I recently purchased a new 29-10 .44 mag, I heard the 44 special rounds were good for shooting but when i went looking everyone was out except Gander and all they had was a box that said "Cowboy Action .44 sp".. They have hardly no pop.. and were boring to shoot.. I couldnt wait to find some 44 mag so it would feel like a real gun..
My question is are all .44 Sp loads like this or are these lighter loads for western revolvers and/or cowboy competition?
Please explain..
Thanks im new to the 44 mags.. as you can tell, but love it.

I've not tried the 44Spl Cowboy Loads, but the Winchester 45 Colt Cowboy loads are definitely lighter than some old WW cartridges I have, and lighter than the JHP self defense loads available.

They ARE "lighter".
But I wouldn't worry about it. At the price .44 Specials have been going for (even before 11-08') you'll run out of net worth LONG before you'll have a chance to get seriously bored!
I'm being a smart a** only to indicate that anyone wishing to shoot big bore centerfire handguns in the era we all find ourselves enjoying currently, better turn to reloading.
Short answer .44 Special is
A. Relatively rare
and because of it
B. Expensive
How do I know this you say? Due to a 40+ year love affair with the load, I say! It's a prime candidate for reloading (no joke) and it's the only way a working man will be able to keep one fed, IMHO.

...........and revolver cartridges are the easiest to reload, so there's even more incentive to get started.

Thanks for the very helpful info guys.

New to the 44 Magnum... There is an excellent chance that after you shoot a few Magnums through your new revolver, you will view those "boring" 44 Specials in a whole new light.

Is cowboy action 44 special ammo really just 44 Russian ammo that is re-labeled? Or are the cowboy loads even lighter than Russians?

Sir, the few .44 special "cowboy loads" I've chronographed consisted of a 240-grain lead bullet at about 760 fps, which is more or less in line with the advertised velocities of the original .44 special.

The .44 Russian and .44 special are two different cartridges--the Russian used a shorter case than the .44 special. The .44 special cowboy loads are not just re-labeled .44 Russians.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

Ron,

I know the Russian cases are shorter and the power is lighter than special, but the reason I asked is that on the Proammo site they are advertising 210 grain 44 Russian as Cowboy action loads.

Maybe there is no real standard for Cowboy or is the Russian normally used as cowboy?

I think I'll order some and try them in my "new to me" 696. There doesn't seem to be a price advantage, but fun to try out.

My understanding of CAS is that speed of firing and reloading is paramount. Lighter and shorter loads are the rule, to the point that .32 S & W Short/.38 Long Colt/.44 Russian ammo are used in .32 Long, .38 Special and .44 Special guns to speed up the shooting process.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

There is a power factor to meet for CAS but generally it's very light, low recoil loads. All the shooting is short range, emphasis is on speed, stylish shooting, lube smoke or real smoke from black powder, not tearing up the steel plates and not having lead ricochet everywhere. It's all about flair and fun not blasting something with a 44 magnum.

CAS was started to re-live the "cowboy days" and to use the guns available during those days. And having fun by dressing up in the older clothing of the day. Loads are kept fairly low so that shooters can recover from recoil faster and so as not to intimidate new shooters. Also for safety reasons as stated by above poster. There are situations where a .44 special would be more handy than a .44 magnum and vice versa. Load and caliber should be a function of the situation/need and not a stand alone proproposition. My experience anyway, James

The answer to the question: Are Cowboy Loads Lighter. Definitely.

CAS is as described in earlier replies. Its a combo of re-enactment of cowboy time -clothing, weapons, and the spirit of the game. Both speed and accuracy determine the winning scores.

I shoot .44 special in my Uberti 1873 and Marlin 1894 Lever guns, and in my two Ruger Vaquero .44 magnum Single Action revolvers. I'm currently loading 165-180 gr TCFP bullets which are available from Oregon Trail and also Missouri Bullet Company. I load for both smokless and black powder categories in .44 special.

The point of CAS is the spirit of the game. It's not to punish yourself by shooting maximum loads. It's all about shooting fun and it's about as much fun as you can have with all your clothes on.