44-40 Rugers

Dakota Dan from OZ · August 02, 2006, 06:37:11 PM

I have finally found these last weekend,got them off a cowboy who didn't like them.they have 4.5/8" barrels and the grips are off my pair R O A's

Dakota

Tensleep · August 02, 2006, 06:42:22 PM

Looks great DD, hope they shoot as great!

Silver Creek Slim · August 03, 2006, 09:45:56 AM

Congrats, Dakota Dan.

Slim

Henry Logan · August 03, 2006, 11:10:49 AM

Hang on to those shootin' irons Dakota. Those things are gettin' real scarce. I saw a pair on Guns America and by the time I wanted to make a deal, they had been sold. Just my luck. Well congratulations on your new irons. Hope you have as much fun with yours as I have had with mine over the last 12 years,

Henry

Sacramento Johnson · August 05, 2006, 08:03:09 PM

Howdy Pard!
The best caliber! The best CAS pistols! You done good! Enjoy 'em! (Try a little BP in them, too!)

Trailrider · August 15, 2006, 01:51:34 PM

STOP US BEFORE WE BUY AGAIN!

My name is Trailrider and I'm a .44-40 Vaquero-holic! I'm especially adicted to the ones with the looser chambers (loose enough to accept Winchester brass with .430" dia. bullets) and the .425" throats! If you use HARD cast bullets (17-25 BHN...which most commercial slugs ARE), you can drive tacks! Of course, I'm driving 'em at 950 ft/sec (almost BP velocities), but using Universal powder! Just DO NOT attempt to shoot JACKETED bullets of larger than .425" through the tight throats. I personally prefer 7-1/2" and 5-1/2" barrels. But to each his own!

Sacramento Johnson · August 22, 2006, 05:18:57 PM

Howdy Pards!
I'm an RV 44-40 fan as well; have a number of them (prefer 4 5/8 and 7 1/2 inchers, myself!) Those web auctions are already on my favorites!
There's a pard over on the sass wire classifides looking for blued ones in 44-40 with 4 5/8 in barrels; I recommended he look up gunbroker; he's sorely mistaken if he thinks he's going to find a steal of a deal on the sass wire for them.
(Frankly, I'd rather buy NIB than have to deal with the crap done to them by some cowboy action shooters. I've already had to send one back to Ruger to refurbish it after buying it off a pard due to some fool's supposed 'action job'.)

Dakota Dan from OZ · August 22, 2006, 07:32:54 PM

Quote from: FRANK JAMES on August 21, 2006, 09:31:21 PM
Hey Pards, put these 3 sites' on your 'favorites':
1) www.gunbroker.com/
2) www.auctionarms.com/
3) www.gunsamerica.com/

...just type in the search box "Vaquero 44-40" (without the "") before I lose all control of bodily functions
and bid on one. They're out there...HAPPY SHOPPING!

Yes Gun Broker have some nice 44-40s for sale. I am very happy with my pair,shot them at range at the weekend went great.Working up a load for blackpowder now.Thats what I have them for.

Dakota

El Peludo · August 23, 2006, 10:30:29 AM

Nice lookin' set of shooters, there, Dan. Hope they serve you well, and that you don't run into the "chamber/throat/barrel" size problems that they have had. I picked up a couple of them in 5-1/2 inch a couple of years ago; they are the early serial numbers, and may have the fit problems, but I haven't got to messin' with them, yet.

fourfingersofdeath · November 04, 2006, 11:21:53 PM

Nice looking guns dude!

I have a pair of 44mags and shoot a 44/40 1866 Uberti. I can order spare cylinders I suppose, what's involved in fitting them? I suppose I should go to the gunsmithing section. MIck.

Sacramento Johnson · November 14, 2006, 03:07:07 PM

Howdy Fourfingers,
No, you cannot order a cylinder from Ruger in a caliber other than what your gun originally came in. Also, they will not just sell you a cylinder; you must send the gun to them and have them fit the cylinder. (Could you somehow mange to find a spare Ruger cylinder in an alternative caliber and get it to fit your Ruger? Perhaps; you'd definitely need some luck on your side and also perhaps the use of a good gunsmith.)
There are companies out there that sell cylinder blanks. You can purchase these and have a very good gunsmith turn it into a spare cylinder in an different caliber for your Ruger. Expect to put out some money for this.

Trailrider · November 15, 2006, 12:42:29 PM

Quote from: fourfingersofdeath on November 04, 2006, 11:21:53 PM
Nice looking guns dude!

I have a pair of 44mags and shoot a 44/40 1866 Uberti. I can order spare cylinders I suppose, what's involved in fitting them? I suppose I should go to the gunsmithing section. MIck.

Howdy, Pard,

Ruger used to NOT sell cylinders separately, nor would they fit a second set, thereby making the guns convertible.

Haven't talked to them recently about it (or anything else). IF the cylinders were available, the ratchet teeth on the rear end of both cylinders must be fitted to the hand, rather than the other way around. A GOOD pistol smith can do it, though it can be time-consuming.

The bigger problem is to find the spare cylinders. I don't know if any after-market cylinders are available for Ruger New Model Blackhawks or Old Vaqueros. If you could find a spare .357 or .41 Magnum cylinder for each gun, then the gunsmith could ream the chambers to .44-40. I would have the chamber throats cut to .430", which ought to produce good accuracy. The toughest part may be to find the cylinders.

BTW, you can NOT recut the .44 Magnum chambers to .44-40.

An interesting aside is if and when you do wind up with a couple of "convertible" guns, 44-40/.44 Magnum, is, in a Vaquero, matching the trajectories between the two cartridges with the fixed sights. The .44 Magnum case has about 12.5 percent LESS capacity than the .44-40 when using the same bullet (weight). This translates into about a 6.25 percent reduction in charge weight from the .44-40 to the .44 Magnum (or, as I call the later when loaded to Cowboy Action velocities, ".44 Extra Long Russian". In my guns, I load 213 gr. bullets to 950-975 ft/sec (depending on the air temp when chronographing). THAT IS NOT A HARD AND FAST RULE, JUST AN ILLUSTRATION! Consult your loading manuals!

Good luck with your project!