44-40 in Stainless

[Bead Swinger]

A pard of mine is interested in getting into CAS, particularly for shooting BP. Based on what he's researched, he thinks that 44-40 is a better caliber to be shooting than 45 LC, and that stainless is his preferred material for barrels.

Unfortunately, he hasn't had any luck coming up with a levergun that fits this description: 44-40 in SS.

Is 44-40 a good (perhaps best) caliber if you're new to BP shooting?  Similarly, is stainless a good choice?  (Where) are any 44-40 SS critters to be found?

My impression was that 44-40 as a necked cartridge will generally seal very well, and thus you'll not get as much fouling in the action as you might with a straight-walled (e.g., 45 LC) cartridge.
Similarly, I thought that the SS made sense, as my impression was that SS is generally less susceptible to rust from an improper (or rushed/delayed) cleaning.

Thanks. Your thoughts are much appreciated.  Merry Christmas!

Since I shoot a Spencer, this is all theory to me

[Dick Dastardly]

Several factors to consider here.

First, the 44WCF is a true bp cartridge.  It does give a better chamber seal than the 45 Colt and some of the other 44s.  But, the thinner neck makes it a little tricky to load till the loader gets on to it's tricks.  Expect some crushed/crumpled cases.  Probably not a good cartridge for a beginning hand loader till he has some experience and tutiledge.  If he's an experienced handloader the 44-40 case offers no special problems.

Second, Stainless steel isn't exactly that, but it is more rust resistant.  It looks different and if looks are important I'd like to handle some before puttin' my money on the mahogany.  Cleaning either blue or stainless is very easy with the use of the right bullets.  For my eye, the nod goes to blue for looks and to ss for rust resistance.  Now, if I could get blued stainless, I'd be in hog heaven.

Third, from a historical standpoint the 44-40 gets the nod cuz the 45 Colt wasn't chambered in rifles back then.

All that said, I went with 44 Magnums and never looked back.  I've got a pair of Browning 92s in 44 Magnum that shoot good and look great.  The 44 Magnum is a mite more versatile for shootin' other than CAS.  The 44 Magnum does not seal the chamber as good as the 44-40, but it is better (for reasons I  don't fully understand) than 45 Colt, when using Genuine Powder.

Hope this helps.

DD-DLoS

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy.

What DD has said is all true.  I have a Stainless Old Vaquero.  It's polished to look like nickel plating.  I love it with BP.  (Mine is 45 Colt - and yess, 44-40 would probably have been a better choice, but it doesn't matter all THAT much.  In the pistol.)  There are a FEW SS rifles, but if he is interested in authenticity to any degree; forget it.  Nickel plated pistols weren't uncommon - rifles were NOT common: practically non-existent.  Having said all that, blued guns may not resist the corrosion as well as Stainless, but hey!  If ya clean yer guns after ya shoot, it's a non-issue!  Blued guns are simply as easy to clean as SS as well.

Advise yer pal that: (remembering what Mr.Dastardly said about reloading) 44-40 IS probably the best with 38-40 being a close second for BP, and go authentic.   Blued rifle, at least. 

Just my $0.02 worth.  (IF it's worth anything!  )

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

To add to what has been said, when I first started regularly shooting Black Powder in CAS I got myself a pair of Stainless Vaqueros because I believed it was better to shoot Stainless than blue with BP. About 4 years later, I never shoot the stainless guns anymore, although they do come along as backups most times. There is absolutely no difference in how difficult it is to clean a Stainless gun or a blued gun. They both require the exact same amount of elbow grease.

Secondly, BP is nowhere near as corrosive as it used to be, now that we no longer are stuck with corrosive primers. I seldom clean my guns the same day I shoot them. I try to clean them within a week. I just cleaned my shotgun which was last fired in November. I did not find any rust.

44-40 is a terrific BP caliber for rifles. ALL my CAS rifles (4 at the last count) are chambered in 44-40. The value of 44-40 for BP is not the shape of the cartridge, but the thinness of the neck. About .007 thick, vs about .012 thick for 45 Colt. That thin brass means it swells to seal the chamber much better than a similar charge with 45 Colt will do. Sealing the chamber that well, almost no fouling gets past the cartridge and into the action. But a rifle is basically just a pipe. Seal the pipe well at one end and the fouling all goes out the front, or stays in the barrel. Revolvers are a different story, because the barrel/cylinder gap will allow fouling to escape and get onto the cylinder face, where it can cause binding no matter how well the chamber is sealed.

That same thinness at the neck can make reloading the 44-40 somewhat fussy. Probably not an ideal cartridge for a beginner to learn reloading with. 45 Colt is a bit more forgiving for the beginner. In addition, for some reason, some of the revolver manufacturers have not gotten their acts together for 44-40 and have been regularly producing revolvers with mismatched groove diameters, and chamber throat diameters. This can cause the reloader extra work until he works up a good load, particularly in regard to bullet diameter, that works well in his revolvers. And that load may or may not work well in his rifle. For some reason, the revolver manufacturers have not had as much difficulty matching up the dimensions for 45 Colt, and just about any load with a .452 or .454 bullet works fine.

Bottom line:

Stainless? Not necessary.

44-40:
Terrific rifle caliber, no blowby; authentic in rifles
Excellent revolver caliber; revolvers may have dimensional issues
Fussy to reload

45 Colt:
Pretty good rifle caliber, more blowby; not authentic in rifles
Terrific revolver caliber, revolver dimensions usually not an issue
Easy to reload

The choice is yours. Personally, I follow a heretical path, I shoot 44-40 in my rifles, and 45 Colt in my pistols. But I have to be extra careful that a 45 does not accidentally make it into my rifle, as it will totally jam up the rifle and I will have to dismantle the rifle to remove the 45. So far so good.

[Dick Dastardly]

As usual, Driftwood makes uncommon good sense.

I would add that there is a new player in the 45 Cal field with the introduction of AJs new Cowboy 45 Special brass.  The stuff seems to give a better chamber seal than 45 Long Colt (this is one of the few times I will use that name but it was done for ease of understanding) in the same guns.  I don't quite know why, but my theory is that with a full load of bp it has a sharper pressure spike and thus obturates the brass to fill the chamber sooner.

AJ is coming out with some carriers that will allow this shorter 45 Cal ammo to feed well in some lever guns.  I've heard that the 66s and 73s will be treated first.

DD-DLoS

[44caliberkid]

Let me just say bluntly, what the other posters here have been gently pushing you toward, forget the stainless lever rifle.  Even in SASS, where historical correctness is hardly an issue, I've rarely (if ever) seen anyone use a stainless rifle.  If corrosiveness of BP is what his concern is, it's not a concern.  BP is not corrosive in itself, the corrosion wives tale comes from corrosive, mercuric primers used in the old days, which haven't been available for decades.   In fact, as discussed here many times, BP is much easier and faster to clean than smokeless, needing only water and soap, no harsh, expensive chemical cleaners.
  Get the 44-40 blued rifle of your choice, use a Big Lube™ bullet, and have the most fun you've ever had in your life.

[Bead Swinger]

Hi Y'all
I really appreciate your comments.  I'm pretty sold on the 44/40 myself - 'just got to find enough $$ to afford one. I'd get an 1860 if I could afford it.
Thanks very much for the help.