Guys,

A couple of days ago I posted a question about the recipe for a 41 Mag shot load for snakes and small game. Could not find my old one.

I recreated the approach:

1) Size the brass and bell the case as per normal.

2) Prime with Winchester large pistol primers.

3) Weigh 6.0 grains of Herco into each case. A slightly shortened WCC 9mm case would make an OK dipper.

4) Start a gas check into the case. I used Lyman gas checks in "cup up" orientation. I used the seating punch for semi wadcutters from a 357 die set set as low as possible. This did not push the check all the way to the powder, so I finished seating the gas checks with a spent 223 case still having a fired primer in place. Tamped it down with very light blows from the wooden handle of a medium screw driver.

5) Fill the space to the top of the case with #11 shot. This averaged 145 grains of shot. Actually quite a large shot payload in comparison to shot capsules. (Which I'd use if they were available for the 41 Magnum ... as they make pretty good patterns with #9 shot.)

6) Reset the seating plug much further up and push a gas check (again "cup up") into the case just far enough so that its top edge is exactly level with the case mouth. I then rotated the seating plug out of the way and crimped the case. This holds the check in place. Now the die can be located so that it crimps fully, and the seating plug gently lowered to just just hit the seated check.

The die is now set to allow seating and crimping of the top gas check in one operation.

When fired from a 6" barrel, the primers look fine ... and the pattern destroys a coke can at 5 paces or so. Looks like the pattern is dense enough to put small game in the pot at 10 paces. At 15 paces the pattern is so large and thinly populated that killing anything would be very "iffy."

Hope others have a little fun with these!

back when I owned a .41mag and lived in southern snake country I made similer loads but used a cut down 410 plastic shot cup, worked great for snakes.

Elmer did it the same except he always turned both gas checks cup down

Veeeeerrrrrry interesting. I'm going to give that a try when I get a chance.

I created a round ball load for the 357 magnum using Hornady's .360 and W231, it is very accurate at 25 yards. I adjusted the powder charges until i hit the same POI for my 158 loads. This load is accurate enough to shoot squirrels in the head at that distance. I wanna work some up for my favorite magnum but cannot find a suitable lead ball. You guys know of a source that would be close to .410"??

Another option which I have never seen equaled or exceeded in performance. This is for a .44 mag revolver.

Get a lot of 303 british, or 30/40 Krag brass. Drop them into your cylinder while it's all the way open. Mark the length of the case and cut them down to the same overall length as your guns cylinder.

Ream one inside and out until it's sharp as a knife. Then fold over some plain old felt like you would use in art class. Fold it up several times and them hammer the sharpend case through it like a die cutter. This will make your wads, or spacers for the buffer between the powder and shot.

Push them out with a pin or straightened paperclip pushed through the primer hole. Now put 11 grains of Unique in the shell after priming with any primer you like. Then tap in the wad, and fill the case with shot, any size you like. When the case is full smear bath tub calk over the top of the case. Let dry over night.

Once the cases are fired they will expand to fit the cylinder exactly and you will fit even more shot in the case. The neck will be smaller then the base so a felt wad must be used not a gas check.

These will just blow away any factory shot shell and will easily kill grouse at 15 yards. You might have to file the base thickness just a bit to close the cylinder but these are the best revolver shot shell I've ever seen and well worth the effort.

JJ...I heard one can do the same thing with the .41 using a .30-30 case as a base...have never tried that one...sounds interesting though....Bob

Mss,check out Track of the Wolf its a black powder supplier but they may have a mould.

MSS...Just looked in an older Lyman catalog. They list .410 under their round ball moulds so maybe if you contact them direct they can get you one....Bob

JJ HACK & RJM

Thanks for the tip on using 30-40 brass. Now I need to get some. What type of caulking were you referring to? Is it the "old" style caulk or the newer silicone based caulk? Will the caulk produce any problem with barrel fouling?

I just cut down some 30-30 cases for my .41 and am anxious to try your suggestions.

What about cases for .30 carbine (Ruger pistol) .357, and .45 Colt?

Thanks,
Herb

I NEVER USED GAS CHECKS AS WADS OVER POWDER OR SHOT I MADE MY OWN OUT OF PLASTIC OR CARDBOARD. YOU SIMPLY TAKE YOUR CASE DEBURRING TOOL AND KEEP TURNING IT ON A MESSED UP CASE TILL YOU HAVE A REAL SHARP EDGE ON THE CASE MOUTH. THEN YOU MAKE IT INTO A TOOL TO CUT WADS OUT OF PLASTIC COFFEE LIDS AND SUCH. JUST TAP IT THRU THE MATERIAL AND TAKE OUT THE PERFECT SIZE WADS.MADE LOTS WADS THAT WAY JUST MAKE A HOLE IN THE SIDE OF THE CASE TO REMOVE THE WADS.

A .357 MAG CAN BE YOUR BEST FRIEND...........

As I recall, the obsolete and hard-to-find .351 Winchester SLR case will go all the way to the end of a .357 Mag cylinder (model 28) and has enough of a rim to catch. Would be perfect. There was also a .401 SLR as I recall and that might work in some of the larger calibers. IF you can find the brass.

Great thread. Would love to have shotshell for .41 mag here in snake country, Nevada.

When using 30-30 brass in the .41 magnum is a charge of 11 grains of Unique ok? If not what is a good charge?

TIA

RogerQ

There is very little pressure with a shot load. I would not hesitate to use the 11 grain unique load in the 41 mag. There is zero recoil when used in the 44 mag. That alone is not a good enough "pressure test" but you will see what I mean when you load it. If you prefer load 8 grains and then 10 and so on until you get the level you want. I was using more then 11 but the patterns were better with the lower amount. You will have to try it with various levels of powder.

As far as the calk, I use what ever was in the shop. I only put just enough over the shot to hold it together. I'm currently using white calk which is strong silicone rubber and pretty hard when dry. I bought it to redo the kitchen countertops.

It might leave a bit of burnt rubber "dust" in the barrel but nothing that will cause a problem.

Sounds like a OK deffencive load for say a Titainum Tarus 41Mag. Recoil would be light and at deffencive ranges still deadly.
Food For thought.

I have been wanting a birdshoot load for my 41's for years. Thanks for the info. I will run this off at once.
X-Ring

I briefly owned one of the early WWI revolvers made by Colt to fire .45 ACP in moon clips. The cylinder was bored straight through and a .45 ACP cartridge would fall through. Naturally, it was hopelessly inaccurate.

I cut off a batch of .30-06 cases to cylinder length and loaded them using .410 shotcups and a crimped .44 GC on top. Worked fine. I also loaded flush wadcutters in those cases. (Think I had to ream them first, but it's been a long time.) They gave excellent accuracy, but the whole thing was more trouble than it was worth so I found a collector who wanted the pistol more than I did.

Anyway, that thing was an awesome snake gun. I think I used 4 grains of Unique and 350 grains of shot. I remember being stunned by the amount of shot that went into that case and weighing it to see just what I was dealing with,