44-40 rifle loads?
anybody out there with any data on reloading the
the 44wcf in a rifle?
All I can find is pistol data and the cowboy action loads. PHOOEY !
These are all slower than the old 92 and 73 rifle loads.
I understand that since the rifle load has been unpopular
in the last 1/2 of the century or longer that the books only
give data for the pistol,so people wont mix thier rifle
loads and use the the higher pressure loads in thier pistol by
accident.
I would like to load some for my rifle that shoots like the
old black powder loads used to.
but with smokless powder.
the 44wcf in a rifle?
All I can find is pistol data and the cowboy action loads. PHOOEY !
These are all slower than the old 92 and 73 rifle loads.
I understand that since the rifle load has been unpopular
in the last 1/2 of the century or longer that the books only
give data for the pistol,so people wont mix thier rifle
loads and use the the higher pressure loads in thier pistol by
accident.
I would like to load some for my rifle that shoots like the
old black powder loads used to.
but with smokless powder.
0
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also is there any jacketed bullets out there?
all I find in hardcast bullets. didnt these ever shoot
a real bullet?
.428 or .427 dia.0 -
From Lyman's 46th. edition manual[comments: these loads should not be used in handguns or in rifles which were designed for black powder]
Unique powder starting load 8.3gr.[factory duplication and most accurate]@1181fps/max.load-11.3gr@1519fps
2400 powder starting load 24gr.@1795fps/max. load-27.5gr@2079fps
IMR-4227 powder starting load 26gr.@1789fps/ max. load-29gr.@2012fps
As allways start low and work your way up.
The key here is to obtain as many manuals as can be found. Gun shows are a good source
Firearms used for testing were: Winchester Model 92 and Marlin Model 940 -
There are a couple of things to think about here. First off what model rifle are you looking to load for? If it is a model 1873 Winchester or one of it's clones you are going to be limited to low power cartridges because the '73 is a weak action. Even the new imports are limited by the strength of the links. If on the other hand, you are going to load for the Winchester model 1892 and it's clones or a Marlin, you can load to higher pressure. Another thing to think about is the groove diameter of the barrel. Most of the original rifles run a little on the large size. It is not unusal to find a model '73 or any of the Marlin's with a groove diameter of .430-.434, also, Colt and Remington usualy run a little on the small side. Somewhere around .425-.428. Another thing if you are loading for a Colt Lighting rifle you must use light loads as this is also a weak rifle. I don't know the groove diameter of the new imported rifles as I don't fool with them. Jacketed bullets are available in either .427 or .428, cast lead bullets are available in any size from .425-434. If the bore of your rifle is good, cast bullets are the best choice for the velocity range possible with the .44-40.
My best load for this cartridge is a 225 grain round nose flat point cast lead bullet over 18 grains of IMR-4227 for a velocity of 1350 fps from a 24 inch barrel.0
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