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Magnum era

The inventions of the metallic cartridge and then smokeless powder had allowed for dramatic improvements in handgun ballistics. Standardization and adherence to cartridge standards originating in the black powder cartridge era resulted in cartridge capacity in excess of peak combustion pressure standards. Smokeless powder did not take up as much volume as black powder and cases like the.38 Special and.45 Colt were much larger than 9×19mm and.45 ACP which had similar ballistics respectively. As metallurgy was improved, handloaders began experimenting with loading the.38 Special and.44 Special cartridges with fuller cases of smokeless propellants. By 1929, the ".38-44" cartridge and a large N-framed Smith & Wesson.38/44 revolver chambered for this cartridge was available. By the 1930s, automobiles with heavy steel bodies had become popular and the improved ballistics of more powerful handguns was in demand. Colt had similarly introduced the.38 Super, simply a. 38 ACP loaded to higher pressure with more powder. In 1935, Smith and Wesson released the Registered Magnum (later referred to as the Smith & Wesson Model 27) which was the first revolver chambered for.357 Magnum. It was designed as a more powerful handgun for law enforcement officers. The Registered Magnum marked the beginning of the "Magnum Era" of handguns. Notably, Elmer Keith continued to demonstrate and advocate the use of the.44 Special at higher pressures. The high point of the Magnum Era was in 1955 when Smith & Wesson released the Smith & Wesson Model 29 in.44 Magnum. Two decades later the Dirty Harry movies made this gun a cultural icon. The S&W Model 19 was also introduced in 1955, it is a.357 Magnum revolver produced by Smith & Wesson on its K-frame design. The Model 19 is smaller and lighter than the original the S&W Model 27.357 Magnums. It was made at the behest of retired Assistant Chief Patrol Inspector of the U.S. Border Patrol, famous gunfighter, and noted firearms and shooting skills writer Bill Jordan.