Magnum

The 44 Remington Magnum, or simply 44 Magnum, and frequently 44 Mag, is a rimmed, large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After its introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles. Despite the "44" designation, guns chambered for the .44 Magnum round, and its parent, the 44 Special, use 0.429 in diameter bullets. The 44 Magnum is based on a lengthened 44 Special case, loaded to higher pressures for greater velocity (and thus, energy). The 44 Magnum has since been eclipsed in power by the .454 Casull, and most recently by the 460 S&W Magnum and 500 S&W Magnum, among others; nevertheless, it has remained one of the most popular commercial large-bore magnum cartridges. When loaded to its maximum and with heavy, deeply penetrating bullets, the 44 Magnum cartridge is suitable for short-range hunting of all North American game—though at the cost of heavy recoil and muzzle flash when fired in handguns, less so in carbines and rifles.