Is a 44-40 Worth the Hassle?

I have been casting , reloading & shooting .44-40 for Cowboy Action Shooting since 1985 when I started it.
I do this cal. only because that is what my Original Winchesters are chambered in.
It is more difficult than other cal. RE. finding brass , bullets or ammo.
Ammo. is very exspensive & hard to find. Brass is very thin & often crumpels when reloading. The wrong
cast bullets will back into the case when shooting if they don't have a canteluer in the right place.
Most CAS use .38 Sp. It has none of the above issues. I will continue using .44-40 & .38-40( same issues)
because it is the "Original" cal. to my "Original Rifles" & that is what I want.
Stick to .38 Sp if you want an easy ride.
 
Reloading 44 40 is easy. I never crumple cases. I never lube,although nickel cases are a bit sticky without it. Don’t use them the case mouths will split. It’s easy to find components whether you have an old rifle using .427 or a repro using .430 bullets. I use copper plated in both diameters.
 
cooey43 said:
I have been casting , reloading & shooting .44-40 for Cowboy Action Shooting since 1985 when I started it.
I do this cal. only because that is what my Original Winchesters are chambered in.
It is more difficult than other cal. RE. finding brass , bullets or ammo.
Ammo. is very exspensive & hard to find. Brass is very thin & often crumpels when reloading. The wrong
cast bullets will back into the case when shooting if they don't have a canteluer in the right place.
Most CAS use .38 Sp. It has none of the above issues. I will continue using .44-40 & .38-40( same issues)
because it is the "Original" cal. to my "Original Rifles" & that is what I want.
Stick to .38 Sp if you want an easy ride.
Click to expand...

Have you never "crimped" your reloads, standard procedure for myself & every cowboy shooter I know for rounds that will find their way into a tube magazine. And with cast, you don't need specific canelure or crimp grove to roll the crimp into...lead will allow you to crimp anywhere on the slug body.
 
I love this caliber. For components I’ve used Rusty Wood, Jet Bullets and Bullet Barn. I would say brass prep/care requires a little more attention than the average pistol caliber but i wouldn’t say it’s onerous. One thing I find is that new brass tends to have a fair number of dented rims because they’re so thin. I gently bend these out with a roll punch and then size as per usual.
 
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