Best .44 Special Ammo
Every load we price, sorted by cost per round delivered to your state
We track 10 .44 Special loads from 2 dealers. The cheapest delivered to AR, shipping included, is HSM Cowboy Action .44 Special 200gr RNFP Ammo at $0.75 a round. By use: Competition from $0.75, Self-Defense from $0.88, and Hunting from $1.31.
12 subsonic loads in .44 Special for suppressed shooting →
The .44 Special is a mid-power revolver cartridge that fires the same .429" bullet as the .44 Magnum from a shorter case. Smith & Wesson designed it in 1907 by lengthening the .44 Russian. SAAMI pressure is 15,500 psi, so it fits medium-frame and light revolvers like the Charter Arms Bulldog, and any .44 Magnum revolver will also fire it.
For carry, defensive hollow points such as Hornady Critical Defense 165gr and Federal Punch 180gr run 815 to 900 fps and are built to expand at revolver speeds. Lead flat-nose cowboy loads of 200 to 240 grains at 725 to 850 fps are for matches and practice. A few loads, like DoubleTap 200gr at 1,000 fps and Underwood 245gr at 950 fps, run faster and kick harder in a light revolver. Compatibility runs one way: .44 Magnum will not chamber in a .44 Special gun.
All .44 Special Loads
Compare ballistics and prices across 10 products
| PRODUCT ↕ | GRAIN ↕ | VELOCITY ↕ | ENERGY ↕ | BC ↕ | USE CASE ↕ | BEST PRICE ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Black Hills HoneyBadger .44 Special 125gr Solid Copper Ammo
125gr
• 1250 fps
• Self-Defense
|
125gr | 1250 | 434 | .115 | Self-Defense | $2.57/rd |
|
DoubleTap .44 Special 200gr TAC-XP
200gr
• 1000 fps
• Self-Defense
|
200gr | 1000 | 444 | .138 | Self-Defense | $2.67/rd |
|
Federal Personal Defense Punch .44 Special 180gr JHP Ammo
180gr
• 815 fps
• Self-Defense
|
180gr | 815 | 265 | .145 | Self-Defense | $1.43/rd |
|
Fiocchi .44 Special 200gr SJHP
200gr
• 900 fps
• Self-Defense
|
200gr | 900 | 360 | .15 | Self-Defense | $1.15/rd |
|
Fiocchi Cowboy Action .44 Special 210gr LFP Ammo
210gr
• 750 fps
• Competition
|
210gr | 750 | 262 | .17 | Competition | $0.89/rd |
|
Hornady Critical Defense .44 Special 165gr FTX Ammo
165gr
• 900 fps
• Self-Defense
|
165gr | 900 | 297 | .125 | Self-Defense | $1.30/rd |
|
HSM Cowboy Action .44 Special 200gr RNFP Ammo
200gr
• 850 fps
• Competition
|
200gr | 850 | 321 | .155 | Competition | $0.75/rd |
|
Magtech Cowboy Action .44 Special 240gr LFN Ammo
240gr
• 725 fps
• Competition
|
240gr | 725 | 280 | .177 | Competition | $0.79/rd |
|
PMC Bronze .44 Special 180gr JHP
180gr
• 980 fps
• Self-Defense
|
180gr | 980 | 384 | .105 | Self-Defense | $0.88/rd |
|
Underwood .44 Special 245gr FMJ FN
245gr
• 950 fps
• Hunting
|
245gr | 950 | 491 | .185 | Hunting | $1.31/rd |
Dealer links open the dealer's site. Some are affiliate links, and AmmoSight may earn a commission at no cost to you.
.44 Special Trajectory Calculator
Calculate drop, velocity, and energy at any range
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- .44 Special over .44 Magnum: same bullet diameter at well under half the pressure, so a small five-shot revolver stays controllable.
- Fires in any .44 Magnum revolver for low-recoil practice.
- .44 Special over .38 Special: a wider .429" bullet of 165 to 245 grains from a revolver not much larger.
Cons
- Five or six rounds and a slow reload, compared to a compact 9mm semi-auto.
- Most loads run 720 to 1,000 fps, well short of .44 Magnum for deer hunting or bear-country carry.
- Shooting it in a .44 Magnum cylinder leaves a fouling ring ahead of the shorter case that can make Magnum rounds hard to chamber until you clean it.