New Cimarron/Uberti .44 w.c.f.

[L Ross]

Just got a new Cimarron/Uberti 7 1/2" Old Model P. Four clicks, angled screw to hold the cylinder pin, sometimes referred to as the black powder frame. I could not be happier with it. Perfect .431" throats in all six, shoots dead on to the sights, and doesn't bind up with 35.0 grains of 2 fg Olde Einsford and the 200 grain Big Lube bullet. What a gem!

 

[Outpost75]

Was this group rested or shot standing up on your hind legs?

For a sand-bag rested 15 yard group I would hope for better, but offhand that is certainly good enough for bears and bad guys.

 

[CZ93X62]

I have a Uberti CM x 4-3/4" in 44/40 WCF. It is a delight--throats accept .429" pin gauge, .430" is a no-go; grooves are a fat .428" or skinny .429". SAECO #446 (200 grain FN) sized .431" shoot well. It was made about 2012. Fortuitously enough, it is paired with a Win '73 carbine made in 1897 that does well with this same bullet and sizing.

I have yet to try BP in the Uberti. The initial attempt with The Holy Black in the Winchester was an unmitigated disaster, so my fervor for such ventures cooled a great deal. Better bullets (like the Big Lubes) and cleaner powder than the Goex Flaming Dirt might have changed the outcome.

 

[Islanderflyer]

Nice classic reproduction. I love the history behind the 44-40. How do you like the Big Groove boolit?

 

[L Ross]

Was this group rested or shot standing up on your hind legs?

For a sand-bag rested 15 yard group I would hope for better, but offhand that is certainly good enough for bears and bad guys.

Off hand, one handed, with two pretty good flinches on shots 5 and 9, those are the two twitched to the left. This wasn't at all like a K-38 with wadcutters. Recoil was fairly impressive.
I also backed off to 25 yards and knocked 10 buffalo silhouettes off the rail with 12 round, as I jerked a couple of those. 22 rounds of 35.0 rains of Olde Einsford and no cylinder binding.

 

[CZ93X62]

Full case/compressed charges of BP leave no doubt that the primers functioned. To paraphrase the late Frank Barnes in Cartridges of the World, a lot of the black-powder cartridges did not make the transition to smokeless powders seamlessly. Factory loadings in 32/20, 44/40, and 45 Colt do not measure up to these calibers' black powder performances. 45 Colt is a case in point--it prompted a 255-260 grain conical bullet to almost 1000 FPS from a 7-1/2" barrel in a SAA. I don't try that stunt in Colts/repros with smokeless, but I do in Rugers--and it is an IMPRESSIVE LOAD.

 

[RBHarter]

CZ ,
1050 is my all purpose critter getter out of the 7.5" RBH . I've run it up to 1200 with a 265 and that was indeed unpleasant .
That 35 gr of 2F doesn't really fit well in modern brass .

 

[Walks]

"12th round" ?
Does that mean you loaded 6rds ?!?!

 

[Ian]

At the range, where they will all be shot shortly after loading, sure.

 

[462]

My Blackhawk and Vaquero are loaded with six rounds at home, but I only load five when at the range. Modern at home, traditional at the range. Makes no sense, but there it is . . .

 

[Ian]

Ammo boxes are five across, so it does make sense. I've been know to load five in a 1911 magazine over and over at the range just for that reason. OCD? Partially-filled rows bother me, so much so that I got to just filling coffee cans with loose pistol cartridges and a plastic baggie wadded up in there, put the empties back in the can inside the bag to tote home from the range.

 

[Brad]

I tend to load 5 at a time because I too dislike partial rows

 

[Walks]

I load only 5, unless I carried a NM Ruger while Hunting. I grew up on Colt SAA's and OM Rugers.
Don't think I've every loaded 6 in a Traditional SA even at the range.
I got that thing about 5 in a row in the box too. Do it even on a 100rd box.

 

[L Ross]

Nice classic reproduction. I love the history behind the 44-40. How do you like the Big Groove boolit?

So far the Big Lube bullet is living up to its stated purpose, that being to provide enough lube to prevent fouling in the 24" barrel of my lever gun, and the revolver wasn't tying up. The Olde Einsford also may have something to do with that. I need to put this bullet on paper at 200 yards and see how it holds up. The big grease groove looks like a structurally weak point.

"12th round" ?
Does that mean you loaded 6rds ?!?!

For the buffalo silhouettes what I actually did was load 5, shot at 5 buffs, missed one. That left 6 on the rail. I reloaded with 6, again missed one. Extracted 1 empty, put in one live round and played Buffalo Russian roulette until it went off and got the buff. Skip loading does wonders for your nerves.

 

[RBHarter]

You can load 5 moon clip sets nice even 30s .

 

[CZ93X62]

I am glad to be among good company with S/As and "5 beans in the wheel". Old habits die hard.

Truth to tell, I seldom load most magnum revolver ammo much past 1000 FPS any more. That goes from 32 HRM to 45 Colt/Ruger. I want to enjoy shooting, not endure it. This regimen favors plain-base castings and I can shoot a lot more rounds before I get fatigued and start scattering hits far and wide.

I have revolver/lever rifle combos in 32/20, 357 Magnum, 44/40 WCF, and 44 Magnum. My loads for these all launch standard-weight bullets at 900 FPS from 4" to 4-3/4" barrels and 1150-1250 FPS from 19"-20" rifle barrels. Even in the 44 Magnum, recoil is docile and reports are moderate. Tell ya what--the 32/20 loaded to HV rates (1800 FPS to #311316) turns that Marlin into an eardrum drill of the first rank. NOT PLEASANT. The 327 Federal from the SP-101 is THE WORST--it surpasses the 30 Carbine Blackhawk in the deafening-potential department.

 

[Outpost75]

I have been doing the same thing for the last 30 years or so. The deer can't tell the difference and you can eat right up to the bullet hole.

 

[Walks]

CZ,
You certainly said it right. Heavy Recoil is fun for the young and "uneducated". Which is why, when you get past a certain point in Life ? You enjoy less push and noise.

"A more Harmonious Outcome"

 

[CZ93X62]

If someone wants to herd a beast like a 454 Casull or 475 Linebaugh, I say "More power to them" and they can have my portion of that pie. At some point, it is time to pick up a long gun. We each have our own cut-off point, and I know mine well--right where Lyman #429421 hits the 1200 FPS level, in a S&W N-frame 29-series. Elmer Keith himself said "1200 FPS is all you need" with that bullet to take large game effectively with the (then) 44 Special. Now we have Ruger boat anchors that turn such loads into pussycats; my Redhawk x 5.5" comes to mind here.

 

[462]

I used to shoot the 6 1/2" S&W 624 and the Lyman 429421 at Mr. Keith's 1200 fps a lot, but after a few years the fun disappeared. Too, the gun may have welcomed the relief.

This morning I took the .45 ACP Randall Service Model, loaded with Lyman's 452374 and 5.0-grains of Unique and 4.5-grains of Trail Boss. Both loads are super fun and all day shooters, and are more accurate than I can shoot off-hand.
After 150 rounds, the gun and I were fresh as daisies.