.38-40 Winchester
Encyclopedia
The .38-40 Winchester is actually a .40 caliber cartridge shooting .401 caliber bullets. The cartridge that was introduced by Winchester
in 1874 and is derived from their .44-40 Winchester
. This cartridge was introduced for rifles, but in its reintroduction for Cowboy Action Shooting
it has seen some popularity as a pistol cartridge. It is not particularly well suited to hunting larger game, but it was popular when it was introduced, along with the previous .44-40 Winchester
, for deer hunting. It can be used successfully on smaller game animals, and for self defense. Current loadings are intended for revolvers.
The renewed interest in this caliber can be explained by the increasing popularity of Cowboy Action Shooting
. Several single-action revolvers have recently been chambered for this cartridge, including the Ruger Vaquero
. Most modern reloading data for this cartridge is found in the handgun section of reloading manuals.
, sharing the same bullet diameter, bullet weight, and similar velocity. A limited number of 'hunting' loads are available commercially, which produce about 25% more muzzle energy than the more common target ammunition.
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The Winchester brand is today used under license by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Morgan, Utah.-...
in 1874 and is derived from their .44-40 Winchester
.44-40 Winchester
The .44-40 Winchester, also known as the .44 Winchester, the .44 WCF , and the .44 Largo was introduced in 1873 by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. It was the first centerfire metallic cartridge offered by Winchester,and was brought out as the standard chambering for the new Winchester Model...
. This cartridge was introduced for rifles, but in its reintroduction for Cowboy Action Shooting
Cowboy action shooting
Cowboy Action Shooting , also known as Western Action Shooting or Single Action Shooting, is a competitive shooting sport that originated in California, USA, in the early 1980s...
it has seen some popularity as a pistol cartridge. It is not particularly well suited to hunting larger game, but it was popular when it was introduced, along with the previous .44-40 Winchester
.44-40 Winchester
The .44-40 Winchester, also known as the .44 Winchester, the .44 WCF , and the .44 Largo was introduced in 1873 by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. It was the first centerfire metallic cartridge offered by Winchester,and was brought out as the standard chambering for the new Winchester Model...
, for deer hunting. It can be used successfully on smaller game animals, and for self defense. Current loadings are intended for revolvers.
Design and history
It is unclear why this cartridge was introduced as it is very similar to the .44-40 from which it was derived. It has approximately 110 ft.lbf less muzzle energy, and has a muzzle velocity about 110 ft/s (33.5 m/s) less than the .44-40. The bullet differs by only .026 inches in bullet diameter and 20 gr in standard bullet weight from the original .44-40. The goal may have been to reduce recoil while maintaining a similar bullet sectional density. One unusual design element of this cartridge is that factory ammunition was loaded with a different case profile than the standard chamber for this cartridge, factory ammunition having a much longer neck than the standard chamber. Most reloading dies are designed to size fired brass to the chamber specification rather than that of the original factory ammunition case profile.The renewed interest in this caliber can be explained by the increasing popularity of Cowboy Action Shooting
Cowboy action shooting
Cowboy Action Shooting , also known as Western Action Shooting or Single Action Shooting, is a competitive shooting sport that originated in California, USA, in the early 1980s...
. Several single-action revolvers have recently been chambered for this cartridge, including the Ruger Vaquero
Ruger Vaquero
The Ruger Vaquero is a six-shot single-action revolver manufactured by Sturm, Ruger based on the .357 Magnum New Model Ruger Blackhawk frame that was introduced in 1973...
. Most modern reloading data for this cartridge is found in the handgun section of reloading manuals.
Performance
Though introduced as an "all-around" cartridge, traditional sources suggest the .38-40 performs inadequately on deer. Ballistically, commercial 'cowboy' loads are similar to the much newer .40 S&W.40 S&W
The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...
, sharing the same bullet diameter, bullet weight, and similar velocity. A limited number of 'hunting' loads are available commercially, which produce about 25% more muzzle energy than the more common target ammunition.