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I stopped at a small gun shop that I usually don't frequent. They had a nice Winchester 38-40. I know something about these rifles - my friend inherited one and I did some research for her on it. I told the store owner that it's actually a .40 caliber rifle and he insisted that it was a .38. It's even stamped .38 WCF, he said. No amount of info would convince him. Alrighty then.
Why was it called .38-40? There's alot of info online but no one seems to know.
Because "40-40" sounded too much like 44-40 is what I have come to believe. Someone else may elaborate.
Star-line brass has a well written history of the 38-40. I find it an interesting cartridge and have 3 Marlin 1894, 2 Uberti Cattelman, a Remington model 14 1/2 pump, a Uberti low wall and last a Ruger Buckeye special convertible. I guess one could say I have a fondness for firearms chambered in 38-40.
I wonder if it was meant to be a 40-38?
Bill
The 44 isnt a 44 either ,the early factory round was a 425/427 bullet so it should be a 42-40
And now the modern ones are 43-40s.
Several years ago a customer came into the shop with an 1889 Marlin carbine in 38-40 that he had just picked up. He asked if I had any ammo for it so I gave him 5 rounds to try the rifle out. Jokingly I said" when your done playing with it you can give it to me". A couple month later he came into the shop and handed to me. I have not had a chance to see if it will shoot OK.
Attachment 299552my 1873 rifle in 38-40 (no matter what you call it) is a joy to shoot.
I just never understood why it was introduced in the first place right after the 44-40. 32-20 and 25-20 make sense for reasonable size changes but the 44-40 and 38-40 are basically indistinguishable for all practical purposes. The 38-40 "might" shoot a bit flatter at longer range but it ain't enough to make any diff.
I will say that both the 38-40 and 44-40 are more accurate and kill better than most people expect. I've owned 44-40's (pistol and rifle) for almost 50 years and I think it's a great cartridge for short to medium range, either plinking or hunting - or even self-defense if necessary.
Smith and Wesson thought enough of the 38-40 cartridge to knock the rim off of it and call it the .40 S&W. Look it up!
My pair of Winchesters are 4 digit Serial Nos, made in 1892. Compared to 44 Special, 44/40 they are great shooters!
https://i.imgur.com/5cXpWqfl.jpg
time for a sob story ! (well not really I thought I was bein clever at the time)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bad Ass Wallace
I bought one down the south coast of NSW (late 1960's) from a widder lady - 24 inch octagonal barrel, short mag - had a few minor external rust marks from long storage but bore was pristine and that gun had fired less than fifty rounds in its life (we got the two boxes of winchester boolits he had bought with the new rifle) - it sat on my gunrack mostly unused for the next 20some years till I traded it off to a collector -- the 38/40 and a wore out 32/20 carbine with the stinger mark on the barrel went away and I put a Marcheno sharps and an as new 38/55 model 94 in their place with some spare bread left over out of the deal. I am not a collector at all, like to accumulate stuff
but a gun I cant shoot? nope!
a few years back I did a conversion build, had a 25/20 I never shot - converted it to 38/40 half round half octagon 26inch sprinter barrel Attachment 299597
You are correct: No one knows.
All that remains is speculation.