[Death Dealer]

Hey Gentlemen. And I use that work loosly. :lol: Just kinding. I hope this thread is in the right place. Thinking of doing alittle cowboy action shooting and , I see most of the shooters are using the 44-40 . Has anyone used this round? And if so what can you tell me about it? I always thought the 44 magnum and the 45 long colt were the best for this type of shooting. Thanks.

 

[The Colonel]

My every day gun is a Vaquero, 45LC, love it. I carry the damn thing everywhere.

Look at http://www.sassnet.com, a lot of info there.

 

[Charlie Petty]

I'm a big fan of both the .44-40 and .38-40 but I don't think either is particularly popular with the competitive cowboy shooters. The .45 Colt has almost always been big, but now the wimp recoil guys are going to .32 Magnum and .38 Specials way downloaded.

I load .44-40 with a 200 grain cast bullet at about 750 fps. and shoot that in both Model 92 Winchester and Colt SAA. It is usually very accurate and fun to shoot. If you've got a specific question I'll try...

 

[David Berkowitz]

Maybe it's a regional thing, but hardly anyone I know shoots 44-40.
Some do, and you will find other black powder cartridges as well.

This is overly simplified.
Most of the people I shoot with use either the .45 Colt or .38 Spec.
The .45 Colt is the "cowboy" caliber and is used by those trying to stay true to the cowboy way, although Wild Bill used .36 Navy.
The .38 Spec is used instead of the .38 S&W that was popular right at the turn of the century. Some people will use the .38 in their revolvers and .357 in their rifles, most notably, the Marlin, as it does feed somewhat more reliably. I use .38 in both and had a .38 carrier installed in the rifle. The only problems I have are operator induced. (Don't ask)
Charlie left out another group who shoot the .38. I'm cheap and reloading is relatively inexpensive.
The .32 Magnum is used by those wanting the least amount of recoil to get back on target the quickest. Cowboy shooting is a timed competiton.
These are the most common, but in no way limited to these.
The SASSNET web site will certainly give you divergent opinions on almost anything, and a few will be knowledgeable. The Fireing Line has a Cowboy/Black Powder section. While good, it doesn't get used much.
A few moths ago, there was a good basic article in American Rifleman plus some very basic information on reloading.
Check around those web sites, hear what they have to say, use a little common sense, then come back here. Charlie, among others, have been most helpful and helped me put it together.(Considering the challenge in that, and I'm not east to teach, I'm happy with where I'm at.)

 

[JRWnTN]

Maybe it's a regional thing, but hardly anyone I know shoots 44-40.

With the exposure I have, I would agree. 'Round here, it's about all .45 Colt and .44 Mag. revolvers.

 

[Death Dealer]

I came up with the 44-40 from talking to several people here in Florida. They said it was becoming popular with a lot of the shooters that do there own reloading. And said it was a great pistol and rifle round. They also said, I should check out the 32. But I think I'm going to go with the 45LC.

I would also like to thank Mr. Berkowitz for the info on the SASSNET web site.

 

[Mad Ogre]

I did a couple Cowboy shoots and had a great time doing it. It just about made me sell a couple autos to buy a pair of SAA's.

I would love to buy a Beretta Stampede with a 4 inch barrel and birds head grips. Too bad they dont' make them. Cimmaron makes, them... same thing I know... but still. i like the Beretta logo on the grips of the Stampede.
Since I dont' reload and have to bu my ammo pre-rolled... I'd opt for the .357Magnum version.

 

[Joe Forte]

My friend (dealer) has one of these Stampedes. Boy, what a nice looking gun.

 

[Jag45Colt]

after years of looking, i finaly met my real father, and it turns out he is a big fan of SASS, he dose his own leather working, makes his own flintlock and precustion rifles, has "staged" gunfingts at fairs, and is into the civli war reinactments...im still trying to take it all in. but back to the question of the .44-40, he swears by it, had a dozen guns in that caliber and reloads it with blackpowder.

 

[Nemo]

SACRILEGE!!

The Ogre does NOT reload! :shock: :shocked: :eeek:

 

[Mad Ogre]

I used to reload, and will again... when I have more time and can afford to buy some new equipment. Right now I have some and a press... but I want a progressive so it doesn't take so much time. That and my current residence has no room for any reloading... not with 5 little boys running around.
When I'm done with school, out of this rental, and my little ones are bigger ones and can learn to stay the heck out of stuff - then I can consider doing some reloading.