Is the .44-40 dying, or alive and well?

J

JWB

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Let's see if I can stir up a little conversation.

I have heard that the .44-40 is a dying cartridge. Have also heard, sports like the Cowboy action shooting, are serving to keep it thriving. Have recently been searching for a .44-40 for myself. (lever action)
Every where I look, the decent gun makers, seem to want to sell the
.44 special, the .44 mag, the .357/.38special, etc. All good cartridges, but.............not .44-40s.

So, I'm looking to hear some opinion.
Is the .44-40 dying, or is it alive and well?

Open to all,
Thanks,

JWB

"Hunting" is the freedom to pursue tradition and a way of life that has sustained nations developed from frontiers, for longer than those nations are themselves old.
 
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The old .44-40 and .45-70 will never die. Cowboy action has helped a little but the .45lc and the .44mag. are more popular down here. A great caliber if you roll yer own. There are still thousands of old Winchester and Colts ect. in that caliber in use. Just gotta love the .44-40. Regards .45-90 :D:evil:
 
I got two original 44-40's and if you know of anyone who wants to get rid of their 'dying' 44-40, let me know and I'll be happy to take it off their hands. My two 44-40's have 209 years of experience between the two of them. Old 44-40's never die. They watch their owners grow old and pass on, generation after generation. Here some photos of my two:

This first one is a Winchester Model 1873, made in 1888, with a full octagon barrel in 44 W.C.F. (44-40)
73-Corn.jpg


This second one is a Winchester Model 1892 made in 1914, with a full octagon barrel in 44 W.C.F.
1892-Oct-Rifle.jpg
 
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I like the 44-40 over the 44mag with black powder tha brass is thinner and I don't get as much blow by the action stays cleaner I use it for all my black powder lever gun competitions .
 
Pic Of My New 44-40

44-40002.jpg

Here's a pic of my new 44-40 inheritance. New in the box, unfired, for now. I'm going to Calgary to buy some ammo and fix that unfired situation ASAP. Guns are made to be fired not just looked at. I will keep the ammo thats with it though, might be woth something someday. I guess I don't know how to post a pic, but it's a Winchester Little Big Horn Commemorative rifle. If anyone is interested and tells me how to post a pic I will.
 
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Very nice guns....I was given a very old 38-40 Marlin, I will be passing it on to my son or daughter when the day comes.




Win 38-55 said:
I got two original 44-40's and if you know of anyone who wants to get rid of their 'dying' 44-40, let me know and I'll be happy to take it off their hands. My two 44-40's have 209 years of experience between the two of them. Old 44-40's never die. They watch their owners grow old and pass on, generation after generation. Here some photos of my two:

This first one is a Winchester Model 1873, made in 1888, with a full octagon barrel in 44 W.C.F. (44-40)
73-Corn.jpg


This second one is a Winchester Model 1892 made in 1914, with a full octagon barrel in 44 W.C.F.
1892-Oct-Rifle.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Wow! Glad to see you are collecting Marlins. You really do need to get a 44-40 though. Heard of a fellow with an original Marlin 1894 in 44-40 for sale, but that was more than a year ago.
 
I was talking to "a guy that knows a guy" with a model 1889 in 44-40 for sale. If I don't end up getting the other 1881 I've had my eye on I may pick that up. If you come across any others - you know where to reach me :D
 
Well there is no answer to you question, as you can see this is my favourite cowboy calibre all my cowboy stuff is 44.40. But this is all I have noted, a year or two ago, I was told that Beretta/Uberti was not importing more 44.40’s, only special orders, there was a big sell off by a few stores, since that time they certainly have become harder to get, Marstar has imported some 44.40’s Pietta’s, and Armi Sport. There is also a belief that reloading a 44.40 is difficult due to the thin case neck, I don’t have much of a problem, lose one or two a session, but that can happen to any case. Is it dead, I don’t think so; think the Canadian market is just too small, maybe some dealers can comment?
 
.44-40w.

The only drawback down here is the price of .44-40 vs .44m.--.44sp. ect. of factory ammo, Bloody expensive. I have always rolled my own and find that Starline brass is the thickest walled brass of them all, I have some that i have just loaded for the seventh time with Re-7 for rifle. Hot loads of 2400 out of my Colt SAA and they dont last too long, Three at the most and they will split. Regards .45-90
 
I don't put my 44-40 rounds out the barrel much faster than about 1,320 fps. The brass has lasted quite a few reloads and shows no signs of wearing out yet ... just standard Winchester brass.
 
44-40 bullet diameter

Let's talk bullet diameter for the 44-40.

I have a Uberti 66 carbine and a Henry in 44-40. The Henry definitely prefers bullets sized .427, the '66 likes .429s.
The Henry will not feed blunt nosed CAS bullets, preferring RNFPs with a slight ogive.

I've yet to put BP through either, but the '66 does well with a 30 gr Pyro pellet and it's easy to do. I do enough fussing with BP for my 45-70s and 50-70 to want to do it for a pistol calibre.

It takes a little more care to load 44-40s than straight wall cases. I lube and size a batch before loading them on a Dillon progressive.

Todd
 
My two original 44-40's have groove diameters of .429 and .431. I use .429 bullets in both, but toilet paper is necessary for the .431 in order to get five shot groups at 100 yards of 4".
 
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