The .44 Special revolver cartridge is produced by the firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson. It was introduced in 1907.
While few firearms today are made to chamber the .44 Special explicitly, the cartridge lives on because it can be fired in any revolver designed for the .44 Magnum cartridge. This is because the .44 Magnum cartridge is a lengthened .44 Special cartridge. The .44 Special is a less powerful ".44 Magnum Lite" in much that same way that the .38 Special is a less powerful ".357 Magnum Lite." While many shooters prefer .44 Magnum ammunition for hunting or self-defense, they choose the lighter recoil of .44 Special ammunition for plinking or target shooting.
This cartridge has the unfortunate distinction of being the type used in a Charter Arms Bulldog by David Berkowitz (The Son of Sam serial killer) on his killing spree in the 1970s.
See also