44/40 loads

[Olsherm]

Anyone have a good grouping load they would like to share for the old 44/40 with a 200 grain lead cast slug??
I have tried several but nothin spectacular.

BTW I shot about 100 plus rounds of lead slugs yesterday thru my usfa 44/40 and then I fired about 25 rounds of Remington jacketed soft point slugs after the lead one and when I got home and cleaned my gun the barrel was clean as a whistle except for the usual soot ect.It was lead free.I wonder if the jacketed bullets cleaned the lead out?I usually have some leading at least near the forcing cone. I know there have been pros and cons on shooting the jacketed after the lead slugs.That was just my experience for info sake.

 

[Nowata]

Don't have any 44/40 loads for you. Have you tried Trail Boss? Appreciate info on shooting jacketed bullets after lead. It is sorta an ongoing "cuss and discuss" topic.

 

[Lee Martin]

7.0 of Green Dot shot well in mine.

 

[WIL TERRY]

PM ENROUTE'.

 

[forty5]

I have had very good results with Trail Boss.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I usually stuff 44-40 with FFg, but my favorite Smokeless load is 7.5 grains of Unique under a 200 grain bullet.

Do be aware that 44-40 specs can be all over the place. Some makers, like Ruger, use .429 rifling in their barrels because they use the same blanks as they use for 44 Special and 44 Mag. Other manufacturers stick with the more traditional .427 in their barrels. You definitely want to slug your barrel when loading 44-40 so you know what size bullet you want to use. With a revolver, you also want to be sure the chamber throats are in harmony with the rifling groove diameter. A bunch of years ago Ruger produced some Vaqueros chambered for 44-40 with .429 barrels but the chamber throats were way undersized, down around .425 or so. These guns were miserable shooters until the chamber throats were opened up to match the rifling groove diameters.