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Thread: How to turn a 44 Mag into a 45 ACP!

  1. #41
    Quote Originally Posted by Lost River View Post
    A while back a buddy who has been cast since the Middle Ages and is one of my Go-To guys for all manner of questions on cast bullets, reloading, .38 Supers, and other subjects, sent me out a few hundred of these.



    ...

    Funny looking little things.
    Those are Lyman 429303 bullets. Back in the old days they were considered an AP cast bullet. More fiction than fact, however. I've had a couple of those molds. The very deep grease grooves make it a very difficult design to work with because the mold simply doesn't want to let go of the bullet and drop it freely. The friend that sent you a few hundred of those, definitely likes you, a lot.
    Paraphrasing Wyatt Earp: The first shot is twice as important as the second shot, the 2nd shot is twice as important as the 3rd shot, the 3rd shot is twice as important as the 4th shot, the 4th shot is twice as important as the 5th shot…

  2. #42
    Quote Originally Posted by Trooper224 View Post
    Actually, wouldn't that be the little Czarist that could?
    Quote Originally Posted by mtnbkr View Post
    ...why not just use Trail Boss powder with your 44mag brass?
    Quote Originally Posted by Lost River View Post
    ...forced me to have to rethink what to do to pay the bills. I have been loading ammo for about 30 years, so my "side business idea" became a full time gig. Plus it gives me an excuse to travel less, be home for the kids each day...
    "And how did this tradition vet started? I'll tell you! I don't know"

    "Who, day and night, must scramble for a living,
    Feed a wife and children, say his daily prayers?
    And who has the right, as master of the house,
    To have the final word at home?

    The Papa, the Papa! Tradition."

    "Rabbi, is there a proper blessing for the Tsar?"

    "The Tar?"

    "Yes, the Tsar!"

    "May God bless and keep the Tar...far away from us!"

    https://youtu.be/5sG_SOoi9hU

    I'm cooking a meal for youngest's violin coach who is due here any minute. I hate this thread for putting one of the best soundtracks ever composed back in my head. It's gonna be stuck there, all night.

    Smsller cases also have the perk of low case capacity. This helps keeps pressure up for proper powder burn and velocity with many powders while also avoiding positional sensitivity when one runs whatever powder they can find.

  3. #43
    Quote Originally Posted by muzzleblast View Post
    Those are Lyman 429303 bullets. Back in the old days they were considered an AP cast bullet. More fiction than fact, however. I've had a couple of those molds. The very deep grease grooves make it a very difficult design to work with because the mold simply doesn't want to let go of the bullet and drop it freely. The friend that sent you a few hundred of those, definitely likes you, a lot.
    Funny thing about that.

    Met him on a gun forum.

    Retired poleece. Ended up coming out to ID a couple different times. Stayed at my cabin for a month or so. Superb long range handgunner. Exceptional source of knowledge on the subjects of casting, .38 Supers, .41 Magnums, and all sorts of stuff. Just an all around good guy.

    Took him on some enduro dirt bike rides across the Pahsimeroi Valley in Idaho. Not sure he forgave me for those.

    Some of you guys probably know him from the cast bullet forum or elsewhere, RJM52, aka Bob.

    It is rare that he does not have an answer when I have a question in regards to handgun reloading.

    There is a lot of truth the fact that much of what is being done today has been done in the past, whether we know it or not.

  4. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by SCCY Marshal View Post
    Smsller cases also have the perk of low case capacity. This helps keeps pressure up for proper powder burn and velocity with many powders while also avoiding positional sensitivity when one runs whatever powder they can find.
    Google Trail Boss. It's made specifically to give low pressure/velocity loads out of large cases. It's "fluffy".

    Chris

  5. #45
    Member Crazy Dane's Avatar
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    I have a folder on my computer that is labeled "the Russian" and I had a go at all the information I have saved last night. When I got my first GP in .44 special I was drawn to this short round but never acted on it because I could get the same velocities by down loading the special. I keyed in on something last night that had escaped me for what ever reason. In a thread off of the Smith and Wesson forums from the 2009/10 era, I found a discussion on how many people were winning bullseye matches with the Russian. This led to the why. I'm not a scientist but from what I gathered it is because of the efficiency of the pressures in the small case. The work that Lost River has done, Thank You, shows this.

    I have ordered my Russian brass and have a stock of 210 LRNFP coated bullets that I will start with. In my search for bullets I have found a 215 hollow base wad cutter 215 Grain Hollow Base Wadcutter (.430) [430-215-HBWC] - $27.50 : Matts Bullets and was wondering how these would do? I do plan on trying others. I also have a stock of 255 Keiths and 240 OWCs from Montana Bullet Co.

  6. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lost River View Post
    A while back a buddy who has been cast since the Middle Ages and is one of my Go-To guys for all manner of questions on cast bullets, reloading, .38 Supers, and other subjects, sent me out a few hundred of these.




    They are about 165 grains.

    Without changing any settings on my press from the 240 grain round nose load, I loaded up a handful. They mushed the noses flat a little bit, but the seating depth was not bad. I am planning on shooting them to see what kind of accuracy I get, as well as velocity, just for kicks.



    Funny looking little things.

    Middle ages makes sense. Those bullets have a serious medieval vibe to them.

    I bet they are fast from a speedloader to the cylinder!

  7. #47
    I was out testing some 240 SWCs. They shot OK, but the wind was blowing HARD and shaking my truck to the point that I was timing my shots between the truck rocking, while I was shooting over the hood. I was shooting over a rest on the hood. Anyways, The groups were good, not great, so I had some 175 wadcutters (the WCs weigh 175 not 180 as previously mentioned) I was going to chronograph . They are a Lyman mold 429348, just as FYI. I shot a 5 shot group of those. These are the results in between the gusts over a rocking hood. It confirmed my wider groups with the SWCs were the load and not me



    I am working on sourcing the wadcutters to load more. The only place I have found them is Matts bullets, but their prices are not that good, especially in the numbers I need. Might have to have a mold built. If I do, I am 99% positive I will have it designed around powder coating/moly coating the bullets.

    Oh, and the velocity on these was 800 FPS on the button.

    Looking forward to getting to an actual bench, like the one at my cabin, really shooting over a steady rest, and seeing the results, once I get some more.

    It is definitely a 50 yard bunny smasher!



  8. #48
    The Nostomaniac 03RN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lost River View Post

    It is definitely a 50 yard bunny smasher!



    I was out on a nice long run today. Looking out across some pastures I was fantasizing about shooting our tasty snowshoe hares with a scoped 6" 686.

    I dont own a scoped 686

  9. #49
    Revolvers Revolvers 1911s Stephanie B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Irelander View Post
    This is a great thread, since I just bought a Ruger SBH 44MAG. I need a light plinking load. I'll be seriously looking for some Russian components.

    Is it possible to use 44MAG/SPL dies for loading these communist rounds?
    Imperialist rounds. (The .44 Russian round predates the October Revolution by a few decades.)
    If we have to march off into the next world, let us walk there on the bodies of our enemies.

  10. #50
    Member Crazy Dane's Avatar
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    I loaded some of these up and shot them a few days ago and I have come to the conclusion to shelve this project to a future time. I found these little buggers to be very accurate but the issue of supply right now kills the idea.

    First off, I used my Lee .44S/Mag dies and it was nothing short of a big PIA. If one is to load more than just a few you really need the Russian dies or at least I do and everywhere shows out of stock/no back order. The Russian case is not long enough to activate the auto disk powder throw, even screwed down to almost excessive flair on the case mouth. I found the bullet seating die cannot be set with out giving a little crimp when seating the bullet. I thought about looking through all of my dies to see if one set had a longer seating plug but realized in doing so I would have to undo all of them.

    The other issue is the bullet supply with their weeks of lead time and some not even taking orders. I want to try some of the lighter stuff like the pointy ones Lost River has and some wad cutters which I don't have.

    The good about the Russian is I found that I could launch the 210gr bullets I have at the same or slightly faster velocity with less powder than the Special. I know its science and theories says it is possible, it was just fun to prove it. The one thing I am not really understanding is why is it more accurate? Thinking says if I drive the same projectile at the same speed out of the same gun it should be equal. I read an article years ago 'Why ballistics get gray" that this definitely fits into.

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