44-40 questions
 

I'm new to reloading and want to get started on the 44-40 i picked up a couple of months ago. It's a marlin 1894CL. I'm confused about the bullet diameter. I have seen several different sizes shown. Is there anyway to know without slugging the barrell? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Am sure that your rifle uses .429 bullets. Some of the older rifles use .427 bullets.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Sorry, I got it backwards. The .44-40 ammo made after about WWII use .427 bullets.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Thanks for the help. Any idea where to get current load info? Everything I have seen has been pretty weak. I have read you can load it to about 1800 fps with 200 grain bullets but haven't seen any data on that.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Used to own a Model 1892 Winchester takedown in .44-40. Gave it to my son. Years ago Winchester offered a loadingin excess of1800 fps with the 200 grain bullet. It was a juch better close range deer killer than the .30-30. There was a warning on the box not to fire that round in the 1873 rifle or in revolvers. People ignored the warnings, got hurt, sued Winchester and that was the end of a very good deer load.

i cannot find any high velocity loading data for the .44-40 rifle. If you have a chronograph and are an experienced reloader you couldlook at .44 Magnum rifle reloading data, reduce the load by about 20 percent work it up slowly while being on the lookout for high pressure signs. If you are not an experienced reloader do not do this. Do not use any powder faster than 2400 or IMR 4227. Keep in mind that the .44-40 is a thin case. Use only modern cases that have not been previously re-loaded.

"The .44-40 has killed more game, large and small, and more people, good amd bad, than any other commercial cartridge ever developed."

Good luck.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Could somebody please explain to me the difference between a 44-40 and a 44 magnum? I take it the 44-40 is the older version?

RE: 44-40 questions
 

The .44-40 was developed for use in the 1873 Winchester rifle.It was the most popular caliber chambered for that rifle. It was used in some Marlin rifles. It was also used in pump rifles made by Colt, and Remington.

The .44-40 case is slightly bottlenecked and is larger in diameter than the .44 Magnum: The .44 Magnum case is straight.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

So is it a 44 necked down to a 40? Do they use the same caliber of bullet?

RE: 44-40 questions
 

originally it was called the 44 WCF. they started chambering it in marlin and other rifles and started calling it the 44-40. a 44 caliber bullet over 40 grains of black powder. same cartrige just a couple of different names.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

i was also trying to find out about the bullet diameter but evidently they are different. the 44 magnum uses .429 bullets but the 44-40 uses .427.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Ok, so essentially they are the same except the older 44-40 uses black powder and a slightly smaller bullet, .427 instead of the .429? And the shells arent interchangeable?

RE: 44-40 questions
 

The .44/40 is the .45 Colt case necked down to fire .427" bullets, but bullets (especially cast ones) up to .430" can be used in one, IF the chamber neck is large enough in diameter that it allows the case neck to easily relaease the bullet on firing. You can check for this, by trying to slide a bullet of a given diameter into the mouth of a case fired in your chamber. If the bullet slides into the casse mouth easily, you can use it.

Inthe old Lyman 46 Edition reloading manual, I find the following MAXIMUM loads:

200 grain Jacketed softpoin bullet-(Remington make)-27.5 grains of Herc. 2400-MV = 2079 FPS
200 grain jacketed softpoint bullet-(Remington make)-29 grains of IMR 4227-MV= 2012 FPS

These loads used R-P cases and REM. 2-1/2 LP primers

These loads were tested in a Model 92 Winchester, so should not strain your new Marlin much - BUT!!
Note that these two are MAXIMUM loads with powders available way back, and I have heard that the new Alliant version of 2400 is faster than the Hercules version of 2400.

You will get close to 1800 FPS using 23.8 to 24 grains of Alliant 2400, or a charge of 25.9-26 grains of IMR4227.

As the 44/40 is based on the 45 Colt case, it has a larger case volume than the 44 Magnum case. Consequently, any powder charge given for the 44 magnum will produce LESS velocity and pressure in the 44/40 thanwhen used in the 44 magnum. In addition, you are using a lighter bullet, so overall, you are going to be pretty safe if you use theseloads in bold type above as a starting point.

IF your chamber dimensions are generous enough to use .429" bullets, I'd use them, as the selection of .429" bullets is much larger than .427" bullets!

Good luck - post your results!

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Thanks for all the info. I would love to try cast bullets but am new to reloading and don't know anything about them. Don't really want to invest all the money in casting my own. Since I wasn't sure about the bullet diameter I didn't know where to begin.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Well, the Win. M92 Lyman used for their load development had a GROOVE diameter of 0.432", and the Marlin 94 they used for load development shows a groove of 0.436"! That's pretty deep, if the BORE was .427" before rifling. With your rifle, I would definitely have the bore slugged before using cast bullets, as you want to use cast bullets .001" to .002" OVER GROOVE diameter. You can buy cast bullets from some custom bullet guys sized to whatever diameter you want, and heat-treated to whatever hardness you desire. To shoot cast bullets in my .416 Rigby, I use a bullet of Brinell18-20, sized 0.417", and I shoot them at 2100 FPS.

So for the .44/40 rifle, I'd want mine about Brinell 15 (about like Lyman No. 2 alloy unhardened) and .001" OVER whatever your groove diameter turns out to be, if I planned to shoot them at 1800 FPS.

Check out this site for more info- contact The Bull Shop if you need some bullets made to your specs..... http://bullshop.gunloads.comThey make great bullets at reasonable prices.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Eldeguello, you have been a wealth of knowledge in just about every post that I have ever read of yours. Thank you for that. It is very interesting to learn about some of these old guns and how some of the older guns morphed into what we now have.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

I agree and thanks for the help. The main reason I bought the gun was because of the caliber. Something old and intresting. I hope to take a deer with it before the season is out here in VA.

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Well, gee. fellers! Thanks for the kind words......

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Please let us know how that .44/40 worrks out for you!

RE: 44-40 questions
 

Will do and thanks again. It may be a little while though. The wife and I just had another little girl last week. That's number three. So as you can imagine extra time is a little scarce right now. She thinks I'm spending to much time on the net and asked me yesterday if I was looking up porn. If you've had kids you know how their hormones get.