Black Hills Thunder Ranch .44 special ammo

American Handgunner, July-August, 2005 by Charles E. Petty

Smith & Wesson's early .44 Hand ejectors have been the downfall of many would-be collectors and I shudder to think how long it took and how much it cost for me to find them. So when Handgunner and Clint Smith prevailed upon S&W to bring back the Model 21--variously also known as the Model 26 or .44 Hand Ejector Third Model--they took a step back in their glorious history to a time when big bore revolvers were king and magnums unknown.

It's only fitting that Black Hills Ammunition made a special run of Thunder Ranch ammo to go with it. The bullet is a 250 gr. Keith-style SWC that anyone who knows anything about .44 Specials agrees is a superior performer. It works handsomely on predators, regardless of the number of legs they may have.

For testing I used S&W Model 24 revolvers in 5" and 6.5" barrel lengths and a Colt SAA with a 5.5" barrel, all at 25 yards. My real Model 1926 ain't been fired and won't be anytime real soon.

Firearm    BBL    Vel   Accuracy

S&W 24     5"     746   1.40"
S&W 24     6.5"   737   1.78"
Colt SAA   5.5"   736   2.13"

The Black Hills ammo bears a special Thunder Ranch head-stamp and will be sold primarily through the distributors who also carry the new revolver. Of course that doesn't mean you can't shoot it in any revolver you like!

For more information, contact Black Hills Ammunition, P.O. Box 3090, Rapid City, SD 57709, (800) 568-6625, www.black-hills.com.