jason41987
member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2012
- Messages
- 1,293
im going to start picking up more 19th century firearms.. and well, i want to decide on a pistol cartridge to get them all in.. i dont want to have to feed a bunch of different handguns and rifles with many different types of ammunition.. so id like to collect these all in the same cartridge
my options are 45 colt, and 44 special.. i have eliminated 357 magnum for a few reasons, first, most these pistols are still full size, so the chambers are smaller leaving a lot more meat on the cylinder and increasing weight... second of all, these cartridges can be loaded with black powder in a pinch, and 357 just wouldnt have the case capacity to be of much use with BP.. and lastly, i like the heavier, slower bullets for hunting (firing 44 special or 45 colt from a lever action), and the added expansion for self defense if needed
what 44 special would offer me is this.. ballistically its a very close match for the .44WCF, which was historically the most used cartridge in the 19th century.. also, reloading components are much easier to find than for the wcf, and there are a lot of rifles and revolvers available in 44 mag i can fire the special from, and still have the option of stepping up to a 44 mag if i ever needed more power
the reason i dont want to go with 44WCF though is because the thin walls on the casing and slight taper makes them not the friendliest cartridge to reload, they dont use the same .429 bullets the special uses, and firearms available are limited
the 45 colt though is today the most widely used in modern firearms.. though omitted from rifles in the 19th century due to a short rim, im not aware of them having many feeding problems in todays rifles, though i could be wrong.. the 45 colt also seems to be a lot more available, and should i determine to convert my 1860 army to cartridges, or instead just buy an 1858 conversion revolver, i can fire 45 colt through that as well, so it would be EASIER to get all of these older designs in the same cartridge, but not many newer options
soo...
44 special
-reloading components more available than 44wcf
-easier to reload and more reliable to reload than the 44wcf
-ballistically the same as the 44wcf
-many modern handguns and rifles available in 44 mag i can fire 44 special through
45 colt
-more common in these reproduction firearms
-larger case capacity for better performance in loading black powder rounds
-black powder conversions are available in 45 colt
-much larger selection of pistols
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so... which cartridge would you get behind and why?.. and what would you tell me to sell me on that cartridge?
my options are 45 colt, and 44 special.. i have eliminated 357 magnum for a few reasons, first, most these pistols are still full size, so the chambers are smaller leaving a lot more meat on the cylinder and increasing weight... second of all, these cartridges can be loaded with black powder in a pinch, and 357 just wouldnt have the case capacity to be of much use with BP.. and lastly, i like the heavier, slower bullets for hunting (firing 44 special or 45 colt from a lever action), and the added expansion for self defense if needed
what 44 special would offer me is this.. ballistically its a very close match for the .44WCF, which was historically the most used cartridge in the 19th century.. also, reloading components are much easier to find than for the wcf, and there are a lot of rifles and revolvers available in 44 mag i can fire the special from, and still have the option of stepping up to a 44 mag if i ever needed more power
the reason i dont want to go with 44WCF though is because the thin walls on the casing and slight taper makes them not the friendliest cartridge to reload, they dont use the same .429 bullets the special uses, and firearms available are limited
the 45 colt though is today the most widely used in modern firearms.. though omitted from rifles in the 19th century due to a short rim, im not aware of them having many feeding problems in todays rifles, though i could be wrong.. the 45 colt also seems to be a lot more available, and should i determine to convert my 1860 army to cartridges, or instead just buy an 1858 conversion revolver, i can fire 45 colt through that as well, so it would be EASIER to get all of these older designs in the same cartridge, but not many newer options
soo...
44 special
-reloading components more available than 44wcf
-easier to reload and more reliable to reload than the 44wcf
-ballistically the same as the 44wcf
-many modern handguns and rifles available in 44 mag i can fire 44 special through
45 colt
-more common in these reproduction firearms
-larger case capacity for better performance in loading black powder rounds
-black powder conversions are available in 45 colt
-much larger selection of pistols
------
so... which cartridge would you get behind and why?.. and what would you tell me to sell me on that cartridge?