Armored farmer
Member
What is the modern cartridge equivelent of the .44/.454rb load.
>38spl??
>38spl??
What is the modern cartridge equivelent of the .44/.454rb load.
>38spl??
I suppose 40gr of black and a 220gr conical would be within the neighborhood of .44-40.?
I can't quantify it further, but I can't get anywhere near 40 grains of BP in a modern .44 WCF case, as, the solid case heads of today don't provide the internal volume. I have been able to get as much as 34 grains of Goex 3f in a case, 35 grains if I use a drop tube, and Win, RP or Starline brass, seating a 200 grain RNFP bullet at the maximum cartridge length that my Pedersoli '73 will cycle reliably. Even when reduced by limited powder capacity the BP .44 WCF in my Ruger Vaqueros is a bit to handle compared to a '58 Remington with a round ball. The same BP load coming out of my Pedersoli '73 with it's long 30" barrel is enough "buck and snort" for me. The RB load also loses power quickly due to the poor ballistic coefficient of a sphere, compared to any elongated projectile. If there was still a manufacturer who still produced .44 Henry RF, I think we'd find it a pretty good match for the .44 Remington. But, like many good cartridges of it's time, the .44 Henry RF managed to win a Darwin Award.I'm no ballistic/cartridge expert, but I'm pretty sure the .44-40 was just a .44 bullet on top of 40 grns of black powder... so yeah, what you said would be equivalent to the .44-40.
I'm going to have to do some looking around, I'd like to have a copy of that article.Time to drag out my old (Feb'98) issue of HANDGUNS again....
A .44 round ball with 35 gr. 3Fg and eight-inch barrel achieved 935 fps muzzle velocity.
It penetrated 19.8 inches of gelatin, expanded to 0.48 inches diameter, and produced a temporary stretch cavity of 38.8 cubic inches.
The closest wound cavity I can find among modern cartridges would be the .357 Mag Remington 158 gr SJHP - penetrated 19.0 inches of gelatin, expanded to 0.50 inches diameter, stretch cavity 35.2 cubic inches.
If you use the Taylor KO scale the "58" rates a 10 which is what many .357 loads rate on the Taylor scale. A 200gr Lee conical over 25 grains of Pyrodex P clocks over 700fps and 248ft/lbs pressure. Thats .38 special +P territory but it is a much bigger and heavier projectile so it is probably going to have a bigger terminal effect. Bottom line, cap and ball revolvers are potent weapons.
Don
Muzzle loader season begins in the morning. I will carry my beloved T/C Hawken .54 and my 5 1/2" '58 Remington (just in case the Miami or the Shawnee go on the warpath.....hasn't happened in years, but you can't be too careful).
Originally Posted by Donny View Post
If you use the Taylor KO scale the "58" rates a 10 which is what many .357 loads rate on the Taylor scale. A 200gr Lee conical over 25 grains of Pyrodex P clocks over 700fps and 248ft/lbs pressure. Thats .38 special +P territory but it is a much bigger and heavier projectile so it is probably going to have a bigger terminal effect. Bottom line, cap and ball revolvers are potent weapons.
Don
Originally Posted by ofitg View Post
Time to drag out my old (Feb'98) issue of HANDGUNS again....
A .44 round ball with 35 gr. 3Fg and eight-inch barrel achieved 935 fps muzzle velocity.
It penetrated 19.8 inches of gelatin, expanded to 0.48 inches diameter, and produced a temporary stretch cavity of 38.8 cubic inches.
The closest wound cavity I can find among modern cartridges would be the .357 Mag Remington 158 gr SJHP - penetrated 19.0 inches of gelatin, expanded to 0.50 inches diameter, stretch cavity 35.2 cubic inches.
What would you say is the modern equivalent to those "tiny" .31 caliber pocket revolvers?
.32 S&W? .32 S&W-L? .25 acp?