Elmer Keith's Prototype .44 Magnum Ammunition and More!!

While preparing an article for the SWCA Journal on early Remington .44 Magnum ammunition, I thought some of you folks might be interested in some of the pictures and other documentation that I plan to include in the article. The ammunition pictured here will ultimately become part of the 12 revolver display of pre-29s; Jan-Dec 1956, that I am also currently putting together. I'll post a preview of that display when it gets completed, hopefully by April/May and in time to get it all to Michigan for the annual SWCA meeting in June. It is a lot of work, but certainly a labor of love as the expression goes.

As early as September, 1955, Remington had finalized engineering drawings for the new Remington 44 magnum cartridge and 3 months later on 12/15/1955, S&W produced the first .44 Magnum revolver, S130927. Here is a picture of the original engineering drawing:


Once the engineering plan was approved, Remington then proceeded to produce 15,000 experimental rounds for S&W in two lots; the first on Jan 5, 1956 consisting of 5,000 rounds shipped in put-together packaging and a second shipment of 10,000 rounds approximately one week later on Jan 11, 1956 in a more standard, plain white box, that collectors today refer to as the "prototype box." However, in researching the article, it was discovered that the white prototype box was actually the second syle of early 44 Magnum packaging and that the paper label package was the first, albeit only by 6 days.
Here are pictures of the Remington change/production orders for both versions along with pictures of eachtype box.

I have also included a picture of S130938, one of the first .44 Magnums shipped in Jan, 1956. The second version white box .44 Magnum ammo would have been the only ammunition available at that time for these earliest 44 Magnums. The Remington Peters and later Remington Kleanbore ammunition were still on the drawing boards. I'll post more info on S130938 along with it's own interesting history later this month as it gets closer to its 52d birthday.
Enjoy
Chuck










The white box is very special to me as it was once owned by Elmer Keith and acquired recently from Brian Pearce, a noted gunwriter in Idaho who got it from a close friend of the Keith's. This example box is thought to be in the initial batch of .44 Magnum ammo shipped to Elmer right after he received S147220, the 3rd 44 Magnum shipped. Elmer mentions this ammunition several times in his own writings. Here is some documentation to support the claim of an Elmer Keith connection.



And finally, a picture of S130938 which was shipped only a few days after Elmer's gun. More on this gun later.

While preparing an article for the SWCA Journal on early Remington .44 Magnum ammunition, I thought some of you folks might be interested in some of the pictures and other documentation that I plan to include in the article. The ammunition pictured here will ultimately become part of the 12 revolver display of pre-29s; Jan-Dec 1956, that I am also currently putting together. I'll post a preview of that display when it gets completed, hopefully by April/May and in time to get it all to Michigan for the annual SWCA meeting in June. It is a lot of work, but certainly a labor of love as the expression goes.

As early as September, 1955, Remington had finalized engineering drawings for the new Remington 44 magnum cartridge and 3 months later on 12/15/1955, S&W produced the first .44 Magnum revolver, S130927. Here is a picture of the original engineering drawing:


Once the engineering plan was approved, Remington then proceeded to produce 15,000 experimental rounds for S&W in two lots; the first on Jan 5, 1956 consisting of 5,000 rounds shipped in put-together packaging and a second shipment of 10,000 rounds approximately one week later on Jan 11, 1956 in a more standard, plain white box, that collectors today refer to as the "prototype box." However, in researching the article, it was discovered that the white prototype box was actually the second syle of early 44 Magnum packaging and that the paper label package was the first, albeit only by 6 days.
Here are pictures of the Remington change/production orders for both versions along with pictures of eachtype box.

I have also included a picture of S130938, one of the first .44 Magnums shipped in Jan, 1956. The second version white box .44 Magnum ammo would have been the only ammunition available at that time for these earliest 44 Magnums. The Remington Peters and later Remington Kleanbore ammunition were still on the drawing boards. I'll post more info on S130938 along with it's own interesting history later this month as it gets closer to its 52d birthday.
Enjoy
Chuck










The white box is very special to me as it was once owned by Elmer Keith and acquired recently from Brian Pearce, a noted gunwriter in Idaho who got it from a close friend of the Keith's. This example box is thought to be in the initial batch of .44 Magnum ammo shipped to Elmer right after he received S147220, the 3rd 44 Magnum shipped. Elmer mentions this ammunition several times in his own writings. Here is some documentation to support the claim of an Elmer Keith connection.



And finally, a picture of S130938 which was shipped only a few days after Elmer's gun. More on this gun later.

Chuck!
Again, absolutely "Outstanding". I'll be waiting for my issue of the S&WCA Journal - then mailing it to you for an autograph!
Nice - Nice collection!
Thanks for sharing...

Thanks for the great pics.

I would like to point out two things that are extremely interesting to me concerning the above:

1. Keep in mind the engineering drawing would have been done completely by hand, although it looks like it was spit out of a printer, like all drawings are prodocued today;

2. The left stock on the 29 has an indentation I have yet to see, presumably a thumb rest. Would that be correct?

Thanks a bunch. Looking forward to more and the show that will be held in the South.

Originally posted by TN RAT:
Thanks for the great pics.

I would like to point out two things that are extremely interesting to me concerning the above:

1. Keep in mind the engineering drawing would have been done completely by hand, although it looks like it was spit out of a printer, like all drawings are prodocued today;

2. The left stock on the 29 has an indentation I have yet to see, presumably a thumb rest. Would that be correct?

Thanks a bunch. Looking forward to more and the show that will be held in the South.

Click to expand...

TN RAT, thanks for your observations. Yes, the engineering drawings, and I have several others, are all hand drawn by an obviously skilled drafstman. As far as the extra relief cut on the left grip panel, who knows? This gun went to Alaska on an early hunting trip with Lew Bulgrin, owner of Badger Shooters Supply and Jack O'Connor, one of Elmer Keith's friendly gun writing foes in those days. The gun then went to a collector who did not shoot his guns, and remained with him until his death in the 1980s where it was acquired in an estate sale by the collector I got it from. I am the 3rd owner not counting the dealer. Some older collectors have told me that they have seen this type of modification on other target revolvers, but I cannot say with any degree of certainty if it was done by the factory or in someone's kitchen. I do know though that the grips themselves are an early type of target stocks with a noticeable flair in the heel.
Chuck

I don't care who you are or what you say, that is very interesting and a true piece of history.

I have been a big fan of the 44 Mag cartridge and ol' Elmer since I started shooting. This is great stuff!!! Love it!!!

WOW, Thanks for sharing this with us.

Outstanding...this is why I enjoy this forum.

Thanks Chuck...
Bimmer

In my carefully considered opinion, the Remington .44 Magnum ammunition and the Model 29 S&W is the single greatest contribution to handgun hunting, EVER!

Thanks for sharing this most interesting account.
Lovely pictures!
Dale53

What an outstanding and facinating article. Thank you sir. It is interesting to me also in the fact that I am a huge follower of Brian Pearces' writings, and to see that he is involved in this is a pleasure. I have correspondence here, from him, received shortly before he came into possesion of the white box.

What would that box be worth as well as the value of the gun?
Where will the SWCA be held at in Michigan (my home state), and do you have to be a member to go. How do you join?

I don't know how friendly Jack O'Connor and Elmer Keith were. I think there was some genuine resentment on Elmer's part about Jack's university degrees. Jack, in turn, seemed a little baffled by Elmer's attitude. But I think he knew the cause. He was no dummy!

Charles Askins disliked O'Connor partly because of his superior education and, especially, because Jack replaced Askins's father at, "Outdoor Life."

I don't know if Jack ever got a Model 29, but he owned a Model 24. I've always wondered whether he got it to see for sure what Keith saw in it. He seemed to think the .22's were the most practical handguns. Used as he used pistols, that may have been so. He wanted mainly a means to shoot blue grouse off a tree without disturbing game with a rifle or shotgun blast.

Jack was not heavily into handguns. He once told me that he was not at all familiar with Safariland when they rivaled Bianchi as one of the leading holster makers! He liked Lawrence leather because he knew the people, and they made his rifle scabbards.

Elmer was much more a handgunner, although he also knew rifles and shotguns VERY well.

I think that Brian Pearce (whom I've never met) is the most practical gun writer of our time, at least unless combat against humans is the deciding criteria. He is surely the most like Elmer, and spells better, too.

Someday, I mean to write to Mr. Pearce and tell him how much I think of his excellent articles.
It was a pleasure to find that he was associated with this ammo box's history.

Thanks for a great piece of history with beautiful pictures.
I'm curious to know if they had leading problems with those rounds back then, did they use gas checks?

Originally posted by catdad:
Thanks for a great piece of history with beautiful pictures.
I'm curious to know if they had leading problems with those rounds back then, did they use gas checks?

Click to expand...

THe first that I read of these loads, they did employ gas checks. I'll check, "Sixguns", and see what Elmer said. I do know that he was unhappy that they hadn't used harder cast bullets of his design, but softer lead was easier to swage in the factory.

In any event, the .44 bullets never seem to have gotten the reputation that lead .357's did, for leading a barrel badly, within a few shots.

Well, this is sort of interesting: on pages 310-311 of the 1961 revised edition of, "Sixguns", Keith said that the factory bullet had a sort of jacket on the base, but says that it was not a true base jacket.

He described it as a very thin jacket, necessary for the bullet to hold the rifling well, and still be manufactured in the factory loading machines.

I daresay that it was also meant to defray hot gasses and pressure from deforming the base of the bullet on firing.

I'm pretty sure that some contemporary scribes DID call this a gas check jacket. Apparently, Keith distinguished between it and the heavier gas checks, per se, used by handloaders.

That may be the best answer you'll get. I guess it was SORT of a gas check.

Oh: Keith was very candid in saying that factory ammo was loaded too hot, in some batches being difficult to extract. He cited a published velocity of 1650 FPS for that 240 grain bullet. He would have settled for a duplicate of his 1200 FPS heavy .44 Special load, if in the longer Magnum case. He thought 1400 FPS was about ideal. But even Elmer admitted that sometimes, too much of a good thing could happen.

He did acknowledge the need for the longer, stronger case, to keep the hot ammo out of old Triple Lock and similar .44 Special guns.

While we're at this, Keith told me once that he didn't fire as many of his heavy loads as some supposed. He felt they were mainly intended for hunting or defense, and agreed that excessive use would loosen a gun prematurely. Many readers thought that he shot those loads all the time.

T-Star

Very cool! I would be interested in knowing how fast those puppies would go.

29-1, very interesting indeed. I look forward to the article. (That photography is great, by the way!)

T-Star, and thank you, for your informative comments, as well.

Very, very neat!

Chuck...Glad to see this post received a good response. The ammunition development is often overlooked in favor of the guns and one is no good without the other.

In developing the 44 Magnum cartridge (1954-1955), Remington tested three different types of powder and nine different bullet designs before deciding on the 240 grain gas-checked lead bullet. Even with the gas check, factory loads by Remington or Winchester leaded the barrel that had be be cleaned thoroughly after each shooting session (This was still true in the late 60s when I started shooting the 44 Magnum. I always shot jacketed soft points when possible).

Also Chuck, great photos. Your article for the S&WCA Journal should be a good one.

Bill