I have a Marlin Model 1894 in .44-40, manufactured in 1905. Also have a Colt Single Action Army 'Frontier Six Shooter' in .44-40, manufactured in 1914. Both are good shooters.

.44-40 (aka: .44 WCF, .44 Winchester) was introduced in 1873 along with the Winchester Model 1873 rifle. The cartridge is basically a centerfire development of the earlier .44 Henry rimfire. Very popular well into the 20th Century.

Bottleneck case design, so no carbide dies and case lube will always be required. Relatively thin case walls and necks, so I suggest caution with heavier loads because they can cause extraction and ejection problems.

Performance-wise the .44-40 can exceed .44 Special in revolvers, and in rifles it will shoot close to .44 magnum spec's with the lighter to mid-weight bullets (175-210 grains or so), with the .44 magnum really coming into its own with the heavier bullets.

Ammo can be very difficult to find, as can brass, and usually expensive when available. Bore and groove diameters vary widely, and most factory ammo will have .426-.427" bullets to accommodate. Newer guns are more likely to have .429" groove diameters, so factory ammo may not perform to best standards. I stick with cast lead bullets and modest loads in my two 100-plus year old .44-40's.