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Gentlemen,
Given the exact same barrel condition and length, which caliber would be more accurate at 25 yards , 44-40 or 38-40 ?
50 yds ? 100 yds ?
Bill
Any difference would be determined by the specific chambers & barrels the cartridges were fired from, assuming exactly equal loading procedures & components of equal quality.
I’m of the opinion that “Accuracy” has more to do with the person shooting the gun, than the gun itself, provided nothing is wrong with the gun. I shoot Cowboy Action Shooting all the time and see plenty of guys spend all kinds of money on sights, triggers jobs, grips, you name it, and they can hardly hit the broadside of a barn.
The same goes for the whole, Which caliber rifle is more effective at killing? Its a mute point in my opinion, as everything on this earth can be and has been killed with the Rimfire .22 Short. One of the largest grizzly bear ever killed was with a .22 Colt Woodsmen Pistol. The 2nd all time Typical Whitetail Record, the Jordan Buck was killed with a 25-20 w.c.f. Which would be illegal in most states nowadays to kill a deer with.
Sincerely,
Maverick
WACA #8783 - Checkout my Reloading Tool Survey!
https://winchestercollector.org/forum/winchester-research-surveys/winchester-reloading-tool-survey/
Accuracy, regardless of caliber is dependent on just a few factors:
- Condition of the bore. Found that even some bores that look less than perfect shoot better than ones that do.
- Precision and consistency in loading for every round. Every bore has a powder it likes to burn and a bullet it likes to eat. The challenge is finding the right combination of powder, bullet, bullet weight, primer, and cartridge length.
- Finding the right sights to suit your eyes and your needs.
- Learning the gun and the preferred point of aim with the sights used for optimal performance at the various distances.
- Most importantly, as Maverick said, its all about the shooter abilities, using best practices both mentally and physically. Some folks just dont have the touch no matter what bell or whistle they try.
If youve got a rifle or carbine that can ring holes at 25 or 50 yards there is no reason you cant do the same at 100 yards or beyond, all things being equal. I totally agree that regardless of what caliber your shooting, even the smallest of chamberings is capable of taking most any size game provided your able to hit the right spot.
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
One thing to consider is how straight is the barrel, some of the early Winchesters had hammer forged barrels. These barrels were hammer forged over a mandrel, then straighten by a factory worker, not bored like newer guns. The 1 of 1000 barrel is a prime example of increased accuracy thru selection. The earliest 73’s where targeted and the group size listed on the letter. You might be shocked that some of the rifles had 9 inch groups. I have some experience shooting old 73’s and 76’s, I’ve shoot some ruff bores that shoot tight groups and shinny bores that didn’t. I had a 1 of 1000 with a ruff bore that shot a tighter group than any other 44-40 I ever owned. T/R
Thanks to all you guys for the insightful input on accuracy. Some very interesting things came out on the various replys.
Bill
I agree with everyone. My best advice is to shoot the gun until you know how it shoots then adjust yourself to suit the gun.
November 7, 2015
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All things being equal (never are, never will be) I’ve always suspected the .44(.429) caliber had a certain intrinsic accuracy potential over other like calibers. For some reason it seems a firearm chambered in .44 is always fairly easy to get to shoot well if the firearm is capable of doing so. That’s just my impression based mostly on observations as the only .44 firearms I own (at last check) are cap & ball revolvers. Neither of my 38WCF’s are particularly accurate but given the bore conditions they shoot well enough.
Mike
Thanks Mike.
I had wondered about velocity & weight differences, not the marksman.
Bill
There is not a lot of difference between the 38WCF and 44WCF.
If your loading with 2400 to the max, a 38 (40) cal cast bullet weighing 175 grn. will travel at or about 1940 ft/sec whereas a 44 cal cast bullet weighing 205 grn will travel at 1900 ft/sec (and depending on the reloading manual you use, the Lyman #42 used here)
If using a 38 (40) cal 180 grn jacketed bullet, the 38 using 2400 has a max velocity of 1870 whereas the 44 cal in 200 grn jacketed bullet is at 2100 ft/sec. Depending on the bullet weight and the powder used, it could go either way. The results are very similar if using IMR 4227 as the powder regarding velocity.
If you look at what Winchester publishes in their catalog (believe its the 1905 catalog) for the 38WCF, 180 grn bullet, velocity is at 1268 ft/sec and 1700 ft/sec for high velocity cartridges with 644 ft/lbs energy (at 50 ft.) and 1154 ft/lbs (at 50 ft.) respectively based on their charts. If zeroed in at 100 yards the normal load will drop 14.42″ at 200 yards, the high velocity 9.46″
The 44 WCF with 200 grn bullet, velocity is at 1245 ft/sec and 1500 ft/sec for high velocity cartridges with 688 ft/lbs energy (at 50 ft.) and 999 ft/lbs (at 50 ft.) respectively based on the same charts. If zeroed in at 100 yards, the normal load will drop 15.27″ at 200 yards whereas the high velocity cartridge will drop 12.12″.
It boils down to the bullet you intend to use, the powder, and preference for caliber, either 38 (40) or 44.
Personal preference is for the 38WCF.
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
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