First Model DA .44, what caliber?

[Bryan Austin]

Most Antique reloading manuals list FFG as the correct Black Powder used for the 44WCF. NOT FFFG. However, FFFG is often used when reloading that cartridge. It would be an interesting study when using FFFG in the rifle vs FFG as originally designed.

Murph

Black Powder today is nowhere the quality as it once was. Goex is the worst while Swiss is, or was the best just a few years ago. John Kort was an avid black powder 44-40 shooter. Chasing the 44-40 - John Kort

Forget the manuals, go straight to Winchester's catalog #55 Chasing the 44-40 - Black Powder

Which states the following,
For the 32, 38, and 44 WCF rifles and ALL center-fire pistol cartridges:

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• American Powder Mills' "Rifle Cartridge, No. 4"
• Hazard Powder Company's "Kentucky Rifle F.F.G."
• E. I. DuPont. de Nemours & Co.'s "Dupont Rifles F.F.G."
• Laflin & Rand Powder Co.'s "Orange Rifle Extra, F.F.G."

​For powder to be used in rifle cartridges containing more than 40 grains, we recommend the following brands and sizes of grains as giving the best results:

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• American Powder Mills' "Rifle Cartridge, No. 3"
• Hazard Powder Company's "Kentucky Rifle F.G."
• E.I. DuPont. de Nemours & Co.'s "Dupont Rifles F.G."
• Laflin & Rand Powder Co.'s "Orange Rifle Extra, F.G."

Winchester 1914 Catalog, Black Powder loads accurate out to 300 yards!!

I never did test compressed vs non-compressed, this vs that and this vs that...tons pf work.
Again though as previously posted, I did test some FF vs FFF and some compressed vs not compressed.

The MAIN differences I saw in my results were the different case designs.

The results can be seen here: 2020-9-19, 44-40 Pressure Results, 83 Tests - Google Sheets

 

[BMur]

Factory ammo

Great research Bryan,
I always found it very frustrating researching antique black powder "centerfire" calibers. Why? because since the late 1860's reloading equipment/tools and supplies were readily available to the general public.

So, basically proving that original black powder ammunition found was "factory loaded" is extremely difficult.

Therefore, we basically don't know what the factory actually loaded the cases with, exactly. We can only speculate.

I've collected antique loading tools for many years and some kits that I have purchased came with old ammo, primers, small pouches of black powder, balloon head cases, and cast lead bullets still inside the original boxes. Some I have seen and still have in my collection are NOT head stamped and they look like factory loaded ammo but are not. They are just very old reloads from the black powder era.

When researching "rimfire" ammo from the black powder era? That tends to reveal more solid ground since reloading tools for rimfire cases were Never produced for the general public in any volume. So when you find a non head stamped case rimfire cartridge? Odd's are it's a factory loaded case.

Add some fuel to the fire? Now antique ammunition can be worth more than the antique firearm. So performing research now is extremely costly. I doubt we will ever actually know what the cartridge manufacturers actually loaded the case with. Did they mix powders? Did they start with a small FFFFG load? Did they compress the powder before they pressed the bullet and crimped the case?

I have some very old reloading tools that included a wood hand held powder compressor. The assumption is always that the Cartridge companies compressed the powder when seating the bullet. I'm not sure that I agree with that position. Old tools suggest the powder was often compressed "prior" to seating the bullet.

Murph