.44 Colt
Encyclopedia
The .44 Colt was an American
centerfire
revolver
cartridge
produced commercially from 1871 until the 1940s.
The cartridge was developed for the United States Army
, and introduced by Colt's Patent Firearms
around 1871. The Army used it until 1873, at which time it was replaced by the better known .45 Long Colt cartridge used in the recently adopted Colt Single Action Army
revolver.
The .44 Colt was used in the Richard's-Mason conversions of Colt's 1860 Army
percussion
revolver. The conversion process involved boring through the chambers of the obsolete cap and ball revolvers to enable them to chamber centerfire metallic cartridges.
The original .44 Colt loading used an outside lubricated bullet. Benet cup and Martin-type primer
s were later replaced by more reliable Boxer type primers.
The ballistic performance of the original .44 Colt is comparable to the .44 Remington, and less powerful than modern .44 Russian loadings. Cases for the modern ".44 Colt" chambered handguns are typically made using trimmed .44 Magnum, .44 Special, or .44 Russian brass and a historically inaccurate .429 lead bullet. (As opposed to the older "heeled bullets" with a larger .451" diameter outside lubricated bullet.).
Commercial black powder and smokeless
ammunition remained available until around 1940, by which time the .44 Colt had been entirely supplanted by more modern handgun cartridges such as the .38 Special
and .44 Special.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
centerfire
Centerfire ammunition
A centerfire cartridge is a cartridge with a primer located in the center of the cartridge case head. Unlike rimfire cartridges, the primer is a separate and replaceable component....
revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
produced commercially from 1871 until the 1940s.
The cartridge was developed for the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, and introduced by Colt's Patent Firearms
Colt's Manufacturing Company
Colt's Manufacturing Company is a United States firearms manufacturer, whose first predecessor corporation was founded in 1836 by Sam Colt. Colt is best known for the engineering, production, and marketing of firearms over the later half of the 19th and the 20th century...
around 1871. The Army used it until 1873, at which time it was replaced by the better known .45 Long Colt cartridge used in the recently adopted Colt Single Action Army
Colt Single Action Army
The Colt Single Action Army is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges. It was designed for the U.S...
revolver.
The .44 Colt was used in the Richard's-Mason conversions of Colt's 1860 Army
Colt Army Model 1860
The Colt Army Model 1860 is a muzzle-loaded cap & ball .44-caliber revolver used during the American Civil War, made by Colt's Manufacturing Company. It was used as a side arm by cavalry, infantry, artillery troops, and naval forces....
percussion
Caplock mechanism
The caplock mechanism or "percussion" lock was the successor of the flintlock mechanism in firearm technology, and used a percussion cap struck by the hammer to set off the main charge, rather than using a piece of flint to strike a steel frizzen....
revolver. The conversion process involved boring through the chambers of the obsolete cap and ball revolvers to enable them to chamber centerfire metallic cartridges.
The original .44 Colt loading used an outside lubricated bullet. Benet cup and Martin-type primer
Percussion cap
The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzleloading firearms to fire reliably in any weather.Before this development, firearms used flintlock ignition systems which produced flint-on-steel sparks to ignite a pan of priming powder and thereby fire the...
s were later replaced by more reliable Boxer type primers.
The ballistic performance of the original .44 Colt is comparable to the .44 Remington, and less powerful than modern .44 Russian loadings. Cases for the modern ".44 Colt" chambered handguns are typically made using trimmed .44 Magnum, .44 Special, or .44 Russian brass and a historically inaccurate .429 lead bullet. (As opposed to the older "heeled bullets" with a larger .451" diameter outside lubricated bullet.).
Commercial black powder and smokeless
Smokeless powder
Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of propellants used in firearms and artillery which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older gunpowder which they replaced...
ammunition remained available until around 1940, by which time the .44 Colt had been entirely supplanted by more modern handgun cartridges such as the .38 Special
.38 Special
The .38 Smith & Wesson Special is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although some semi-automatic pistols and carbines also use this round...
and .44 Special.
Sources
- Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber. ".44 Colt", in Cartridges of the World, pp. 169 & 177. Northfield, IL: DBI Books, 1972. ISBN 0-695-80326-3.
- Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare, Volume 20, p. 2192, "Remington". London: Phoebus, 1978.