When Winchester introduced the 44-40 cartridge in 1873, the vast majority of American hunters, both individual and commercial, used muzzleloaders.
I'd guess the majority were like Hawkens or "Kentuckys."
The Winchester '73 offerred multiple-shot/rapid fire for military purposes like Indian fighting, but how did it compare to the contemporary muzzleloader
for hunting? Not talking buffalo guns, just a homesteader or local maerket-hunter.
I would love to know how the '73 Win, for instance, compared to a Pernnsylvania long rifle, for instance, for hunting deer & the like.
Long range accuracy? Terminal bullet performance?
I shoot and reload 44-40 for both my Colt single-action and '92 Winchester, black powder of course; and have taken feral pigs up close with that cartridge.
In say 1878, should I have ditched my Hawken for a Winchester?