Easier to find: .45 LC or .44-40 ?

Walmart's in my area stock the 45LC, and it's fairly easy to find at other outdoor stores. I don't recall ever seeing 44-40 in retail stores. I have some 44-40 BP loads for an old Colt SAA that I rarely fire.
 
If you wanna really shoot .45 colt you need to reload, if you do that they are very easy to find!!
If you dont plan to reload save your brass, people will line up to buy it!
 
To answer the question. The 45 Colt is easier to find and generally cheaper than the 44-40.
Because of the straight case, the 45 Colt is easier to re-load.
There are many choices of bullet configuration for the 45 Colt, few for the 44-40.

That said, you couldn't pay me to shoot a 45 Colt.

44-40 is the proper Cowboy cartridge.
 
SASS

45lc all day long. Have over 3500 rounds that I reload..shooting appx:200 plus each week. Have some really great SAA Colts 3rd Gen and 4th.. Nickle and blue all 4 3/4 with custom Eagle grips..Sambar,Buffalo Horn and Elk handles...retired PO carrying Glock 30 and 27 model...but I'm just as good with my single action Colts dead money out to 45 ft under the timer. Hell even got a derringer (BOND) in 45lc and that mother is dead on at 45ft also
 
That said, you couldn't pay me to shoot a 45 Colt.

44-40 is the proper Cowboy cartridge.
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It's funny. I can hear the cowpokes back in the late 1800s sitting around the camp fire after chuck discussing this same thing like we are doing here. Those with Winchesters were probably more likely to prefer the .44-40, but by the turn of the century, with the production numbers tallied, the .45 Colt was the clear winner by a big margin;)
 
When I first started Cowboy shooting I wasn't yet reloading. I'd buy a case of .45LC from Black Hills Ammo. At that time, I was able to request "seconds" and save a few bucks. You might want to try that.
 
if you tally all the winchesters made in 44-40 from the 1873 to the last 1892,you will find winchester made more 44-40,s than colt made 1873 revolvers or there big double actions in 45 colt. the winchester was just about the only way to go if you wanted a powerfull rifle and revolver combo. i reload just about all the old winchester rounds for the 73,s and 92,s and also reload for most modern rounds including the 45 colt and don,t find the old winchester rounds any harder to load for than the newer rounds, the cases may cost a little more,but not by much. i just bought 100 new 44-40 case for 30.00 and 370 once fired cases at a local gun shop for 35.00 and 500 hard cast and lubed 200grs .428 bullets for 45.00. i know all the older winchesters calibures(25-20,32-30,38-40 and 44-40) feed better than any of the straint walled cases do in lever actions. eastbank.
 
No fair. The tally to which I was referring was for the SAA, since the original question was only about SAAs and ammunition availability, not Winchester rifles or carbines:D Besides, I was just messin' around with what Noz said.

Just so we don't get too far off track:
Easier to find: .45 LC or .44-40 ?

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I'm about to buy a new SAA pistol and can choose either .45 or .44-40. I already have a .45 LC SAA and have found it difficult to find ammo for. Is .44-40 any easier to find?
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I still haven't made my move but I was in my favorite gun store yesterday looking for the exact gun I wanted (which they didn't have) and noticed they had six boxes of .44-40 on the shelf, and no .45 LC of any kind. I was leaning toward the .45 until I saw that. Now I'm really confused as to which direction to go. There's probably less demand for .44-40, which one might think would make it easier to find.

Like I said, I'll probably eventually go the reload route, but right now I can't do it and need factory ammo, however expensive.
 
Well, I finally found and bought my gun today (1866 Winchester Yellowboy (Uberti)) in .45 LC. So I guess that ends my concern over the .45 versus .44 question. Actually, I would have preferred the .44 because it would have been more historically accurate (although not rimfire).

At least I can now use the same ammo for my rifle and my six shooter.

Thanks for all the answers to my original question. Best wishes to all.

Now, if I could just find .45 LC ammo. My favorite store says they haven't gotten any in two months.
 
find a cheap press and reload,reload. you should be able to for about 10.00 a box,if you get into it more and cast and resize your own lead bullets, the cost will go down to about to 5-6 dollars,eastbank.
 
I think you made a good choice, I'd love to get one of those rifles someday! I would have gone for the '73 though. Maybe next year.
About those six boxes of 44's. You would have bought them and they wouldn't be restocked for months most likely. I would seriously recommend reloading for your 45. You'll save a ton of money.
 
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