r/canadaguns • u/One-Coffee-2621 • Jun 03 '26
Misc .44 Russian vs .44 Henry Centrefire
I have an antique Brazilian Nagant Revolver, almost literally from Forgotten Weapons lol. It is originally chambered in .44 Henry Centrefire, my question is would it be ok to use .44 Russian? Would it have to be reamed like a Reich's revolver or is there something I'm missing as to why that wouldn't work? I've tried reading up on the differences between the cartridges but end up getting spun around. Alternatively I could get someone custom reload for me (I'd love to reload myself but am short on physical space and time currently), but if .44 Russian will work I'd rather go with the relatively cheaper, available option.TIA
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u/Pelcat Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
It might fit but I'd expect pretty poor accuracy. .44 Henry was a heel-based bullet, while .44 Russian has an inside-lubricated bullet. This means .44 Henry is a true .44 caliber while .44 Russian actually has a bullet diameter of .429. It might fire but the bullet will not be stabalized properly as it is too small for the bore. This is a cartridge you'll need to cast your own bullets for but molds are hard to come by and need to be custom ordered.
Correction, I think 44 Russian cases might not actually fit because they are slightly larger than 44 Henry Flat Centerfire. Molds are actually available from Old West Bullet molds. Apparenly 44 S&W American will also chamber, some people use trimmed 41 Rem Mag brass for that caliber.