reloading 44-40 for a Henry riffle

[bhilliker@comcast.net]

Originally I was going to reload for 44-40 Henry riffle but several people and a few articles left me to believe this is a difficult round to reload. Yesterday I had the chance to visit a SSA event in Railroad Flat. I met a guy there who had an Uberti 44-40 and reloads. He indicated this is a simple round to reload and gave me some info. I've only been reloading a little over a year and only hand gun rounds, 9,10 and 45. About 39K of them but have not taken on riffle loads. I'd like to hear from others who loads this round and any issues I may have with it. Or stick to the positives and how too so I can avoid any issues. Thanks in advance

[elmontemike]

I don't load the 44-40 but do load the 32-20. I don't find it anymore difficult to load than any other bottle neck cartridge. I load these other rounds 30-06, 30-30, .308, 223/556.

[bigbossman]

The reason 44-40 has a reputation for being difficult to reload is that there is a wide variation in bore diameters among older rifles chambered for that calibers.

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/4440.htm

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2018/3/23/handloading-the-44-40-win/

Here's a relevant passage:

"Original barrel groove diameter for the .44-40 Win. was 0.427", but SAAMI today has it at 0.4285". It varies considerably, not only among rifles from different manufacturers, but among those from the same manufacturer as well. Winchester Model 1873 dimensions seem to be the most generous, with the barrels of some reportedly measuring as large as 0.434". Foreign-made replicas of that rifle usually range from 0.426" to 0.429". The barrels of rifles being manufactured today often measure 0.429" across opposing grooves, same as for the .44 Rem. Mag."


Most modern 44-40 cast bullets are made for .428 sized bores. If you have an old Winchester or Marlin, you bore may well be bigger than that and thus shoot the .429 bullets poorly. In your case, a more modern Henry would likely be bored for the right diameter, and so you won't have issues.

To be sure, all you have to do is slug your bore to find out. If the bore is oversize, then you need to buy oversized bullets in order to get acceptable results downrange.

In any case, the mechanics of reloading 44-40 are the same as any other pistol cartridge, and there are no special skills, tools, or other accessories required. Note that it is a slightly bottle-necked cartridge, so some lube is best when resizing.

I happen to have a circa 1925 Winchester 1892 chambered in 44-40, and the bore slugs out to precisely .428. I reload for it on a Lee 1000 Pro, and have no issues. Large pistol primer, charge, seat, crimp. That's it.

Brass and bullets are readily available from several sources. Also note...... 44-40 IS a pistol round, even though you're wanting to reload for your Henry rifle.

[Mike0904]

"In any case, the mechanics of reloading 44-40 are the same as any other pistol cartridge, and there are no special skills, tools, or other accessories required. Note that it is a slightly bottle-necked cartridge, so some lube is best when resizing." quoted from bigbossman
This is about the most important thing no matter who's dies you have to lube them. Also you need to be precise with the belling die as the 44/40's cases are somewhat thinner they can be crushed easier, all that said I ran thru hundreds every month shooting CAS and only crushed maybe 3-4 in 2 years.

[bigbossman]

This is about the most important thing no matter who's dies you have to lube them. Also you need to be precise with the belling die as the 44/40's cases are somewhat thinner they can be crushed easier, all that said I ran thru hundreds every month shooting CAS and only crushed maybe 3-4 in 2 years.

Yeah - I forgot to mention that part. With the 44-40 (and for that matter, the 38-40, 32-20, and 25-20) the brass is more fragile than most - very thin at the top. What that means to the reloader is that care must be taken when running the cases through any of the dies..... if they are not centered when you run them up into the die, they can be easily damaged.

[bhilliker@comcast.net]

I have Dillon 650 but my plan is to reload on a single stage. Thanks for the tips. I appreciate the info