Will the distributor-special run of .44 Special Ruger New Model Blackhawks be enough to propel the cartridge’s popularity to the top of the heap? Time will tell.

A successful heritage and a bit of good fortune often assure success. When the .44 S&W Special cartridge was introduced, it fit that category to a tee. Yet after more than a century, the mild-mannered, big-bore round has never achieved "mainstream" status. Only because one and then another manufacturer sporadically introduced new handgun models has it managed to survive at all.

The .44 Special's pedigree begins with the evolution of Smith & Wesson's earlier model revolvers. The good luck occurred in 1871 when Russia ordered several thousand S&W No. 3 single-action revolvers to equip the Czar's army. I say that was good luck because the developments that S&W undertook to please the Russians led directly to the creation of the .44 Spl. You see, the Russian Czar's agent specified several changes to the existing S&W .44 American Army model, including an improved cartridge (.44 Russian).

By 1877 S&W had shipped more than 100,000 guns to Russia. The company also made another 20,000 for the domestic market, and most of them were chambered for the .44 S&W Russian cartridge.

The Russians also instigated S&W's interest in "self-cocking" revolvers. None were ever ordered; however, S&W introduced several new double-action models by the early 1880s. These guns still featured a top-break frame and, along with the improved New Model No. 3 single-action revolvers, comprised much of the firm's production until the turn of the century. The .44 Russian cartridge became the accuracy standard for that era's target shooters.

The .44 Special is a lengthened version of the .44 Russian cartridge, which was chambered in top-break S&W Model No. 3 revolvers during the late 1800s.

Colt introduced its solid-frame, single-action Model P in 1873. It was soon accepted by the U.S. military, and the SAA quickly dominated the domestic single-action market. By the 1890s, S&W began developing solid-frame, double-action revolvers. The first Hand Ejector models with a swing-out cylinder evolved rapidly. In 1899 the improved Military & Police model chambered for the then-new .38 S&W Special (a stretched .38 Long Colt) arrived.

S&W introduced a large-frame, .44-caliber Hand Ejector in 1908, which became popularly known as the Triple Lock because of its unique, three-point cylinder-latching design. It was chambered for the new .44 S&W Special round. The .44 Special's case was approximately 0.2 inch longer than the .44 Russian's case, and it duplicated the Russian's ballistics.

During the next 50 years or so, S&W introduced additional service and target .44 Spl. revolvers. Colt also chambered the cartridge in it's New Service double action, and a few SAAs in .44 Spl. were made before World War II. When the war ended, Colt stopped making the SAA, and S&W made only a few service and target revolvers. By the early 1950s, nostalgia for the Old West and anything related to cowboys returned. Bill Ruger sensed an opportunity and designed his famous single-action Single-Six revolver chambered in .22 rimfire.

Two years later (1955), Ruger introduced a scaled-up, centerfire single-action and called it the Blackhawk. It was almost identical to Colt's vintage SAA except it was a more robust design and offered improved sights. The first ones were chambered in .357 Magnum, but gun writers reported that Ruger would soon offer revolvers chambered in .44 Spl. and .45 Colt. But that was not to be. Just a few months later, Smith & Wesson announced the powerful .44 Magnum, and those .44 Spl. expectations were quickly forgotten by most handgunners.