New 44/40 boolit size??

[rmcc]

What are most people sizing their 44/40 boolits to? I am loading for a friend's rifle (brand escapes me). Have been using Modern Bond 240 gr RN sized to .430, he says they shoot great. I don't know much about the caliber other than original load was 200 gr and sized at .426-.427". What do you guys load/shoot?

rmcc

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I'm casting and sizing to 0.430" for both modern (Pedersoli Lightning)and originals (1896 Winchester 92) . The Winchester has a 0.327" bore.

[Texas by God]

I'm casting and sizing to 0.430" for both modern (Pedersoli Lightning)and originals (1896 Winchester 92) . The Winchester has a 0.327" bore.

Say what??? I call fat finger syndrome LOL.

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[gnoahhh]

The throat diameter will tell the tale.

[missionary5155]

Good evening
If I am shooting a case of 3F and 40-1 cast then usually .427-.432 works well depending on which is getting fed. I cannot see wasting powder and lead with shooting a .427 in a carbine that has a groove of .433+. But a .432 slug reduces groups by near 1/2.

But our batch of rifles and carbines get a bit more demanding if smokeless powder is used. We have one that has a nice tight groove diameter of .428 so it gets a .429 slug. But the fat groove carbine mentioned above will group a .434 slug much better. Put a .430 cast range scrap over smokeless (Unique) in that fat carbine and it will shoot patterns (good area coverage) at 25 yards.

[Texas by God]

I'm using .429" in my Green Mtn barrel with good results.

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[Cast_outlaw]

I’m currently sizing 429 for my Dakota hand gun and 431 for my win 92. You should slug his bore and be sure

[Outpost75]

I am using .430" and SOFT alloy 1:30 tin-lead from Roto Metals in all of my .44-40s from 1905 to modern manufacture, Colt SA and New Service, Spanish El Tigre and Marlins. Works for me.

[John Boy]

J M Marlin Ballard, vintage 1881 requires a 427 bullet

[Springfield]

Slug the bore to get close to with your rifle will need. I have a bunch of modern Italian 44-40 guns and they all work fine with soft .429 bullets, smokeless and Blackpowder.

[rmcc]

Thanks guys for the replies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wayne Smith]

Three Ubertis - two Cattlemen and a Short Rifle all get .430" boolits in front of a full (compressed) case of 3f.

[john.k]

Depends on the chamber ....in mine a fired case is a tight thumb seat of a .429 dia cast,and the factory ammo I have is .427"dia jacket bullets.The rifling is also very shallow ,see spec of .002 groove depth,and that would seem to be close.

[northmn]

Depends on the chamber ....in mine a fired case is a tight thumb seat of a .429 dia cast,and the factory ammo I have is .427"dia jacket bullets.The rifling is also very shallow ,see spec of .002 groove depth,and that would seem to be close.

I am curious about the .002 groove depth. BP guns usually had narrower lands but deeper gooves to accept the fouling of BP? Just wondering?

DEP

[CamoWhamo]

My Miroku made Winchester 1873 is a .430 bore and the chamber won't accept rounds loaded with anything larger.

The .430's shoot very accurate.

[Outpost75]

Occasionally you run into an original 1873 Winchester with tight chamber neck and loose groove diameter. Accurate makes a heeled .44-40 bullet just for those conditions, 43-230QL, which has .428" driving bands on the heel, and an enlarged nose which can then be sized to fit the throat or barrel groove diameter without changing the heel diameter. This bullet is very accurate and follows the traditional shape. The "QL" version has adequate lube capacity for using SPG with Goex 3Fg. The regular "Q" version without the "L" has a small lube groove for use with smokeless powder and will stand full-charge 1894 Marlin and 1892 Winchester loads, increasing the normal Bullseye charge to +P, a full grain above "standard" as shown on the example 50-yard, ten-shot, iron-sight target. I use 1 to 30 tin-lead from Roto Metals.

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