What's your favorite Antique Levergun Cartridge...

[PatMarlin]

and WHY?

......

[45nut]

45-70 ,, "since 1873" says it all for me.

[Lloyd Smale]

if something like the 4570 or 4440 can be considered antique those would be my choise. I dont know if you are looking for antique or discontinued. The 4570 is about as versitile as they come and about nothing feeds in a lever gun like a 4440 except maybe a 3840. In a 92 action they both feed like butter and will take care of anything up to black bear with no problem.

[9.3X62AL]

The 44-40 WCF in my old Win '73 carbine (1897). Its 1873 ballistics (200 grain cast boolit at 1200 FPS) are gentle to the operator, and this particular rifle accounted for deer by the hundreds over its 30+ year career and at least 2 black bears that my grandmother saw being taken on the mountain ranch where my Dad was born. I guess blacktails and muleys in the times prior to the Great Depression had not evolved the armor plating they are now equipped with, requiring those belted magnums to dispatch them in the modern era. A wonderful thing, evolution.

The rifle was last fired c. 1934 before I took possession of it in 1999. I got it running, a few internal parts needed replacing. I load SAECO #446 with enough 2400 to enable 1100 FPS, and have shredded more than a few 10-rings with these loads. My intent was to use this as my iron-sight deer gun this past season, but the forests were fire-closed for much of the season--and it only got one day's hunting. It will go afield again next year--the rifle is owed a return to venison-making, and my ancestors patiently await same.

[Steelbanger]

If I'm old enough to be considered an antique then so is the 38-55.
Why do I like it? First, it opened my eyes to how efffective a lower velocity cartridge can be. Also taught me some reloading tricks pertaining to chambers, throats, bullet sizing, and bore measurements. I have found it to be effective on silhouettes and deer, knocking either down with one shot.
I hope my 45-70's don't read this!

[Rimfire]

I like the 32-20 best, have been shooting it for almost 40 years. I like the 25,38 and 44WCF's almost as much too. Shoot them all with cast.

[bishopgrandpa]

Have five 45-70's and 1 444. Guess which I prefer.

[dubber123]

45-70. 32-20 always brings a smile to my face too though.

[corvette8n]

It changes, but for now .45 Colt +P in a Puma 92 clone.
packs a wallop and goes where you point it.

[calaverasslim]

if something like the 4570 or 4440 can be considered antique those would be my choise. I dont know if you are looking for antique or discontinued. The 4570 is about as versitile as they come and about nothing feeds in a lever gun like a 4440 except maybe a 3840. In a 92 action they both feed like butter and will take care of anything up to black bear with no problem.

They say brilliant minds think alike and so true. Lloyd loves the 44-40 and so do I. Hunt with it, carry it in a Colt and/or a USFA. Won't change.

[6pt-sika]

Have five 45-70's and 1 444. Guess which I prefer.

Numbers mean nothing

I have seven 444's , ten 30-30's and five 45-70's

But I only have ONE 32-40 and that is my preferred caliber !

[405]

Large... 45-70, 405, 35 Win, (348 semi-antique)
Medium... 32-40, 38-55, 30-40, 33 Win
Small... 38-40, 44-40
Why the long list? Have shooters for all of them and they all shoot very well!

If hard pressed to pick one gun/cartridge combo to get the job done I'd narrow it to among these four: a Winchester 71 in 348 or a Winchester 1895 in 405 or a Winchester 1895 in 35 Win or a Winchester 1886 in 45-70

[runfiverun]

model 95 in 30 u.s. govt gets babied alot.
daughter confiscated my 44-40 92
so the 95 is it by default

still have to cast and load for the 44-40 what a rip..

run five run

[Bret4207]

32-20 because it's about perfect for 99.9% of my shooting and farm work. 16 gauge takes care of the other stuff.

[eka]

.38-55

Cause it's the only oldie I've got.

I also enjoy the puzzled look on the face of some guys at the range when they stroll up and ask what I'm shooting and I tell them.

You sometimes just get a Huh??

Then they pick up a blown-out cartridge case and it reads 30-30.

Takes a little "splanin" to straighten that out.

Keith

[w30wcf]

.44 W.C.F. (.44-40) - because it's the first Winchester center fire ctg.
.30 W.C.F. (.30-30) - because it's the first Winchester smokeless ctg.

w30wcf

[Poohgyrr]

30 WCF

The others are great in their way, but this one says Levergun...

[MakeMineA10mm]

Win. 1866 in 44 Henry Centre-Fire.

I just realized, many of us (especially me) haven't answered both parts of the original question.

I like the 44 Henry, because it is the first cartridge that was interchangeable between rifle, carbine, and pistol. The Henry, Win.'66, Colt 1872 Open Top, S&W#3, and even a few SAAs were chambered for the 44 Henry RF. All of these firearms were available in the hey-day of the post-Civil War cattle drives and cowboy era (roughly, depending on who you believe, 1866-1879). The SAA & Win.'73, though in production, were not in wide-spread use, especially out West, until about 1875, nearly the end of the open range era. Sure, the 1880s & 1890s were part of the Wild West. For that matter, I think one could argue, even up until WWI or a little later, say 1920, that at least in places like Texas, NM, and AZ, the west was still pretty wild. But, the open range/free range "cattle drive," Buffalo-hunting, and 2nd-Indian-Wars era was over by about 1880 or 1885. That means over half of what modern folks think of as the golden age of the west, the 44 Henry was the only interchangeable cartridge between pistol and rifle.

Now, since 44 Henry RF isn't available these days, and when it has been, is mighty expensive, I prefer to use my home-made, modernized, reloadable version, and claim (in character) that I had my guns converted to central-fire (which many originals were). What I do is load a 210gr Big-Lube RNFP (mine is the MAVDutchman bullet run on the SASSWire many years ago) in 44 Russian cases and load them to an OAL that is actually just a little shorter than the original 44 Russians. Load them with 21-23grs FFFg (depending on the brand of powder and cases, so that I get slight compression), and I've got a PRETTY close facsimile (without the heel-bullet and outside-lubrication) of the 44 Henry CF.

So far, I've got a Cimmarron repro of the Open Top w/ short barrel (that I plan on having shortened a little more, to about 4") which is going to get a bird's head grip frame and faux ivory grips.

I'm waiting on someone to bring out the S&W#3 in the early version. Seems like the only two versions of the #3 anyone will reproduce is the Russian and the Schofield. I want an original-style #3, with top-strap mounted latch and curved grip/butt....

I think that the company making the rifle conversions for the 45 Cowboy Special can do the same modifications to a 44 Special Win.66, and that will let me shoot my version of this 44 Henry CF, so I'm gonna make some calls come Monday...

Now, for a Buffalo gun, I have two favorites:
1876 Trapdoor Springfield Officer's Hunting Carbine in 45-70 and the 1874 Sharps in 50-90. Like 'em both a lot. But of course, neither of them is a lever-action. If I had to pick a lever-gun in a powerful caliber, it would probably be the Win. 1876 in 50-95. I'm glad they're finally making replicas of those. That was a hole in the line that definitely needed fillin (along with the First-version S&W#3!!!).

[TxGunfighter]

44-40 & 45-70 get my vote
I Like the 45 Colt but It was not used in a rifle back then!

[WyrTwister]

45-70 ,, "since 1873" says it all for me.

Yep .

God bless
Wyr