44-40 vs. 45 Colt (in a lever gun)

K

kcub

New member
I have a Uberti Henry repro in 45 Colt and a Uberti 1873 repro in 44-40.

Differences from a rifle? I like everything about the Henry repro. The 1873 is as pretty as I've seen with gorgeous wood and vibrant colors. They both shoot great.

What about differences in performance on deer and pig should such an opportunity arise?
 
What about differences in performance on deer and pig should such an opportunity arise?
Click to expand...

Negligible. The .45 is a little better with a heavier bullet but ballistically they're pretty close.
 
Never dealt with the 44-40 but I have dealt with the 45 Colt on hogs. I loaded up some STIFF cast loads for my dads Circuit Judge (don't laugh, its really comfortable, even if it is a little goofy looking) and he has had really good success up to 100yds. After that, not so much lol. Just too much drop as the range increases. Some people can compensate just fine, my dads not one of them lol. But I can still recommend the Colt though.
 
Think about it...

Both are toggle-link bolts & therefore both are limited/SAAMI pressure designs.

Shooting SAAMI-rated ammunition, the 45 throws 'a bit' more lead by weight
from about the same amount of original BP powder. (44-40/45-40)

But both will kill the likes of hogs/whitetail equally dead.
 
That's what I thought, it's 200 vs 250 grain bullets.

Just curious mostly about penetration on a shoulder shot.
 
There are many makers of light cowboy loads in 44-40 and then there is Winchester X4440 Super-X which is a 200 grain jsp at just under 1190 fps. That's light - mid range 44 magnum which might safely push it to another level.

Of course Buffalo Bore makes hot 45 Colt but that's probably not safe in a good many rifles.
 
What about differences in performance on deer and pig should such an opportunity arise?
Click to expand...

The deer and pigs won't know the difference. Inside of reasonable hunting distances either one is perfectly adequate for deer or pig.

Jimro
 
You should think of the .44 as a .44 magnum or special. It has a lighter bullet at .429.The .45 is heavier and at .45. I can't even guess at the velocities. In factory loads with lightly colt loads, I'd prefer a heavier .44.

As it. Stands now, I agree, this may be a wash. Hits with them on deer or hogs will perform almost identically most of the time with similar loards.

Aren't you afraid to take them out hunting?
 
The main reason few rifle makers chambered for the .45 Colt "back in the day" was that the small rim gave extraction problems. The small rim is still there (necessary to get 6 rounds into an SAA cylinder) and the problems still exist. IMHO, the .44-40 is the better round for rifles and there is significant advantage to the .45 Colt from a performance point of view.

Jim
 
Even at commercial "cowboy" pistol loadings [e.g., toggle-link specs], the heavy 45 Colt beats the 44-40

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