I have always had an acute interest in sixguns. The first handgun I ever fired as a kid was a Ruger Single Six .22 that belonged to my uncle Mick Jenison. Cocking the hammer, lining up the sights and squeezing off a shot became very addictive, to say the least. The connection to our pioneer ancestors is evoked every time I handle a single-action revolver, whether it is a Colt, a Smith & Wesson or a Ruger.

The .44 Special cartridge — which was an elongated version of the popular .44 Russian — was introduced in 1907. It debuted in such popular handguns as the Colt single-action and the Smith & Wesson New Century or Triple Lock, as it’s more commonly known.

Its creation was spawned by the desire to produce the ballistics of the aforementioned black powder .44 Russian but with smokeless powder. These consisted of a .429 caliber, 246-grain lead roundnose bullet traveling at 750 feet per second.

While not as powerful as the .44-40 WCF or .45 Colt cartridges thusly loaded, the milder recoil and superb accuracy made the new .44 quite special. As many of you no doubt know, it was Elmer Keith’s experiments with stiff handloads in his .44 Special revolvers that ultimately led to the later development of the .44 Magnum cartridge.

Today the .44 Special has mostly a cult following, thanks largely to the introduction of the .44 Magnum. Many folks rushed out and bought the widely available .44 Magnum but quickly discovered that it really is a handful — pun intended. Even the fictional action hero Dirty Harry Callahan explains in the film “Magnum Force” that he loaded his .44 caliber bandit-buster of choice — the legendary S&W Model 29 — with “the light Special” as it produced less recoil and muzzle flip than full-house Magnums.

In much the same way that the cheaper, easier-to-shoot .38 Special can be utilized to alleviate heavier recoil and expense for .357 Magnum owners, the .44 Special can and should be loaded up in the cylinders of anyone with a .44 Magnum revolver.

During a recent discussion with a friend and shooting mentor, a custom-made Ruger .44 revolver that is indeed special in form and not just caliber was presented for my inspection. One could, erroneously, describe this shooting iron as a spare parts gun. From 20 feet away it would be an easy mistake to make. Upon closer inspection it is obviously a carefully contrived work of art.

The frame is decidedly a Bisley model while the barrel is Blackhawk. I find the Bisley grip to point much more naturally for me and to be much more accommodating of large hands than standard grips. The custom cylinder pin and front sight are both functional and eye-catching. While it’s chambered for the .44 Magnum, it shoots the .44 Specials just as well and is much more enjoyable with that load to boot.

For rattlesnakes and the like, CCI has always sold .44 Special shotshells, and the Cowboy Action Shooters have kept cast lead factory ammo at or near original ballistics readily available on the shelves. Charter Arms still offers short-barreled, five-shot double-action revolvers in .44 Special for those desiring something more easily concealed.

If the increase in interactions between humans and predatory wild animals such as bears or cougars has you shopping for a large-caliber handgun, the .44 Special may be, as Goldilocks puts it, “just right.”

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