44-40

Sandhills

FNG
Joined
Feb 4, 2025
Messages
57
Anyone on here other than me have one?

I've got a colt clone wit a 6 1/2 inch barrel. Mostly have just shot hard cast cowboy loads through it because, well that's what was available. That being said, I've killed a skunk, a rattlesnake and a road hit deer with it.

I'm looking to carry it with me when I hunt, and if the opportunity arises to shoot a very close range deer with it. A buddy has some jacketed 427 dia bullets that he said he'd load up for me but I'm thinking soft cast would be the way to go. What say y'all?
 
Have you ever loaded BP in a cartridge? It is different from loading smokeless.
I loaded pyrodex once for the 44-40 and it was a stout load, more for curiosity sake than actual use. I shot five and cleaned the gun and never loaded anymore. I've never used real BP for anything
 
I'm looking to carry it with me when I hunt, and if the opportunity arises to shoot a very close range deer with it.

The few times I did that, I had animals on the ground before I ever thought about the pistol I was packing :ROFLMAO:

One or the other these days.
 
Anyone on here other than me have one?

I've got a colt clone wit a 6 1/2 inch barrel. Mostly have just shot hard cast cowboy loads through it because, well that's what was available. That being said, I've killed a skunk, a rattlesnake and a road hit deer with it.

I'm looking to carry it with me when I hunt, and if the opportunity arises to shoot a very close range deer with it. A buddy has some jacketed 427 dia bullets that he said he'd load up for me but I'm thinking soft cast would be the way to go. What say y'all?
That’s cool - just reading about it is a fun history lesson. It’s closer to 45 ACP than 44 mag in terms of Kapow, but I can see poking a deer at 50 yards if tracking conditions are good. Double lunging a deer will definitely kill it, it’s just nice if you can find it after the fact.

Of course you can reload in black powder, but smokeless is a lot less cleaning. In pistol cartridges lead bullets give a little more velocity than jacketed for the same pressure, so lead can be substituted for jacketed loads, but a load deemed safe with lead isn’t automatically safe with jacketed bullets. Many of us have Unique on the powder shelf for cartridges like this, but many pistol powders will make it go bang. Lyman always seemed to have a decent selection of load data for old cartridges in both jacketed and lead versions. I’d avoid any powder that will physically fit a double charge, and visually always inspect the powder level with a flashlight prior to seating bullets.
 
If casting your own bullets sounds like fun, don’t let the process intimidate you. The absolute bare basics can make serviceable bullets - flat nose hard cast Keith style bullets have a good hunting reputation.

As a teenager an old timer showed us how to melt wheel weights with a simple cast iron pot heated with a Coleman stove, into a basic Keith style Lyman double cavity mold, then lubed in a shallow pan by pouring in melted lube then using a cookie cutter to remove the lubed bullets, and size with some cheap die that simply pushed the bullet through a hole of a specific size (Lee).

I’ve never had a 44-40, but taking a doe with a 44 mag pistol felt like a big accomplishment.
 
That’s cool - just reading about it is a fun history lesson. It’s closer to 45 ACP than 44 mag in terms of Kapow, but I can see poking a deer at 50 yards if tracking conditions are good. Double lunging a deer will definitely kill it, it’s just nice if you can find it after the fact.

Of course you can reload in black powder, but smokeless is a lot less cleaning. In pistol cartridges lead bullets give a little more velocity than jacketed for the same pressure, so lead can be substituted for jacketed loads, but a load deemed safe with lead isn’t automatically safe with jacketed bullets. Many of us have Unique on the powder shelf for cartridges like this, but many pistol powders will make it go bang. Lyman always seemed to have a decent selection of load data for old cartridges in both jacketed and lead versions. I’d avoid any powder that will physically fit a double charge, and visually always inspect the powder level with a flashlight prior to seating bullets.
I've got unique, a antique (metal with the paint coming off ) can of SR 4756 and can or two of 800 x which are all good powders for the round. I was just curious if had a pet load that they have used. My old hand loads of 5 grains of 700x for shooting coke cans and snakes was only going 600 fps over a chronograph wouldn't do it.

The round was originally a black powder round and think it'd be neat to shoot a deer with it.

That is sound advice to double check with a light.

Unfortunately I'm not set up to cast my own. I know a guy who does cast for 44-40 though and might be able to trade some bullets from him.
 
I've got unique, a antique (metal with the paint coming off ) can of SR 4756 and can or two of 800 x which are all good powders for the round. I was just curious if had a pet load that they have used. My old hand loads of 5 grains of 700x for shooting coke cans and snakes was only going 600 fps over a chronograph wouldn't do it.

The round was originally a black powder round and think it'd be neat to shoot a deer with it.

That is sound advice to double check with a light.

Unfortunately I'm not set up to cast my own. I know a guy who does cast for 44-40 though and might be able to trade some bullets from him.
Sounds like fun to me - love those old revolvers.
 
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