44 Russian?

[Tackleberry41]

Been looking at getting one of the Uberti break tops. Wanted one in 44-40, but there pretty much unobtainable. 2 shops looking and myself, can't find one. But 45 colt is easy to get and also the Russian type in 44 russian. Only data I find is pretty mild, many warning against using anything but BP, but is a new gun, vs something 100 yrs old, cant imagine they make a special weaker version for the 44 russian.

Its really close in case cap to the 45 ACP, actually a little more. Does anybody have some more modern load data for the 44 russian in a new S&W copy?

[trapper9260]

Here is some websites you can use if you like that have the data.
http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=44%20Russian&Weight=All&type=Handgun&..
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?47735-44-Russian-Load-Data

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Any revolver model will have more steel with .44 cylinder holes than it will with .45 sized holes. I shoot with a guy who has the .45 in top break because all his guns are .45 Colt so he makes one cartridge that shoots in all his guns.

I see the strapless in .45 Colt and kind of cringe. That calibre is not authentic to that model and the cylinder walls are paper thin. Most strapless shooters shoot very light loads so they're probably alright.

The .44-40 has few more steps involved than reloading with a straight walled case, and it's thin brass is prone to crushing cases at the mouth on a progressive.

The .44 Russian can be made by trimming .44 Special brass. On my Forrester that would be quite job. Then you have to re-set your .44 Special dies or buy another set.

[rintinglen]

They have data in the 4th Edition Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. Powder charges run Much lower than 45 ACP.

[EDK]

I'm sharing your pain. I bought a 45 Long Colt S&W SCHOFIELD clone last fall and finally got the DILLON conversion kit and dies plus 200 empties for it. The data in my copy of the LAZER-CAST RELOADING MANUAL is pretty conservative. They also list 44 Russian data.

The top breaks are pretty weak actions. I wouldn't push them near as hard as a COLT SAA or an N frame SMITH & WESSON, let alone a big frame RUGER. (I bought mine for $600+ out the door, after watching Tom Selleck in CROSSFIRE TRAIL for the umpteenth time. Usually see them for $900+.)

[Tackleberry41]

I had no intention of going past factory pressure 45 colt in it. Just figured 44 Russian could probably be loaded to that spec vs the pretty light ones I could find data for. Only way to get 44 russian is by the russian type break top. Not sure if I like that style.

[Wayne Smith]

It's the originals that are BP only. I have the S&W Schofield 45 S&W made in 2000- the loading tables for this are just as powerful as the 45ACP, which was designed to copy this round. The 44 Russian modern copy should handle 44 Special pressures without a problems.

[Tackleberry41]

I ended up ordering a 45 colt. You can only get the 44 russian in the Russian model. Not a fan of the hump on the back strap, or the big spur of the trigger guard.

Bit of a pain. Found some on Buds, and some on Impact. Buds was cheaper, but if you don't want them to drag their butts and ship it in a timely manor, you have to pay for a membership, I don't order many guns this way, so mostly a waste of money. So wait 5-7 business days for them to put it in a box, or $30 for the membership for next day service, the shipping on Impact was $9.99. And Impact had the US model I wanted vs the Russian model on Buds.

I have 2 boxes of 45 store bought cowboy loads sitting on the shelf, and half a box of trailboss reloads, vs buying dies, brass etc.

[blackpowder man]

I'd like a top break and have had the same diemma. I already reload the .44 russians, .45 colt, and .44-40. I would like to shoot bp and the .45 and russian are much more dirty with all the blowback, even with smokeless. The .44-40 would be a good answer, but they're hard to find and they have the longer cylinder and tend to bind up easier than the original shorter cylinder. Dixie gun works also has them in the same calibers as buds and impact, but I think they also had .44-40. Let us know how it works out and definitely post us some pics!

[Tackleberry41]

Is it something about newer brass vs old, maybe older brass was thinner, would seal easier vs more modern brass? My Ruger only loads, rarely leaves a mark on the exterior of the brass. But standard pressure stuff lots of blowby. I have some cut down 454 I bought when 45 colt was unobtainable, is even worse. 44-40 from everything I read is thinner brass, and seems to seal better, or maybe its the slight bottle neck?

I would have liked a 44-40, my friend says I always want weird stuff. But he works at a gun store had him looking, and the gun store near me, and I looked, no 44-40 guns. I also wanted a 5" barrel vs the longer one, will fit in my lefty crossdraw holster I have for my blackhawk. Guess I need to cut up that old saddle I bought for $10 and make some holsters, I want one of the old US tanker style shoulder holsters, lefty. Friend gave me one I cut the stitching for a pattern, make it fit something other than a 1911.

Ill post pics of the gun when it comes in, said next week, I was cheap didn't want to pay the $70 for quicker shipping. But its already the most expensive pistol I have bought.

[EDK]

You are caught in a dilemna. Light loads won't obdurate the brass...soot! and heavy loads are a bit much for a SCHOFIELD/RUSSIAN copy. HOWEVER the solution is to anneal your brass. That cut-down 454 brass is going the wrong way for your needs. You want softer brass, not the heavy duty stuff. IF I ever get going reloading for my SCHOFIELD, I'll let you know how it worked out.

[johnson1942]

i use blackhorn 209 powder in my uberti open to 38 special. its the best powder ive found for it and no reason it wont work in the 45 long colt. easy to clean the gun when done shooting, very accurate and doesnt keep the cylinder from rotateing. the cylinder-barrel gap on my open top is very tight and the 209 powder doesnt hang up rotateing the cylinder.

[Tackleberry41]

You are caught in a dilemna. Light loads won't obdurate the brass...soot! and heavy loads are a bit much for a SCHOFIELD/RUSSIAN copy. HOWEVER the solution is to anneal your brass. That cut-down 454 brass is going the wrong way for your needs. You want softer brass, not the heavy duty stuff. IF I ever get going reloading for my SCHOFIELD, I'll let you know how it worked out.

I bought that 454 brass at a time when the only way to get 45 colt brass was to buy loaded ammo, searched high and low, found once fired, but it was the same price to go buy loaded ammo. I wouldn't use it in the Schofield. I will have 4 guns in 45 colt when I pick up the new one. 1 is a rifle I built on a rossi single shot, came in 44 mag, bought a messed up barrel did a stub into 45 colt. I generally use the cut down 454 in that, heavy loads. I have since been able to find regular 45 colt brass. Just have to mark my boxes of loaded stuff so none of my blackhawk loads make it into the schofield. Why I was looking at another caliber.

The place near me has the black horn, might try it, but dang they dont give it away.

[Dan Cash]

I have a Schofield copy in .45 Colt. It has withstood a lot of standard velocity loads (7.6 gr Unique/240 gr bullet) with no ill effect. After obtaining a multi cavity 225 gr .45 mould, I now load for the Schofield to Schofield levels (225 bullet @ 700fps). Don't know about the .44 copies but the .45 Schofield will not work with BP, fouls out and binds up in 12 rounds.

[Tackleberry41]

I may just avoid BP, it has a habit of getting in all sorts of hard to clean places, an old cap and ball gun is easy to disassemble, stick in the dishwasher. I would hate to try to take this thing apart all the time. I have had good luck w trailboss and a lee 230gr LFN mold. Figured out the Lee 230gr LRN doesn't work, without seating them to deep to crimp properly. May just stick w lead w this gun vs anything jacketed, reserve those for the blackhawk.