Seeley Swan Pathfinder -

This column picks up where the last one ended concerning the development of the .44 Magnum cartridge. The last column ended with the introduction of the first .44 caliber, self contained cartridge for a handgun that was actually a rim fired cartridge developed for the Henry and Winchester rifles developed during the Civil War. After the war, Smith & Wesson (S&W) built a handgun for the cartridge. The U.S. Army ordered one thousand of the pistols but specified the cartridge had to be center fired. This cartridge became the .44 S&W.

Almost immediately, the Russian government ordered 20,...