Smith & Wesson Forum

Go Back   Smith & Wesson Forum > Ammunition-Gunsmithing > Ammo
o

Notices

Ammo All Ammo Discussions Go Here


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #51  
Old 02-25-2017, 08:51 PM
jeeps jeeps is offline
Member
44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition  
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Southside
Posts: 919
Likes: 280
Liked 1,278 Times in 417 Posts
Default

I use a Colt Frontier Six-shooter every night loaded with a 205 grn. Flat top over 9grn. Of Unique. I sleep tight and don't worry. Put down many deer and feral hogs with this load so some perp who breaks in will meet the the same end! If I need more than five shots that's some sloppy home defense! The 44-40 turning bad guys into fertilizer since 1878 in Colts and 1873 in Winchester rifles.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 20170225_195514.jpg (89.5 KB, 16 views)

Last edited by jeeps; 02-26-2017 at 03:50 PM.
Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
  #52  
Old 02-26-2017, 08:54 AM
LoboGunLeather's Avatar
LoboGunLeather LoboGunLeather is offline
US Veteran
44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition  
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Colorado
Posts: 7,518
Likes: 19,273
Liked 32,340 Times in 5,474 Posts
Default

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.

Last edited by LoboGunLeather; 02-26-2017 at 08:56 AM.
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #53  
Old 02-26-2017, 03:40 PM
jeeps jeeps is offline
Member
44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition  
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Southside
Posts: 919
Likes: 280
Liked 1,278 Times in 417 Posts
Default

Lobo you make holsters? I have a Tom Three Person for my Colt Frontier SixShooter. You have class and wisdom in these matters.
Reply With Quote
  #54  
Old 03-02-2017, 12:26 AM
Beemer-mark Beemer-mark is offline
Member
44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition  
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Wilmington, NC
Posts: 1,014
Likes: 172
Liked 671 Times in 309 Posts
Default

I have a 544 and love it. Of all the 44-40 handguns it is the most accurate. The 544 is nothing but a model 29 44 magnum with the cylinder chambered for the 44-40 round. The barrel mikes out at .429 and the throats are close to that. Very accurate gun. 16.5 grain of 2400 will push a 200 grain .429/.430 bullet at 1200 fps by my chronograph. Nothing to sneeze at. A more manageable load is 9.0 grains of Unique for ~950 fps. My bullets are cast soft with a BHN of about 10 but never more than 12.

I tried 240 grain bullets with some success but they wouldn't work in my other guns (Colts). You need to get some good reload dies and experiment a bit to find the best combination. You really need to find Dave Scovill's book "Colts Single Actions" on reloading this cartridge.
Reply With Quote
  #55  
Old 03-02-2017, 01:27 AM
STCM(SW)'s Avatar
STCM(SW) STCM(SW) is offline
US Veteran
44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition  
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: E. Washington State
Posts: 5,475
Likes: 1,321
Liked 10,566 Times in 3,212 Posts
Default

Shooting my M 544,
screencast
it's OK but my M 21 is a better revolver I think.
uploading pictures
Reloading 44-40 is sometimes a challenge as the brass can be damaged easy.
Even have a M28 I had converted to 38-40.
image hosting no sign up
It's OK, but for a 40 caliber
it's just a shooting toy. Don't even know why I spent so much having it
made..
__________________
Only difference Fool/Mule-ears
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post:
  #56  
Old 03-02-2017, 08:22 AM
jeeps jeeps is offline
Member
44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition  
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Southside
Posts: 919
Likes: 280
Liked 1,278 Times in 417 Posts
Default

There is joy in old Cal's. Of the west. The 44-40 is a nice shooting round with good power and mild recoil. The case seals well, not like the 45 colt which burns the brass.carry on and enjoy your works of art.
Reply With Quote
  #57  
Old 03-02-2017, 08:34 AM
growr growr is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Montana
Posts: 5,162
Likes: 3,432
Liked 6,245 Times in 2,061 Posts
Default

I have loaded and fired many thousands of 44-40 rounds in SASS on a Dillon 550B....biggest thing is to SLOW DOWN!

You need to make sure that the casing is centered in the shell casing BEFORE you try to insert it into the die body.

Never once have I had a cylinder not turn due to the cartridge being fired.....high prime (my fault not the cartridge) yes, but nOT due to firing it.

I've shot both black powder and smokeless with NO issues. Any crinkled casings were MY fault! No paying enough attention and going too fast.....

Randy
Reply With Quote
  #58  
Old 03-11-2017, 02:10 AM
Driftwood Johnson Driftwood Johnson is offline
SWCA Member
44-40 ammunition  
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Posts: 795
Likes: 0
Liked 968 Times in 219 Posts
Default

Howdy Again

I see this thread has been revived since I last posted to it.

I only own two revolvers that are chambered for 44-40.

This is a Merwin Hulbert Pocket Army, manufactured sometime between 1881 and 1883. This one I only shoot with Black Powder.





My other 44-40 revolver is this Colt New Service, made in 1907.





However I have lots of lever rifles chambered for 44-40, five of them at last count. The only cartridge I load more of then 44-40 is 45 Colt.
Reply With Quote
  #59  
Old 03-11-2017, 06:22 AM
BUFF BUFF is offline
SWCA Member
Absent Comrade
44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition  
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: SLC, Utah
Posts: 5,062
Likes: 739
Liked 3,271 Times in 1,282 Posts
Default

I bought a new/with case Model 544 in 1987, S/N TWT2703, in 1987. I kept thinking about shooting it, bought a set of dies and a couple boxes of Winchester factory-fresh .44-40 fodder. Never did shoot it but sold it to a gentleman who bought a couple other of my guns during the post-nubial division of the goods/paying my lawyer.

I had encountered an as-new in box Colt New Frontier with a 4-3/4 inch barrel chambered in .44-40. I sent it back to Colt who added a cylinder cut for the .44 Special.

I had no chronograph but had timed both .44 Special loadings I wanted to compare to the .44-40 in the Colt. One was the Winchester 246 grain RNL Special that usually gave me about 700 fps. The second was the Skelton load, a cast 250 grain SWC over 7.5 grains Unique which usually got me 850-950 fps depending on which handgun.

I fired all 200 rounds that afternoon. The .44-40 felt like it was not any harder recoiling than the factory .44 Special. The Skelton Special kicked harder.

The 100 .44-40 cartridges all shot well with no kind of hang-ups.

The .44-40 seemed to me to be pretty anemic. I would want faster-moving bullets for duty, and I would want those bullets to be of more modern development.

I would find a .44 Magnum cylinder and have it fit to your gun. You would then have a much wider choice of factory loaded modern bullets in both heavier .44 Special and lighter .44 Magnum to choose from.

Last edited by BUFF; 03-11-2017 at 06:23 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #60  
Old 03-11-2017, 09:16 AM
murphydog's Avatar
murphydog murphydog is offline
Moderator
44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition  
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 26,782
Likes: 936
Liked 18,873 Times in 9,241 Posts
Default

Guys, in the 6 1/2 years since the original post it looks like the OP went to a 686/642, then to the dark (plastic) side of Sig Sauer:

I feel so stupid!
__________________
Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220
Reply With Quote
  #61  
Old 03-11-2017, 09:50 AM
jimmyj's Avatar
jimmyj jimmyj is offline
Member
44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition 44-40 ammunition  
Join Date: May 2003
Location: DUNNELLON, FLORIDA USA
Posts: 11,102
Likes: 1,690
Liked 16,301 Times in 4,231 Posts
Default

Question: in my part of the world, using reloads for duty is a "No- No".
Is there a ammo company that offers this round ?
Can you continue to stand the expense of keeping enough ammo on hand for practice and qualifications ?
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
357 magnum, carbine, cartridge, colt, crimp, ejector, hand ejector, hornady, lock, model 27, model 29, n-frame, rcbs, ruger, russian, safariland, skeeter, skelton, starline, tactical, uberti, vaquero, webley, winchester

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
PPU ammunition Wahoo57 Ammo 27 03-12-2016 01:41 PM
Ammunition Wayne937 Smith & Wesson M&P Pistols 14 02-09-2014 02:22 AM
RAM ammunition oneyeopn Smith & Wesson M&P15 Rifles 4 02-23-2012 03:01 PM
Ammunition To Go BigRich315 Ammo 11 07-28-2009 11:09 PM

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
smith-wessonforum.com tested by Norton Internet Security smith-wessonforum.com tested by McAfee Internet Security

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:28 PM.


Smith-WessonForum.com is not affiliated with Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: SWHC)