your thoughts on the 44 winchester

[agent00]

After I had to get rid of m 357 mag henry rilfe for financial reasons I want to get into lever action rifles again. There was nothing wrong with the 357 magnum I am very tempted to get a more historical accurate cartridge for my upcoming Henry sort of. The Original Henry was not chambered for the 44-40 WCF as far as I know.

But what are your thoughts on the 44-40 ? The main use of the rifle will be target/fun shooting but it should be also serviceable as a self defense rifle.

Are there any decent loads that could be used for self defense in your point of view?

thanks for the help in advance.

 

[Bakebfr480]

The 44 wcf is an excellent cartridge.......I don't know about the availability in Austria though!

 

[LoboGunLeather]

The original Henry rifles were chambered for a .44 rimfire cartridge of dimensions very similar to the .44-40.

I have an original Marlin 1894 (manufactured 1905) in .44-40 and it is a fine rifle. I enjoy it very much, along with a companion Colt Single Action Army revolver in .44-40 (manufactured 1914).

Having said these things, the .44-40 will do nothing better than the .44 Special, which features a stronger cartridge case. The .44 Special can also be used in firearms chambered for the .44 magnum cartridge, offering much greater performance than the .44-40.

Here in the United States .44-40 ammunition is seldom seen and quite expensive when found. .44 Special ammunition is much more readily available and more reasonably priced.

 

[gwpercle]

The Original Henry rifles made today are chambered in 44-40 and 45 Colt . Fired from a rifle either would be a decent short range hunting or self defense round. A lot of game and men have fallen to both.
I personally reload and cast bullets so store bought ammo availability and price is not a factor. A Lee Hand Press and a set of dies would allow you to load ammo.
I would love nothing more than an Original Henry in 44-40 , the tapered case and larger rim would have an edge on the 45 Colt...which was never historically chambered in a lever action rifle..only revolvers.
My tough choice...Brass or Steel frame . The brass framed ones are handsome rifles and look just like the original 1861 models .
Gary

 

[Texas Star]

I'd look for a Browning/Miroku repro of the Winchester M-92. Not sure if they came in .44-40, as did the original but if in .357 or .44 Magnum, it makes sense in modern times.

The 200 grain bullet of the .44-40 lacks the sectional density of the 250 grain Keith bullet and can't be driven as fast as can a .44 Magnum. Sasha Siemel shot a Winchester M-92 in .44-40 to kill jaguars, although his fame was mainly from spearing them.

The bullet will penetrate enough to kill most game in South American jungles, but I'd prefer not to shoot deer with it or wild pigs beyond about 150 meters.
The .44 Magnum will extend that a little.

A famous US frontiersman shot a grizzly bear 17 times with a .44-40 before it died. But I don't know where he hit it. That suggests a lack of penetration on really big animals.

I'd probably get the Winchester or Marlin .44's or a Marlin M-336 in .30-30.

I don't know which cartridges are legal for hunting in Austria. On red deer or roebuck at extended yardages, I'd certainly prefer a 7X57mm, 7X64mm, or a .270 or .30-06 to any traditional lever action rifle.

Is Steyr still making bolt action hunting rifles?

 

[agent00]

Thanks for the answers. They were very helpful.

@Texas Star Yes, Steyr has still a good line of different bolt action rifles.

 

[Squarebutt]

The .44-40 is notoriously difficult to reload, with thin case walls and tapered body. New ammunition is rare and expensive here in the U.S. But if it's what you want, by all means go ahead.

 

[Warren Sear]

I cast my own bullets and hand load for my .44 WCF revolver, so the cost for me is about the same as shooting .22LR. I have never experienced any trouble hand loading this caliber, although I had heard the warnings. It is no different than loading for any other caliber. I crimp in a separate step, so maybe that helps.

 

[STCM(SW)]

I have a S&W 44-40 revolver and have shot some game with it.
I reload and agree it is not an easy round to reload.
Even being careful the case can be damaged.
Can not get it to equal a 44 S&W SPL for power when hand loaded.
Still love the round....

 

[growr]

Having shot thousands of 44-40 in SASS since 2000, contrary to popular belief it is NOT a difficult cartridge to load for.

The casings need to be lubed...( I have used Hornady One Shot for many years).

Care must be take to make sure the casing is going straight into the die body. Slow it down, it will reward you.

Make sure to flare the case mouth just enough to accept the bullet and no more.

Lastly do not over crimp the bullet. "A little dab will do ya" You need just enough to hold the bullet in place and no more than that, otherwise....crumpled casing.

Lastly , many SASS shooters are using 44-40 use Starline brass exclusively, it is stronger than most other brass.

Randy

 

[sandog]

I've loaded a lot of .44 WCF. Like growr said, it's not hard to load, just a bit more attention is needed when running brass into the sizing die.
Go slow and make sure the case is all the way back in the shellholder, or you'll crumple the neck. If I sat down and loaded several hundred, I might damage one case, no biggie.
Starline is the best bet for new brass.
And I seat bullets and crimp in separate operations instead of one.

When I lived in Montana, I shot two big whitetail bucks with a Cimarron 1873 in .44/40. They both needed a second shot, and upon dressing them out I was amazed at how little penetration the 200 grain cast bullet got. Around 4 or 5 inches.
When you think about it, the 200 grain is almost as wide as it is long, like a round ball with edges.

I started loading a 225 grain bullet after that for the better sectional density and mass, but didn't do any more deer hunting with the .44 WCF. as I had more effective lever guns available like the 38-55, .356 Winchester and .45-70.

The .44 WCF is a great historical cartridge though, and with the taper and bottleneck, feeds slick and seals the chamber well even with light loads. No black soot around the case neck like you'll get on light loads in the .45 Colt.