The cartridge that won the West — chambered in the Henry rifle, the first practical repeating rifle, and its direct successor the Winchester Model 1866. A flat-nosed rimfire round that gave Union soldiers a 16-round repeating advantage during the Civil War.
Type: Rifle
Introduced: 1860, United States
Parent case: None
Standardization: Obsolete / Non-standard
Bullet diameter: 0.446" (11.33 mm)
Case length: 0.875" (22.23 mm)
Overall length: 1.345" (34.16 mm)
Max pressure: 12,000 PSI
Rim type: Rimfire
Primer: Rimfire
Typical twist rate: 1:36
Muzzle velocity: 1100–1200 fps
Muzzle energy: 537–690 ft-lbs
Effective range: 100 yd
Common bullet weights: 200, 216 gr
Primary use: Hunting, Military
Production status: Limited
Also known as: .44 Flat · .44 RF · .44 Henry Flat · 44 Rimfire
History: Benjamin Tyler Henry designed both the cartridge and the rifle simultaneously in 1860. The Henry rifle held 15+1 rounds of .44 Henry rimfire in a tubular magazine — an almost incomprehensible advantage over the single-shot muzzleloaders of the era. Union soldiers who could afford to purchase Henry rifles privately did so in large numbers during the Civil War; Confederate troops reportedly called…
Notable firearms: Henry Rifle (1860), Winchester Model 1866 'Yellow Boy', Winchester Model 1860
Military use: {"country":"United States","years":"1862-1866","notes":"Used by Union soldiers who purchased Henry rifles privately during Civil War"}
Similar cartridges: 10.4x38mm Swiss Vetterli, .44-40 Winchester