Marlin Firearms Forum banner

1894 44-40

5K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  Timber  
#1 ·
You 1894 boys have any advice for cast loading the 44-40 ?

I'm seeing one on an auction site that has grabbed my fancy and figured I would like to know any Pros/ Cons about reloading for this caliber.

I already have a 444 , two thats three 44 magnums now heh and a 44 special . So it only seems fitting that a 44-40 be in the future.

Would .429 diameter bullets push the pressure way up in the Marlin 44-40 ? Are they known for over bore barrels in this caliber like plagued the 44s and 444s for years ?

I know alot of question , But i like to have all my ducks in a row before I dive into new ( mouth to feed) rifle in a caliber I have no experience reloading.

This is a Cowboy Limited 1894CB 44-40 that I suspect is fairly new .

Thanks in advance guys.
 
#3 ·
Yeah I know ... Dang it , that means I would have to add .427s to my next order... Hmmmmmmm I have so many .429-.432 projectiles already hmmmmmm . I guess I could make room in the gun room for em , I gueeessss hahaha. Though I can hear that conversation with the wife already " What do you mean your ordering up more 44s ?" Me: " But no baby you dont under stand really " hahaha

Just figured it would be worth asking if they ran an over bored barrel or a true .427 shooter.
 
#4 ·
Marlin 44-40 barrels are built to SAAMI spec with a .4285 groove diameter. I use .429 cast as a .430 won't chamber and don't have any problems. You want your cast bullets to be a bit oversize to help prevent leading. That .427 bullet would be to small in a Marlin.

One of the things about the 44-40 is that it seems like every manufacturer thinks they know better than SAAMI and uses their own groove diameter. Marlin is the only one I've found that makes them to SAAMI specs. Winchesters run a bit tighter and Rossi and Ruger use 44 Mag groove diameter barrels.

Also, 44-40 brass is pretty thin. Take your time and don't get into a hurry will keep you from mangling it. You'll probably still crush some brass, but once you get a feel for it, it gets better.
 
#5 ·
Willy

So then If I hopped on one of these nicely priced Rossi's, the diameter would be the same as my other 44s ?

Because As much as I am more in favor of a Marlin I would say being able to utilize my present stock pile of .429-.431 diameter bullets would all but be a deal sealer for me.
 
#7 ·
I have the Marlin CB .44-40. All I shoot in it is .429 cast with great results. I did try some Speer .429 jacketed to make a hotter deer load that shot exceptional, just never took it deer hunting. Choosing a Rossi over a Marlin, those thoughts would never enter into my mind.

Image
 
#9 ·
What I should have mentioned last night is that the main problem I've found with bullet sizes in the 44-40 is how tight the chamber neck is. It's kind of tight in the Marlin. I can get a .429 bullet past it, but a .430 won't chamber. I could get a .430 to chamber in that Rossi and my Ruger Vaquero both of which use a 44 Mag groove diameter. I didn't try anything larger as my 1894D CCL is my main all around gun and I load to my 44-40 ammo to fit it. When Ruger found out that they'd messed up on the bore diameter on the old model Vaqueros, they enlarged the chamber necks in the cylinders to allow the use of larger bullets in the later ones. Mine is an early one and has the small necks. Personally, I'd rather have a correct smaller bore to match my Marlin that would allow me to use the same ammo in both.
 
#10 ·
Willy thank you for the more detailed explanation. Do appreciate it. Also I can appreciate wanting your calibers to match, I have had matching calibered Ubertis in 45 lc. In 357 mag. 9 mm. And of course 44 mag . I love the cowboy concept of one caliber two arms. I wouldn't more then likely be buying a matching pistol for a 44-40 ,but you know. Watch me say that, then get the 44-40 rifle and wander into a great price 44-40 pistol and make a liar outta me . That would be my luck haha.
But make no mistake boys I like my cowboy guns to be American just sometimes buddy deals give ya a chance to try out other pastors ;)
 
#11 ·
I have a rare 94 with microgroove barrel. Need .431 cast bollits for it. OK, that's .44 mag size so they're easier to get. Nice little guns but they don't come cheap.

Be Well...
 
#12 ·
I would suggest slugging it. My 1889 relined Marlin is .428 & I use .429 & .430 hard cast with great sucess.
Regarding the variety of bore diamiters, even in the old guns, we tend to forget they used soft lead & BP. Those bullets would "bump" up in the bore & fill the grooves unlike the hard cast most folks use today. We need a bullet .001 or 2 oversize but they didn't. Speer makes an "Idaho Territory" brand of bullet that is soft lead and works great for me in 44/40, but I keep things around or under 1300 fps. They make it in .357 too & I like that one as well.
 
#13 ·
I Have good luck with Berry's Manufacturing Bullets in mine at .427. I had heard alot about maybe needing .429 but mine shoots fine with the .427 so that is what I load... Behind a charge of universal. And they are right be real carefull loading those cases..lol takes a bit to master the thinner wall.

Image


Image

This Is once I got it dialed in... Of COurse there is that one Flyer ;D
Image

This Was at 15yards.. guess what I am saying is if the price is right.. GET IT ;) NICE LIL GUNS I was Lucky and picked mine up for 500 New In The Box
 
#14 ·
I like what Leverdude has to say here. You've got to slug your bore to determine what the groove diameter is before you start loading a particular bullet. The hardcast at one or two thou. overbore should work good. The R.C.B.S. Cowboy Action 200 grain bullet works up to diameters from .427" to .430". If your bore slugs to .430" (which it probably won't in a newer Marlin) you can try casting a softer bullet in say 1:20 tin:lead and as leverdude says it might bump up to fill the rifling. Unfortunately smokeless powders don't do it as well as black powder does. There's nothing wrong with firing unsized bullets either, provided they are lubed, if you need to get a larger diameter bullet to fill the bore,
Good luck.
 
#16 ·
I owned one and they used 44mag barrels on them with incorrect diameters for 44-40. Just use 44mag diameter bullets.
Shooting cast bullets you get best results with the bullet .001 up to .002 over bore diameter. They just form down. Shoot a bullet smaller than bore diameter and you get leading and less accuracy. You are good to go.
Just slug with a fishing weight. and go from there.