The older cartridges did not have the groove ahead of the rim for more extractor purchase, it was just a square edge from the face of the rim to the case body. The older 44 WCF (44-40) rounds had about as much rim for the extractor to grab as a modern 45 Colt round does, The older 45 Colt rims are very small. The modern 45 Colt cases are also very heavy and thick compared to the 44/40 cases, or older 45 Colt cases. I believe this is most of the difference in how dirty the modern guns chambered in 45 Colt get.
As has been mentioned, the 44 WFC round was in fact, not a "handgun" round, it was a rifle round that later became chambered in handguns. 5 years later in fact, in the Colt single action (called the "Frontier Six Shooter" when so chambered, not "Single Action Army").
The toggle link action is certainly not as strong as later designs, but I believe has been unjustly maligned as to it's strength. Winchester took a model 1876 chambered in 45-75 (A shorter, squatty bottleneck round slightly shorter than the 45-70 Govt round) I believe, and tested it with double bullets, extra powder charges/double bullets, and finally with one link removed from the action. It held through all that, but with the heavy loads and one link, there was a problem that precluded further testing. I believe the gun was fitted with new links, and continued to perform fine.
The SASS shooters tend to use rather weak loads. Their choices don't reflect practical field use in most cases, in my experience. There are few SASS shooters that use full power level loads in their guns, and not the top shots that I've heard of. I don't believe the reasoning is range safety. If so, there would be rules requiring such weak loads. (The few Cowboy shoots I've participated in, I used full power loads. Many folks would like to see power factor levels used in the sport to make it more practical and historically accurate/interesting to those that participate because of out love of old guns, not as a competion game that can be "gotten ahead in" with weak loads.)
I often carry a Winchester. I prefer the range of the 30WCF to any handgun round in a carbine (44 mag in my case). Properly sighted, with good bullet profiles like the Speers, 300 yards isnt at all hard. Sight in 3" high @ 100 yards with Speer 170 gr bullets and you're OK to hold right on to about 225 yards, @ 300 yards it's about 18" low. 150's shoot a little flatter, mostly negating any real world advantage of the Hornady leverevolution when both are sighted in at similar ranges and sight heights. I don't mind carrying different rounds for handgun or rifle to get that range. Next step up is 30-06 for me. The 44's may thump a little harder than a 30-30, but the trajectory difference makes the 30-30 more useful to me.
I would add that the 1894 and 30WCF round wasnt necessarily just a "sportsmans" gun. The American West may have been mostly settled, and the Indians rounded up, but many folks continued to use their guns on a daily basis. Not everyone lived in large towns, or any town at all, not to mention the many that headed to the far North in search of gold, fur, or adventure. The Winchesters were great guns for those frontiers. Many old timers were glad to see the 30 WCF round come out, and be able to drop the heavy guns and ammunition of the larger black powder period. One writer discussing the matter, on the way to the Klondike goldfields, said that when the first 1894's arrived (1895 was the actual year the 30 WCF came out) in the Skaguay staging ares, they all laughed at them. When they started shooting them, and saw that they would shoot through a 10" tree, he wrote "We threw away our 45-90's, and clamored for the new Winchesters".
The 30 cal Winchesters are still carried by some working cowboys. I know one that carries his on the mountain. Another older hand uses a 32 Spl in the 94 when in the mountains.
