Hi all,
This is my first post. I hope you will forgive that I'm starting off with a question....

I've decided to get back into reloading after a 25-year hiatus (I don't think there were any reloading forums back then!). I'm not sure why I let this go for so long (I guess life got in the way), but I'm ready to jump in again. This past weekend I dug out all my old equipment and started cleaning up what needed cleaning up.

One of my favorite calibers to re-load was always the 44-40 Winchester. I have a 25-year old Redding Series A F.L. 3-die set (#80188) for this caliber.

Maybe I'm starting to lose my marbles (in which case I should think twice about reloading!), but for some reason, the dies don't look correct. Here's what I mean. The dies are labeled:

1. Redding 44-40 WIN FL F7
2. Redding #11 EXP L6
3. Redding 44-40 WIN ST F7

My assumption is that #1 is the sizing die, #2 is the Expander die, and #3 is the seating die. Correct?

Okay, the #2 (expander) die is the one that contains the de-capping rod. That's not correct, is it? Shouldn't the de-capping rod be in the sizing die? It also looks like it has an expander built onto the rod, in which case it looks different than the diagram shown in the current Redding catalog for Series A dies.

The #1 (sizing) die has no insert in it. Basically, one of these dies will have no insert? Is that correct?

I'm sorry, but I'm a bit confused. I'm pretty sure I didn't lose anything when I packed these up years ago. I'm usually very careful and organize with my stuff. All my other 3-dies sets have an insert of some kind (de-capper, expander, seater) in the die. I've tried writing to Redding but have not received a reply. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.
Mike

...got an answer from Redding. These are the old style dies, different from how they're now made. Everything on my set is the way it's supposed to be.

I reload 44-40 for a Colt SAA, boy it's a PITA. I bought some lead 200gr from Oregon Laser Cast.
The brass is thin.

Rich

First size the case, the next dis ejects the primer and bells the case mouth (only a bit). thelast die seats and crimps. With thin cases
it is best to seat the bullet , back off the
seater and crimp.

Thank you!

quote:

Originally posted by hawkins:
First size the case, the next dis ejects the primer and bells the case mouth (only a bit). thelast die seats and crimps. With thin cases
it is best to seat the bullet , back off the
seater and crimp.

One more question, if I may....
Now that I understand how these steel dies work, is there a difference in how the sizing die is set up (compared to a carbide die)? My RCBS carbide pistol sizing die is supposed to be backed off the shell holder by about 5/64". Does the steel sizer touch the holder or does it get turned down another 1/8 or 1/ turn. Thanks!

The reason the carbide die is backed off from bottoming is that too much pressure can crack the carbide ring. You can turn the steel die down to get "over-center" pressure but if you have a strong press that has little flex it is unnecessary. I adjust my dies to just close the gap when using either die type. It will never over-pressure the carbide yet allows the case to be sized down to the web.

I am talking pistol dies here - I only partially neck size my rifle dies using a neck sizing die that doesn't touch the body of the case. I leave enough of the neck unsized to better center the round in the front of the chamber.

Thanks!!

Carbide dies are not usually made for bottleneck cases due to the high cost; straight cases only need a little carbide ring. I load 38-40 by the hundreds using 44-40 brass (easier to get). I have zero problems. If you are having problems with the thin brass, get some Starline brass (thicker) and check your expander plug.. Oh, your dies are fine.