Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Anyone hunt with a 44-40

Just wondering if anyone uses the old classic for hunting and if so what loads. Had been thinking about getting one in a modern repro.

The only person who I've ever met who hunting with a 44-40 rifle was Bearrr264's Grandfather. He hunted deer with a custom Remington 14 1/2 and a Colt Bisley. He hunted moose and black bears with a closely matched custom Remington 14 in 35 REM.

44-40 probably killed more game in America than anything but the 30-30?

Not with the old 44-40, but plenty with 30-30 levers. Go to Leverguns.com and search, you'll find all your looking for.

For sure Google " Two peas in a pod, John Korte 44-40 Site". This guy passed just few years ago, but he knew and put to use the Mod 73 and 44-40 like nobody else in recent times. He's got a lot articles besides this one, along with couple other guys. Good stuff even if you don't use the 44-40!

I had a 92 SRC that was strictly a shooter. When I got it I had to make a new firing pin for it, the old one was broken. For a number of years I just played with it, loading cast, 200 grain rnfp cast bullets over what powder I’ve forgotten. About 15 years ago, a friend told me his 12 year old daughter wanted to shoot a deer, but he didn’t have a rifle small enough for her. I told I had just the thing. He took it, she practiced with it and one evening called me all excited. She’d killed her first deer. After deer season he said something about getting the rifle back to me but I figured a kid shouldn’t have to give up the rifle they kill their first deer with and I had too many anyway. He told me that after she shot, the deer just took a couple of steps and fell over dead. That’s about all I know with regard to killing deer with a .44-40.

My granddad (1889 - 1973) hunted deer and black bears with the family Winchester in 44-40 until he saved up to buy his 30-30 in 1914. Grandad preferred his 30-30 and hunted with it well past the WWII era; then he bought a Winchester 95 in 30-40.

Sherwood

Nope, but I did pop my first few rifle hunted deer with a Ruger96 44 Mag. None of them were bang/flops, but none of them made it 100 yards from where they were shot, either. I also saw a couple plugged with 44 special from a Handi Rifle, and neither of them ran all that far before dropping.

In the end, a fat bullet in the boiler room = dead deer, even if the bullet isn't going particularly fast. .427 bullet is pretty good sized hole, even if it has zero expansion.

I bought a Cimarron 1873 short rifle last fall, and came really close to going with 44-40. I ended up getting it in 45 Colt, though, since I still had a bunch of brass and dies from when I had owned other 45 Colts in the past. If it wasn't for that, I would have gotten the 44-40.

My short answer is no but I would.

A buddy has a Henry repo and a SAA repo both in 44-40. They are so much fun to shoot would be worth it just for that IMO. If you reload, you could cast your own bullets and they don't use much powder.

I like a 225 RFN in mine. I've never hunted with mine yet, its too new. But I have shot a S&W in .44-40 since the 80's. Since it is a strong Modern revolver, I have used what amounts to carbine only loads.
I only fire my rifles with revolver loads since one of them is an 1873.

All that said, I knew an old Texas cowboy who shot hundreds of deer with his SRC in .44-40.

I've got a modern Marlin 1894S in .44-40 with a Weaver 2.5x. It shot "patterns" with proper .44-40 bullets, then I discovered they used standard .44 Mag barrels. I worked up a stiff load with the Nosler 200gr JHP and 2400 that basically duplicates .44 Mag ballistics. I've carried it a few times but have never got a shot with it. Maybe I'll drag it out next season.

Shot a few coyotes and a couple of turkeys with mine 205gr cast bullet over 8gr of unique. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it on a deer.

Hell ya! 👍

great photo!

Class act...

Wrong. .22 LR, by far, including big game. Ain't even close.

I hunt with a 1873 44-40, using hand loads as most factory ammo is way under powered.

My Grandfather owned a Marlin 44-40, but I never saw it. It "disappeared" after he passed away, and nobody in my family knows anything about it.

Was only talking about bigger game. 44-40 had a decade head start and killed untold bison and deer. Might be closer than you think when take out the smaller stuff.

I actually have hunted with an original 1873 Winchester chambered in .44/40 when I was a teenager. However, no Deer fell to my rifle......