Info re: Conversions

[rafterp]

I haven't started shooting CAS yet, but when I do I think I'd like my rifle and pistols to be the same caliber. Is this fairly common?  The pistol I think is the coolest, is the Transition Model Conversion with 8" barrels. Will the .44 Colt or .44 Special cartridge for the pistols, shoot in a Winchester 73? I've never done any reloading and I really don't understand all the different .44 caliber cartridges. I don't know what's longer/shorter/more powerful, etc. I just want to buy cartridges that will shoot in both rifle and pistol. Even though it's not authentic (which is not my most important consideration), I'd assume the least expensive route would be to shoot .38 special in the rifle and pistols??

[Major 2]

The answer to your questions is mostly yes 

Same caliber is quite common... saves confusion at the loading table also simplfies buying Ammo too.


YES ..."the Transition Model Conversion with 8" barrels" ....COOL

If you shoot 44 Spec. you can shoot the same in a 73 or even 66 ( Both Rifles can be length senitive so the shorter 44 Colt might
give you some problem ) However, both can be made to handle the shorter round if need be.

and lastly Yes 38 spec. is cheaper to shoot, the are available almost everywhere

[Mako]

Rafterp,
A '66 or '73 in .44Spl will both shoot .44Colt without much problem. I did change the extractor on one of my ‘66s and replaced it with a .38Spl extractor, the other worked fine.  I would advise .44Spl though because you can get brass in .44Spl (including once fired brass) much easier than .44Colt.  You will find both of those rifles throw your brass up and it bounces off of your hat brim often going in front of the shooting line.  I only tend to recover about 60% of my rifle brass.

I have a pard who shoots .44 Russians in a Marlin and a pair of Conversions in .44 Russian.  I am still reserving my opinion on .44 Russian in toggle guns.  I have heard of some success but trouble in others.

Good luck on acquiring Transition Models in a .44 caliber, it took me almost two years to get mine.  I placed multiple orders beginning in Feb. of 2007 and only got a pair this month.

Best of Luck,
Mako

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[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

YABUT!  You would need to get the lever-gun in .44 Special.  Most are available in .44-40 or .45 Colt.

It seems from my reading that the most common "common" calibre in CAS is .45 Colt.  it is available in '66s & '73s, AND in conversion cylinders and almost all revolvers.  Note;  also in Henrys, Marlins, & '92s.

For traditionalists portraying the post-1873 era, .44-40 has a following, as it ,and the .38-40, were the only calibres available in the early period that were common to lever-guns and frontier revolvers.  The .32-20 came on a bit later.

Personally, I have settled on .38 Richard-Masons, and a Model '66 Win also in .38, and all by Uberti.

PS Dusty;  I would LOVE to be able to get a Henry in .44 Spl. and Jacks carrier mod.  In Canada it take ages to get stuff, usualy after the US market is satiated.

[Dusty Morningwood]

My 66 came in .44 Special, as did my Open Tops.  An Adirondack Jack modified carrier and I now shoot .44 Russian in both.  The Russians feed just fine through my rifle.  You just have to be careful of your OAL.

[rafterp]

Wow! Thanks so much for all the feedback. I just didn't have enough understanding of the different .44 cartridges to make a decision. Now after being so ably guided...I think I'll go for the .38s.    I'm not that much of a traditionalist. I know I could go .45, but I've read some concerns about that caliber in these pistols. It's probably Ok or they wouldn't sell them. My bottom line is that I could practice more with less expensive ammo. One more question though...I know the rifles will shoot .357 mags, but what about the pistols. Is that too much for them? Should I just shoot .38 specials across the board?

I also wanted to again express my deep appreciation for the camraderie displayed in this forum. I have a few hobbies that compete for my disposable income and go to quite a few online forums. I have yet to visit a site that shares more, with less squabbling than this one! I don't post on here much, but visit nearly everyday...I'm just fascinated by all this. I could so be like a kid in a candy store regarding all this.
Prospero ano a todos!

[rafterp]

Makes sense Mr. Hawkins...thanks for the advice. I'll probably just go the .38 special route.

[Abilene]

Rafterp,
while the '66 comes in .38 but NOT .357, the 1873 comes in .357.  It is the most popular rifle with the top shooters and they almost all shoot .38's in them with no problem.  Older 1873's,  say 12 years old or more, had a shorter ramp on the front of the carrier and needed .38's to be loaded fairly long to work, but more recent models have a longer ramp and work fine with standard .38 Spcl.  Mine was made in 1997 and will even cycle rounds as short as 1.35" (got hold of some really short 125 gr bullets).  I mostly shoot .357 in it just so I can get more black powder in there  but I want to make sure it will cycle any .357 or the .38's that I load for pistols.

[Montana Slim]

Shooting only real BP in mine.
I have a stable ofl revolvers using .44 Russian and my rifles/carbines are .44-40.
While I have two cartridges to reload, I encounter no difficulties whatsoever confusing them.
The 44-40 is optimal for BP lever-gun (IMHO).

Regards,
Slim