From Wikipedia, here is an excerpt:
In both law enforcement and hunting usage the .44-40 became the most popular cartridge in the United States and to this day has the reputation of killing more deer than any other save the .30-30 Winchester.[4][5] A Link to the entire article is attached below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.44-40_Winchester

Regarding the 1000 ft lbs of energy “rule of thumb” — I have attached a link to the Hornady website “ballistics calculator”. You have to input the data that you have and hit “calculate”, and the ballistics data pop out. If your friend is getting 1375 with a 24″ barrel, then you would likely be close to about 1300 fps out of the 20″ barrel. The input for your “ballistic coefficient” is probably 0.15 to 0.18. When you input the data and hit calculate, you get about 750 ft. lbs. at the muzzle, and about 500 to 600 ft lbs at 50 to 100 yards.

http://www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/ballistics-calculator

From the Wikipedia, it sounds like you are on solid ground at open sight range of 60 to 80 yards. I also hear of many people using a .357 revolver for deer and bear, and your .44-40 has more power than a .357. If this was a popular and very reputable deer cartridge in the 1870′s and 1880′s, especially these days with newer powders, you should be fine. If it cleanly took down deer then — and it hasn’t gotten weaker in 100 years — it should be at least adequate now. Good Luck on your hunt.

The real key is shot placement. Be sure you practice and understand your trajectory based on the range you sight in at.

Have fun with that cowboy gun!

Safe fireproofing is nothing more than simple 1/2″ sheet rock with a fuzzy surface. If you buy a much larger than necessary safe – you will have plenty of room to add the fireproofing – and – by doing it yourself, you can do it in such a way the wall panels come out…….. this would dramatically decrease the weight when moving.

To install the sheet rock – you want to upgrade to the green board suitble for bathrooms – it is more sturdy. To help prevent dings that may penetrate the board and release dust – just visit your local fabric store and select an inexpensive one to use. You can stick it to the board with Photo Matte spray glue – this is strong stuff – and be sure the ends overlap 4-6 inches behind for strength. Most gun safes have a black or dark grey fabric – if you go with something lighter it will make finding things easier.

You need to choose a safe that fits your home so it can be bolted to the wall or floor and not get forced out of position by thiefs. Most safes are rated by how long it take to manipulate the combination, and, how long they will resist forciable entry – but – this forced entry number becomes null and void if the bad guys can get the thing on it’s back – this provides lots of leverage and make the safe much easier to break open. So – regardless of how much you pay – it will do you no good if the safe you buy can’t get securely affixed to your wall or floor.

Your safe will have a small hole in the back to run an electrical cord – this goes to a law wattage safe heater. Best ones are called ‘GoldenRods’ – they prevent water molecules from home use – cooking, bathing, showers – from depositing on your guns and creating tiny rust spots. You need to plug up the hole with ‘FireStop’ material once the cord is installed – or the fire rating of the safe is useless. You can find FireStop at any electrical or safety shop.

When you choose a safe combination…… the first number must not be less than 30. The second number must not be closer than 30 digits from the first number. The third number should be no closer than 20 digits from the second number. The numbers must not be all even or odd – they should be a mix. The numbers should be random – not a combination of any numbers (birthdates, weddings etc). This is all common combination lock requirement for protection of military documents.

The final safe combination should never be something people use….. like 36-24-36 for the perfect female body, 90-16-24 from the song 901624 or 16-30-9 (the USS Reliant prefix code from Star Trek II). And of course – avoid calibers in your combination – 22-38-45. You need to avoid numbers people see and sing on tv because they could be over your house and spinning the dial while talking. You can skip this if you buy a safe with a dial lock – and enforce the dial being being locked all the time.

Good Luck

Gun collections have a way of growing. Get the biggest one you can afford.

Major safe sellers will sometimes have sales on floor samples, discontinued models, and scratched units.

I have seen gun safes at Big 5 for $ 700 – $ 800 or so…name brands like Valley Forge.

‘Regular’ small safes designed for preserving paperwork contain a dampness component in the walls to lessen the chance of documents burning: this might be an instant rust generator in a fire.