How big a deal is 44spec?

[Russ McCrae]

Love my '73 .44spl and 1872's in .44spl. Great for sass shooting and hog hunting!

[Mike]

I have a 73 in 44sp and also shoot 44sp in my opentop and 1860 Richards2.
would by a 66 if I could find one.
Also have all modles in 44WCF.

[Bull Skinner]

I got a pair of Richards Type IIs and a pair of New Vaqueros in 44Spl. I'd certainly be a candiddate for a rifle, either 66' or 73' in the caliber.

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[Octagonal Barrel]

I don't have either a '66 or a '73, but I am curious about .44 special and BP, which I presume those of you who have open tops are shooting.  I'd heard straight walled cartridges like .44 mag have a blow-by issue when using BP that makes them hard to clean.  To those who are shooting it, in your experience, does a .44 special BP round have the same problem?

[Coffinmaker]

Depends on what you men by "clean."  Clean to me means ready to reload, stains and all.  I'm not real big on "new looking" cases.  Straight walled cases clean up the same with BP whether they seal in the chamber or not.  Wash em, dry em, tumble em, reload em.  No special steps required.

Coffinmaker

[Octagonal Barrel]

Coffinmaker, thanks for answering the question I did ask about .44 cases.  I misworded my question.

I meant to ask about the practicality of a straightwall BP cartridge like the .44 special being shot in a lever gun during competition.  I'd heard (mostly from people who don't like BP) that the blowby from a BP straightwall cartridge (like the .44 special) into the lever rifle was substantial so the rifle requried much more thorough cleaning that a BP 44/40 gun, and that the gun was far more likely to foul to the point that it didn't run well in a match.  Since people on this thread actually like using BP .44 specials, I thought I'd get good firsthand info asking in this thread.

(I don't actually have a Henry, I have a .44 Marlin I want to try BP in, and I'm hoping the info would be helpful to prospective .44 special Henry users as well as to me - hopefully this isn't going off topic.)

[Abilene]

I've shot a lot of BP rounds in my 44 Spcl 1866.  Yes, they do leave a lot of fouling in the carrier area due to the thick walled cases.  I used full cases of FFFg BP and even tried 777 to get the most power, and the largest bullets I could find (255gr RNFP sized .430) to try to get a good seal, and tried neck-sizing only, but still plenty of soot.  I did not try annealing the cases, as the fouling issue was really not that big a deal to me.  It never hung up shooting a stage.  On low humidity days the carrier would sometimes get sticky as I levered the rifle at the unloading table.  A quick spritz of either moosemilk or just a mist of plain water would free it up again.  Usually only had to do that once.  So yeah, it took more time and Q-tips to clean afterward and was a bit messier.  I only took it apart once every few years and the innards would be pretty gunky but still working fine.  

These days I have rifles in a variety of calibers, and yes indeed my 32-20 and 44-40 '73's seal the chamber much better but I do not hesitate to shoot BP in the 45LC or .357 '73's either.

[Coffinmaker]

Hessssssss Back .........
Last post, more clarification.  I'm like Abilene, I shoot the smoky stuff in everything.  .45 Colt, .44 Spl/Russian, .38Spl, everything but bottle neck cases.  I don't own a 44-40 or 38-40. 
I worked on CAS guns almost exclusively of 16+ years.  The problems you speak of, with straight wall cases and BP are very real.  Straight wall cases blow-by much more than bottle neck cases no matter what you do.  You'll wind up with more crud back in the action than with bottle neck cases.  But, and it's a big BUT, it isn't enough to be a deal breaker.  Just a nuisance.  The carrier block will gum up and get sticky, but a little squirt of water or moose milk will free it up to keep shooting.  I shoot  C45S cases in .45 Colt guns and .44 Russian cases in .44 Special guns.  Clean-up is a snap regardless.  Little hot water with a drop of Dawn and tour gold.  An equal parts mix of Murphy's Oil Soap, Hydrogen Peroxide and Denatured Alcohol (Moose Milk) for the field will work wonders.  Don't let a little blow-by bother ya.

Coffinmaker

[Octagonal Barrel]

Thanks, both, for the info.  I find it encouraging.  (Too bad for the guys I shoot with who don't like the smell of brimstone... )

[Major 2]

There is one other concern with BP.... at least for me ....when I'm Done I crave BBQ 

I used to shoot with the Palmetto Muzzle Loaders  , after a day of shooting,
We'd go to a place to get a pulled pork wild boar BBQ sandwich w/ homemade Cole slaw.

Best dam sandwich     I was totally addicted, now when I shoot BP.... I think BBQ    it's like Pavlov's  Dog.

[Coffinmaker]

Oh My Yessssssssss,  But,
It's a short rack of ribs, well slathered with sauce, coleslaw with vinegar,oil & spices with Texas Toast?  Oh Yum!!!!

Coffinmaker

[Mean Bob Mean]

We're having BBQ catered to our next shoot, for some reason it does make the day that much nicer.

[Nimble Fingers]

I too am a fan, started with a Colt New Frontier in .44 special and then a 1894/1994 Winchester big loop Wrangler in .44 mag and I was off and running.  I did get a 1873 used for 800, but never saw the 1866 "deals" must have been sleeping I guess.  Anyways, I like looking like the "Duke" shooting and when I got the latest Winchester 92 commemorative I also purchased what I thought would be a replacement barrel in .44 mag.  But I had a gunsmith in WPB who took my JW 92 and "reamed" it with a .308 and now it sho0ots both .44 spcl as well as .44-40.   Now before the rest of you go crazy on me for ruining the value, I don't really want to shoot anything else except a long 1873 like Jimmy Stewart and am thinking of selling my 1873 carbine to get the current Winchester remake by Moriku(SP?) in .44-40 and have the same thing done to it.  I like both .44 spcl and magnums and we do go hog hunting down here in FL.  So if I ever do get enough to afford a Henry by Henry, I will probably do the same thing to it and then call it a day, although I wouldn't mind a 1886, but not in .44 spcl!

[Abilene]

Nimble Fingers,
I don't understand your comment about the .308 reamer.  At any rate, there is no chamber possible that can properly chamber both 44 Spcl and 44-40.  It is going to be hard on brass and likely not too accurate.  I am interested in what sort of results you get from shooting both those calibers in that gun.  There was a guy on here a few years back that said he shot 44 Russians in his 44-40 Henry (with an unaltered chamber and a custom carrier block for the short rounds, I believe).  In that case, the Russians were short enough to fit in the 44-40 chamber and fire although it bulged the brass.

The 1886 is only chambered in rifle calibers.  45-70, for example.

edit: by looking at .308 specs, I guess the 'smith was basically pushing the shoulder of the 44-40 chamber far enough forward to allow the 44 Spcl to chamber.  The 44 Spcl will still rattle around in that big chamber.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I shoot a 66 in 44 special.
And two Open Tops in 44 Special.

I would buy a Henry in 44 special in a Flat Second !
I have been trying to get a Smith to Covert a 44/40 for years with No luck yet .