44-40 ammo

[Steveg13]

44-40 is NOT an easy round to load... in the beginning. Lot's of issues revolve around crushing the very thin brass at the mouth of the case. The 44-40 is a necked down case and easy to buckle, the 45 Colt is straight walled, has thicker brass, and is much easier to load. Also, if this is going to be used in a rifle with a tubular magazine, you will have to make sure you have a good crimp to keep the rounds from being driven back into the case by the recoil of a fired round (a well known problem). There is a definite learning curve when loading 44-40.

This site will keep you plenty busy learning about the 44-40, https://sites.google.com/view/44winchester/introduction

ETA, Trail Boss is no longer being made and is currently unobtanium... unless you are willing to pay crazy exorbitant prices on the secondary market. Check out the many Cowboy Action Shooting websites for lots of info on loads for the 44-40.

Good info here. I would also get a factory crimp die (I have a Lee) for my .38-40 reloading.

[4DSJW]

Good info here. I would also get a factory crimp die (I have a Lee) for my .38-40 reloading.

There is a lot of info and discussion about whether the Lee Factory Crimp die, or the Redding Profile Crimp die, will work the best for 44-40. If you read the site that I linked (lots of reading to be done) it looks like it may just come down to the shape and style of the bullet you use. I reload 44-40 and have had good luck with the Lee Factory Crimp die, but I may try the Redding die just to see what it does. I think it's around $30 to $40.