Magtech 44/40 v's 44 rem mag

Mick · 09-18-2005, 03:33 PM

I got a box of mag tech 44/40's the other day, man what a crappy round, they're not crimped properly, and won't feed into my lever action, especially when you start cranking a few through.

Anyway on the back of the box there is a coparison chart, it says 44 rem mag has a muzzle velocity of 1174 fps, and the 44/40 has 1180 fps, I was looking at that thinking hang on a minute that can't be right, then I saw the small print.
(****)(44 rem mag test results acheived using a 4" vented barrel)
(***)(44/40 test results acheived using a 24" barrel)

What's the point of even printing a chart if the variables aren't the same?

Despoiler · 09-19-2005, 12:06 AM

Marketing - they have to make a bad product sound good.

fred · 09-19-2005, 07:44 PM

Mick,
Take a good look at the wall thickness of a fired .44-40 case vs. a .44 mag: the .44-40 was developed as a blackpowder cartridge and in its day (circa 1873) was considered quite a potent round. .44 mag is a strictly modern high pressure round developed for modern smokeless powder. There is just no way the case will ever stand up to the pressure a .44 mag round will. The fascinating thing is that this antiquated museum piece round has foundd a whole new life among cowboy shooting devotees. By the way, I agree that comparing ballistic data on the basis of different barrel lengths is really poor. I would have thought better of Magtech than that.

Mick · 09-19-2005, 10:04 PM

I have only been using factory loads or loads that have ben made by other people, however I have ordered some dies and will be reloading my own shortly, how far above factory would you go (winchester 200 gr jacketed flat point, is the load I have used most) or would it be safer to just keep it at factory specs?

fred · 09-21-2005, 07:01 PM

I've not reloaded .44-40 myself but I rather suspect the thin brass will start suffering before the firearm will. I have heard some complaints about deforming cases. I do believe I'd work slowly up to recommended max and take a very good look at the fired cases before going further. What are you shooting them in?

toolman · 09-22-2005, 10:44 PM

I've never had a problem with Magtech ammo but never tried the 44\40.

Mick · 09-24-2005, 10:51 PM

I'm using a rossi puma '92, not sure how old the gun is I got it second hand, but it's tight and tidy.

drinks · 09-27-2005, 03:09 PM

I have been reloading the .44-40 since the '60s, my Lyman manual from '67 has loads with 200gr jacketed and 205gr cast exceeding 2000fps in a Win. '92 with 24" barrel, I have used these loads in my '92 carbine with no problems except for the back of the trigger guard part of the lever bruising my nuckle.
The cases have changed in the last few years, cases up to the '80s, were balloon head, the current production is solid head and the case capacity has been reduced about 3gr, so it will be necessary to reduce the loads a grain or 2 so as not to increase pressures.

Mick · 09-27-2005, 03:19 PM

Man that's fairly cracking along.

drinks · 09-27-2005, 06:45 PM

Aroung 1900, there were factory .44-40 loads available with advertized velocities of 1600+fps.
The .44-40 case has more capacity than the .44mag. case, the reason the factories did not just load the .44-40 up to and past whatever the .44mag. does, is because of the old blackpowder rifles and pistols that were and still are around and their clones.
The '92 is just a scaled down 1886/71, these handle large , high pressure loads quite well, the '92 is stronger than the '94 and the '94 uses 35,000psi loads quite well.

09-18-2005, 03:33 PM	#1
Mick Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Emerald CQLD AUST Posts: 975 Images: 1	Magtech 44/40 v's 44 rem mag I got a box of mag tech 44/40's the other day, man what a crappy round, they're not crimped properly, and won't feed into my lever action, especially when you start cranking a few through. Anyway on the back of the box there is a coparison chart, it says 44 rem mag has a muzzle velocity of 1174 fps, and the 44/40 has 1180 fps, I was looking at that thinking hang on a minute that can't be right, then I saw the small print. (**)(44 rem mag test results acheived using a 4" vented barrel) (*)(44/40 test results acheived using a 24" barrel) What's the point of even printing a chart if the variables aren't the same? __________________ OzHunter Give me a six-pack and a red dirt open road (Adam Brand)

09-19-2005, 10:04 PM	#4
Mick Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Emerald CQLD AUST Posts: 975 Images: 1	I have only been using factory loads or loads that have ben made by other people, however I have ordered some dies and will be reloading my own shortly, how far above factory would you go (winchester 200 gr jacketed flat point, is the load I have used most) or would it be safer to just keep it at factory specs? __________________ OzHunter Give me a six-pack and a red dirt open road (Adam Brand)

09-22-2005, 10:44 PM	#6
toolman Mr. Fixit Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: abilene,tx Posts: 5,582 Blog Entries: 22	I've never had a problem with Magtech ammo but never tried the 44\40. __________________ Don't be messin' with my gun!

09-24-2005, 10:51 PM	#7
Mick Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Emerald CQLD AUST Posts: 975 Images: 1	I'm using a rossi puma '92, not sure how old the gun is I got it second hand, but it's tight and tidy. __________________ OzHunter Give me a six-pack and a red dirt open road (Adam Brand)

09-27-2005, 03:19 PM	#9
Mick Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Emerald CQLD AUST Posts: 975 Images: 1	Man that's fairly cracking along. __________________ OzHunter Give me a six-pack and a red dirt open road (Adam Brand)

09-19-2005, 12:06 AM	#2
Despoiler Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: The Occupied Territory of California Posts: 2,232	Marketing - they have to make a bad product sound good.

09-19-2005, 07:44 PM	#3
fred Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NC, USA Posts: 183	Mick, Take a good look at the wall thickness of a fired .44-40 case vs. a .44 mag: the .44-40 was developed as a blackpowder cartridge and in its day (circa 1873) was considered quite a potent round. .44 mag is a strictly modern high pressure round developed for modern smokeless powder. There is just no way the case will ever stand up to the pressure a .44 mag round will. The fascinating thing is that this antiquated museum piece round has foundd a whole new life among cowboy shooting devotees. By the way, I agree that comparing ballistic data on the basis of different barrel lengths is really poor. I would have thought better of Magtech than that.

09-21-2005, 07:01 PM	#5
fred Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NC, USA Posts: 183	I've not reloaded .44-40 myself but I rather suspect the thin brass will start suffering before the firearm will. I have heard some complaints about deforming cases. I do believe I'd work slowly up to recommended max and take a very good look at the fired cases before going further. What are you shooting them in?

09-27-2005, 03:09 PM	#8
drinks Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 23	I have been reloading the .44-40 since the '60s, my Lyman manual from '67 has loads with 200gr jacketed and 205gr cast exceeding 2000fps in a Win. '92 with 24" barrel, I have used these loads in my '92 carbine with no problems except for the back of the trigger guard part of the lever bruising my nuckle. The cases have changed in the last few years, cases up to the '80s, were balloon head, the current production is solid head and the case capacity has been reduced about 3gr, so it will be necessary to reduce the loads a grain or 2 so as not to increase pressures.

09-27-2005, 06:45 PM	#10
drinks Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 23	Aroung 1900, there were factory .44-40 loads available with advertized velocities of 1600+fps. The .44-40 case has more capacity than the .44mag. case, the reason the factories did not just load the .44-40 up to and past whatever the .44mag. does, is because of the old blackpowder rifles and pistols that were and still are around and their clones. The '92 is just a scaled down 1886/71, these handle large , high pressure loads quite well, the '92 is stronger than the '94 and the '94 uses 35,000psi loads quite well.