horseman308
New member
Orginal 1873 Winchesters came in .44WCF (.44-40), .38-40, and .32-20 ( I think). Later, other cartridges were introduced, but in the initial years, it was only those, and .44-40 was the most common.Why is that? (two different sizes of ammunition?)
However, the Colt SAA came in .45 Colt. So, the two single most common - or at least most famous - guns in the Old West didn't share common ammo, and if you had both, you had to have 2 different types of ammo.
A couple years later, Remington patented the 1875 in .44-40, as well as some others, but you could then buy a Winchester '73 and a pistol (1875 Rem) in the same cartridge. Much easier to source ammo. Too bad the Remmy never really took off like the Colt (personal opinion there).
I'm not certain, but I don't think Winchester ever made rifles in .45 Colt, and the availability of lever guns in .45 Colt today is the result of demand from the Cowboy Action sport.
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