Uberti Henry 44-40 Conversion to 44 Special/Colt

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

Any one figure out how to do this yet ?
I have been trying to get a 1860 converted to 44 special for a long time.
I have a 1866 in 44 special.
Some one should be able to make a 44/40 in to a 44 special.

[Will Ketchum]

I know a couple of guys who have made chamber sleeves.  Any competent gunsmith should be able to do it. They would have to recut the chamber to seat the sleeve.
I have a Henry that was modified to cycle the 44 Russian round but it doesn't work well since there is significant amount of blowbye.
If you check the NCOWS past threads you might be able to find the topic.  I'll see if I can find it.  
Well I found the tread I was looking for but it was on a 45.
Anyway here's the thread:
Anyway here's that thread: http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,15841.0.html
Will Ketchum

[nativeshootist]

All the pictures are gone from that post tho 

[Seth Hawkins]

FYI - As Will Ketchum mentioned, I had a custom chamber installed in my gun.  The .45 Colt chamber was drilled out, and a new chamber was made and inserted.  It's really the only way to do a conversion like this correctly.  Especially if you plan to use black powder.  There's enough 'blow-by' as-is with the straight wall cartridge.

[Coffinmaker]

Since we're Necromancing again.  Actually, this old post isn't that "old"

And I'm bored today 

I built myself a custom 1866 Trapper out of a 44 Special 1866 24 inch rifle.  Unfortunately, I built the gun before I shot it with BP and Subs.  After the gun was cut to 16 inches, no more fit 10 rounds of 44 Special.  Switched it to a modified carrier and 44 Russian cases.  The chamber was so incredibly generous the blow-by is horrendous.  After about 3 rounds the chamber fouls so bad the gun just stops.  Had to go back to smokeless (barf) in this nifty little rifle.  There was a moral to the story.  Almost always a moral.

If you go to the expense of sleeving a chamber or switch case dimensions, first insure your chamber dimensions are snug.  It's kind of a nuisance to find you have a single shot rifle with an 18 round magazine.  Straight wall brass cases often have inherent blow-by.

Coffinmaker

[Mike]

My 73 in 44 sp is the same case are black, same as I dont shoot it much now at all. All the 44 WCF work fine, only caliber worth using.
I have a 58 Remington which is converted to 44 Heeled and I have to clean the cylinder about every 12 rounds, this has a tight chamber fit on all six chambers. My Remington carbine in 45 colt is the same.

44WCF and black is King.   

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings!

   If I may throw my own monkey-wrench into this discussion... Many years ago, I picked up a
F. Wesson "Two Trigger" Single Shot Rifle chambered for the .44 Long RF/CF: it has two firing
pins in the breech, and a sliding striker in the hammer-face to enable the shooting of Rimfire or
Centerfire cartridges. Not having a lathe at my disposal, I mulled over all of the existing cases
that could chamber/fireform. I decided on .41 S&W Mag brass, trimmed to .9" (?). The rim was
too small in diameter to be reliably engaged by the extractor, but I managed.
   If I recall correctly, I was able to get at least 25gr. BP volume of Pyrodex-P under a Heeled
bullet dropped from an OW mould in my collection ( .431-215gr. RN/FP, .419 heel ). I used an
RCBS ".44 S&W American" Die Set. The shortened brass readily expanded to seal the chamber
with little blow-by. I believe that I saw a ".44 Henry OL Bullet" in his catalogue of Moulds, and
I was thinking of resurrecting my experiments using this bullet...
   Now, I believe that M. Venturino mentioned using modified .44 S&WR brass to get an
acquaintances Win 1866 CF Carbine to shoot again, incidentally finding that the groove dimensions
were around .427".
   It seems that if One was to rechamber a Henry / 1866 to shoot a cartridge that was "In The
Spirit" of the .44 Henry RF/CF, one could not go too far wrong if he was to sleeve the existing
chamber, take a ".41 S&W Mag Reamer", and modify it to cut a straight chamber, without the
leade for the Inside Lubricated bullet normally .410" in diameter.
   Hmmm...

                M.T.Marfield

[Tuolumne Lawman]

IIRC, about 20 years ago, Charlie Gullet used 41 Magnum brass to create the 44 Henry center fire cases.  He had an original 1866 receiver and lifter  (with rust for barrel) I found for him in an antique shop in small town south of Bodie California.  He used an original .427" bore barrel 1873 barrel, cut and re-chambered to Henry flat, and fabricated bolt and toggle from a Uberti 1866, using the original lifter.

I think he used hollow base custom .41 bullet that obdurated to fill the .427" bore.  The main problem was that the thick case web of the 41 magnums reduced it to about 24 grains instead of the 27-28 of the Henry flat 200 grainer.  It was closer to the 216 grain henry with it's 25-26 grains of powder in performance.  I really wish I had that!  He dropped out of CAS about 10 years ago and got into race cars or something like that.

I'll stick to my .45 Schofield load.  .45 Schofield .452" 200 grain bullet,  = .44 Henry flat .442" 200 grain bullet.  Both with take 27-28 grains when loaded with black powder.

[Will Ketchum]

I remember Charlie. I have a book he wrote years ago on CAS.  Often wonder what happened to him.  Lot of the old timers left CAS after the race gun crowd took over. It's ironical that the original Wild Bunch started SASS when the same thing happened to IPSC.
Anyway that's make take on it. I'm sure Judge Roy Bean told me that way back.

Will Ketchum

[Tuolumne Lawman]

I actually had Charlie's book.  I gave most of my CAS books away when I left the sport four years ago.  Wish I had that book now!  I talked with Charlie a lot back then.  I was perusing antique shops back then, and found the 1866 receiver and a long rusted clump that was a barrel mounted on a placque for $200.  I bought it, and mentioned it on the old CAS-L list.  Charley said he wanted it, and I sold it to him at cost plus shipping. 

He used some kind of acid that just ate the rust and iron, and left the receiver clean as a whistle. He then used an original stock group, an 1873 barrel re-worked and modified some other original and uberti parts.  I think he fabricated a magazine tube the correct diameter.  We talked back and forth about the project.  He got it working and even fired it at a monthly match, IIRC.  Unfortunately, he got out of SASS shortly after and sold it.  I'd give my left nut to have had that!

On another note.  During the 1980s and 1990s, I was an FFL and sold at a lot of gun shows.  I was at one in about 1992 (before I got into SASS, and was offered an original 1866 Winchester in 44 Henry center fire (factory marked on barrel) for a song.  I was too ignorant to know what it was , and turned it down.  Occasionally Julia Auctions will have one.

[Coffinmaker]

So very few Central Fire 1866s made it back into this country.  Those few that did are worth hocking your '53 Chevy.  I've seen one, even got to caress it for a few minutes before the guy who owned it snatched it back out of my sweaty hands.  It would be fun to have the disposable income to enable a little expedition to Spain and South America in search of.  Betcha there are still a bunch of em in shootable condition just hanging on walls.  (sigh)

Coffinmaker

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings, TL

   I'd love to see that 1866! It's out there, somewhere... I'm thinking strongly about
continuing my .44 LCF experiments, using an OWM ".44 Henry" Mould / Collet Crimp
Die; it may do double-duty for a NM Evans Carbine.

                     M.T.Marfield

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Years ago, I remember someone saying they were somewhere south of the border, and he found a 1866 CF and some ammunition.  He was stricken, because there was no easy way to import it.  He also found factory 44 Henry RF ammo, apparently from pre-WW2 era.

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings!

   I'll bet that there are a LOT of vintage firearms squirreled away South of the Border...

                 M.T.Marfield