please offer advice for reloading Evans ammo

[DrDucati]

still working on Evans carbine, takes 44 Evans Long brass. The old bullet and brass were originally 0.419, and undersized for the bore which was from high .420s to low .430s. There is a theory about why this was done, but anyway...one supplier offers a mold meant to correct for this. Has 0.419 heel and nose 0.432.

I would prefer not to use a heeled bullet if I can. My bore slugs at 0.427 to 0.428. The non-custom mold this size is NOE 0.432 that I can push-through size to 0.429.

Then my question is, can I get away with expanding the mouth of the brass from 0.419 to 0.427/0.428 ? Otherwise, what about reaming the mouth of the brass to allow or to obviate the need for that expansion?

thanks

[runfiverun]

you could.
or maybe you could just fashion brass from another caliber like the 44 special or 44 American or 44 russian or 44 mag.

[M-Tecs]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?241000-44-evans

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=23095.0

[DrDucati]

I already have the brass from Buffalo Arms. I will check those links...BTW, my Evans brass is formed from 44 mag

[DrDucati]

Yes, actually I have read both those threads and additional articles several times. They do not address the very carefully worded specific questions in my post though. I suspect this can be answered with reloading knowledge, not necessarily need any experience with the Evans round.

[DrDucati]

Maybe I just need a chamber cast to find out if larger diameter 44 mag brass will chamber...or even just take a 44 case and see if it chambers. The .419 diam is just weird though.

[M-Tecs]

can I get away with expanding the mouth of the brass from 0.419 to 0.427/0.428 ? Otherwise, what about reaming the mouth of the brass to allow or to obviate the need for that expansion?

thanks

Expanding the brass is not a problem. If the expanded brass chambers freely you shouldn't have any issues. Depending on how thick the brass is turning or reaming may be an option. Depending on your tooling outside turning and expanding up my be easier.

At $183.00 I understand not wanting to purchase a heeled mold http://www.buffaloarms.com/44_Evans_Bullet_Mold_it-160196.aspx?CAT=4175

[44magLeo]

Using a straight sided boolit as you describe may not chamber in your rifle.
A cartridge that uses a heal lock boolit has a chamber without a step, such as any 22 rim fire. After rifling they just cut a straight hole just large enough to remove the rifling. This is the chamber.
Sizing to fit the barrel then expanding the case to except this size, the chamber has to be the barrel size + the case neck. If your case neck walls are say .010 thick, the barrel size is .429, that means the chamber size needs to be .010 x 2 because the neck is all the way around,=.020, add in the boolit of .429 makes the chamber a minimum of .449. It needs a bit more so it can release the boolit from the case so add about .002 or so that's .451.
That won't fit in your chamber.
I guess you could run a 44 mag reamer in your chamber to let your boolit fit.
Leo

[DrDucati]

nice replies, thanks. Well interestingly, the New Model Evans (which mine is) was not intended for a heeled bullet. The original bullet was like this:185756
taken from the 1929 Ideal Handbook.

[DrDucati]

44Magleo, so thinking about your post I understand why an undersized bullet was used. Without a heel, the bullet has to be under-sized for the bore in order to chamber. Not sure why they didn't just chamber it larger.

Maybe with a little expanding die and a little mushrooming down of the in-case portion of the bullet would allow it to chamber...making it into a heeled bullet... because, yeah, that's a lot of money for a mold.

[maxreloader]

I have searched high and low for that Ideal mold without even the slightest hint of a lead on one. One would have better luck finding a few hen's teeth in the coop I would imagine.

[DrDucati]

I agree maxreloader. Now maybe I have been too hasty. I have read the leverguns article, but I went back and read it all over again...funny how you can learn new things from re-reading the same passages. The article does suggest using a .429 straight bullet and expanding the mouth to fit that. 0.429 + 0.02 would be 0.449. The fired 44 mag case I tried (range pick up) starts to chamber but is a little too snug at 0.454. Maybe it will chamber a 0.451 round...I will have to work on that. The helical magazine handled it ok.

[runfiverun]

you could maybe neck size the case in a 44-40 die and use a hollow base or soft lead 427-428 boolit.
then you'd just need to work on sizing the body down to fit the cylinder every 3 firings or so.

[DrDucati]

you could maybe neck size the case in a 44-40 die and use a hollow base or soft lead 427-428 boolit.
then you'd just need to work on sizing the body down to fit the cylinder every 3 firings or so.them are some good idears.