Can one safely fire .44 Russian in a Model 544?

[Miami_JBT]

I have a Model 544 in .44-40, but ammo is ungodly expensive and I don't reload .44-40. I do have a bucket load of .44 Russian. Now, my understanding is that .44-40 is a .427 diameter and .44 Russian is .429. The Model 544 came from the factory with a .429 barrel.

I'm also of the understanding that pressure wise, .44 Russian is lower than .44-40. I know folks have gotten 29-3 cylinders fitted to them to shoot .44 Special.

But I'm curious, can I fire .44 Russian from an unmodified Model 544? The cartridge fits perfectly and the star ejects it fine. Would it be no difference than shooting. 38 Long Colt or .38 Special from a .357 Magnum?

 

[6string]

Attached are cartridge and chamber diagrams for the 44-40 and 44 Special. Sorry, couldn't find 44 Russian. But, besides overall length, I believe other dimensions are identical for the Russian & Special.
The big problem with your suggestion is the case/chamber diameter just ahead of the rim.
The 44-40 case is a gently bottleneck shaped cartridge. The rear of the chamber is .4718" in diameter.
The 44 Special and (44 Russian) is a slightly tapered straight-wall cartridge. The rear of the chamber is .4590".
Keep in mind, though, that the max. diameter for the 44 Special/Russian cartridge is .4570"!
So, there is a .0020" allowance for case expansion.
By comparison, the chambers of your model 544 revolver are .0148" oversized for the 44 Special/Russian cartridge.
Keep in mind, too, these are "Maximum Cartridge/Minimum Chamber" dimensions. "Real world" figures will in all likelihood exhibit an even larger discrepancy.
That could be enough to pose a danger of lengthwise case splitting or a casehead separation.

 

[colt_saa]

38 Short Colt, 38 Long Colt and 38 S&W Special are virtually identical cartridges to the 357 Magnum with the exception of case length.

44-40 and 44 Russian are not

As you have already mentioned, the 44 Russian is a lower pressure cartridge.

As 6string brings up, the chamber dimensions might lead to case splits.

Could you do it? Yes

Are 44 Russian case splits a catastrophic event? No

The question is . . . Should you do it?

Bore diameter of the 44-40 is .427 today, because we have SAAMI standards. Old guns can be found measuring .425-.432

Yes the 544 shipped with .429 barrels

Because of SAAMI standards, 44 Russian is loaded with .429 projectiles today.

Is your 44 Russian current manufacture? Or is it pre-SAAMI standards? Truthfully I do not know what non-standard 44 Russian would be, it is not a cartridge I have ever messed with

Projectile diameter only needs to match bore diameter to control leading. If your 44 Russian ammunition is loaded with jacketed projectiles, diameter is a moot point.

If the only goal here is to save money . . . . a fitted 44 cylinder for your Model 544 is probably less than the cost difference of a 1000 rounds of ammunition with these two calibers. You could probably even locate a cheap, ugly, used cylinder to shoot 44 Special from and then put your pretty 44-40 cylinder back in for display

 

[Miami_JBT]

It is all modern loaded 200gr RNL.

 

[murphydog]

"...can I fire .44 Russian from an unmodified Model 544?"

Sure, maybe. Should you? Wrong chambering.

You have a lot of modern .44 Russian. Set up a trade for some boxes of .44-40?

Will you be shooting your model 544 a little? I'd pony up the $1.50 per round for the correct ammo and save the brass.

Shooting it a lot? A .44 Special cylinder or reloading sound like great ideas. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Miami_JBT]

"...can I fire .44 Russian from an unmodified Model 544?"

Sure, maybe. Should you? Wrong chambering.

You have a lot of modern .44 Russian. Set up a trade for some boxes of .44-40?

Will you be shooting your model 544 a little? I'd pony up the $1.50 per round for the correct ammo and save the brass.

Shooting it a lot? A .44 Special cylinder or reloading sound like great ideas. Good luck in your decision.

I have a ton of .44 Russian to feed my '70s era Charter Arms Bulldog along with my Model 29s and 629. Local store was selling the .44 Russian cheap and I snatched it up as cheap plinker ammo for those guns.