Uberti or Cimarron?

[panhandlepr]

I want to buy to purchase a nice 1873 replica. Anyone out there have any experience with either the Uberti or Chimarron? I'm thinking about a short rifle with a 20" barrel in either 44-40 or 44 special. Which of the two cases would you prefer and why? Their both about the same retail price and both look the same. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks guys

[square butte]

I like the way the Cimarron's are marked better than the Uberti's. Cimarron markings look more like winchester markings of the period. Also like fit and finnish better on the Cimarron

[veeman]

Cimarron is the importer, not manufacturer. Uberti is the manufacturer, in Italy. Cimarron's are made by uberti.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I have a Uberti made, Uberti stamped 1873, now about 2 years old. One of the prettiest rifles I own. Also have a Japanese-made 1873 Winchester. Also a very nice rifle, but I'd sell it before I'd sell the Uberti. Both are .44-40 WCF. I've also got an 1892 Rossi .44 Mag. carbine, so could shoot the .44 Spec. in that if I wanted to. Between the .44-40 and .44 Spec. I'll take (obviously!) the .44-40, as I have a couple of 1873 clone revolvers in that caliber also. You asked "Why?". Just tradition, I think. The .44-40 cartridge can be a bit tricky to reload until you get the hang of it. As noted above, Uberti makes the rifles and the ones sold by Cimarron are just stamped with their name.

271924

[Prairie Cowboy]

As they said, both rifles are made by Uberti, with different fit and finish.

You have a third choice in the Japanese-made Winchester Miroku 1873. You can get a plain short rifle with a 20" round barrel, magazine tube hanger, forend cap, crescent butt plate, fairly plain walnut, and a blued finish. Or you can get a more elegant version. Available in .44-40, .45 Colt, and .357 Magnum.
The only noticeable difference is that Miroku has installed a firing pin safety inside the firing pin extension. You can only see it when the action is open, and it's pretty discrete. It still relies on a half-cock for a safety otherwise. I own one in .44-40 and I'm happy with it.

As for cartridge choice, it depends what you want. Nostalgic authenticity or a cartridge that is less expensive, more available, and easier to hand load.
The .44-40 is the original cartridge, but more fussy to hand load, because the brass is very thin and unforgiving. Without care you will crush the thin brass.
The .44 Special cartridge is easy to handload, as are .45 Colt and .357 Magnum because the thicker brass is more forgiving. But, if you won't ever be hand loading, then it really makes no difference.

If you intend to shoot it much, then I would choose .44 Special myself, given your two choices.

[mack1]

I can't comment on the rifles but I would pick a 44wcf every time. If you progress to Black the thin necks of the 44wcf seal the chamber nicely and make fouling only a bore issue with almost none in the action. I would like to look at a Cimarron 1866 to help round out my collection.

[square butte]

Cimarron is the importer, not manufacturer. Uberti is the manufacturer, in Italy. Cimarron's are made by uberti.

Yes - But Cimarron gives Uberti different fit and finish specs. than the rifles marketed as Uberti

[Prairie Cowboy]

Standard velocity .45 Colt or .44 Special smokeless loads will seal the chamber just fine without any blow-by.
My 2018 production Marlin 1894 Cowboy in .45 Colt exhibits no blow-by with Winchester 250 grain lead bullet cowboy loads. Listed at 755 FPS from a revolver, they probably clock around 1000 FPS from a carbine.

[sharps4590]

I have a Cimarron '73 Sporting rifle in 44-40 and I think it's a pretty nice rifle for the price. It isn't a Merkel or Funk but...well, that needs no explanation. Mine is very accurate with either smokeless or black powder and the 205-210 gr. bullet from the cheapy Lee mold.

[John Wayne]

Look up Taylors. They are importers also. They're criteria for blueing and wood quality are superior over Cimarron and Uberti. If that matters to you?

[DaveM]

FWIW, I own a Cimarron-branded 1873 Sporting Rifle and an 1860 Henry Military Model. I also own an Uberti-branded 1866 Sporting Rifle. Fit and finish on all three are equal but the Cimarron-branded rifles have more authentic markings.

The 1873 and 1860 are in .44-40 while the 1866 is in .38-40. Either is a good choice if you'll be shooting black powder. The cases seal the chambers perfectly and no fouling gets back into the action. IME, .44-40 is a bit more forgiving to load for and has better case life if you FL resize. There's quite a bit of excellent info on this board about loading .44-40 with BP.

[Prairie Cowboy]

BP cartridge lovers are staunch defenders of their beloved .44-40 cartridge.
And, for BP loads and mouse-pharte CAS smokeless loads the thin case does seal better for them.

But, just about no .44-40 lover disputes that this cartridge is unforgiving to load for. An internet search about hand loading the .44-40 will confirm this.

Having loaded the .44 Special and .45 Colt for many years, I have found both cartridges are very easy to load and possess excellent case life.

The .44-40 is a great cartridge to shoot, but be prepared to take extra pains so that your brass survives if you reload it.

[smithnframe]

Doesn't Uberti make Cimarron?

[downzero]

Cimarron is the importer, not manufacturer. Uberti is the manufacturer, in Italy. Cimarron's are made by uberti.

Not all. My Cimarron Frontiers are made by Pietta.

[DaveM]

"But, just about no .44-40 lover disputes that this cartridge is unforgiving to load for. An internet search about hand loading the .44-40 will confirm this."

If you use Starline brass and put enough flare in the case mouth, .44-40 is no big deal to load. The difficulty of loading it is way overblown, in my experience. A lot of what you read on the Internet is repeating old myths, not based on personal experience.

Are .44 Special or .45 Colt easier to load? Sure, but mainly because you can use a carbide sizing die and don't have to lube the cases like you do with .44-40.

[Prairie Cowboy]

I have loaded .44 Special and .45 Colt with and without carbide dies.
With one sizing die you lube to size, with the other you don't. That's all.
It is equally easy to size and load these cartridges with regular or carbide dies.

The reason why these cartridges are easier to load is because the brass is thicker and more tolerant of damage due to collapsing the neck during bullet seating and case crimping.


The .44-40 is almost paper thin compared to the other two old time cartridges. The .44-40 brass that I have purchased (Starline) often has a few cases that are slightly dinged, new in the bag. You need to use a small steel rod inside to iron them out, back to round, in order to be able to use them.

The following article is from "American Rifleman" which I regard as a very credible source of information. I hardly think that they would repeat old myths or exaggerate anything. Yet, they caution the .44-40 hand loader about collapsing case necks during bullet seating and crimping operations.

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2018/3/23/handloading-the-44-40-win/

Also, read this discussion from the SASS wire forums. These guys are the pros when it comes to loading .44-40.

https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/204533-reloading-problem-with-44-40/

[sharps4590]

I have to agree with Dave. I got my first 44-40 in the mid-80's then went without one for about 30 years. I now have one again. I never noticed any difference in difficulty in loading it from the 45 Colt or 44 Spl. The 32-20 is the one I find more tedious to load.

[warren5421]

I have been loading the .44 WCF for 30 years and find it as easy to load as the .44 mag! You need to set you dies up for the .44-40 just like any round you reload for. I shoot a lot of black powder so like the .44 WCF as it will hold as much powder as the .45 case. I don't have a rifle that will shoot the .44 sp, they don't cycle good in my .44 mag rifles. The Marlin I have thinks the .44 sp is to short to cycle good in it. If I was looking at both I would go with the .44 WCF. Before cowboy shooting the .44-40 was loaded as either "not for use in pistols" or pistol ammo. As for the guns I would look at Taylor's, Navy Arms, EMF, and Uberti. All are made by Uberti but to different specks. Remember John Wayne used a Model 92. My .44-40 Navy Arms 73 has taken more deer than any rifle I have using Pb RNFP bullets.

[Prairie Cowboy]

I find that the .45 Colt cycles very smoothly in my Marlin Cowboy. It also cycled very well in an 1866 Uberti Winchester that I owned.

Since this cartridge is fatter than the .44 Special, and about the same length, I would think that .44 Special would cycle more easily in an 1894 Marlin, if it were chambered exclusively for .44 Special, rather than the opposite.

In a .44 magnum 1894 Marlin the shorter .44 Special may not feed well, just as .38 Special may not feed well in a .357 magnum 1894 Marlin.

However, the OP wants to buy an 1873 Winchester clone, not A Marlin. Cartridges in a toggle link Winchester action feed straight in to the chamber. In fact, if you throw the lever down to lift the cartridge elevator, and tilt the barrel downward, a cartridge will slide into the chamber by gravity. It makes no difference whether the cartridge is .44 Special, .44-40, or .45 Colt. The extractor does not even snap over the rim until you close the action.

And while .44-40 lovers love to extoll the virtues of the round, I respectfully disagree that it is as easy to reload as .44 Special.
The two sources that I linked to in my post #16 confirm this.

I also confirmed this with my own .44-40 1873 rifle. I embarked on reloading for .44-40 only because I wanted an 1873 replica in the original cartridge, and was willing to take the extra precautions to reload for it. Otherwise I would have gone for .44 Special or .45 Colt.


I don't think that the OP can go wrong with either of his brand choices. They are both excellent.

[mack1]

Me being a 44WCF lover, I would like to point out that not everyone hand loads or shoots for the same reason. When I started out money was the reason, then accuracy became the driver, and now loading old obsolete cartridges seems to be where I'm at, so the pitfalls are some of what is appealing to me. With all of this said I do still crank out 38specials on a Dillon for volume shooting so can also appreciate the ease of loading also. Next years goal for me, a Whitetail with my 73 44WCF Black powder hand load.

[Ruts]

BP cartridge lovers are staunch defenders of their beloved .44-40 cartridge.
And, for BP loads and mouse-pharte CAS smokeless loads the thin case does seal better for them.

But, just about no .44-40 lover disputes that this cartridge is unforgiving to load for. An internet search about hand loading the .44-40 will confirm this.

Having loaded the .44 Special and .45 Colt for many years, I have found both cartridges are very easy to load and possess excellent case life.

The .44-40 is a great cartridge to shoot, but be prepared to take extra pains so that your brass survives if you reload it.

I dont take any extra pains, don't lube cases, find 44 40 very easy to reload, and get great case life.

[Prairie Cowboy]

I dont take any extra pains, don't lube cases, find 44 40 very easy to reload, and get great case life.

I suppose that it is a matter of opinion.

Or, perhaps all of these experienced SASS shooters who load .44-40 are wrong. :smile:

https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/204533-reloading-problem-with-44-40/

[1006]

44 special, or 45 Colt has to be easier to reload and easier to find in the stores. Unless you just want a 44-40 for personal reasons—which is a good enough reason—,it will not do much that the 44, or 45 can’t do.

[Ruts]

I suppose that it is a matter of opinion.

Or, perhaps all of these experienced SASS shooters who load .44-40 are wrong. :smile:

https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/204533-reloading-problem-with-44-40/

I can't access that page for some reason but I often see things about the 44 40 posted by people who could know better but don't and put their opinion out there anyway. I see on another thread you told someone they need a 44 magnum expander so they don't crush cases when loading for modern rifle with 429 bore. I load .427 for my old marlin and .431 xtp jacketed for my 70's winchester 94 with 44 40 dies, I never crush cases. I reset the expander for more flare for the bigger bullet. I dont think its an extra pain to set the die for the bullet you are going to use

[Prairie Cowboy]

44 special, or 45 Colt has to be easier to reload and easier to find in the stores. Unless you just want a 44-40 for personal reasons—which is a good enough reason—,it will not do much that the 44, or 45 can’t do.

Absolutely. Around here .44-40 ammunition prices (if you can find any)
have skyrocketed to ridiculous levels. It is almost as difficult to source now as .38-40.

.45 Colt is still as easy to source as .357 magnum, and half the price of .44-40.

.357 magnum is the cheapest center-fire lever action carbine & revolver ammo of all.

.44 Special is less common than .45 Colt and a bit more expensive.

But all have the standard brass thicknesses that make them easy to load.

[warren5421]

Prairie Cowboy I don't think SASS is a good reference for most really don't know what they are doing. The books and manuals say this or that and they believe everything in print and repeat it.

[Randy Bohannon]

44-40 WCF is original and designed to the 1873 action there were many reasons 45 Colt was not included in any original Winchester or Marlin lever action rifle until fairly recently. I’ll take the “ hard to load” 44-40 WCF over any other chambering in the 1873 action. Same case capacity as the 45 Colt that works in the 73, 45 Colt in a lever gun gives you “Colt Bulge” in your brass, they all do it or they wouldn’t work,big over sized chambers are what let’s 45 Colt feed (relative term) from a tube magazine and a lever action.

[Prairie Cowboy]

Prairie Cowboy I don't think SASS is a good reference for most really don't know what they are doing. The books and manuals say this or that and they believe everything in print and repeat it.

While you are entitled to your opinion, I think that you are absolutely wrong about SASS shooters. These guys are probably the greatest advocates of reloading and shooting the .44-40 out there. They speak from experience, not from what they read in books or manuals.

And, why would you discredit what has been published in manuals? Do you also believe that reloading manuals are wrong and that the data in them should be ignored?

Frankly, your claim that they don't know what they are doing seems completely unfounded.

Again I would urge the OP to read this discussion among these SASS shooters regarding the .44-40 and to decide for himself.

https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/204533-reloading-problem-with-44-40/

[Prairie Cowboy]

44-40 WCF is original and designed to the 1873 action there were many reasons 45 Colt was not included in any original Winchester or Marlin lever action rifle until fairly recently. I’ll take the “ hard to load” 44-40 WCF over any other chambering in the 1873 action. Same case capacity as the 45 Colt that works in the 73, 45 Colt in a lever gun gives you “Colt Bulge” in your brass, they all do it or they wouldn’t work,big over sized chambers are what let’s 45 Colt feed (relative term) from a tube magazine and a lever action.

The reason why the .45 Colt cartridge was not included in lever actions is:

1) Demand.
Until the advent of Old West Reenacting in the late 1970s followed by CAS shooting in the 1980s, most were content to shoot the .44-40 or .38 Special that was available in their replicas, and few worried about reloading the .44-40. Also, the original .44-40 rifles were well-established with almost nobody wanting a .45 Colt rifle.
But, with the arrival of CAS, everything changed. Shooters wanted to shoot a lot and to reload for the sport. .45 Colt is more forgiving to load in quantity and so, created a demand.

2) The Casing.
Earlier iterations of the .45 Colt ranged from almost no rim at all on inside-primed formed copper cases in the 1870s to more modern solid head 20th century brass cases with a larger, but still marginal diameter rim.
However, with the introduction of the "fouling" groove on most rimmed cartridges, that changed. As an unintentional consequence the .45 Colt cartridge became a de facto semi-rimless cartridge if used with the sharp beak extractors common to lever action rifles. That created ample rim purchase to make the .45 Colt a practical proposition in lever actions.
And, of course, it feeds and extracts equally as well as .44-40 in both toggle-link rifles and the Marlins and Winchesters.

My Uberti 1866 rifle in .45 Colt exhibited no "case bulge" from firing. Why would it? Cartridges in toggle link actions slide straight in to the chamber so there is so need to enlarge the chamber because of supposed problems with angular feeding some attribute to Marlins and 1892 Winchesters.

The cases shot in my my 2018 made Marlin 1894 Cowboy also exhibit
no visible case bulging. The factory Winchester 250 grain lead cowboy cartridge I used measures .475" at the neck and .476" at the base. The fired case measured .477" at the neck and .476" at the base.
Seems pretty normal to me, and no feeding issues at all.

While some older .45 Colt replicas might have slightly large chambers, I think that this is somewhat exaggerated by those who are very protective of their beloved .44-40.

[M-Tecs]

While you are entitled to your opinion, I think that you are absolutely wrong about SASS shooters. These guys are probably the greatest advocates of reloading and shooting the .44-40 out there. They speak from experience, not from what they read in books or manuals.

And, why would you discredit what has been published in manuals? Do you also believe that reloading manuals are wrong and that the data in them should be ignored?

Frankly, your claim that they don't know what they are doing seems completely unfounded.

Again I would urge the OP to read this discussion among these SASS shooters regarding the .44-40 and to decide for himself.

https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/204533-reloading-problem-with-44-40/

I do shoot SASS and they are a great bunch of folks. SASS is a game of fun or (if you want to win) it's a game of speed. I can't thinks of any shooting competition that demands less in accuracy than SASS. I also compete in NRA High Power, Palma, F-Class, and various long range competition. I do barrel work for some benchrest types but that is not my cup of tea.

Other than safety and smooth function SASS demands almost nothing from the reloaders. IMHO SASS is not a go place to look for a depth of knowledge for more than basic reloading techniques IMHO. Of course there are always exception.

Some cartridges have more challenges than other but most of the issues are non non existent or easily solved if you know what you are doing. Personally I find the 44-40 a very easy cartridge to load for.

On the other hand SASS shooter are the most fun to be around group of shooters I know of.

As to loading manuals the data is normally pretty good but the problem is the manuals that have outside writers provide the cartridge intro/description. Some of them are very good and some not so much.

[Baltimoreed]

In my limited experience as a cas shooter every toggle link rifle made by uberti is a law unto itself. Generally speaking they have too strong springs and too soft screws which are screwed in way too tight. My Cimarron 1873, 30 inch bbl .45 had to have the bbl replaced [took a year], my 1876 NWMP carbine had a bad toggle link [one side was ok but the other was too long] and my beautiful 1866 Musket needed new springs and screws. Not talking about action jobs or short stroke kits just the basic stuff to make them operate smoothly. Also have an old Stoeger carbine that has slicked up real nice. After a basic toggle tune up they are pretty neat rifles. Good luck with whatever you buy but be warned, they do multiply.

[sharps4590]

I suppose that it is a matter of opinion.

Or, perhaps all of these experienced SASS shooters who load .44-40 are wrong. :smile:

https://forums.sassnet.com/index.php?/topic/204533-reloading-problem-with-44-40/

Not for their opinion or use. Neither they nor you nor anyone else can say what is or isn't easy for others. I would probably find brain surgery difficult...more likely impossible. Being a Master Electrician for 42 years came pretty easy.

[Prairie Cowboy]

Not for their opinion or use. Neither they nor you nor anyone else can say what is or isn't easy for others. I would probably find brain surgery difficult...more likely impossible. Being a Master Electrician for 42 years came pretty easy.

Essentially what you are saying is that what seems easy for one person may be difficult for another. Quite true. It all depends on their level of knowledge and experience.

For an experienced .44-40 hand loader, it may be second nature to crank out hand loads, because he may not even really be aware of the care that he is taking. But for someone used to reloading .45 Colt, .44 magnum. .38 special, or .357 magnum, which are very forgiving, the .44-40 will quite likely be a whole new animal to tame.

[Prairie Cowboy]

In my limited experience as a cas shooter every toggle link rifle made by uberti is a law unto itself. Generally speaking they have too strong springs and too soft screws which are screwed in way too tight. My Cimarron 1873, 30 inch bbl .45 had to have the bbl replaced [took a year], my 1876 NWMP carbine had a bad toggle link [one side was ok but the other was too long] and my beautiful 1866 Musket needed new springs and screws. Not talking about action jobs or short stroke kits just the basic stuff to make them operate smoothly. Also have an old Stoeger carbine that has slicked up real nice. After a basic toggle tune up they are pretty neat rifles. Good luck with whatever you buy but be warned, they do multiply.

I have to agree with you about Uberti-made lever actions. The 1866 rifle that I owned would not chamber cartridges right out of the box. After carefully taking it apart, I determined that the bolt had been dropped at the factory, before assembly, damaging the lower lip on the breech face.
So much for quality control.

I corrected that problem with judicious use of emery cloth and a dowel, but still had problems due to the bolt being able to move up and down too much when fully forward, causing the breech face to misalign just a bit when the extractor contacted the rim of the chambered cartridge.
I weakened the extractor by bending it upward a bit and then it worked fine.

The internal parts are too soft IMHO. I found that the hammer sear engagement changed over a short time and the trigger pull became "mushy".

But they are beautiful, and great pains are taken with the fit and finish for the visual presentation.

[DAVIDMAGNUM]

I have to say that I also have no problem loading the 44WCF. I load for two rifles and a revolver on a Lee Classic Turret. I use Starline brass exclusively. I was having problems with too many case mouth cracks. I took three fired cases, installed hard steel machine screws through the primer pockets and filled them with 20-1 alloy. I used them to lap open the Lee sizing die. My thoughts were that the brass was being over worked. Sized down for .427 bullets then opened up and flared for .430 bullets. This stopped the case mouth cracks.

[Bent Ramrod]

For me, the straight cases are “easier to load” mainly because carbide-ring sizing does are available for them, and the lubing/delubing process can be dispensed with. If steel dies are used, the process for straight and tapered/bottleneck types is pretty much the same.

The main problem I had with the .44-40 (and the .32-20) was that the seating/crimping step often induced a slight bulge in the case below the crimp that interfered with chambering. Using the Lee Factory Crimp die for these calibers eliminated this problem.

Oddly, I don’t have this problem with the .38-40 because I only have the sizing and expanding dies for the press. Seating and crimping is done with a Winchester 1882 Lever Tool, which does the job to perfection. I ought to try these tong tools in the other calibers some time.

[DaveM]

...Generally speaking they have too strong springs and too soft screws which are screwed in way too tight. ...

Ain't that the truth. I replaced most of the screws in my 1866 and 1873 Sporting Rifles. Some of them had to be drilled out on my mini-mill and then removed using screw extractors.

[indian joe]

BP cartridge lovers are staunch defenders of their beloved .44-40 cartridge.
And, for BP loads and mouse-pharte CAS smokeless loads the thin case does seal better for them.

But, just about no .44-40 lover disputes that this cartridge is unforgiving to load for. An internet search about hand loading the .44-40 will confirm this.

Having loaded the .44 Special and .45 Colt for many years, I have found both cartridges are very easy to load and possess excellent case life.

The .44-40 is a great cartridge to shoot, but be prepared to take extra pains so that your brass survives if you reload it.

Theys makin mountains outta molehills - 44/40 is easy to reload - break a case about every three hundred - cases not that much dearer than 44mag - its a non issue ....

[David LaPell]

Absolutely. Around here .44-40 ammunition prices (if you can find any)
have skyrocketed to ridiculous levels. It is almost as difficult to source now as .38-40.

.45 Colt is still as easy to source as .357 magnum, and half the price of .44-40.

.357 magnum is the cheapest center-fire lever action carbine & revolver ammo of all.

.44 Special is less common than .45 Colt and a bit more expensive.

But all have the standard brass thicknesses that make them easy to load.

I think it depends on where you live. I can walk into a local gun shop and buy .38-40 without issues. One gun shop has had a case of it on the shelf so long all the boxes are dusty and I picked up two other boxes at another shop recently nearby. I can't find .45 Colt anywhere. I can also get .44-40 at either of those same two gun shops if I choose. There are no Cowboy Action shooters or anything around here, so when it hits the shelves, it stays there. I can also get .25-20 and .32-20 as well.

[barnabus]

I like the way the Cimarron's are marked better than the Uberti's. Cimarron markings look more like winchester markings of the period. Also like fit and finnish better on the Cimarron

they are made by uberti..thats funny right there.

[barnabus]

Yes - But Cimarron gives Uberti different fit and finish specs. than the rifles marketed as Uberti

not true...old wives tale

[barnabus]

44-40 WCF is original and designed to the 1873 action there were many reasons 45 Colt was not included in any original Winchester or Marlin lever action rifle until fairly recently. I’ll take the “ hard to load” 44-40 WCF over any other chambering in the 1873 action. Same case capacity as the 45 Colt that works in the 73, 45 Colt in a lever gun gives you “Colt Bulge” in your brass, they all do it or they wouldn’t work,big over sized chambers are what let’s 45 Colt feed (relative term) from a tube magazine and a lever action.

same here 44-40 is original and shoots great with trail boss.get a handgun to match and then ur authentic

[sharps4590]

Essentially what you are saying is that what seems easy for one person may be difficult for another. Quite true. It all depends on their level of knowledge and experience.

For an experienced .44-40 hand loader, it may be second nature to crank out hand loads, because he may not even really be aware of the care that he is taking. But for someone used to reloading .45 Colt, .44 magnum. .38 special, or .357 magnum, which are very forgiving, the .44-40 will quite likely be a whole new animal to tame.

Maybe those who find the 44-40 so difficult to load shouldn't be so ham-handed? Start slamming stuff around and any cartridge case can be ruined. I expect most have seen guys put a case in the shell holder in the ram and, being in a hurry, slam it up into the die....they also miss on occasion. Those guys would probably find the 44-40 difficult to load...and it has nothing to do with the cartridge. Regardless of what all the "experts" claim, if a fella pays attention to what he's doing the 44-40 is nor more difficult to load than any other cartridge.