.44 SPL Ammo Showdown: Buffalo Bore vs. Sig Sauer

By Josh Wayner

The Smith & Wesson Alaska Backpacker IV helps us determine the winner of this .44 SPL showdown. (Photo: Josh Wayner/Guns.com)
The .44 Special is amid a comeback thanks to the popularity of big-bore carry guns and advances in bullet technology. Unlike many other cartridges of similar intent, the 44 Special has earned a very interesting place in the pantheon of American cartridges.
The parent case to the .44 Magnum, the .44 SPL was a favorite cartridge of nearly all sportsmen and outdoorsmen in the years before the introduction of its more powerful descendent. Today’s .44 SPL offers a great deal to both the novice and experienced shooter with both modern and classic bullet types.
We pit the old versus the new in the form of the Buffalo Bore 190-grain Soft Cast and Sig Sauer’s 200-grain V-Crown JHP.
Accuracy
SHOP THE S&W ALASKA BACKPACKER
The gun used for testing is the now-discontinued Smith & Wesson Alaska Backpacker IV chambered in .44 Magnum. Fun fact: any gun chambered for .44 Magnum can also fire .44 SPL. The 44 SPL is only slightly shorter than the Magnum, so it can fit in the same chamber just like a .38 SPL can fit in the chamber of a .357 Magnum.

Source: Guns.com