44-40 Reloading

[Fort Reno Kid]

Howdy Pard

 

Had a similar issue with a 44-40 pistol, modern replica of 1875 Remington. It took factory ammo just fine but balked at my cast bullet reloads. I was sizing the cast bullets (from various moulds) with a .429 push through die. Had lots better luck when I switched to a .427 sizing die. Another thot: the brass stretched when fired. Made it a point to measure and trim to correct length.

 

The replies to your post contained some good info. Wish , for instance, that I’d known back then to initiate the reloading process with a 30-06 sizing die.

 

A period 1873 Winchester graciously and generously takes all my reloads. Go figger! 
 

Adios

 

Fort Reno Kid 

 

 

[Jay Vendetta]

2 minutes ago, Fort Reno Kid said:

Howdy Pard

 

Had a similar issue with a 44-40 pistol, modern replica of 1875 Remington. It took factory ammo just fine but balked at my cast bullet reloads. I was sizing the cast bullets (from various moulds) with a .429 push through die. Had lots better luck when I switched to a .427 sizing die. Another thot: the brass stretched when fired. Made it a point to measure and trim to correct length.

 

The replies to your post contained some good info. Wish , for instance, that I’d known back then to initiate the reloading process with a 30-06 sizing die.

 

A period 1873 Winchester graciously and generously takes all my reloads. Go figger! 
 

Adios

 

Fort Reno Kid 

 

 

Definitely lots of good info here and a lot of good guys.

[No Horse Hair, SASS #77464]

Things go smoother when I use .427 or .428 bullets. If I go with .430 I sometimes have your problem

[Jay Vendetta]

57 minutes ago, No Horse Hair, SASS #77464 said:

Things go smoother when I use .427 or .428 bullets. If I go with .430 I sometimes have your problem

I do have fewer issues with .428 myself. But I have had a few successful attempts with .430 in new brass.

[Turkey Flats Jack]

Wish I had seen this thread sooner. I had the same issue as you when I first switched to rugers. My solution was to grab an extra 44/40 fl sizing die pull out the decapping pin and post size my loaded rounds. They drop in any chamber on either vaquero afterwards. I load on a progressive press and have the 5th spot setup for post sizing now. 

 

I use .429 cast lead and whatever brass I can find. I believe the issue I was experiencing the most was slight case expansion/bulging from seating and crimping in the same step. The other issue I noticed was the roll crimp made a slight bulge. Either way post sizing corrected them.  Best of luck hope to see you at Smoke in the Woods or guns of August again. 

 

T.F. Jack

[Jay Vendetta]

5 minutes ago, Turkey Flats Jack said:

Wish I had seen this thread sooner. I had the same issue as you when I first switched to rugers. My solution was to grab an extra 44/40 fl sizing die pull out the decapping pin and post size my loaded rounds. They drop in any chamber on either vaquero afterwards. I load on a progressive press and have the 5th spot setup for post sizing now. 

It's all good I've got it figured out now.

I had already bought an extra lee sizing die early on and removed the deprimming pin to use in that function but it didn't size enough for the one pistol. So I bought the Redding die hoping it would work but it didn't. Thats when I started to work some material off the bottom of that die to allow me to set it deeper and that did the trick. 

[Twelve Bore]

On 1/15/2022 at 6:12 PM, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

I had the same problem you describe.  Not in ALL my guns, so I thought perhaps the two revolvers, which were newer ones, had undersized chambers and needed to be reamed out a little.   As it turned out, they were tight chambers according my gunsmith, but the problem still existed after he reamed them out, but not with every round.

So, one day I took a box of reloaded .44-40's and some chambered, and some did not.   I set aside the ones that would not and examined them.   All of them had a slight "imperfection" in the crimp.  Maybe a slight bulge, or some other flaw.

So, instead of trying to seat and crimp with the same die like I did for .45 Colt, I got a Lee Factory Crimp die.  I only seat with the seating/crimp die, and then I crimp with the FCD.   Since I did that, I've never had a problem.

That's what worked for me, so that's what I recommend.  It solved the same problem with .32-20.  In fact, I got the FCD for all bottle neck cartridges, and it's saved me a lot of grief.

Same here with my 44-40, some chambered some did not, switched to the factory crimp die. That solved the problem. 

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

I had a problem with one brand of brass not chambering in my Marlin. I went ahead and removed the decapper and ran them through the sizer again. But I didn't think that was a good long term solution because I figured it would resize the bullets to a smaller size. Now whether that would make an actual difference in performance I don't know. Like many issues it wouldn't  be a problem with SASS match target placement but might be on longer more precise shots.

 

I have no problems with my normal loading methods using Winchester or Starline brass. However, I am only loading for my Marlin. I understand it might be different if I were loading for Rugers, 73's with different dimensions. 

 

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Running loaded rounds through a sizer die will definitely swage the round in the neck to be several thousandths undersize.  It is NOT recommended by any die manufacturer.   You are taking on new problems to fix a problem with known safe solutions to it.  

 

good luck, GJ

[Jay Vendetta]

Just now, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

Running loaded rounds through a sizer die will definitely swage the round in the neck to be several thousandths undersize.  It is NOT recommended by any die manufacturer.   You are taking on new problems to fix a problem with known safe solutions to it.  

 

good luck, GJ

I will have to attempt running the brass through that die before loading it and see if I get good results. If so I can avoid that potential problem.

One of the guys I shoot with locally recommended that early on and others in this thread have as well, is the main problem accuracy? If so that might be an acceptable trade off at the distance we shoot at.

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

If you start with a bullet sized correctly for your barrel and resize after loading you will now have a bullet that is undersize. You could get more leading that way for one negative.

[Jay Vendetta]

Just now, Smokin Gator SASS #29736 said:

If you start with a bullet sized correctly for your barrel and resize after loading you will now have a bullet that is undersize. You could get more leading that way for one negative.

That could be a problem, ill explore the option of resizing prior to loading and see if I get the same results.

Thanks again to everyone for the advice.

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

I am not adding much but my Rugers had inconsistent .425 -.427 throats. Reaming to .429 and using .429-.430 bullets helped.

 

Adequately, but dont over lube your brass. Unless things have changed, aint ever seen carbide 44-40 dies. 

 

Periodically clean your sizing and bullet seating dies. Wax and or lube can build up in the shoulder area of these dies.

 

If you are absolutely certain your die is set up proper, call Lee. I had a 45 ACP die once that was messing up brass. I called Lee. We thoroughly went through set and operation. I took pics and video, emailed to the tech support and they sent me a new die. I sent them mine. Problem solved. Found out later my die was out of round in one spot.

 

I do believe seating and crimping separately helps, along with using an expander appropriately sized to the bullet.

 

And use a factory crimp die.

 

Theres not a great deal of voodoo and wizardry to this, but 44-40 reloading seems to repetitiously be brought up here, particularly concerning Rugers

["Big Boston"]

3 hours ago, Smokin Gator SASS #29736 said:

I had a problem with one brand of brass not chambering in my Marlin. I went ahead and removed the decapper and ran them through the sizer again. But I didn't think that was a good long term solution because I figured it would resize the bullets to a smaller size. Now whether that would make an actual difference in performance I don't know. Like many issues it wouldn't  be a problem with SASS match target placement but might be on longer more precise shots.

 

I have no problems with my normal loading methods using Winchester or Starline brass. However, I am only loading for my Marlin. I understand it might be different if I were loading for Rugers, 73's with different dimensions. 

 

 

I does appear as if this thread has morphed into more of a 44-40 reloading theory and practices thread. I'm not complaining, I believe that is a good thing. I've been reloading for the 44-40 on and off for about 5 years. I was, for the most part fairly confident that a set of dies, a shellholder and my other reloading tools would get me going loading for the 44-40. And with only one gun, a 40-40 rifle, and a turret press to perform the task, that was pretty much it. I had ammunition that fit the gun, fired reliably and hit the target, if I did my part.

 

My first issue was that my 94 Winchester wanted to dent the case mouths, so I ran the fired cases over a 44 Mag expander if they were mangled at all before sizing them, and it  was golden.

 

Of course I had to upgrade and add other firearms, a Ruger Vaquero, a Uberti 1873 Winchester clone and lastly a Taylors Smoke Wagon. In between I bought a Rossi '92 and had an 1930's Winchester '92. Those two were sold but today I have thirteen chambers in three different firearms to load for. To add to the mix I recently transitioned to a Dillon 550 progressive press..

 

Then the fun began. 

 

I don't want to insult anyones intelligence or reloading experience, but I would like to run through some basics, so I can address some of the issues I've experienced. 

 

The FL sizing die, in addition to knocking out the spent primer:

1. Reduces the neck of the case, so that a new bullet can be seated.
2. Sets the shoulder at the correct angle and pushes the shoulder back so it does not impede chambering the new reloaded cartridge. Shoulder setback is a common reloading term for bottleneck rifle cartridges, not something pistol calibre reloaders encounter often or at all.
3. Reduces the body diameter to a dimension to allow for easy chambering. The 44-40 case also has a taper to it, so the die should also resize that to the appropriate dimension.

Let's expound on each of those steps individually. 

1.   Reduces the neck of the case, so that a new bullet can be seated. 

You wouldn't expect any issues with this step, until you consider that the 44-40 has a wide variation in bullet diameter requirements. I'll skip the history lesson. Groove and bore diameters vary considerably. For the most part grooves are 0.003" deep, unless 44 Spl/Mag barrel dimensions were followed during manufacturing, in which case the grooves are close to 0.006" deep. The groove diameters vary as well, and depending on the firearm an appropriate bullet could vary from 0.426" up to and including 0.432". 

 

It's not like you can ask for a 44-40 die set for 427, or 429 or 431 bullets, you get one size may fit most. You can run into  nuances depending on what bullet diameter you'd like or need to use. If your die reduces the neck so that it will firmly grip a 427 bullet, and you use a 430 bullet, in all likelihood you will experience the odd buckled case when seating and crimping.

 

To illustrate a point, oft times a 7.62x39 die set will come with two expander buttons, one 308 and one 311 to let the reloader load the appropriate sized bullet. The 44-40 expander die is usually around 424 and when you go to seat a 429 or larger bullet, it will require a bit of grunt to seat the bullet. Alternately you may run into the odd die that sizes the neck minimally, just enough to seat a 429 bullet, but a 427 bullet will be finger tight. In my collection I have one of each.

 

Ideally you'd like to select a die that sizes the neck only slightly more than necessary, and you'd also want a matching expander/belling plug. I'm lucky in that my barrels are fairly similar, varying from a small of 429 to a large of 4305. Throats in my revolvers vary between 429 for one and 432 for the other.

The 44-40 has limitations in design, for the most part bullets much over 429/430 create a neck that may be a bit large for the chambers. The 44-40 has less than a 0.001" between cartridge max and chamber min. In contrast a 45 Colt has 0.006". There is no right or wrong here, just how the engineers set the standard specifications. I assume that with a thin and flexible neck the engineers felt that close tolerances would help seal the chamber, keep crud out of the rest of the chamber. IMHO it works well to keep chambers clean.

 

2.   Sets the shoulder at the correct angle and pushes the shoulder back so it does not impede chambering the new reloaded cartridge.

 

I've encountered this with my dies, especially when setting up my progressive. A progressive press does not have a shellholder, instead it has a rotating shell plate. I prefer not to have my FL die seat hard against the plate. About the only option to gain a bit extra shoulder setback is to remove some metal from the bottom of the die. This is not common practice and for most calibers, I'd advise against it unless there are no other options. In the 44-40, that is the only option.

 

Shoulder setback is not a eyeball dimension, it has to be measured. I have a Hornady Lock-N-Load Headspace Comparator, but it does not come with an anvil to check the 44-40. I had to find a work around, or buy a custom anvil. I used an upside down 45 ACP case, it just fits over the neck. In a nutshell, put the 45 ACP case upside over the neck of a fired case and measure the length of both together. Then size the 44-40 case in the FL die and measure that dimension again. The difference is the shoulder setback. In a rifle, like a 308, the goal would be to have at least 0.002" shoulder setback, up to perhaps 0.005" for hunting ammo. For the 44-40, I don't want tolerances that tight. I have mine set for a fair bit of setback, probably 0.040" on my longest chamber. I think that may be a bit much, I don't think any more than 0.010" is required. Because the 44-40 case is thin, and it headspaces on the rim, even 0.040" doesn't seem to shorten case life or hinder performance.

 

3.   Reduce the body diameter to a dimension to allow for easy chambering. The 44-40 case also has a taper to it, so the die should also resize that to the appropriate dimension.

 

I don't know why or if all 44-40 dies are the same, but all of my dies just minimally size the body, for whatever reason. Yes, the reloaded cartridge will drop into the chamber, but if the chamber gets a bit dirty, the cartridge will require a little push to fully seat it. I'd prefer that the cartridge just "plunk" in. about 0.002" to 0.003" will allow for a reliable and consistent "plunk". Rather than have a custom die made, I use a 30-06, 270 or 25-06 FL die to size the body. I had to select a die from my collection, one that sized enough but didn't reduce the case too much.

I managed to find a die that reduced the body at the PRE, the point of maximum expansion on a case, where you would measure the Pressure Ring Expansion. I know, one extra step, that I perform on a single stage press before starting to reload on the progressive.

 

The expander and belling die. I eluded to this already, and the expander prepares the neck of the case so a bullet can be seated. The shank of the expander sizes the inside of the case to about 0.003" under bullet diameter to ensure sufficient grip or bullet pull. The maximum or limiting factor on the bullet pull or grip is limited by the elastic modulus of brass. Cartridge brass has about 0.002 to 0.003" of spring to it before it stretches permanently, it's the nature of the metal. This characteristic lets you extract a fired case from the chamber. Upon firing, the case expands to fit tight in the chamber. As the pressure is reduced, the brass springs back about 0.002" to 0.003" so that the case can easily be extracted.

 

When a cartridge is loaded beyond its design pressure, the case expands the chamber as well. If the chamber is expanded more than the elastic modulus of brass, the brass case sticks in the chamber. This is a warning that should not be ignored. More of a high power rifle thing than something pistol.

 

The seating a crimp die. This die is not immune from issues. Case in point, my Redding seat and crimp die will not let a 430 bullet slide above the crimp taper. Redding tolerances are tight, their die is made to seat and crimp a 427 or smaller bullet. In addition the thin neck of the 44-40 case almost forces the reloader to seat in one operation and crimp in another. I set up my LEE seat and crimp die to just seat, and use my Redding seat and crimp die to crimp on its own.

 

Another issue I had was that my OAL length seemed to vary. I checked the OAL when I began, and after a box or two of shells, the OAL had increased by a few thousandths. The rubber O-ring that is supposed to keep the seating stem from moving doesn't work that well. Rather than "fix" the LEE die I set the seating stem on the Redding to the proper OAL as a fail safe.

 

In conclusion: My process for reloading 44-40 cases begins with running them through a 270 FL die. This knocks out the primer and sizes the tapered body of the case. I lube the case for this operation and they remain greasy enough to run through the 44-40 FL die.

 

Next, the case is sent through the FL die and the neck is reduced and because the bottom of the die has been ground down a bit, I can adjust the die so that the shoulder is also set back enough so that my ammunition will fit in any and all of my firearms. The case also gets primed on the down stroke of the 550.

 

The case then goes to the next stage which expands the neck of the case and a charge of powder is also dropped into the case.

 

On the next stage a bullet is seated into the case to the proper OAL.

 

The last step applies the crimp.

 

Thanks, Big Boston.

[Jay Vendetta]

Thanks Big Boston, that's a lot of information  to think over i greatly appreciate it.

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

Also, i never had to do this with 44-40, but had these dies for another cartridge, you could get a lyman m die and buy different size expanders from Lyman  specific to your bullet. The different size expanders werent always necessarily listed at places like Brownells or Midway, but Lyman makes them.

 

Also found periodically running a stainless chamber brush to clean out fouling and leading helped ease chambering and extraction. A carbon ring can form in the chamber at the case mouth. Also cleans any fouling buildup in the shoulder area of the chamber ( blowby). Didnt see anywhere if you shooting smokeless or BP or what bullet weight used. This can affect blowby and consequent fouling. The smokeless leaves rings more often, in my experience. Don't use these stainless brushes on barrels or they will score the bore.
 

 

[Jay Vendetta]

15 minutes ago, Dirty Dan Dawkins said:

Also, i never had to do this with 44-40, but had these dies for another cartridge, you could get a lyman m die and buy different size expanders from Lyman  specific to your bullet. The different size expanders werent always necessarily listed at places like Brownells or Midway, but Lyman makes them.

 

Also found periodically running a stainless chamber brush to clean out fouling and leading helped ease chambering and extraction. A carbon ring can form in the chamber at the case mouth. Also cleans any fouling buildup in the shoulder area of the chamber ( blowby). Didnt see anywhere if you shooting smokeless or BP or what bullet weight used. This can affect blowby and consequent fouling. The smokeless leaves rings more often, in my experience. Don't use these stainless brushes on barrels or they will score the bore.
 

 

I dont seem to have many if any issues at the neck, i.e crumpled cases. It is just the brass formed to another chamber that has issues in one of my vaqueros. I am using only black powder and using a 200 grain bullet.

["Big Boston"]

It just occurred to me I forgot to mention another factor in being able to move the shoulder back and lengthen the neck. With a sufficiently long neck you end up with a wee bit of a wasp waist where the bullet ends in the neck. 

 

This is especially important if you use a bullet like the Lyman 427098 that does not have a crimp groove. In a revolver you need to prevent the bullet from going forward with recoil, and in a rifle you want to prevent the bullet from being knocked into the case from the battering action in the magazine tube. 

 

 

Not that good a picture but I think it shows what I'm describing. I love the 44-40, but I'm well aware of all the nuances it comes with. I respect the cowboys that choose to shoot this calibre, it shows a true dedication to the game. 

 

BB

[Jay Vendetta]

2 minutes ago, "Big Boston" said:

It just occurred to me I forgot to mention another factor in being able to move the shoulder back and lengthen the neck. With a sufficiently long neck you end up with a wee bit of a wasp waist where the bullet ends in the neck. 

 

This is especially important if you use a bullet like the Lyman 427098 that does not have a crimp groove. In a revolver you need to prevent the bullet from going forward with recoil, and in a rifle you want to prevent the bullet from being knocked into the case from the battering action in the magazine tube. 

 

 

Not that good a picture but I think it shows what I'm describing. I love the 44-40, but I'm well aware of all the nuances it comes with. I respect the cowboys that choose to shoot this calibre, it shows a true dedication to the game. 

 

BB

Thanks for the additional info. I have enjoyed the experience so far in trying to tackle the caliber. And have loved every minute in the sport in general. Been a cowboy only since 2017 and as of last year signed up for the life membership, I'm in for the long haul.

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

For whatever reason there just seems to be more variability in the dimensions of barrel groove diameter, chamber dimensions, chamber throats, etc. when it comes to manufacturing 44-40 rifles and revolvers. It makes it a little more difficult to load ammo that works in multiple guns. But once you get it figured out you should be good to go.

[Savvy Jack]

On 2/6/2022 at 8:48 PM, Jay Vendetta said:

The other sizing die was a Redding 44-40 which helped but didnt solve the problem by itself. I had to modify that die by using a dremel tool with a sand paper wheel to remove material and reset the depth of the die until I got the fit I needed.

 

Explain thyself!!!! Can you explain what cutting the bottom of the Redding die did? I'd like to add this to the 44-40 information on the website so it might help someone else later.

The Redding die has "two" steps. The first step that is used is crimping the case into a lead bullet with no crimp groove. Adjusting the die (screwing it in deeper) creates a "U" crimp for .4255" jacketed bullets. If you cut down the bottom, the crimp would really do crazy stuff....me thought.



 

[Jay Vendetta]

2 minutes ago, Savvy Jack said:

 

Explain thyself!!!! Can you explain what cutting the bottom of the Redding die did? I'd like to add this to the 44-40 information on the website so it might help someone else later.

The Redding die has "two" steps. The first step that is used is crimping the case into a lead bullet with no crimp groove. Adjusting the die (screwing it in deeper) creates a "U" crimp for .4255" jacketed bullets. If you cut down the bottom, the crimp would really do crazy stuff....me thought.



 

The die i was referring to is the depriming and sizing die. No crimping operation in play. Removing material and allowing it to move lower changed the shoulder back some, in this case enough to solve the seating issue.

[Savvy Jack]

32 minutes ago, Jay Vendetta said:

The die i was referring to is the depriming and sizing die. No crimping operation in play. Removing material and allowing it to move lower changed the shoulder back some, in this case enough to solve the seating issue.

 

Oh, sheeeew, thought I was loosing it...I read it wrong...lol

Yes, I did the same with the 44-40 Lee resizing die. This lowered the taper, as you explained at some point, an allows better neck retention and should aid in accuracy. In the photo I posted above, you can see the different length necks...here it is again but marked for others to see.

 

More information here: https://sites.google.com/view/44winchester/chasing-the-44-40/handloading/redding-profile-crimp-die?authuser=0

 

 

Lee die with approx. .07" removed from the base. This allows the case to enter deeper into the die for the extra .07" longer neck. Some may need .10", from .33" to .44".

 

[Savvy Jack]

14 hours ago, Savvy Jack said:

 

More information here: https://sites.google.com/view/44winchester/chasing-the-44-40/handloading/redding-profile-crimp-die?authuser=0

 

 

 

 

What I forgot to mention in my previous reply was to take notice of the driving bands on the lead bullet. Notice that if using the lead bullet in the case to the left with a short neck, only the forward driving band is making contact with the case neck. If used in the case to the right, both the forward and aft driving bands contact the case neck, doubling the neck retention and aiding in accuracy.

If using the .4255" Winchester JSP in the case on the left, you have case retention on the entire neck BUT are only relying on the retention and crimp to keep the bullet in place. If either fail because of using the wrong dies, the bullet will telescope down into the case from the spring tension in a mag tube on a rifle. Using the JSP in the case to the left does the same but allows room for "Wasp Waist" to form under the base of the bullet. This takes place of a cannular and gives a third feature for keep the bullet in place....of course JSP bullets are not used in CAS BUT some smaller diameter lead bullets with a very small crimp groove can do the same thing. Most folks use the LFCD to correct the crimping issue noted here.

 

[Jay Vendetta]

1 minute ago, Savvy Jack said:

 

 

What I forgot to mention in my previous reply was to take notice of the driving bands on the lead bullet. Notice that if using the lead bullet in the case to the left with a short neck, only the forward driving band is making contact with the case neck. If used in the case to the right, both the forward and aft driving bands contact the case neck, doubling the neck retention and aiding in accuracy.

If using the .4255" Winchester JSP in the case on the left, you have case retention on the entire neck BUT are only relying on the retention and crimp to keep the bullet in place. If either fail because of using the wrong dies, the bullet will telescope down into the case from the spring tension in a mag tube on a rifle. Using the JSP in the case to the left does the same but allows room for "Wasp Waist" to form under the base of the bullet. This takes place of a cannular and gives a third feature for keep the bullet in place....of course JSP bullets are not used in CAS BUT some smaller diameter lead bullets with a very small crimp groove can do the same thing. Most folks use the LFCD to correct the crimping issue noted here.

 

I'll take a couple pictures either tonight or tomorrow and post them here for you. One of the bullet im using and of the loaded rounds to give you an idea of where I'm at currently. 

["Big Boston"]

The information may be a bit overwhelming, and I'd like to comment on what that really means if you are beginning your 44-40 reloading adventure. 

 

Depending on your chamber, the dies you buy and the bullet that you are using, you may be able to load perfectly good ammunition without any undue nuances, save the odd crumpled neck that catches the edge of the FL die. 

 

The special die rework, crimping and neck expanding issues will only be required if you run into any problems. And if you run into problems, I think if you reference the information, you will find a suitable work around. 

 

The information on setting the shoulder back, to lengthen the neck are very specific to the chambers of your firearms, and the length of the bullet you are shooting. A bullet with a very large lube groove, one to be used with BP will be a bit longer in the shank than most bullets, and will require a longer neck. This is not a huge deal when used in a revolver, but the tube magazine in a rifle is notorious for telescoping bullets that are not sufficiently held in the neck. 

 

And please consider that not all dies are the same, even within the same brand. In one writeup it lists a LEE FL die as sizing the neck smaller than some other dies. My LEE die does not size the neck very much at all, yet my Redding sizes much smaller. Such is the nature of mass production and tolerances. What I'm saying, it's pretty much the luck of the draw. I'm unable to recommend a brand of die. Don't be limited by one set of dies, sometimes another set of dies may be the solution you need. If I were loading for 427 or smaller bullets, I'd probably buy a set of RCBS Cowboy dies, or Redding dies. If I were loading for 429 of larger dies, I'd buy a set of LEE, or RCBS Standard Rifle dies or whatever else was available. 

 

Yesterday afternoon I was loading some ammunition to chronograph for load development, and I had about 4 loaded when I noticed some anomalies with the crimp. I very seldom, if ever check case length on any of my pistol cases. I check on trim before the first loading, but on a straight walled pistol cartridge at cowboy pressures, checking may not be required. My issue yesterday was not that the cases has stretch an inordinate amount, it was that they varies up to 0.005" in length, and the mouth of the neck  was not straight. The necks had a high side and a low side. They all cleaned up with a LEE Case Length gauge/trimmer. As the necks of 44-40 brass are real thin, I did not chamfer them at all. I did not want any knife edge cases. 

 

I still use a 270 FL die to size the walls of the case and maintain the taper. I did have to pick through about 4 dies until i found one that reduced the diameter 0.002" to 0.003" for the full length of the case wall up to the shoulder.

 

After you have conquered the 44-40 with all it's reloading nuances, you'll probably not be stumped by issues with any other calibers. 

 

BB 

 

 

[Jay Vendetta]

Attached the photos as promised. Bullet is 200 grains. Second picture is an example of one of the reloads with the brass that used to give trouble. Ran it through the lightly modded Redding seating die then standard process from there.

[Savvy Jack]

17 hours ago, Jay Vendetta said:

Attached the photos as promised. Bullet is 200 grains. Second picture is an example of one of the reloads with the brass that used to give trouble. Ran it through the lightly modded Redding seating die then standard process from there.

 

So this time you are referencing a modified seating die rather than a resizing die.....lol, you sound like me!! 

Whatever it was, ya fixed it and that's all that matters!!

[Jay Vendetta]

2 minutes ago, Savvy Jack said:

 

So this time you are referencing a modified seating die rather than a resizing die.....lol, you sound like me!! 

Whatever it was, ya fixed it and that's all that matters!!

Tried my best lol. Happens to the best of us.