New to Me 1866 Sporting Rifle

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

  Finally found a good buy on a '66 Sporting Rfile in 44-40. Had shells loaded and ready to go when I picked her up yesterday evening, but alas it was too dark. So first thing this morning I'm out in back shooting in the snow. From a half-ass rest, I thought it did pretty good at 100 yds. (I called the one low shot) If it ever stops snowing I'm going to chronograph the load. It sounded awfully slow!

  

[rbertalotto]

If you don't mind 38-40, Dixie Gun Works has them brand new in the box for $825. I just bought one a couple weeks ago. You might need to call them to get that price.

Beautiful rifle by the way!

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

Thanks for the tip, but I already have four 38-40's; two old Winchesters and two old Bisleys. I've been really wanting a 44-40 and got a great deal on this one and it included 100 pieces of brass.

   I've fired 100+ rounds already with bullets moulded from an NOE 43-200 mould which drops a 220 gr. bullet and has a very substantial lube groove. Lubed with TAC 1 lube and charged with 2.2 cc of Pyrodex P, it's shooting some very nice 200 yd. groups with MV averaging 1346 fps. The nice thing is that fouling even after 20 rounds is light and accuracy is still as good as it was with a clean barrel. Two dry patches bring the bore back to chrome shiny too, although I continue cleaning with Ballistol. I hope to be able to do some more shooting tomorrow and I'll report back.

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[OD#3]

Danged if that rifle and its patina doesn't look real familiar!  That isn't a Cherry's rifle is it? 

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

Danged if that rifle and its patina doesn't look real familiar!  That isn't a Cherry's rifle is it? 

  Why, yes it is! I sure am having fun with it.

  This weekend I finally got the ladder site modified and regulated for 200 yds. If I can ever get time, I'm going to set up a 300 yd. gong and see how she does that far, assuming the wind will ever stop blowing!

 CHT

[OD#3]

I think I may have owned that before.  The buddy I traded it to told me that he sold it recently.  I don't think he ever shot it, and I never got a chance to either.  I had gotten together some brass, dies, and a mould, but that buddy showed up with a "bucket list" gun that took my 1866, my brass, and another gun to acquire.  I was glad enough to trade but a little sad that I never got a chance to shoot it.  I think it started life as a movie prop gun, and the action was filthy with blank residue when I first got it.  But the patina was about perfect, as was the bore.  I enjoyed looking at it as I made plans to start loading up for it.   Congrats on the rifle.  If it was, indeed mine, I'm glad it went to a good home.

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

 It has its share of bumps and dings, really just typical handling marks, but the bore is perfect. I haven't had it apart, but looking into the carrier mortise, it appears to be spotless, but someone could've cleaned it up. I've already run about 300 rounds through it, mostly BP, and just can't get tied of shooting it! It'll soon be time to cast and size some more bullets, and I do get a little tired of that!

 CHT

[OD#3]

Can't be sure it is the same rifle, because I don't remember the serial number.  But mine had some bumps and dings as well, was squeaky clean inside when I traded it, and your getting 100 pieces of brass with it sure increases my suspicions; I think I included as many new cases when I traded my rifle to my buddy--Starline, I think.  

Please pardon these attempts to divine if the rifle you now own may have once been mine.  I never got to shoot mine and always wondered how it would do.  Your range reports (if indeed that is the same rifle) gives me sort of a "rest of the story" closure about that, and I'm kind of living vicariously through those reports.  Regardess, I'm very happy for you.

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

 I don't mind one bit and I think it'd be interesting if it turned out to be yours. FWIW, the rifle came to me from NC. I will continue posting as I work with the rifle more.

  The sights give my 52 year old eyes a little trouble and I have to take my time. I'm finding that the color of the target is important. My 24" 200 yd. steel target is kind od nestled on the side of a draw and faces south. It is in the shadows most of the morning then when full in the sun casts a shadow of its own, creating something of an illusion. Currently it's painted black with a 6" white spot in the middle. I'm thinking this weekend I'm going to paint it white with a 6" black center.
   
   Last weekend while regulating the sights for 200 yds. I fired around 10 shots in a row at the 200 yd target and was pleased that 3 of those landed in the bullseye in a neat little triangle 3 or 4" across.

  Stay tuned!
 
  CHT

[OD#3]

Yeah, barrel-mounted rear sights have been giving my 45 year-old eyes trouble for a couple of years now--enough that I've mounted tang sights on two of my leverguns and a Williams receiver sight on another.  Tang sights are classy, but they crowd the wrist and make the rifle seem more delicate.  Receiver sights are better in that regard, but they don't look as nice.  I wasn't willing to remove the ladder sight on the 1866, because I was glad to have that authentic touch that Uberti doesn't put on them anymore.  But I suspected it would be difficult for me to use well. Congrats on such good work with that ladder sight!

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

 I have a tang sight that came with one of my old Winchester '73's, but like you, I feel they get in the way of the right hand and could be fragile. On the other hand they sure are better for aged eyes!

 When I got in from work this evening I repainted my 200 yd. target to be primarily white with a black bull measuring roughly 6". This was better with very little lateral dispersion of the shots, but I still had trouble with vertical dispersion. So I increased the size of the bull to about 12" and things really started coming together.

  Here's the last target I shot. The shots at 7:00 at the edge of the black, 6:00 just out of the center and 10:00 just out of the center are from my son whanging the target with his .270. There are 13 shots in all from the 44-40. The cluster at 6:00 at the edge of the black are nine shots, six or seven of them being consecutive.



  I post photos of these targets not to pat myself on the back, but to share with others the capabilities of these rifles, even when fired with home-cast bullets. It still amazes me the an iron sight rifle lobbing stubby little cast bullets is capable of accuracy such as this!

 CHT

[OD#3]

It certainly illustrates what the 44-40 was--and is--capable of.  But it is also a fine testament to your loading and shooting skill.  Sure wish I was able to come home after work, walk outside, and shoot at a 200 yard plate.  I have to wait for a good day off and hope that my favorite range is free (it is often unavailable).  From the looks of things though, that may have worked to your benefit; I may have been unwilling to trade that rifle off if I'd ever gotten around to shooting it.  And to anyone wondering, we confirmed via PM that his rifle is, indeed, the one I traded away.  Pretty neat seeing it featured later on the board and discovering that it was bought by a deserving rifleman who can put it to such good effect.

[dusty texian]

Good shooting there Cholla. Was that your smokeless loads or the Bp. loads? ,,,,DT

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

Thanks, y'all. I am certainly. I am certainly blessed to have my own place to shoot. The other side to that coin is i piss away alot of time shooting!

That particular load was Unique, but the rifle has produced some very nice groups at that range with Swiss 3f.

CHT

[Jake C]

Great shooting! This confirms it for me, gotta have my first lever gun in .44-40. Thats just too cool.

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

 I'm very much enjoying through 44-40. I'd shied away from it after reading all the Internet propaganda regarding how difficult it supposedly is to load. Too, I hated the thought of having to deal with lubing cases prior to sizing. But the last 60 pieces of brass I processed I didn't even bother to size, just decap and bell the mouth and they all chambered flawlessly. When I do run them through a resize die I only size the neck and just smear a little lube on every third or fourth case.

   CHT

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

Good shooting there Cholla. Was that your smokeless loads or the Bp. loads? ,,,,DT

 Sorry Dusty, just saw your question.

 Smokeless is 9.5 grs. of Unique, BP was 2.2 cc of Swiss 3Fg. Virtually identical velocities of 1300 fps with both loads.

 CHT

[Jake C]

Cholla, is that ladder site after-market? I really like the look of it.

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

Cholla, is that ladder site after-market? I really like the look of it.

  No sir, it's factory, but I'm not really sure they're available on new rifles. At least they're not picured on the manufacturers website.

   CHT