QUESTION for BULLET CASTERS

[No Horse Hair, SASS #77464]

I shoot 44-40 and like to have them sized at .427 or .428. Supply is getting low.  As  nobody local sells these bullets and shipping  is getting high I'm thinking in this direction. I buy locally bullets for my 44 special and magnum and they are sized to .430.  If I bought a sizer press and die can I size these down to use in my 44-40?   I guess I should look and compare where  the crimp groove is. to check the overall length.  

[Jack Spade]

yes you can size them down

[Boggus Deal #64218]

If you have a press that accepts 7/8-14 dies, Lee sells a push through dies that mounts in it and it’s an easy job. I believe I have a .429 that I don’t use.

[Cahawbakid]

I do this very thing, Lee makes a great push thru sizing die

[Sedalia Dave]

You can even do this to powder coated bullets.

[Warden Callaway]

I have a little press mounted upside down to push bullets through the Lee sizing die.   Much easier than picking them off the top of the die.

[Sedalia Dave]

The Lee APP press makes short work of this.  Fill the bullet feeder and you can resize hundreds in no time.

[Griff]

Are you sure your .44-40s are .427".  Are they originals, or replicas, if replicas, how early are they?  I only have one, a modern replica of a Colt Lightning and it takes .429-.430" bullets, it doesn't stabilize .427 very well...   Shoots 'em fine, but accuracy isn't the greatest.  "Like" and "work best" are not synonymous.

[No Horse Hair, SASS #77464]

I have never slugged them, I like the smaller size for ease of reloading and they have worked in all of my guns.  For SASS I'm more concerned with reliability than accuracy.  When I miss, it ain't about 1" accuracy!

[Warden Callaway]

On 8/17/2024 at 6:58 AM, Sedalia Dave said:

The Lee APP press makes short work of this.  Fill the bullet feeder and you can resize hundreds in no time.

[Jefro, SASS#69420]

The originals like the 1873 were .427. The Ubertis are about ..429. I couldn't get a .429 to chamber in my original 73. Good Luck 

[Dapper Dave]

I sized .314 bullets down to .311 for 7.62x39mm for years, no issues, and like was mentioned before, you can do that with powder coated as well - helps lube the slide, as it were.