44 Colt/Russian

[Drydock]

He's asking about a Uberti Richards II.  This has a .429 barrel and cylinder throat.  I load Heel Base rounds myself, 11mm French revolver, .440 Argentine, and 10.4 Italian.  Use OWBM crimp dies for all of them, they make great stuff.

[Coffinmaker]

Hi RoyceP 

Ah well, not quite.  If loading "original" 44 Colt, you would be correct.  However, modern 44 Colt cartridges are the same case diameter as 44 russian, just with a slightly smaller rim.  They (modern 44 Colt) load just the same as any of the other modern .44 cartridges.  Lots of folks describe the .44 Russian and 44 Colt as 44 Magnum Short and Ultra Short.

A modern built Uberti Open Top, chambered for 44 Colt utilizes standard .429 bullets, inside lubed, same same as .44 Magnum and .44 Russian.  There was a time when Uberti Ope Tops for Cimarron would not chamber .44 Special.  I haven't seen one of those guns for years.

[RoyceP]

Hi RoyceP 

Ah well, not quite.  If loading "original" 44 Colt, you would be correct.  However, modern 44 Colt cartridges are the same case diameter as 44 russian, just with a slightly smaller rim.  They (modern 44 Colt) load just the same as any of the other modern .44 cartridges.  Lots of folks describe the .44 Russian and 44 Colt as 44 Magnum Short and Ultra Short.

A modern built Uberti Open Top, chambered for 44 Colt utilizes standard .429 bullets, inside lubed, same same as .44 Magnum and .44 Russian.  There was a time when Uberti Ope Tops for Cimarron would not chamber .44 Special.  I haven't seen one of those guns for years.

I got mine maybe 10 years ago. It has 44 Cal stamped on the front of the trigger guard. I am unaware of any "modern" 44 Colt caliber like you are talking about. The 44 Russian I load, 44 special is another one. My Uberti open top shoots to point of aim with the 44 Russian loaded very conservatively.

[Black River Smith]

RoyceP you stated "I got mine maybe 10 years ago. It has 44 Cal stamped on the front of the trigger guard. I am unaware of any "modern" 44 Colt caliber like you are talking about."

Here is the modern Starline 44Colt brass --- https://www.starlinebrass.com/44-colt-brass

As Starline states -- It is a shortened 44Spec with the correct 0.484 rim diameter.  Most of us use it with an inside lubed bullet to simulate an original but fired through a 0.429 barrel (modern Uberti's or others) rather than the original 0.454 barrels of the percussion era.

This Modern brass has been around since the late '90's or at least 2000.  Do some searches and you will learn all about its use in CAS and the Modern repro Conversions.

[Drydock]

"Modern" .44 Colt dates to the mid 90s, when Armi San Marco offered the first of the Richards conversions chambered in the round,  (I still have one of these)  Uberti picked it up soon after ASM went under, offering it in their various open top/conversion revolvers.  The last few years they've simply ran the chambers further out to accommodate .44 spl brass.  Black Hills offered the caliber for nearly 20 years, only dropping it a couple of years ago, and Starline still makes the brass.  My ASM RIchards and both my Uberti .44 Open Tops will only accept the Colt length brass or shorter.  THe number of ASM/Uberti .44 Colts far exceeds the orginal 8000 or so of Colts production in the 1870s.

[RoyceP]

"Essentially a 44 SPL. but .050" shorter with a smaller diameter rim (Same as 41 Mag). Originally used in Colt 1860 cartridge conversion revolvers. Use RCBS #30 (may require slight modification to clear extractor groove) or #21 shell holder, or Lee #3."


Looks like a typical shortened 44 SPL case - I wonder if it could be used with real heeled bullet 44 Colt? Interesting but I will keep reloading and shooting 44 Russian.

[Drydock]

Yes, it can and it has.  It is dimensionally identical to the original .44 Colt case.  Only the bullet is different.

[RoyceP]

The load that shoots to point of aim on my revolver is 6.5 Grains of Unique powder in a 44 Russian case with a powder coated Lead Semi Wadcutter 240 grain from my local reloading store. I am using Starline brass. Primers are Federal Large Magnum.