.44 Magnum Cartridges Not Fitting in Cylinder

[scotchblade]

I'm a reloading newbie. I wanted to give it a try before investing, so I started with the Lee Loader. Yes, the one you use a hammer with. I'm enjoying it and will be advancing soon as the Lee Loader is quite slow, but was a good way to learn.

I have been loading for .44 Special and Magnum using a 240gr. LSWC bullet and CCI 300 primers. Powders are Unique and 2400. No problems with the loads I put through my Model 29-2. I experimented with different charges, avoiding anything too hot.

I liked the caliber so much, I added a workhorse Ruger Super Blackhawk, which I plan to shoot more and try heavier loads.

The Ruger is the problem. Magnum cartridges that easily slipped into the Smith chambers are tight on the Ruger. Some I would have to force in, which of course, I do not do. With the Specials, it does not happen. They slip into both guns with ease.

The brass I am using now came from factory loads, shot out of the Smith. The Ruger is new and I have not had a chance to see how a factory Magnum round fits.

I have read it may be a crimping, flaring or seating issue. But I tried the brass on it's own after sizing and had the same problem. Some, but not all, just don't fit right. Again, this is only with Magnum brass and cartridges, not Specials.

Any ideas why this may be happening and what I can do to fix it?

Cheers!

 

[arjay]

If the ruger was used,I'd guess 44 specials had been fired in it and there was crud near the front of the chamber.Can you bum a factory round from someone and see how it fits?

 

[scotchblade]

If the ruger was used,I'd guess 44 specials had been fired in it and there was crud near the front of the chamber.Can you bum a factory round from someone and see how it fits?

I'll have a chance to slip a factory round in on Thursday, when some arrive in the mail. Just got the Ruger last week and was out of factory rounds. I'm expecting it to slip right in.

It better!

 

[rck281]

I would guess that the Lee Loader is not sizing the case sufficiently. They may have made the sizing very minimal due to the effort required to remove the case from the sizer.

 

[max]

The Lee Loader only neck sizes.

 

[tappedandtagged]

The Lee Loader only neck sizes.

Do straight wall cartridges have a "neck"?

And plus one on the comment about having 44 spls shot in it. A lot of folks only shoot spl's out of their 44 mags. The front of the cylinder will crud up making the full length brass a bit tough to put in.

If the case is tight all the way, and not just the last little bit, then this is not the issue. In that case, the Lee loader isn't sizing tight enough and the Smith just has a bit looser cylinders.

 

[scotchblade]

Thanks for the replies, incorrect sizing sounds like the problem. The cartridge will get about halfway in before sticking. Time to start surfing around for a press and dies! Maybe Santa is reading this.

 

[M29since14]

I think you are correct. Lee Loaders have their place, I suppose, but if you shoot any amount at all, you need better equipment. You should reasonably expect to spend as much on simple reloading equipment as you would a nice used revolver. More advanced equipment = more money.

You might have a look at the Dillon Square Deal press or something similar. Others might caution you to start with a single stage press. Think about what seems best to you and make your own decision. Of course, you MUST have a good scale to go along with it, and a few other things, but the scale is an absolute must.

I would also suggest you buy a cartridge gauge to check your loaded rounds. It is one of those seemingly unnecessary pieces of equipment that will save you some grief, now and then - you just never know when. For about $20, it is both handy and reassuring, especially if you are loading more than a few rounds at a time.

The fact that cartridges fired in your S&W and loaded with the Lee Loader will not fit in another gun is not surprising. It sounds like you know you want to continue handloading so it is time for some better equipment.

 

[tappedandtagged]

The Lee Breech Lock kit got me started. Since then I have upgraded a few things. But it works. The press will likely be with me for a long time. I don't load any of the large bottleneck rifle cartridges, so it is plenty strong enough.

 

[semperfi71]

I started relaoding in 1972 with a Lee Handloader Kit in .357 Magnum.

First off I loaded my second box of ammunition with no powder. My fault. The whole box. Don't ask me how I did that. I still don't know.

Second off the sizer die would only size about the top-half the case so fired cases soon would not fit the revolver chambers.

Third off the priming operation whereby you whack the case downward with a steel rod to seat the primer set off a few of them, and my nerves. And the wife's (first wife) because we were in the house.............

So I went to "FedMart" and bought a new RCBS Junior press with all the gear. Still have it and it is the only reloading "kit" I have.

 

[silentflyer]

Ebay has lots of reloading equipment for sale, some of it a real bargin.

 

[DWalt]

I started loading .44 Mag in 1964 using one of the Lee percussion sets such as yours. I had one of the early Ruger Blackhawk SAs (pre-Super Blackhawk). Aside from being very slow in loading, I had no problem whatsoever with my loads otherwise. You might try scrubbing out your chambers thoroughly using a wire brush and solvent.

 

[mikld]

The Lee Loader only neck sizes.

.44 Lee Loaders full length sizes. If you hammer/push the lubed case all the way flush with the end of the die, it'll be the proper size.

 

[mikld]

Everything is a guess untill you measure the cartridge. Use micrometers and find out where the cartridge is too big. If the measurements are in spec., then check the gun (you can look in the cylinders and see if there is any crud...).
Bottom line; the cylinder is a hole. The cartridge is a peg. For the peg to enter the hole, it must be smaller than the hole!

 

[scotchblade]

I'll have a chance to slip a factory round in on Thursday, when some arrive in the mail. Just got the Ruger last week and was out of factory rounds. I'm expecting it to slip right in.

It better!

Just following up, yes, factory ammo fit the Ruger fine, as I expected. I fired it, brought it home, resized in the Lee Loader and had no fitting issues, even though Lee does neck sizing only.

Bottom line is to keep the brass fired from different guns separated and used exclusively in that gun when using the Lee Loader.

I plan on upgrading to a press soon. Thanks again for your responses.

Cheers!

 

[125JHP]

I cannot see how if the sized case fit back into the Ruger then there is no logical reason why a properly full length sized case, originally fired in the S&W should not fit in the Ruger. The sizing die should produce the same finished dimension no matter what the original fired 44 case diameter was or which gun it was fired from.

Maybe your initial efforts at full length sizing were faulty but have been corrected now that you know what your looking for.

 

[scotchblade]

I cannot see how if the sized case fit back into the Ruger then there is no logical reason why a properly full length sized case, originally fired in the S&W should not fit in the Ruger. The sizing die should produce the same finished dimension no matter what the original fired 44 case diameter was or which gun it was fired from.

Lee does state to "use only with brass fired through your gun" on it's Lee Loader pistol page.

I hear what you are saying. Once I have a press (looking at Redding Big Boss), I will expect sized brass to fit either gun.

For now, the Lee Loader seems to work fine (albeit slow) as long as I keep the brass fired from each gun separated.

I do like the simple, basic nature of the kit. I use a priming tool, so I don't hammer primers. Otherwise I enjoy the hammering method. Even once I have the press set up, I will probably use it for certain tasks or when out on the road.

 

[scotchblade]

Everything is a guess untill you measure the cartridge. Use micrometers and find out where the cartridge is too big.

Until I upgrade to a press, all seems OK as long as I keep brass fired from the Smith and Ruger separated. I did use some dial calipers to measure the brass after sizing in the Lee Loader and it is consistently wider at the base vs. the neck. That would explain the tight fit halfway into the cylinder.