RE: .44 Special; .44 Magnum; .44-40 Winchester
.44 special will fire in a 44 mag chamber. I don' t know what the upside or downside is to doing so but that is a big selling point to buyers of 44 mag pistols....they can shoot the 44 special as well.
I don' t know if the 44-40 can be fired in any other chamber safely.
I do know that the 44-40 is a bit more potent than even the 30-30 for real close range work. After 100 yards the 30-30 is a bit better,but the 30-30' s efectiveness after 100 yards has been called into question many times.
The 44-40 in he 200 grain softpoint from a RIFLE barrel at 1800 fps would be ample for deer inside 100yards. Better than the 30-30, according to " Cartridges of the world" .