A friend of mine asked me to find out what it would take for me to start loading for his pistol - 445 SM. I found the dies on backorder at midway for $160 - just a little steep in my opinion. Does anyone load for this cartidge? I've heard that you can use 44 rem mag dies but I'm afriad of not being able to size them completely. I've been loading bottle neck rifle for over 15 years but have no experience w/ the straight wall pistol cartidges. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks, Britz

Isn't the .445 a straight-walled case?

If so, you don't even need a die in the normal sense of the word. All you need is a piece of metal about an inch long, with the entire outside threaded to 7/8"-14 (so it will screw into your press), and a hole bored through the middle. The hole, naturally, should be of the diameter you want to use to size your brass.

I would bet you could get a local machine shop to make you such a "threaded washer" for $20 or less in their "slack" time. A friend with a lathe would probably do it for free.

Or, you could buy a used carbide .44 mag sizing die and cut the top 1"or so off of it. That would be even easier, probably would cost even less, and would eliminate the need for any lubing of the cases when you are sizing them.

In either instance, you would lose the ability to have the die also remove the fired primer, but so what? It is no great trick to use a modified ice pick, or any other long thin rod to knock the primers out.

As for seating bullets, a .44 Mag seating die will work just fine. (And so will the .44 Mag expander plug die.)

Bottom line is, I'd probably just find a used .44 Mag carbide die SET, cut the top 1-1/2" off of the sizing die, and go at it.

Thanks for the advice