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.44-40 rifle talk

frommycolddeadhands

Regular Member
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Sep 3, 2008
Messages
448
Location
Knob Noster, MO
Hey all,
I've got a b-day coming up, and since I've been wanting a new long gun for a while I figured I might as well get one. I've always been a lover of lever action guns, and although I was considering getting a 30-30, I have started considering getting a .44-40 that shoots pistol rounds.

I've never had a long gun that fires that sort of ammo, so I was wondering how it stacks up to a gun that shoots rifle rounds. Does it have any range outside 200 yards? Anyone out there got any pros-cons or opinions about how it would stand up if zombies attacked?
 

thx997303

Regular Member
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May 7, 2008
Messages
2,712
Location
Lehi, Utah, USA
You can shoot them at 500 yards all day.

The limiting factor will be trajectory, and at that range it may or may not have enough power to kill cleanly if you are using it for hunting.

I use a 45-70 lever gun. I love it. That one Does have enough energy for a clean kill at even 1000 yards.
 

Doug Huffman

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Location
Washington Island, across Death's Door, Wisconsin,
(14) LONG GUN CARRY IS OFF-TOPIC: This web site is focused on the right to openly carry properly holstered handguns in daily American life. We do NOT promote the carry of long guns. Long guns are great! OCDO co-founders John & Mike and most of the members of this forum own at least one long gun - but due to urban area issues of muzzle control, lack of trigger guard coverage, and the fact that the long gun carry issue distracts from our main mission to promote the open carry of handguns in daily life, we will leave long gun carry activism in the capable hands of the future founders of web sites about long gun carry.
 

SavageOne

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SEMO, , USA
(14) LONG GUN CARRY IS OFF-TOPIC: This web site is focused on the right to openly carry properly holstered handguns in daily American life. We do NOT promote the carry of long guns. Long guns are great! OCDO co-founders John & Mike and most of the members of this forum own at least one long gun - but due to urban area issues of muzzle control, lack of trigger guard coverage, and the fact that the long gun carry issue distracts from our main mission to promote the open carry of handguns in daily life, we will leave long gun carry activism in the capable hands of the future founders of web sites about long gun carry.

They are not discussing long gun "carry", they are discussing long guns themselves which is not prohibited. At worst the OP should have put this in the "Social Lounge" forum, but I have seen threads that had much less to do with OC and 2A than this one here in the "General Discussion" forum.
 

rodbender

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Navasota, Texas, USA
(14) LONG GUN CARRY IS OFF-TOPIC: This web site is focused on the right to openly carry properly holstered handguns in daily American life. We do NOT promote the carry of long guns. Long guns are great! OCDO co-founders John & Mike and most of the members of this forum own at least one long gun - but due to urban area issues of muzzle control, lack of trigger guard coverage, and the fact that the long gun carry issue distracts from our main mission to promote the open carry of handguns in daily life, we will leave long gun carry activism in the capable hands of the future founders of web sites about long gun carry.

Why can't members leave the business of being a self appointed topic cop to John and Mike? Must you guys show a superior knowledge of the forum rules on a constant basis? You can't do anything about it, not one thing. I don't care for off-topic threads either, but why not leave it to the guys that can do something about it?
 

Doug Huffman

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Why can't members leave the business of being a self appointed topic cop to John and Mike? Must you guys show a superior knowledge of the forum rules on a constant basis? You can't do anything about it, not one thing. I don't care for off-topic threads either, but why not leave it to the guys that can do something about it?
They have lives too and expect us to self-regulate which the children of all ages seem unable to do. The law abides only the law abiding, the rules abide only the rule abiding.
 

thx997303

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Lehi, Utah, USA
Either way doug, you are wrong. Move on.

Anyway, to the OP, what are your purposes for the rifle anyway?

Hunting? Paper punching?

The original black powder loading for the 44 WCF (44-40) propelled a 200 grain bullet at about 1300 fps. Very similar to the 10mm auto in similar bullet weights. Later loadings using smokeless powder (okay in a modern lever gun) get more on the order of 1500 fps in a 200 gr loading.

It also does it with much lower pressures.

Now, a lever gun in 357 magnum/ 38 spcl would be cheaper to shoot if you aren't reloading, and are plenty powerful for most things.
 
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rodbender

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Jun 23, 2008
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Navasota, Texas, USA
They have lives too and expect us to self-regulate which the children of all ages seem unable to do. The law abides only the law abiding, the rules abide only the rule abiding.

Yes, I know all of this. The problem is, you can't delete or lock the post. Why waste the bandwidth to jump on somebody about it? Sound like a bunch of children.
 

Citizen

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Nov 15, 2006
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Fairfax Co., VA
Forum Rule #8

(8) KEEP IT ON-TOPIC: All gun rights discussions not directly related to open carry should take place in the "General Discussions" forum and topics that are not related to gun rights at all should take place in "The Lounge". Please police your own posts before posting them and help keep OCDO strong and focused.

http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/misc.php?do=showrules

This is more for making readers aware than for criticizing. The General Discussion subforum is for gun rights discussions that are not directly related to open carry. Topics not related to gun rights now go to the Social Lounge subforum.

While the OP is about guns, it is not about gun rights; thus, it and similar gun characteristics discussions would go in the Social Lounge.

It occurs to me that if we police ourselves, it makes life easier for John and Mike. We can help by putting our threads into the requested categories. I'm guessing that as the new Social Lounge becomes better known, things will smooth out.
 
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thx997303

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May 7, 2008
Messages
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Lehi, Utah, USA
Unfortunately Citizen, the OP cannot move his topic now.

I am unsure whether the Lounge forum existed or if the OP even knew it existed at the time he posted this thread.

Anyway, it's quite rude to hijack threads.
 

frommycolddeadhands

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2008
Messages
448
Location
Knob Noster, MO
Either way doug, you are wrong. Move on.

Anyway, to the OP, what are your purposes for the rifle anyway?

Hunting? Paper punching?

.

Looking for a good all around rifle. Something that I can hunt deer and coyote with, do a little target practice around 500 yards, and use to defend the household with if need be. I usually hunt with a 30-30, which is a great gun, but since the .44-40 fires pistol rounds I wanted to know if it would still be accurate and have enough punch to drop a deer in the mid-ranges.
 

frommycolddeadhands

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2008
Messages
448
Location
Knob Noster, MO
(14) LONG GUN CARRY IS OFF-TOPIC: This web site is focused on the right to openly carry properly holstered handguns in daily American life. We do NOT promote the carry of long guns. Long guns are great! OCDO co-founders John & Mike and most of the members of this forum own at least one long gun - but due to urban area issues of muzzle control, lack of trigger guard coverage, and the fact that the long gun carry issue distracts from our main mission to promote the open carry of handguns in daily life, we will leave long gun carry activism in the capable hands of the future founders of web sites about long gun carry.

Forum: General Discussion
Use this area for discussions that are somewhat off-topic or that do not fit anywhere else.

^^^That's the description of the general forum, I just copied it off the Open Carry Brigade page. You're right, long gun carry IS somewhat off topic, which is why I posted it here in accordance with the description.
 

thx997303

Regular Member
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
2,712
Location
Lehi, Utah, USA
Your assertion is inaccurate.

http://www.researchpress.co.uk/longrange/sandyhook.htm

The 45-70 used in that test is a straight walled case, and when loaded with 405 gr bullets, would do around 1300 fps.

The 45-70 proved accurate and effective at 2 1/2 miles.

Not only that, but the 357 maximum is also a straight walled case and delivers a 158 gr bullet at about 2000 fps.

That round only drops about 150 inches at 500 yards.

With a proper vernier or tang sight, these cartridges are easily capable of 500 yard shooting.
 

simmonsjoe

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Messages
1,661
Location
Mattaponi, Virginia, United States
Stop being silly.

Your assertion is inaccurate.

http://www.researchpress.co.uk/longrange/sandyhook.htm

The 45-70 used in that test is a straight walled case, and when loaded with 405 gr bullets, would do around 1300 fps.

The 45-70 proved accurate and effective at 2 1/2 miles.

Not only that, but the 357 maximum is also a straight walled case and delivers a 158 gr bullet at about 2000 fps.

That round only drops about 150 inches at 500 yards.

With a proper vernier or tang sight, these cartridges are easily capable of 500 yard shooting.
It was not proven accurate. The 45-70 took 15 seconds and hit a 6 foot bullseye. - Totally useless for anything but bragging rights. (Speaking of which, the man who made the shot is a world record holder, and is an exception in himself)

The 45-70 at 2.5 miles would be corkscrewing with a diameter much bigger than the vital area of any game in North America. The amount of variance due simply to a slight change in wind velocity during that 15 seconds could be dozens of feet.

Your cite is completely useless, as it admits to being a statistical outlier, admits to using a bulls-eye that is useless in size,

the 357 maximum is uncommon, as no mainstream manufacturers make it anymore. It would be a decent rifle cartridge, though it seems unnecessary when you have the 35remington for lever-guns.

But if you want to discuss a cartridge that may have the longest useful range, I would like to see a lever-gun chambered for the 460XVR (s&w).
 
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