Gonna try out the .44-40

B

Beagle333

New member
Just put one on layaway. That gives me a little time to load up a few bullets and be ready for some cowboy action. I've always wanted a .44-40 and I ain't gettin' no younger, so I got the ball rolling. It'll be a neat addition to the SA collection. I'm going with the Cimarron Frontier (pre-war) in 5-1/2" length :)
 
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Lots of fun. My Cimarron Model 'P' has a 0.429 barrel, but smaller throats. Can't chamber 0.430 bullets. I run Hunter's Supply 0.427 and find them very accurate. Unique works well. I think Alliant Black MZ blackpowder substitute works better. Enjoy!
 
I honed my two Uberti cylinders . They would take .429s but tight and had to push them in. Didn't want to use .427 after sluing the barrel and finding it wanted .429
I started with Lee dies, and they would run .427 jacketed all day, but did not like .429 lead. After taking Driftwood's advice and getting RCBS Cowboy .44-40 died life is good !
 
The pre-war frames have the spring loading mechanism on the frame to remove the cylinder pin and the ejector rod head is a ½ moon.
The old model frames have a slotted screw that you have to remove to remove the cylinder pin and the ejector rod head is a bullseye.
 
The pre-war frames have the spring loading mechanism on the frame to remove the cylinder pin and the ejector rod head is a ½ moon.
The old model frames have a slotted screw that you have to remove to remove the cylinder pin and the ejector rod head is a bullseye.
Click to expand...

Well that certainly is prewar, very prewar. The ones with the transverse cylinder latch are the so called smokeless frames and came into being in 1896. The ones with the screw and bullseye ejector are black powder frames but in reality there was some overlap
 
Yeah. Cimarron is a little bizarre the way they label 'Pre-War' and 'Old Model'

The generally accepted terms are Black Powder Frame, for the ones with an angled screw at the front of the frame to hold the cylinder pin in place.

The so called 'Smokeless Frame' with the spring loaded transverse pin to hold the cylinder pin in place first appeared as a target model feature in 1892, and became standard around 1896. But this was four years before Colt officially factory warrantied the SAA for Smokeless powder in 1900. So with the old guns, the term Smokeless Frame can be misleading.

Modern revolvers are made of modern steel, so the Black Powder frame models as well as the Smokeless Frame models can all be safely fired with Smokeless powder.

I suspect Cimarron is using the term Pre-War to denote a Pre-WWII style frame. Colt production of the SAA ceased during the war years, and did not start up again until 1956, which was the beginning of the 2nd Generation of SAA production.
 
I didn't get the Frontier yet, it's still on layaway, but I did find this nice Uberti from Navy Arms on Armslist while I was waiting, so I grabbed it.
The only .430 bullets that I had cast were already powdercoated, so don't fret over that too much. I just wanted to see if they would fit, and they mic at .4295, so I figure it has .430 throats in it. That's good, because that's what my current sizing/lubing dies are set up for anyway.

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Cool, a black powder frame too. has the cylinder pin been cut back or do you have it in the safety notch? I trimmed mine so it looks right and won't screw you up.
 
I run em through a Lee .430 push-thru die on the press, just so it's easier on my old Lyman 45 lubesizer, then through a Lyman .430 lube die and usually lube with Carnauba Blue.
 
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