I think a heavy 36 load was more than equivalent to a 38 Special, which was originally BP, and the 44, especially the Walker, was the most powerful pistol till the 357 Mag. AND, with a bigger cross section, more damaging than the 357, which only had penetration as the deciding factor.
A 357 ball at 1200 FPS is no more damaging than a 44 ball, the 357 being 158 grs and the 44 being 142.
Why we had such wimps in the day of the Ironmen, the cowboys, with the original 45 load of 40 grs BP, and they complained of the recoil, so Colt and others dropped the load to 35 grs,, I don't know, eswpecially since today';s shooters want the hottest load they can get, pain be damned.
There might be some to dispute, won't go to the books, just yet.
Cheers
George
