I'm trying to find load data for .44 magnum blanks. I'd like to load up some for use in dog training and want a bigger bang than just a primer going off. Anyone have any info on where to start?

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Have .44, will travel

I did a Google and found another web site where they discussed this. Don't know how well it works. I sent you a PM as not allowed to post other websites.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Yes. Smokeless blank powder is simply not available for sale. Your only source would be to disassemble commercial or military blank cartridges.

None of even the fastest available powders would work in blank rounds.

The hazard there is that ANY bullet or projectile loaded by mistake would be enough to create dangerous pressures to damage the gun. Card wads or wax seals are the usual device to contain the powder.

The only easily available alternative is to load full cartridges of BLACK POWDER with card wads or sheet wax plugs. These are perfectly safe pressure wise, but of course creates the mess and inconvenience of cleaning off the blackpowder residue. Use 3Fg or FFg granulation. Thorough and complete cleaning is needed of course, because the BP residue is very corrosive to blued steel.

What John said is what's on the web site I sent you.

Ten X sells 44 blanks but that's no fun.

Ten-X Ammunition 44 Remington Magnum Blank BPC Box of 50 - MidwayUSA

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Still Running Against the Wind

Exactly...and at 38 bucks a box of 50!!! Thanks for the PM and replies...looks like I need to study this a little more.

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Have .44, will travel

I tied making some snake shot. There was a long thread here on it.

One of the good ways to make a plug is take a empty shot gun shell (plastic) Take a 44 mag brass and chamfer the edge to it is real sharp. Lay out the shot gun shell (cut off the brass) and use the sharpened 44 brass to act as a punch and hammer out little cut circles. Put in your powder, jam a plastic seal in and a few drops of Elmer's Glue.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Good idea...thanks. I've got a couple hundred empty shotgun shells laying around. I'll have to look for your thread on snakeshot.

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Have .44, will travel

OK, here is my crazy question of the day, anyone make their own 38Spl shot shells?

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Still Running Against the Wind

Good read! Lots of ideas. Thanks again.

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Have .44, will travel

buy a starter gun, they are cheap safe to use

Black powder blanks are used in fast draw and can be made easily at home. You will want to drill your flash hole out so you don't get primers backing out and locking up the revolver. You don't have to use anything real thich or heavy as an overwad because you don't have the recoil or momentum of solid bullets or even shot. Keep in mind that anything that is used on top of the case will be the "bullet" and you either want it to be as light as possible or even something that will disintegrate. Cardboard or styrofoam should work fine and if you do have a problem with them opeining up under recoil you can try a dab of nail polish to help hold them in place.

Starline makes special .45 Colt "blank" brass that is used in mounted cowboy action shooting but I don't think anything like it is made for the .44 family.

CH tool and die used to make star crimp dies for making blanks but I don't know if they still do or if they make anything for the .44 family either. The price might be more than you wanted to invest also.

I have altered .303 brass to use shotshell primers for squib loads. I'm not sure how much more noise they make than regular primers, but they sure do have a lot more oomph pushing stuff down the barrel. It might be possible to do the same for blank firing gun ammunition, but I've never tried it, yet.

I've thought about putting 5 grains of Bullseye in a 44 Mag case then filling up the rest of the case with wadding, part of a compressed paper towel would do fine. Then capping it off with a hot glue gun or something similar.

Don't see wht it wouldn't do fine.

Propellants rely on their gases being compressed to perform properly. If you light a small pile of smokeless powder in the open it will burn quite differently than if lit in a cinfined space. They usually burn a lot slower but they are also very unpredictable at the same time.

If you are able to get it to burn fast enough to go "bang" remember that anything you put on top of it can become a bullet, especially if it's sealed tight enough to compress the burning gases.

Some propellents can be used with crimped cases but they have nothing to expel from the barrel.

If you do try it, let us know how it works.

It would be a Hot Glue Gun

Seriously,

As Jellybean mentioned, you would need to put enough glue on top of the paper wadding to seal it and keep the powder compressed enough to burn, build pressure and go bang.

If this happens the glue will be melted, shooting hot napalm glue bullet.

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Still Running Against the Wind

The Ten X 44 mag blanks mentioned in post #4 are loaded with BPC which is Hodgdon Triple Seven, black powder substitute. Hodgdon says easy clean up with water.
You might try Triple 7 in the blanks.
TZ

Just in case anyone is interested, after a little more research I found that CH Tool and Die Welcome to CH Tool & Die / 4D Custom Die (as Jellybean mentioned in post #11) makes a blank crimping die for a variety of calibers. I didn't see the .44 listed so I shot them an email and the response was to use the .45 cal die (Part Number BC045). I would imagine this crimping die could also be used for making "snakeshot" loads much like the .22 rounds that are on the market today.

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Have .44, will travel

For shotshells, Speer sells the empty blue plastic things for loading your own shot and then load like a bullet. Same as the pre loaded ones they sell. I made some for 38 spl.

Speer Bullets - Empty Shot Capsules

At the price of the die, you must need a lot of blanks

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Still Running Against the Wind