The .44 Magnum was far more powerful than any 
available handgun cartridge when it was 
introduced in 1956, and it achieved corresponding 
levels of popularity.  The large-frame Smith & 
Wesson Model 29 still commands a nice price at 
gun shows, but the .44 Magnum is impressive in 
any firearm.

    As the .357 Magnum before it, the .44 Magnum 
once wore the moniker of "most powerful handgun 
cartridge in the world", the official public 
christening occurring in Clint Eastwood's "Dirty 
Harry".  Of course, that was before the advent of 
rounds such as the mind-blowing .454 Casull and
.50 Action Express.

    While there may be more powerful rounds 
available, most shooters will never care to 
exceed the hard recoil of the .44 Magnum.  Once 
one adjusts to the .44's detonation (an apt 
description), the .44 Magnum emerges as a 
cartridge of maximum accuracy.

    Current factory listing include a 240-gr. 
lead bullet at 1350 fps, yielding 970 ft-lbs. of 
energy from a 4" barrel.