum cartridge was first introduced in 1956 as a joint effort between Smith & Wesson and Remington. This revolver round was originally advertised as the most powerful handgun cartridge in the world.

While it no longer holds this title, being outperformed by a number of monstrous loads of larger caliber, such as the .454 Casull or .500 Linebaugh, it is still a formidable load. It’s suitable for a number of applications including long-range target shooting, self-defense (especially against dangerous animals) and hunting.

Several semi-automatic pistols and carbines (lever-action and semi-automatic) were produced over the years to fire this cartridge. Today it is still manufactured by a number of ammunition manufacturers worldwide.