I just recently came across 800 pieces of Starline 44 mag brass. Been shot according to the original owner 4 times each. Looks in good condition but a couple of the cases have very thin mouths and there may be a few with slight cracks. He chamfered the ends pretty hard. Now the question. Would it be worthwhile to buy these(cheep) and cut the cases down to 44 special length? I know it may sound cheap but all cases will be stamped on an ink pad to mark them to myself as special cases. I can buy them all for 30 bucks. I just hate to miss out on a good deal. I do have 2 guns that are 44 specials and a couple or so 44 mags. Just a wondering how y'all feel?

At $30,I'd buy em.Dont think I would have the patience to cut many of them down though.

Well I'd jump on them and cut some down maybe 200 or so but most would stay .44 mag. There is plenty of life left in that brass if you take care of it.

Well I have a 1000 or so 44 mag brass..half is new. But only have 80 or 90 44 spec...and I do have an RCBS electric case trimmer new in the box that I could surely put in operation. . I was really concerned about the headstamps though. I don't shoot at public ranges very often. I just wouldn't want to leave a piece of brass someone may try loading mag loads in. I told the guy a few mins ago I'd take it and will be picking it up in the morning. so Yippee Ki Yay. I'll even set up the 650 for this many 44s after they get trimmed. I also need to get a new ink pad..mine is kinda...dry and hard!! For another 15 bucks I'm getting 4 boxes of twice fired sized and primed 44 mag brass. Mostly Remington..

If you think about it no big deal. Except no flare to case.

If someone loading 44 mag ran one of your shortened cases, he will have a bullet hanging out with the cannelure well above the neck. Proper seating depth to powder same as a full length case. So no pressure problem if it made it through unnoticed.

If only shot our ties there is plenty of "Life" left in those cases.....even if full loads.

Try to save as many as you can and then trim the "Gonners" for the little 44 , to keep the shaving to a minimum.

Sounds like a sweet deal to me.

I'm not sure how somebody else picking up a piece of my brass, after I've left, at an outdoor range is my problem.

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S&WHF 366

I'm with Nevada Ed; trim the ones with mouth splits for the Special, and leave the rest be. You made a whale of a deal !

Larry

It is a little late for my opinion, but.........I would rather pay twice as much as that for the brass I really want. Several hours of my time is worth more than $30 right now and finding some 44 SPL brass can't be too hard

As to I do not see an issue. Once the unknown party seated a projectile he would have to be aware this was cut brass. Though he really should have noticed it when he put it in the bucket/bag/box with his other 44 Mag brass

I'm in the buy it & use it crowd. You could certainly trim down cases with mouth splits & use them in 44sp. Keeping them separate is essential, just for the hassle affect. An election trimmer makes the time issue less important.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

well I was talking to a friend on the phone last night and he uses an electric RCBS trimmer and told me he did a couple hundred cases in 45 minutes..so I figure a couple hours of trimming will give me close to 500 44 spec. cases that will be as good as new cases and being cheep like most of us are these days I will come out with enough 44 sp and still save 50 bucks... and this time of the year is not a great time for being outside a lot...Less I am hunting. About the most fun next to shooting is loading up all the brass I have bullets for.... at least in the winter! I doubt I will ever have to buy 44 sp brass ever again. I still figure my time is worth 10 bucks an hour.... even if I is retired. And it keeps me out of you know who's hair and away from the honey-do list.

I have to trim a load of 223 cases anyway but I do them on a Giraud trimmer so they go quick.

One percenter!

I'da been on that brass deal like white on rice. How far wrong can ya go for $30?

One Percenter?? I guess you mean about the Giraud? Heck I got that thing at an auction for 100 bucks. I was the only guy there that actually knew what it was I guess. Got a whole buncha stuff that was high end and Benchrest. A Herrells powder measure, Sinclair Arbor press Sinclair primer seater. Got it all in a big range box for another 100 bucks. A guy standing next to me actually told me I paid too much for all that crapo. I think I did good on the brass. Turns out the guy has a few guns he wants to sell too. _P-38 Luger S&W 43 17 and an 18 . I set the RCBS trimmer up this AM..gonna do some trimming tonight.

hehe... woulda liked to see your face when you realized you'd just gotten a Giraud for a hunnert bones!

Wait a minute....

A reloader that leaves his brass behind?!

Hey Skeet, Good deal! I had a few 1000 mag cases laying around when I got my 1st 44 special. Needed brass and decided to trim 300 of the oldest brass to 44 special specs. Put my Lee trimmer in my cordless drill, took a few hours. Was a PITA, but worth it for me. I use a Sharpee to mark the headstamps to make sorting my mag/special brass easy after range sessions.

See y'all...I'm not the only dumm...er...goobe....er person that thinks cutting down cases is worthwhile. and even I wouldn't use a Lee Trimmer to cut down 3 hunnert cases. I thunk I was cheep Speaking of Lee trimmers though. The darn things actually work and work well for trimming up 20-50 cases and I do have a bunch of 'em. I know it seems like an expense that is unnecessary but every body ought to have an ink pad or two for marking cut down cases or last use cases or whatever. But see, great minds like duster's and mine do think alike. Who was it said necessity is the mother?? or whatever it was.

LOL! Yup, I'm cheap... or just like the high value, low cost, type of solutions.......nah, I'm cheap.

Gosh...another guy who knows the real truth about himself....and admits it. I'm cheap too!! I might even be proud of it..but my wife embarrasses me about it all the time. She does find a way to get even for what I do to her!

If I did cut any down it would only be a very few. And besides, .44 Special brass is readily available, even Amazon.com has some. There are ways to permanently mark brass so you would know at a glance what it truly is (my first thought was a notch on the rim). I've been reloading .44 Specials and Magnums for many years and it's easy to tell the difference, at a glance, between the two cases.

I believe my responsibility ends when I lose a case (I try to retrieve all my empties). If a sloppy reloader that does not inspect his range pickups has a problem with brass I've used, it has nothing to do with me, no moral obligation nor liability...

I try to retrieve all my brass too. I used to have an ol 44 Automag and it really flung cases when I had it going well. A lot of work making them so I usually shot them at the range I had on the farm. Had to really keep the grass cut around my bench. I made a lot of wildcats and really hard to find brass a good many yrs ago.