Vaquero 44-40

[opos]

Kind of looking at a Vaquero in 44-40...date about 94 or 95 vintage..decent tight revolver...not been modified...I've shot Ruger single actions for a long time but never had one in 44-40...I understand there are some issues with regard to throat/chamber/bore sizes...I don't cast but I do load lots of Missouri cowboy (12 hardness) in other calibers...I'm not a CASS shooter but do like the softer loads using the cowboy projectiles and Trail Boss...I notice that Missouri offers their 44-40 boolit in .430 for "Modern 44-40's"...Anyone got comments about the general issue of tight throats, etc? I had Cylindersmith ease some throats on a Vaquero in .45 Colt and it worked well but I understand his web site is off the air and he may be out of business...We don't have much in the way of gunsmiths in San Diego unless a 6 month wait is ok....I got plenty of stuff to shoot and don't want to open up a can of worms to work through...just looking for experiences with the Vaquero in 44-40...thanks
opos

 

[6gun]

Modern 44-40 :roll: why don't they just call it what it is a 44 mag .430 is 44 a mag bullet, and you have to make the case a straight walled case to get the bullet to fit, a real Winchester 44-40 bullet is .426 with a bottle neck case.

sounds like you have heard all the problems with what Ruger calls a 44-40, sounds to me like it's a gun to stay away from.

 

[opos]

Modern 44-40 :roll: why don't they just call it what it is a 44 mag .430 is 44 a mag bullet, and you have to make the case a straight walled case to get the bullet to fit, a real Winchester 44-40 bullet is .426 with a bottle neck case.

sounds like you have heard all the problems with what Ruger calls a 44-40, sounds to me like it's a gun to stay away from.

Yep...the more I hear and "think on it" the more I think I'll just stick with my 44 Blackhawk and my 45 Colt Vaqueros...don't need to complicate things any more than they already are...I've been cutting back calibers (sold my 30 carbine BH a while back) so why add more complexity to the mix? Thanks
opos
Bob

 

[Sacramento Johnson]

Howdy!
Don't be scared off by tight cylinder throats. Ruger will fix the undersized throats, no questions asked; I've sent several off to them for this job. Hamilton Bowen will also do it; all he needs is the cylinder (you gain on cheaper shipping than to Ruger, who wants the whole gun, but pay for the work and return shipping, whereas Ruger will cover that). Of course, if you're down sizing caliber-wise, stay with 44 mag and 45 colt; they do everything and more than 44-40 does except shoot black powder as well.

 

[buckeyeshooter]

I shoot .428's in my Ruger Vaquero 44-40s. Shoots well enough at the CAS distances I use them at. I've got extra cylinders in 44 mag for when I shoot that new fangled smokless stuff.

 

[tx gunrunner]

I've owned four 44-40 guns 55-xxxx and 56-xxxx in pic below were sent back to Ruger for repair . These are not target loads they are loaded for FPS for SASS /CAS matchs



The 2 below where 58-XXXX and had the .429 thoat and no work needed

 

[Bucks Owin]

Nice looking hogleg... 8)

I've always had a yen for a .44 WCF Vaquero myself, along with a M-73. No particular reason except nostalgia and a new handloading challenge I guess...

Maybe I'll get lucky in Reno! :lol:

 

[usbp sw]

I have a Ruger in 44-40, I also live in San Diego and know your pain regarding gunsmiths. I ended up slugging the bore (.429) and the chambers (.425-.426), a less than perfect combination. I sent the slugs to Manson, an exceptional company to deal with, I actually spoke with Mr. Manson, he was surprised by the difference and fixed me up with the proper pilots and reamer, he actually made the pilots specifically for me, at no additional cost. If you end up getting a 44_40 and you want to try your hand at reaming the chambers, let me know.

Take care, Steve

 

[Varminterror]

Cylinder smith might be down, but there are other fellas that can dream the throats for you. An RF user has a site on fb to do just that, search Facebook for cylinderhone.net.

Plus, there are a lot of guys like myself that happen to have throat reamers for 44cal (and 45 and 38...) and always like putting those expensive tools to work.

And If you're interested in a convertible, I may also have a old Vaquero .44mag cylinder that I'd be willing to part with as well :)

 

[tx gunrunner]

You can't take a 44 mag cylinder and make it into a 44-40 it don't work the brass neck is thinner on the 44-40 . With the .429 throat you will need to get a Lyman M-die for a 44 spec/44mag so you don't over work the brass .

 

[Varminterror]

Tx Gunrunner, if your response was towards my offer of the 44mag cylinder I have, I wasn't offering to have him ream it out to 44mag. As I said in my first post, if the OP is interested in making his OMV 44-40 into a 44-40/44mag Convertible, I'd have the spare 44mag cylinder to incorporate into his frame. The revolver already has the 44-40 cylinder, this would just be a spare to let him have extra options in terms of ammo selection. Plus, Convertibles are just cooler... :)

 

[tx gunrunner]

Tx Gunrunner, if your response was towards my offer of the 44mag cylinder I have, I wasn't offering to have him ream it out to 44mag. As I said in my first post, if the OP is interested in making his OMV 44-40 into a 44-40/44mag Convertible, I'd have the spare 44mag cylinder to incorporate into his frame. The revolver already has the 44-40 cylinder, this would just be a spare to let him have extra options in terms of ammo selection. Plus, Convertibles are just cooler... :)

No he has a 44-40 cylinder a 44 mag cylinder would be a great addition to his gun . But there is people out there that would like have 44-40 cylinder and try to make a 44-40 out of a 44 mag which don't work that is the reason for my post .

 

[The Blackhawk Kid]

Not to rain on a Ruger P-rade. If you the old 44/40 get a Cimmaron, or at least check them out. 44-40 is a caliber to stay away from IF you plan on loading. It's a nightmare. Finding dies ain't easy. Contact Dillon and ask them about 44-40. It's a good cartridge, but this ain't 1885 where you could walk in a store and stock up! Yeah, they'd have 22 ammo back then, at least. JMHO BhK

 

[tx gunrunner]

Not to rain on a Ruger P-rade. If you the old 44/40 get a Cimmaron, or at least check them out. 44-40 is a caliber to stay away from IF you plan on loading. It's a nightmare. Finding dies ain't easy. Contact Dillon and ask them about 44-40. It's a good cartridge, but this ain't 1885 where you could walk in a store and stock up! Yeah, they'd have 22 ammo back then, at least. JMHO BhK

44-40 die are easy to find try if you look in the right places . [ check paste ] Midway , Brownell and Ebay has ton of them . I've been loading 44-40 for over 40 yrs . The Cowboy action shooter love the 44-40 in loading BP it is the perfect round to seal the BP mess out of action and in it was designed to run in a lever gun without a hiccup where straight wall case can be a little finicky . In a Ruger or Winc 92 the 44-40 will match the 44 mag if you load it to level 3 . In Cimarron / Uberti , Colt or Winc 73 level 2 is max in my opinion .

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?usersearchquery=44-40+dies&itemsperpage=24&pageNumber=1

 

[CraigC]

44-40 is a caliber to stay away from IF you plan on loading. It's a nightmare. Finding dies ain't easy.

Nonsense. I don't have a .44-40 but I do have a couple .38-40's. Not only are they easy to find components for but handloading is a breeze. Only slightly more effort than a straight wall cartridge.

Midway has Starline brass:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/941394549

As well as Lee and Redding dies:

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?sortby=5&itemsperpage=96&newcategorydimensionid=12003&searchscope=all

 

[Bucks Owin]

10X CraigC...

Doubt there's ever been a time when they WEREN'T available! We're talking about a cartridge probably only rivalled by the .30 WCF in sheer numbers of popularity... :wink: