Lowest trim length for 44 mag?
- Thread starter kwesi
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Rosco Shooter
Member
Check the Lyman or other reloading manuals, e.g., Speer, Sierra, and Nosler. They will have specifications for trim to length.
jwk
Member
Ck a manual. If you trim it too short it's called a 44 Special. If you really go crazy it becomes 44 Russian. A little short is ok just make sure you get the crimp right. On the short ones seat the bullet a little deeper assuming you aren't pushing a max load.
Bigger problem w a beginning reloader and a 44 Mag is stay off the throttle until you get some experience. Go from minimum to midrange data. You may want buck and snort but start SLOW and have fun learning. Unique is good for mild to midrange loads.
BTW every bandleader was a beginner once. Read, pay attention, ask questions, learn and have fun,
Bigger problem w a beginning reloader and a 44 Mag is stay off the throttle until you get some experience. Go from minimum to midrange data. You may want buck and snort but start SLOW and have fun learning. Unique is good for mild to midrange loads.
BTW every bandleader was a beginner once. Read, pay attention, ask questions, learn and have fun,
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muddocktor
Member
kwesi, since it is a rimmed cartridge that headspaces off the rim and not the case neck, case length isn't nearly as critical on them as on a rimless case such as 9 MM or 45 Auto. If you have some trimmed back to 1.270 instead of 1.275, it's not the end of the world and you don't have to junk those cases. If it were me, I would just trim the rest of that box of brass back to match the others at 1.270-1.272 and run with it. You will have to slightly adjust seating depth and your crimp, but that little difference won't make for a problem. Heck, Hornady sells some loaded ammo using their FTX bullets that have the brass trimmed way back to account for the longer ogive of the FTX bullet design.
The max SAAMI length is 1.285 and the normal trim length is .010 less than max, so 1.275 is OK.
The purpose of trimming straight revolver cases is to make it easy to get uniform crimps, so trimming to various lengths is sort of defeating your purpose. Aside from making crimping a PIA, trimming a bit shorter makes no significant change ballistically, but I wouldn't whack off .060" if you are loaded to max. Any length will fit the chamber; after all, it also shoots 44 special.
I trim straight revolver cases only once, if at all, since straight cases do not grow like bottleneck cases.
The purpose of trimming straight revolver cases is to make it easy to get uniform crimps, so trimming to various lengths is sort of defeating your purpose. Aside from making crimping a PIA, trimming a bit shorter makes no significant change ballistically, but I wouldn't whack off .060" if you are loaded to max. Any length will fit the chamber; after all, it also shoots 44 special.
I trim straight revolver cases only once, if at all, since straight cases do not grow like bottleneck cases.
My manuals state 1.275 which is my target. After some of our senior members provided guidance I was able to get the crimp right. I loaded 6 ladders and all functioned correctly. My question is whether I can still load the cases that are 1.270-1.273 as 44 mag or should they be used for 44 spl only ( once at the correct trim length for 44 spl.
Personally, I don't like cases marked one caliber and loaded another, so I would either load some moderate 44 mag in them or discard them
RobertJ.
Member
muddocktor
Member
I directly answered you in post #5. I've only been loading rimmed pistol cartridges since the mid 70's. You can take my advice or leave it; I'm out of this thread.
You should be fine; 0.005" under min won't make a difference unless you're pushing it to the max.
I directly answered you in post #5. I've only been loading rimmed pistol cartridges since the mid 70's. You can take my advice or leave it; I'm out of this thread.
I appreciated your advice in #5. I only have less than 10 cases so it would not makes sense to trim the other 50.
I fully agree. When I purchased my first 44 mag I did not intend to load 44 spl but you never know.
99% of revolver brass is reloaded with out people worrying about case length. My biggest concern would be that the cases are a uniform length.
Are you measuring before or after sizing? The brass will increas in length slightly after sizing.
Qc Pistolero
Member
Trimming is as trimming goes.When the mouth of my .44 mag cracks,I trim the cases to .44 Russian dimension and load them with 200gr at around 725fps for target shooting in my 8 3/8'' 629.
The important thing is to have those cases all trimmed at the same lenght so as to have an even crimp.
The important thing is to have those cases all trimmed at the same lenght so as to have an even crimp.
I size first.
A simple alternative
I trim all my range scrounged / pickup 357 mag and 44 mag brass to 1.265" ± 0.005" in the fired condition. All of my magnum revolver brass has been trimmed to that case length. I trim before sizing because the pilots turn freely in the case mouth. My case trimmer is a Lyman with the handle removed from the end of the cutting shaft. The shaft end is turned down to 0.37" so it will fit in an electric drill.
The case mouth is not deburred either inside or outside. I use a carbide sizing die that removes the burrs leaving a square-edged case mouth that will securely hold any bullet with a roll crimp. After resizing the case, case length varies between 1.270" to 1.280" long. I get a very consistent roll crimp with this trimming method.
I only trim my cases once. The case will split full length before it needs trimming again. I use only nickel 357 mag cases. My original purchased batch from 1977 (the few that are remaining) have been tumbled so many times that 60% of the plating is buffed off. I reload cases that have short case neck cracks just one more time which usually results in a crack below the bullet base when fired. Just got to get the last X-ring shot out of every case.
Before I trimmed all my fired brass short, there would be an occasional case that was difficult to eject from the cylinder. I never trim 38 Special brass because it doesn't grow enough to be a problem in a 357 mag cylinder. I have no 44 special brass.
Is my method correct? I don't care, the cases hold the bullet, crimp is consistent, I have consistent accuracy across multiple revolvers, and there are no ejection or high chamber pressure problems. It is close enough! The 0.010" case length variation is detectable only with a dial caliper, does not appear in the case crimp (brass mouth thickness may be a larger variable), and eliminates any need to sort brass.
I trim all my range scrounged / pickup 357 mag and 44 mag brass to 1.265" ± 0.005" in the fired condition. All of my magnum revolver brass has been trimmed to that case length. I trim before sizing because the pilots turn freely in the case mouth. My case trimmer is a Lyman with the handle removed from the end of the cutting shaft. The shaft end is turned down to 0.37" so it will fit in an electric drill.
The case mouth is not deburred either inside or outside. I use a carbide sizing die that removes the burrs leaving a square-edged case mouth that will securely hold any bullet with a roll crimp. After resizing the case, case length varies between 1.270" to 1.280" long. I get a very consistent roll crimp with this trimming method.
I only trim my cases once. The case will split full length before it needs trimming again. I use only nickel 357 mag cases. My original purchased batch from 1977 (the few that are remaining) have been tumbled so many times that 60% of the plating is buffed off. I reload cases that have short case neck cracks just one more time which usually results in a crack below the bullet base when fired. Just got to get the last X-ring shot out of every case.
Before I trimmed all my fired brass short, there would be an occasional case that was difficult to eject from the cylinder. I never trim 38 Special brass because it doesn't grow enough to be a problem in a 357 mag cylinder. I have no 44 special brass.
Is my method correct? I don't care, the cases hold the bullet, crimp is consistent, I have consistent accuracy across multiple revolvers, and there are no ejection or high chamber pressure problems. It is close enough! The 0.010" case length variation is detectable only with a dial caliper, does not appear in the case crimp (brass mouth thickness may be a larger variable), and eliminates any need to sort brass.
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The SAAMI specs for the 44 Remington Magnum are:
1.285 - .020
so the minimum is 1.265
https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Z299-3_ANSI-SAAMI_CFPandR.pdf#page=10
Most manuals have a trim length of minus.010
if you are at 1.265 or above all is well in the world.
There are more important issues or variables in reloading and life than fussing around with trimming handgun brass.
Ladders for handgun loads? the person shooting is a much bigger variable in accuracy than the worrying about .010" or .003"in case length.?
If you are using lead bullets or coated with a large crimp groove there is more than enough leeway in that groove to set your seating die to the longest brass and the crimp will be fine.
1.285 - .020
so the minimum is 1.265
https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Z299-3_ANSI-SAAMI_CFPandR.pdf#page=10
Most manuals have a trim length of minus.010
if you are at 1.265 or above all is well in the world.
There are more important issues or variables in reloading and life than fussing around with trimming handgun brass.
Ladders for handgun loads? the person shooting is a much bigger variable in accuracy than the worrying about .010" or .003"in case length.?
If you are using lead bullets or coated with a large crimp groove there is more than enough leeway in that groove to set your seating die to the longest brass and the crimp will be fine.
Agree, but since many, many 44 Specials are fired in 44 Magnum chambers I think minimum case length is kinda a moot point. Someone will bring up "consistent case length for consistent crimp" but I've not had any problems with "consistent" crimps on my 44 Magnums since '88 and I don't measure case length. I use roll crimps, profile crimps and collet crimps on my 44 handloads depending on bullet, load, etc...
fredj338
Member
Realtiy, there really isn't a minimum. You could trim it to 44sp length, but then it would not be a 44mag anymore. Look at 0.003" on your calipers, means nothing. Crimp groove location from lot ot lot of a given bullet will vary more than that. As long as they are all the same you would be fine.
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