Perhaps at long last, some of the findings, opinions and ruminations of the 44 Associates will be in the light of day! For example - what sorts of lead bullets did they prefer? Did they ever reach the storied 1200 fps velocity without fragmenting their revolvers?

Hope so!

Cheers,

Dyson

Thanks for posting those, Matt G. I'm a 44 Special lover from way back.

Since ya'll have resurrected the .44 Associates data is there a possibility anyone can clone Elmer or Skeeter?

Now THAT would be appreciated here I'm sure...........

Great work in bringing forth the .44 Associates info folks. Thanks.

__________________
Have guns...will shoot'em.

Hearty thanks to Matt G for posting those items.

If anyone has access to a copy of the .44 Associates booklet, that would be a wonderful addition to our collective resources. Even though, no doubt, the #2400 loads would be the ones that could have carrying power to this day, with downward powder weight adjustment for the balloon or semi-balloon cases that were then prevalent.

Thanks again.

Regards,

Dyson

Matt, thanks for getting those articles I scanned posted. I've gone back through this thread and updated the links in my postings to point to the new one you've provided.

__________________
Conrad
SWCA #1830 SWHF #222

Here's a location where I've entered the Triplelock article from 1944. BBHFarm Gallery :: The S&W Triplelock and the .44 Special August 1944 American Rifleman
See if the images are more convenient than pdfs.

BTW, clicking on the image enlarges it.

In looking on the internet, I found this Gun Digest Book of the .44 - John Taffin - Google Books

Page 69 contains some quotes from the .44 Associates (Taffin has a copy, #103 of a total 200 copies).

If you want to read Taffin's book in its entirety, it is online here.

Here is another useful site with tons of old articles by Skeeter, Elmer Kieth and others. Many, if not most all of them would be of interest to the folks here.

Sadly, it is now a family's memorial to a father, husband and an avid shooter that recently passed away.

(Links to articles are at the bottom of page)

Dark Canyon

The last mention I can recall of balloon head cases is in Speer #7, but that was only for the .45 Auto Rim cartridge.

OK, I've uploaded a few more articles.

BBHFarm Gallery :: Magnumizing the .44 Feb. 1949 American Rifleman

BBHFarm Gallery :: .44 Dynamite Feb. 1953 American Rifleman

BBHFarm Gallery :: Expanding Bullets for the .44 May 1953 American Rifleman

Many, many thanks to you guys for posting these articles about the 44 Special.

Here's the last installment.

BBHFarm Gallery :: Versatile .44 Spl. Jan 1967 Handloader

BBHFarm Gallery :: Cartridge of the Month Nov-Dec 1974 Handloader

BBHFarm Gallery :: The Fabulous .44 Special Handloader May-June 1993

BBHFarm Gallery :: .44 Special a Look Back Handloader Nov-Dec 1993

BBHFarm Gallery :: The Classic .44 Special Handloader Oct-Nov 1996

Revisited here and added more to my "documents".

Thanks a lot to all who provided this treasure trove.

__________________
Have guns...will shoot'em.

Thanks to Dale53 we all have more reading material.
Here are the names of the five "new" files:

Brian Pearce on the 44 Special
NRA - Loads for the 44 Special
Ruger Lipsey 44 Special
Taffin - In Defense of the 44
Taffin Tests - 44 Special

They are located with the rest of them at the link below.

44 Special Articles

Thanks to Matt G, and to Dale 53, for the additional information for study and evaluation.

Some interesting details will award study, such as a reference to the 'Keith' load [#2400/240-250gr 429421] pressures compared to assertion in earlier article of the pressure being only around 20K. Having no particular horse in this race, I mention this simply to enliven interest. [I have never used the 'Keith' load, except to bend a Charter ejector rod.]

Thanks again,

Dyson

I noticed this has probably been overlooked.
BBHFarm Gallery :: Lyman's "Handbook of Cast Bullets", July 1958

It's Elmer Keith's and Ray Thompson's recommendations plus data on the 429421.

"Agreed ... why play around when Skeeters load of 7.5 Unique does this...

(I did shoot it out of my 624 also but WILL NOT out of my 696 - probably too stiff for the L frame on a regular basis)"

Try shooting the Skeeter load out of a 3" Charter Arms Bulldog. It bites, even with rubber grips.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

If you looked through the manuals I have posted, you'll notice most of the reproduced pages deal with .38 Special and .357 Mag. The .357 Mag holds a special place with me, since I have several plus a couple of rifles. It wasn't until fairly recently that I began to get into the big bores, M57s, M625s and M629s.

I currently keep .44 Special wadcutters in the M629, but will probably do more with the .44 Special in the future. I can be assured the M629 is up to whatever .44 Special loads I decide on. However, there's always a need for more information to make those decisions. I probably need to make a special nested album for the articles and data pertaining to the .44 Special. If I do, the links I provided before won't work, but I'll repost the new album link if/when I do it.

It's a shame that this data is getting buried. It really ought to be a "sticky" so it is available to anyone who is interested.

How about it, moderators?

Dale53

I agree, this deserves a "sticky".

Ever noticed this?
Sticky: Notable Thread Index

I put this thread there about noon, 1-2-12.

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Thanks for this designation for the thread. Hope many will consult and enjoy.

Regards,

Dyson

Here are 1st 5 pages. This is all the narrative included in my copy, and I believe my copy is complete. For an example of loads listed see next post.

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Here is a page of data for Keith designed 429421. The rest of the data included follows this format. I would not believe the pressures listed for a minute. Not sure if they were using balloon head or solid. *For informational purpose only. Do not use data*

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They probably were.
I liked Ken Waters Pet Loads article because he told of the remarkable accuracy of the 44 Russian and 44 special along with the amazing skill of some of the shooters.
A.L.A. Himmelwright’s book does the same.

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William Iorg

Tip of the hat to TripleLock for his contribution of the Sharpe material from 1937. And thanks to everyone else who has contributed. Haven't had any PMs from S&W about imminent offering of NIL Model 24-4 N-frame .44 Specials!

Regards,

Dyson

The first four pages of Ken Waters' article on the .44 Special, which originally appeared in the May 1981 issue of Handloader Magazine.

TL

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And the final three pages of Ken Waters' article on the .44 Special.

TL

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This is great, I enjoy Ken Waters reporting and writing, he does his homework! Here is a picture of Sgt. W. C. Johnston Jr.
When you think that he shot the first perfect score in the U. S. at 50 yards using black powder in July 1888 and then went on to to shot SIX more tens just for fun.
No pressure, just another day at the range!

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William Iorg

I just discovered that I have a scanned PDF file of the Ken Waters article from the May 1981 Handloader that Triplelock posted.

It didn't get sent with the other pdf files that Matt G put on his server... I'll try to get it to him to add it to the collection.

update:

Matt... the file is too large to email, I'll send it to you via a CD like the others....

__________________
Conrad
SWCA #1830 SWHF #222