new 44-40 (to Me) colt DA

[bandit7.5]

Alrighty now.
I have just come into posession of a reeeeeal early colt new service 44-40.DA
and i have a problem chamber throats only mic at .422-423. WTH
how do you get 427-428 boolits to chamber in that. even if it has no finish and way after market grips and a piece of brass tubing soldered on as a ejection button. I guess I'll be looking for a 44spec cylinder soon.
timing is perfect and it locks up like an old colt should

[9.3X62AL]

I would slug the bore and see what you're dealing with dimensionally. If the grooves run .429" to .431", then 44 Special might be an idea worth considering. If true to 44-40 specs at .427"-.428", there are operators who can ream the throats to match the grooves properly for the caliber.

Ruger did similar atrocities with the Vaqueros they put together in 44-40, and with a lot of their 45 Colts as well. It's not a trait limited to century-old thinking by any means. The "operators" became a cottage industry thanks to Ruger's wrong-headedness.

[bandit7.5]

alright check this out after i post my problem I went out and slugged the barrel. shoulda did this first ..429 Looks like a 44spec cylinder in my future.
still would like to know how anyone managed to use this as it is Winchester factory loads will not chamber toofat.:(
Next question any body got a new service colt 44spec cylinder:Fire:

[Dale53]

bandit7.5;
I would seriously look into having the present cylinder reamed properly for 44-40's. It would not be my favorite caliber of choice, but if I had a revolver like yours in good mechanical shape, I would have it rechambered, buy a bunch of cases and load my own (and shoot the dickens out of it).

Dale53

[9.3X62AL]

A lotta merit to Dale's recommendtion. Colt NS cylinders don't exactly grow on trees, and a ream-out to .429 of the existing cylinder's throats would be a LOT cheaper process than finding and fitting a cylinder to your revolver. I have a Win '73 in 44-40 that brings .429" grooves to the table, and a 44 Mag/Spec expander stem in Die #2 makes boolits of .429" diameter workable.

[HeavyMetal]

I found out that there was at least three design changes in the cylinders for the old NS Colts.

I bought a used 1917 NS in 45 auto, someone had done a nice reblue on it, but the internals are junk. Not in any hurry to shoot it I have slowly been trying to find parts.

I wanted a 45 LC NS and located a cylinder that looks unfired in that caliber. Imagine how I felt when I realized I couldn't pull off the 45 auto cylinder and swap on the LC one! The ejector shaft is completely different between the two NS cylinders!

Paid 100 for the gun so no loss, but I paid 100 for the cylinder that hangs in the safe next to the 1917 and I can't use it!

Wanna buy a 45 colt cylinder and try for a re barrel?? Numrich has barrels!

[Dutch4122]

Try this site: http://cylindersmith.com/

He can ream the throats on your .44-40 to .4305"

I have seen his work and it is 1st rate.

Hope this helps. :)

[missionary5155]

Good morning Yep I have one down here with me... My throats are Large :) at .4295 +
I shoot mine regular ( for here) last time out I took my ration of 5 rounds. Factory costs $3 a round so I scavange 45 ACP for componets. I Swage soft .427 up to .430+ ( 8 grains Unique) it will hold 2.5 - 3" at 25 yards me sitting on my larger muscle. 9 grains is a real thumper...
Mine is not a collector item... no finish exterior pits... But if I had to I would ream those throats out to .430 and make it usable. What good is an iron to look at ? That is how I am.. I am a shooter / historian. And dead history has no value.

[Bret4207]

I would srtrongly suggest having the chamber reamed to proper 44-40 specs to fit your barrel. There are no flies on the 44-40 given proper dimensions.

[Harry O]

It sounds like you have pretty much the same dimensions of the Ruger Vaquero 44-40's that my son and I bought about 15-18 years ago. They did not shoot worth a darn. After sending mine back to Ruger twice, they refused to fix it, and I found a gunsmith to ream out the front (throat) of the cylinder. It was opened up from 0.424" to 0.430". The barrel was 0.430".

It was very inexpensive (from memory, about $30 plus shipping) and cut down the group size from about 6" to 8" from a rest at 25 yards to 2" to 3". Still not a target gun, but it was well worth the money.

[bandit7.5]

nice picture missionary5155
yours has the same barrel profile as mine but the frame looks like a 1917 style where as mine has a flatter triggerguard to frame area
serial number is in the 5900 range.
Our local gunsmith gave me a number for someone to do the chamber job but he will not be able to get to it till the end of January.
NUTS