[fred cook]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

It just might be the biggest group. A few more factory loaded examples are the .454 Casull, .45 Schofield, .45 Short Colt (or .45 Government (shortened to fit the Schofield revolver)), .45 GAP, .450 Bushmaster, .45-110, .45-120 (although not an original Sharps chambering, as many still believe), .458 Lott, .460 Weatherby, .450 Rigby, .450 Nitro Express, .450 Marlin, and probably a few more.

I think the .44 caliber predates the .45. Henry rifles in .44 rimfire were used in the Civil War and S&W revolvers in .44 American came out in 1869. The first .45's were the .45 Colt and .45-70, both in 1873. The .56 Spencer, another Civil War arm, might predate the Henry, but I'm not sure. Tabs would know.

The Spencer carbine/rifle was first built in a 46-56 caliber cartridge. Depending on which example you measure, the bullet diameter can be anywhere from .44 to .46 caliber. It predated the Henry by about 2-3 years. There is documentation that some of the Pony Express riders carried a 46-56 Spencer carbine in 1859. Considering that S&W didn't start making the .22 short until 1859, the Spencer has got to be one of the earliest successful fully contained cartridges made.