The .44 Bull Dog was an American

centerfire Two rounds of .357 Magnum, a centerfire cartridge; notice the circular primer in the center A center-fire (or centerfire) is a type of metallic cartridge used in firearms, where the primer is located at the center of the base of its casing (i. ...

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

cartridge produced from the 1880s until the 1930s.Barnes, p.170, ".44 Bulldog".

Description

No known firearm was chambered exclusively for the .44 Bull Dog cartridge: It was a shorter and less powerful option for use in revolvers chambered for the .44 Webley cartridge (American name of the British .442 Webley revolver round). The .44 Bull Dog cartridge was manufactured in the US and Canada, probably for those bothered by the sharp recoil of the more powerful .44 Webley round in such small guns, or who were particularly cost conscious. (Typically, in the late 19th century U.S., a box of .44 Bull Dog cartridges cost $0.68 for 50 rounds, compared to $0.90 for 50 of the longer .44 Webley round. The .44 Bull Dog and .44 Webley cartridges continued to be commercially offered in the U.S. until 1938 or 1939.) Also, the Bull Dog was very easy to carry. 44BD

Webley's British Bulldog revolver was a popular and widely copied self-defense or "pocket" gun (so named for being designed early 1870s to be carried in a pocket. Today such guns might be a known as a snubnose or carry gun). A

black powder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

round, the .44 Bull Dog, as manufactured by firms such as

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, used a 168–170 grain

bullet A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. They are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax; and are made in various shapes and constru ...

and 15 grains powder, compared to a 200–230 grain bullet and 17–20 grains powder for the parent .44 Webley round. It proved a great deal better than contemporary rimfire rounds, being in a class with the .41 Short Colt.Barnes, p.170, ".44 Bulldog" However, by modern standards, the .44 Bull Dog was an extremely marginal round, not really suitable for anything but close range, which is how it normally would have been defensively used.

References

Sources

*Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber. ".44 Bull Dog", in ''Cartridges of the World'', pp. 170 & 177. Northfield, IL: DBI Books, 1972. . *______ and _____. ".25 (6.35mm) Automatic Pisto", in ''Cartridges of the World'', p. 149. Northfield, IL: DBI Books, 1972. . *Dowell, William Chipchase. ''The Webley Story''. Kirkland, WA: Commonwealth Heritage Foundation, 1987. *Ficken, Homer R.. ''Webley's The British Bull Dog Revolver, Serial Numbering and Variations''. Retrieved on 2011-04-03. {{DEFAULTSORT:44 Bulldog Pistol and rifle cartridges 1880 introductions

Description

See also

References

Sources