| .40-72 Winchester Center Fire | |
| Type: | Rifle |
| Designer: | Winchester Repeating Arms Company |
| Manufacturer: | Winchester Repeating Arms Company |
| Production Date: | 1895–1936 |
| Case Type: | Rimmed, straight |
| Bullet: | .406 |
| Neck: | .431 |
| Base: | .460 |
| Rim Dia: | .518 |
| Case Length: | 2.60 |
| Length: | 3.15 |
| Rifling: | 1 in 22 inches |
| Primer: | large rifle |
| Bw1: | 330 |
| Vel1: | 1380 |
| En1: | 1395 |
| Bw2: | 300 |
| Vel2: | 1420 |
| En2: | 1342 |
| Test Barrel Length: | 26 |
| Balsrc: | The Rifle in America[1] |
The .40-72 Winchester, also known as .40-72 WCF is a centerfire straight-walled rifle cartridge designed for black powder rather than smokeless powder. It was introduced in 1895 for the Winchester 1895 lever-action rifle.[2]
The original Winchester factory load consisted of a 300gr bullet at 1420ft/s or a 330gr bullet at 1380ft/s.[1]
With the introduction of superior cartridges designed for smokeless powder, the .40-72 Winchester became obsolete and was soon dropped from production. Production of loaded cartridges by Winchester ceased in 1936.
Besides the Winchester 1895 lever-action, the .40-72 Winchester was chambered in the Winchester 1885 single-shot rifle.[3]