Why are there no 40 cal Revolvers?

[Terrier]

As popular as 40 cal rifles have been and having built one recently for myself, I started looking for a 40 cal revolver to add to the fun. I was amazed that there are none. None I could find, anyway.

I saw a reference in a magazine article to .40 being one of the original calibers the Colt Old Army was produced in, but that’s it. Just that one mention.

Anyone know of any in production?

 

[64Springer]

The world being out of real problems continues.

 

[Terrier]

Who knows if it’s a real problem? The problem might be that they do exist and that I just couldn’t find them.

I’ll bet you’d like to have one, too! Wouldn’t ya? Sure, ya would….

 

[64Springer]

Be trend setter.

Buy a .40 barrel and knock out a pistol.

Having two guns in one caliber is great.

PS: I've never heard of or seen a .40 pistol.

 

[Gee Dog]

It’s not a problem at all. Colt did a prototype on a 51 Navy type in .40 but it did not fly. They moved on to the .44 1860.

 

[ROA457]

They sort of did, but you have to look at early cartridge guns. Is not the 38/40 projectile .401 diam? So they came up with the cartridges dimensions from boring through C&B cylinders and just changing the easy bits e.g. "the barrel", maybe the 36cal is/was just too underpowered, the larger the lump of lead the harder it hits.

 

[azmntman]

There is a .40 cap and ball. Maybe a gunsmith thats slow and bored and likes a chalange could bore out a .36 to ,40. I want one too.

 

[Terrier]

There is a .40 cap and ball. Maybe a gunsmith thats slow and bored and likes a chalange could bore out a .36 to ,40. I want one too.

I wonder who hard that would be to pull off? Probably more importantly to me, how expensive? Hmmm...

 

[64Springer]

I'd be concerned about cylinder wall thickness going from .36 to .40 inches.

That wall is only .080 inches or so to begin with.

 

[TDM]

I wonder who hard that would be to pull off? Probably more importantly to me, how expensive? Hmmm...

Like @azmntman said, you could certainly have one made. Doesn't take much to punch a .38 out to a .40, and .38 is what the ".36" cal revolvers are. Maybe Lodgewood could help or @45D might have some suggestions.

 

[nkbj]

I wanted to try the .40 caliber like the prototypes that Colt was working on so in 2017 it was my birthday present. Last time I heard the smith who rebored the barrel no longer does. I use .41 ball and have thought a few times about a rifle to match.

 

[nkbj]

By the way, it's way easier to do with an 1858 because of the barrel being threaded into the frame.

 

[Felonious]

.... Probably more importantly to me, how expensive? Hmmm...

I would guess it costs more than the gun did originally, if you want it done decently and in a reasonable amount of time.

Good machinists/gunsmiths are dying off, and the leftover good ones are charging some serious coin, IF you can even find one who isn't backed up over a year.

 

[M. De Land]

As popular as 40 cal rifles have been and having built one recently for myself, I started looking for a 40 cal revolver to add to the fun. I was amazed that there are none. None I could find, anyway.

I saw a reference in a magazine article to .40 being one of the original calibers the Colt Old Army was produced in, but that’s it. Just that one mention.

Anyone know of any in production?

I think the civil war was the reason we jumped from the .36 cal ball in revolvers to the .44 cal as the main stay. The Army needed more power to break up cavalry charges (horse shooting not just man stopping) and .50cal was to large to get in a reasonable size six shot revolver.
The Walker had already proven the bore size against the Comanche and Apache and the Besimeyer steel process had made smaller size revolvers in.44 cal safe and practical . The Walker was made of iron not steel and so had to be huge to most of time contain the pressure of 44 cal heavy loads. It was not practical or very safe for the Army Cavalry and officer use. Many Walkers blew up cylinders from the heavy charges of black powder I have read.
I wonder if a .44 could be lined to .41 cal safely. It would certainly be a might thin barrel liner I'm thinking so probably not safe or practical.

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

I remember seeing a 401 PowerMag revolver in the old Herter's catalogs in the 1960's

 

[NorthFork]

If I can't kill it with a .36, then I'll kill it with a .44. If not then I've gotten myself into some sort of trouble where I deserve to die.

 

[Tumbledown]

They sort of did, but you have to look at early cartridge guns. Is not the 38/40 projectile .401 diam? So they came up with the cartridges dimensions from boring through C&B cylinders and just changing the easy bits e.g. "the barrel", maybe the 36cal is/was just too underpowered, the larger the lump of lead the harder it hits.

Actually, the 38-40 aka 38WCF is derived from the 44WCF, which was a rifle cartridge before pistols were made for it. It had no direct connection with C&B.

And that's enough talk of cartridge guns, which is outside the scope of this forum.

 

[GYJ]

With a cap `n ball, it would be fairly easy if you could find someone to reline or rebore the barrel.

I've talked with my gunsmith about doing a .40cal unmentionable conversion but we never got to the point of measuring to see if it would actually fit. It would be some kind of modern iteration of the .41Colt.

 

[45D]

Like @azmntman said, you could certainly have one made. Doesn't take much to punch a .38 out to a .40, and .38 is what the ".36" cal revolvers are. Maybe Lodgewood could help or @45D might have some suggestions.

TDM, I checked out the 40cal and the lower end loads are safe but the muzzle energy is lacking . . . !!!

(tiny bit o humor ) Anyway,
I'm sure it would be a "cool" mod to end up with a .40cal cap gun . . . and why not, Sam had one!!!! Along the same line. I had a customer years ago send a Walker that had been changed to .36 cal. He said it was definitely a SCREAMER!!! So, changing calibers is definitely not new. It's not something I would take on but they are interesting.!!!

Mike

 

[tenngun]

As popular as 40 cal rifles have been and having built one recently for myself, I started looking for a 40 cal revolver to add to the fun. I was amazed that there are none. None I could find, anyway.

I saw a reference in a magazine article to .40 being one of the original calibers the Colt Old Army was produced in, but that’s it. Just that one mention.

Anyone know of any in production?

A dozen is a sacred number. Twelve tribes of Israel, Twelve Tablets of laws for the Romans, Twelve months of the year, twelve jurors and so on.
A Twelve bore is pretty popular. Twelve ball to the pound. Two dozen ball to the pound is .58, four dozen .44 and eight dozen, .36
Can’t prove it but I think this was part of caliber size popularity
.40 doesn’t fit in.