It's his job to fix them and so I figure he knows what he's talking about. A stretched frame and/or loose action will eventually lead to a case failure which will spoil one's day. He works on a lot of CASS rifles and he's told me that continued use of high pressure loads in those actions will both stretch the frame and loosen the action over time. over 14,000psi.īefore I got my '73 and '66 Ubertis, I talked to Steve of Steve's Guns. Some of the early Colts with their malleable iron cylinders were blowing up with the 40 grain load.While it's true that the chamber contains the case and therefore a strong barrel will keep the barrel from failing, it's also true that the bolt thrust is what puts load on the action and the small pins on the '66 & '73 Winchester design will eventually oval out the holes in the links causing the actions to loosen with the continued use of higher pressure loads than it was designed for, i.e. Couple that with how thin the metal is at the cylinder locking latch, and that is why the original 40 grain 45 Colt load was reduced to 30 grains of powder by the Army. The thickness of the barrel of an old Winchester results in a lot of metal surrounding the cartridge, while the chamber walls of a revolver are very thin. It gets down to how much metal is surrounding the chamber. Yes, the toggle link lock up is not strong compared to a Model 1892 Winchester,, but if the rifle is in good condition and the links line up properly, an old toggle link rifle is much stronger than the old iron frame Colts. No different that currently manufactured 45-70, 45 Colt, 38, 44 magnum, 44 special High Pressure Loads, ALWAYS read directions and warnings before using. Post WWII High Velocity loads such as the one from Remington from about 1960 were neutered down and safe for all rifles and revolvers. I also want to add that early high velocity loads from the 1903-1945 era were rated at 22,000psi and not suitable for old weapons or revolvers as so stated on the boxes. flat top (by Jack Huntington), circa 1959, 4.75-inch barrelįull description can be found on Buffalo Bore's website or on my "non-vender" website ➤ ? fps - Custom (Brian Pearce made) SAA replica, 5.5-inch barrel, circa 2017 ➤ 1,036 fps - Colt New Service, 7.5-inch barrel, circa 1905 ➤ 1,034 fps - Ruger Vaquero (large frame), 7.5-inch barrel, circa 2003 Here is a brief description of the ballistics of the 200gr HC They offer two bullets, a 200gr Hard Cast and a 185gr Hollow Point They call them "Heavy" loads but they are not high pressure loads nor are they heavy grain bullets.Īlthough Tim sent me written permission to post anything from his site to anyplace I like, I will abide by the forum rules. That old Marlin of mine is a very strong design, almost as strong as a Model 1892 Winchester.įor what it's worth Buffalo Bore is now offering hunting loads more powerful than Winchester Super-X but remaining below SAAMI max pressures. Some of the early Colts with their malleable iron cylinders were blowing up with the 40 grain load.
Regarding the strength of a toggle link rifle (Henry, Winchester Model 1866, Winchester Model 1873), don't be fooled by what you read on the internet. There are still a couple of rounds in the box. The only 44-40 ammo the store had on hand was this box. For what it's worth, I bought this Marlin Model 1894, manufactured in 1895, back around 1975.