#73/ #92 Win/Miroku 44/40 specs ?

[J.B.]

My IMR4227 was powder I purchased for loading my brothers 22 Hornet and my 218 Bee years ago. Its likely about 35 or so years old... Is that past its 'used by date' ? Always had an almost sweet smell when it was new but different to the old
IMR4831 I used to use in my 25/06 . An internet search shows a few using Re7 and even 2400 in 44 WCF with success apparently and I have both of those. Cant get any Blue Dot currently..or any Alliant powders for that matter. Winchester ball powders have disappeared again...even before the Covid tango started and Hodgdon ball powders havent been available here for years. I can duplicate H4227 with our AR2205 as its the same powder but I've not located any data for that option in this cartridge.

[Don McDowell]

I can look up some old data from the Lyman books etc for the 2400 if you can’t find any
4227 is just a touch slower than 2400

[J.B.]

Thanks Don. I've got the 49th edition Lyman..so I need to check that out. Always been happy with 2400 but only ever used it in 44 Special & Magnum. Imagine H4227 & IMR227 are 'two different' animals. I have the older tins of the Dupont/IMR version...but the H4227 is a current production powder in Aus. Sold as H4227 in the U.S. and AR2205 back here. Even costs more here too...go figure. I think we are over $80 a lb now for smokeless. Havent bought any in about five years though. Too busy playing with black !
J.B.

[Don McDowell]

I'm betting somewhere around 18 grs of the 2400 you should find something the rifle likes.
If you can find any over there, 5744 would be another good choice

Smokeless is a funny thing here, sometimes you can find it sometimes not. The prices a year ago were ridiculous it seems to be coming down a bit, but it's still pretty high.

[beltfed]

JB,
My IMR 4227 Vintage is a 1980, Jan 15, marked on my 20 pound Keg.
I have been using out of this keg since min '80s. for the M92, and my several Smith Wesson
M 29 44 M , M66, cal 357 and my Cadet Martini bored to 357Mag. Burns just fine.
The Hodgdon H4227 is said to be just a touch slower burning, so, loads for the IMR
should be fine. My 22 gr IMR 4227 under 206 grains in the M92 is a very light , low pressure load, approximately duplicating original factory BP loads
beltfed/arnie

[J.B.]

Well there you go. Looks like my 1lb tins ( x 2 ) would be similar vintage then. One still sealed and the other all but full. I'll lay in some AR2205 as well just have some options ...and I have 1.5 lbs of 2400 and 2 of RE7.. so thats a lifetimes supply of shooting at the rate I've been shooting the last two years. Starline seems the only 44 WCF brass available locally so I'll get 100 of those to bolster the 100 I already have. I notice Cartridges of the World lists a couple of punchy loads also but I dont want to ge going that high. Just a leg up from factory will do fine I think. Most of the manuals list barely 1200 or 1250 fps now. May look into that bullet design you mentioned also. I did see it on the Accurate site. Thanks again.
Gavin.

[Don McDowell]

Be prepared, those starline brass or straight as a string, and even after going thru the size die are a bit shorter than they should be.
Don't know if regulations would permit there, but I'm thinking 45 colt brass reformed might do well for you.

[Nuclearcricket]

45 colt cases are going to be shorter yet and they may be a bit over size as well. I have a couple of 44-40 cases that appear to have been fired in the 45 colt. Not only are they straight, they are a little swollen over the body of the case and the mouths are formed in like a super heavy crimp. Not sure if that was due to the chamber or just a lack of pressure to blow it out once the bullet left. I also found a bag of new Remington 44-40 cases, I didn't open the bag but they also appear to be straight. The once fired starline I have are all bottle necked. I have no clue what they looked like before they were loaded and shot.
Sam

[Randy Bohannon]

I have RCBS ‘Cowboy’ dies and they really don’t do any resizing with any new brass or fired brass they just round out case mouths on new brass.B/P loads I don’t bother just use my Pope style 40 cal. de primer and treat like any other BPCR cartridge. All of of my once fired brass has something of a ‘bottleneck’ not tapered like .45 Colt. Original lever guns couldn’t feed 45 Colt because of no bottleneck so they didn’t to avoid big sloppy chambers to get them to work.

[Don McDowell]

I have the Redding 44-40 dies and they do a good job of resting the cases. I would like to have got a set of Hornady, as i really like the way they work on the 38-40 and 32-20, but couldn't find any.
The original 45 colt case had such a tiny thin rim that it the extractor couldn't grab it and when it did it would pull it thru. There was at the Cody Museum a prototype winchester 73 in 45 colt, but don't know if it's still out on display since the big remodel.