Are my 44 Mag loads safe to shoot?
Hey Guys, I loaded a few 44 Mag loads with (my) once fired Hornady brass.
Basically the load book says that I need a Minimum OAL of 1.585
I seated all the bullets and all cases came out to 1.590 exactly
But After I used the crimp & post die they shrunk to various lengths because I kept on adjusting the crimp.
Can I safely shoot them they are as short as (Between) 1.580 to 1.584
One actually came out to 1.575,…don’t ask?

FYI
1) My Lee trimmers trim my cases perfectly to 1.2725
2) I seated the bullets closer to the top of the cannelure.
3) Load one is 17gr of Alliant 2400, federal 150 primers, topped with Rem 240gr JSP.
4) Load two is 9.5gr of Alliant Unique, federal 150 primers, topped with Rem 240gr JSP
Thanks
Vin
25 May 2008, 01:45
ireload2I know what you did to make the short round but I bet you are the ONLY one that ever did that....

Yes your rounds are fine to shoot.
I take it these are for a revolver and I am assuming that you eventually got a good tight crimp so the bullet do not jump forward with recoil. I don't like to seat and crimp with the same die setting.....
25 May 2008, 02:15
mstarlingI believe those are relatively mild loads for the 44 Rem Mag ... so you're likely to be OK.
I'd feel more comfortable shooting them in a tough handgun like a Ruger ... but I'm always more comfortable with a strong revolver

Vinnyg you dont say what gun you have, but if it is a Ruger or S&W 29, it should be OK.
Peter.
I took the Crimp die apart and cleaned it well.
It's fine now and my loads are coming out right.

Thank Guys.
Vinnyg
I don't think you are supposed to have the seater die touch the shell holder. The sizing die, YES, but not the seating die. The seating die is governed by the length of the case and bullet. If you are getting inconsistent crimps then the culprit is probably either inconsistent case length, or, lead crud building up in the die (if you load lead bullets). Check you case lengths with a micrometer. Having said all that, I would not obsess about it. The crimping grooves have quite a bit of latitude.
Peter.