John Taffin's Book of the .44 Caliber

xiii FOREWORD:
xiv INTRODUCTION:
THE FIRST .44s
4 CHAPTER 1: In the Beginning
10 CHAPTER 2: The Massive Walker Colt
16 CHAPTER 3: Downsizing to the Dragoons
24 CHAPTER 4: Sixguns for the Army
32 CHAPTER 5: Winchester Arrives – The 1860 Henry
38 CHAPTER 6: Smith & Wesson Goes Big Bore – The .44 American
46 CHAPTER 7: Colt Wakes Up – The .44 Colt Cartridge Conversions
54 CHAPTER 8: The Russians Do It Better – The .44 Russian
64 CHAPTER 9: A Legend Begins – The .44 Winchester Centerfire
72 CHAPTER 10: Colt’s Frontier Six Shooters
THE .44 SPECIAL
84 CHAPTER 11: The .44 Special Arrives in the Smith & Wesson Triple Lock
94 CHAPTER 12: Pioneer Experimenters Improve the .44 Special
106 CHAPTER 13: Skeeter Skelton Single Handedly Saves the .44 Special
THE .44 SPECIAL SIXGUNS
– 100 YEARS OF SERVICE
118 CHAPTER 14: Smith & Wesson’s 2nd and 3rd Model Hand Ejectors
128 CHAPTER 15: Smith & Wesson’s Classic .44 Specials
140 CHAPTER 16: Colt’s Finest Single-Action Specials
152 CHAPTER 17: Colt’s Finest Double-Action Specials
162 CHAPTER 18: Replica .44 Sixguns
176 CHAPTER 19: USFA’s Custom Factory .44 Specials
188 CHAPTER 20: Freedom Arms’ Mid-Frame .44 Special
194 CHAPTER 21: Grover’s Right-Handed .44 Specials
204 CHAPTER 22: At Last a Ruger Flat Top .44 Special!
214 CHAPTER 23: Charter Arms Lets the Dogs Loose
222 CHAPTER 24: Custom Sixgunsmiths and the .44 Special
THE FIRST .44 MAGNUM –

SMITH & WESSON'S
DOUBLE-ACTION PERFECTION
248 CHAPTER 25: 60 Years with the Model 29
262 CHAPTER 26: The S&W .44 Magnum Goes Stainless
272 CHAPTER 27: Combining Power and Portability – The 329PD
278 CHAPTER 28: Downsizing the .44 Magnum – The S&W Model 69
THE RUGER .44 MAGNUM –
THE MODERNIZATION OF
THE SINGLE ACTION
286 CHAPTER 29: Perfecting the Single Action – The .44 Blackhawk
296 CHAPTER 30: Perfecting Perfection – The Super Blackhawk
304 CHAPTER 31: Ruger Modernizes the Bisley
312 CHAPTER 32: .44s for Handgun Hunters – The Ruger Hunter Model
THE NEW BREED OF .44 MAGNUMS
318 CHAPTER 33: Grover’s Improved Number Five
326 CHAPTER 34: Some Other .44 Magnum Sixguns
338 CHAPTER 35: Ruger’s Double-Action .44 Magnums
348 CHAPTER 36: Dan Wesson’s .44 Magnums – Accurate and Easy Shootin’
354 CHAPTER 37: Finally a .44 Magnum from Colt – The Anaconda
360 CHAPTER 38: Taurus .44 Magnums
366 CHAPTER 39: Freedom Arms Combines the Perfect Cartridge and Perfect Sixgun
374 CHAPTER 40: Semiautomatic and Single-Shot .44 Magnums
382 CHAPTER 41: Custom .44 Magnums from Mag-Na-Port and SSK
SOME GRAND .44s
396 CHAPTER 42: The .44 Single Actions of Elmer Keith
406 CHAPTER 43: The .44 Double-Action Sixguns of Elmer Keith
414 CHAPTER 44: The True Story of the .44 Magnum
THE .44 LONG GUNS AND LONG CARTRIGES
428 CHAPTER 45: Replica .44 Leverguns – Better Than the Originals
440 CHAPTER 46: Today’s .44 Long Guns
452 CHAPTER 47: More Power from the .44 – The .444 Marlin
458 CHAPTER 48: The First Big-Bore Maximum – The .445 SuperMag
SECTION 5
SECTION 6
SECTION 7
SECTION 8