Tell me about the .40-65

[jason280]

I recently worked out a deal for a Uberti/Cimarron High Wall in .40-65, should be picking it up tomorrow. I've had a decent amount of experience with the .45-70, but this will be my first .40-65. My plan is to form cases from .45-70, and probably use a bullet around 400 gr with smokeless powder.

Anyone have any experience with the .40-65, and how do you like it? How does it compare with the .45-70? I know I need to slug the bore, but any suggestions on a bullet?

[FLINTNFIRE]

I bought a rcbs mold grafs has it in stock at the moment also have a saeco mold came with my 40-90 sharps straight , I to am using 45-70 cases as I wait for starline to have 40-65 in stock as my back order is about 6 months old , I am using black powder and mine is a pedersoli sharps bullet is about 300 grains .

Thought I was going to get some brass from a guy claimed to have a ton of it , but never heard back from him . I like the 40 calibers .

[hawkenhunter50]

I like it, shoot one made by CPA. Compared to 45-70, a lot less recoil in my experience. I am using BP in both though, no smokeless. I got a BACO mold for a 400 grain Money bullet and shoot 53.1 gn of Swiss 2F with .06 vegetable wad.

[PositiveCaster]

The .40-65 was originally loaded with lighter bullets of 260 grains and twist rates varied between 1:20” to 1:26”. A 400-grain .40 bullet is pretty long, so depending on the actual twist rate and the velocity you choose it “might” not be stable. Some modern barrels have tighter twists, it’s something to consider anyway. Any particular reason for using the heavy bullet?



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[Mk42gunner]

As I understand it, the .40-65 WCF was originally a cartridge for the 1886 Winchester loaded with a ~260 grain projectile. It really wasn't thought of as a long range or target round until Ron Long (I think) strted chambering it in single shot rifles and loading the heavier boolits for BPCR silhouette.

I think all of the modern single shot rifles probably have a faster twist for the heavy boolit crowd.

With a form die and a heavy press, brass is easily formed from .45-70.

It is not a traditional single shot cartridge; but it is easy to form from available brass, which was important when he started doing it. Thirty years ago there wasn't a whole lot of buffalo rifle brass readily available.

A buddy of mine wants to build one, so I have kept the die assortment that I stumbled into. One of these days...

Robert

[jason280]

I'm really curious what twist the barrel will have on the Cimarron, I should know Monday.

[Old Caster]

I shot the 40/65 a lot in competition shooting BPCR 200 yards standing at chickens, 300 yards at pigs, 400 at turkeys and 600 at rams off cross sticks. I learned how to make Pyrodex as accurate as black and I liked to use it because you didn't have to blow down the barrel between shots which gave more time but since you are using smokeless it won't matter.

I used a 385 Lyman for 2-400 yards and a I believe 410 for 600 yards but I don't remember the brand and am not where I can look at it now. I carefully casted bullets out of a 20-1 mix with a homemade ladle and they were perfect. I don't shoot in this venue anymore and should get rid of my Pyrodex and all the bullets I casted. When I won a big match one time I was given a prize to get a mold made by Paul Jones and I got a copy of the Lyman mold because even though the Lyman shot real well, the nose was out of round a few thousandths. The Lyman shot better even though the Paul Jones nose measured round. I assume it was how the nose fit up to the rifling. While the heavier mold did not shoot as well at the closer ranges it was better at 600. I don't even remember what brand the rifle is but could look. I would cast around five hundred bullets at a time and then divide them by weight into categories because the rifle was sighted in every time you changed distance. I do remember casting at 805 degrees which was probably necessary because of bullet size.
One of the friends that was also competitive tried to shoot bullets cast with some antimony although that causes trouble with black powder and he did not do as well but had way more difficulty cleaning his gun and gave up on it. He did it because it was easier to get lead that isn't pure and tin was expensive.

My friends and I probably spent 10 years in total trying everything possible to win. Started out not so well with the Pyrodex but then out did the black when we caught on.

[jason280]

Well, I finally picked up the .40-65....

[jason280]

The individual I picked up the rifle from made virtually no effort in packaging the rifle properly, and was damaged in shipping. Basically, it was wrapped with a couple layers of paper, and thrown in an oversized box with no padding. Of course, it did not survive the trip with FedEX, and the stock is ruinined. Even the off side of the tang has a significant crack, so it will have to be replaced...Uberti/Cimarron supposedly has them in stock, so its just a matter of getting the correct replacement.

[hawkenhunter50]

Dang, that's a bummer. Looks like it'd be repairable though. Did you have it insured? If it were mine I would try to repair that with some epoxy. Otherwise looks like a nice rifle, think you'll like the 40-65.

[jason280]

I'm doubtful it will be repairable, given that the area butts directly up to the tang...seems like it would be more prone to failure with recoil. The package was insured, but will almost certainly be denied due to inadequate packaging.

[405grain]

I've had pretty good luck with FedEx customer service. First, have Uberti/Cimarron email you a price quote for a new stock & shipping, tax, etc.. Then fill out a damage claim for FedEx and include a copy of the price quote and photos of the damaged stock. Don't wait on FedEx for the wheels of bureaucracy to turn, and just order a new stock from Uberti (which you'll need to do anyway). If you can, send them pictures of your broken stock so that they might be able to match color, grain figure, etc. If all the stars align you should get a new stock for your excellent looking rifle, to be followed shortly by a refund from FedEx for the new stock. Best of luck.

[Chill Wills]

Boy! That is a shame. Some people....
Sorry you have to deal with that.

[DonHowe]

Loading for the .40-65 is dependent on what the rifle is to be used for. My experience, like that of previous posters and probably most .40-65 shooters is with black powder for competition. For that usage bullet and bullet lube selection are critical for success. For casual shooting or even hunting with smokeless powder those choices become a lot easier and any bullet that your barrel will stabilize will work, from .41 revolver bullets to the long 400 gr and heavier ones. For 100/200yd shooting at paper there is no advantage to the heaviest available bullets but that's personal choice.
As to smokeless powders, there are plenty to choose from. Personally, I would opt for a powder which fills more of the case, like 5744, 4198, RL7 or even slower, keeping in mind the strength of the partic I lay action in use.

[Mk42gunner]

I don't understand why people who sell a multiple hundred or thousand dollar rifle won't spend twenty dollars at Walmart for a foam filled hard plastic case to ship it in.

I might even go so far as to make a box from 3/8 or 1/2 inch plywood...

I'll bet you would have a very hard time getting a refund from the seller due to poor packaging and the resulting damage.

Robert