44-40 WCF

Larry Potterfield • May 10, 2022

Some cartridges just deserve an award. Let's chamber another round in the Cartridge Hall of Fame. Introduced in 1873, the 44-40 is one of the most famous cartridges of the Old West. It was first chambered in the Winchester Model 1873, known as "the gun that won the West." This cartridge is fairly mild, generating about a thousand pounds of energy from a rifle barrel. The 44-40 gets its name from the old convention of caliber and grains of powder: a 44 caliber bullet over 40 grains of black powder. This rimmed bottleneck design headspaces off the rim, making it ideal for both lever-action rifles and handguns. While most famous as a rifle cartridge in the 73 Winchester, another famous chambering was the Colt Single Action Army. This was the first centerfire cartridge to be used in both rifles and handguns. Most commercial loads today use a lead bullet weighing 200 grains. With the rising popularity of Cowboy Action Shooting, this cartridge is used mostly for target shooting today. With thousands of vintage and reproduction firearms in use today, the future of the 44-40 is secure. It has my vote for the Cartridge Hall of Fame.

--Larry Potterfield