.44 magnum case length question

[redneck44]

Im finding some of my brass to ne 1.273 which of course is less then the trim to length of 1.275. Are these ok to reload, and also, please, is 1.275 the exact minimum for this brass? Thanks in advance.

[waco]

1.275 is the trim to length.
1.273 is only .002" shorter. A sheet of notebook paper is about .003" thick. They will work just fine.

[leadhead 500]

They will be ok to load, I have had a bunch of brass that was on the short side. On the first firing they should be past trim length after they are sized

[Tripplebeards]

Depending on what boolits/ bullets you load in the 44 mag some cases can/need to be trimmed shorter to line up with the lube groove for crimping. Those cases will probably stretch to minimum length with a few firings.

I’d mark and set those loaded cases aside and use them to plink with them till you can get the length to grow and trim to the minimum length.

I trimmed a few short so I could crimp in the Hornady flex tip bullet’s cannalure.

[243winxb]

1.265" is the SAAMI minimum length.

[JBinMN]

http://www.sv-verstal.com/Wiederladen/Accurate/44REM.pdf

[fatelk]

I've ran across some Hornady brass that is seriously short. It loads just fine as long as I sort it out and adjust the dies for it, but it sure is a pain to keep track of and sort.

[Bazoo]

You are measuring after you size them aren't you? Sizing will make them a couple thousands longer. I've seen new 44 brass that was short then I sized it a couple times and it stretched.

[sw282]

I've ran across some Hornady brass that is seriously short. It loads just fine as long as I sort it out and adjust the dies for it, but it sure is a pain to keep track of and sort.

Likely 1.255'' length Hornadys... These are factory cases for their 225gr FTX plastic tip JKTD boolits.. May l suggest accessing a Hornady manuel for a more detailed answer

282

[Tom W.]

I trimmed .44mag brass once when I was recuperating from intestinal surgery. I was bored and couldn't even pick up one of my rifles.


I ain't been that bored since....,....

[JBinMN]

I am pretty sure that the OP & many here know this, but, if someone else who reads this topic may not be aware that, even if the 44 mag brass are short & you decide not to use them for your 44Mag as 44Mag rounds any more, you can always trim them down to 44 Special length & still shoot them in your 44 mag as 44 Special rounds using the 44 Spec. data.
The 0.125" difference between regular 44 Mag & 44 Special brass is about the same relationship as 38 Special & .357 Mag, although the actual measurement between the latter is 0.135". So, like the 38 Special being used in .357Mag, the 44 Special can be used in 44 Mag..

Just thought to put that out there so someone doesn't throw away perfectly good brass that can still be used.

[Hickory]

Well, redneck, beings I'm a plinker as well as a handgun hunter with the 44 mag my advice is, this is a non issue.
If on the other hand, you were a long-range target shooter with a handgun shooting on a national scale, case length would one of several concerns that you would need to address, such as uniforming the primer pockets, deburring the flash hole, weighing each case and categorizing them by weight along with trimming them to a uniform length.
Another thing to take into account, 80% of handgun shooters are only fair to mlddlin shots, 10-12% will be good with a hand gun, and 7-8% would be those that are very good shots, and the last 1-2% are your world class shooters with a handgun.
Decide which category you fall into, and decide how much case preparation you feel is important.

[JBinMN]

Well, redneck, beings I'm a plinked as well as a handgun hunter with the 44 mag my advice is, this is a non issue.
If on the other hand, you were a long-range target shooter with a handgun shooting on a national scale, case length would one of several concerns that you would need to address, such as uniforming the primer pockets, deburring the flash hole, weighing each case and categorizing them by weight along with trimming them to a uniform length.
Another thing to take into account, 80% of handgun shooters are only fair to mlddlin shots, 10-12% will be good with a hand gun, and 7-8% would those that are very good shots, and the last 1-2% are your world class shooters with a handgun.
Decide which category you fall into, and decide how much case preparation you feel is important.

LOL. In all sincerity & no offense, I read this post & what came to my mind was 2 things.

One is the saying about, "Putting lipstick or a dress on a pig doesn't make the pig any prettier.", and, for the second part of the post, this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VrFV5r8cs0

I agree with your post, Hickory. For many it is not that big of a deal, unless there is just the desire for putting out the best one can produce, regardless of whether they are just plinking, or are doing competition, etc..

I , personally, try to cover all the bases when I handload, so that "I" know that it is going to be "me" who is likely the culprit if things are "off", & not the firearm, or the loads. So, I am one who tries to be fairly "particular' about what I am loading up & then if poor results occur, then I have no excuse other than myself when I do not shoot well & cannot blame the firearm, nor the loads.

Anyway, we each walk our own path the way we want & it is no one else concern if we walk the way we do. I reckon if someone wants to put lipstick or a dress on a pig, it is their business if they think it is pretty or not, right?

I wonder what color lipstick matches that dress, and where did that pig go?" Hahaha
LOL
:)

I'm tired & need to hit the rack, I think... another LOL...
;)

[Hickory]

No offense taken.
I've done a lot of pistol shooting over the last 52 years.
For about 3 years I dedicated every shot to getting the highest score possible and I got to be a good shot with a handgun, but, never got any better than good.
A lot of people who shoot handguns flatter themselves into thinking they are better than they are.
I'm today, just a fair shot with a handgun, a handgun is an easy gun to shoot poorly.

[ioon44]

After sizing 100 .44 Mag brass I find the shortest case and trim all the brass to that length, that lot of 100 cases will not change much after several reloading's.

When I get a .44 Mag case with a small crack at the mouth I trim it down to .44 Spl length for my Bulldog.

[AZ Pete]

hmmm, I have been casting for and loading straight walled pistol cal's (.38 spl. to 50AE) since the mid 1960's. I have never trimmed one single piece of pistol brass. Bottle neck rifle brass, you bet.


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[lightman]

Im finding some of my brass to ne 1.273 which of course is less then the trim to length of 1.275. Are these ok to reload, and also, please, is 1.275 the exact minimum for this brass? Thanks in advance.

Its pretty common to find pistol brass that is shorter than what the books say. And it will be fine to shoot. Most loading manuals include case length and trim to info in their books.

Hickory makes some very good points in his post. Early on I did all of those tricks. Trim to exact length, uniform primer pockets, debur the flash holes, weigh and segregate the cases, weigh sort the bullets, ect. I found out that neither me of my equipment were good enough to see any difference with a handgun.

I do think I shoot a rifle good enough from the bench to justify some of these case prep steps. I did all of them when I competed and do some of them for my hunting ammo.

[Shuz]

.44 mag case length can effect the crimp, but I've found that as long as you have an expander die that gives good tension and thus holds the boolit well, the amount of crimp is not that important. I haven't trimmed any .44 brass since I began loading in 1963 because I believed it was a waste of time for any possible benefit.
I do pay attention to case length, and I do trim bottle necked rifle cartridges.

[nawagner]

I found out that neither me of my equipment were good enough to see any difference with a handgun.

I've come to the same conclusion. Most of my guns can shoot better than I can shoot them. I still enjoy shooting them!

[RED BEAR]

.002 makes no difference at all you can trim 44 cases all the way down to 44 russian just load according. Hickory i will admit i am not a good shot used to be average but eyes don't cooperate any more. On pistol range i can still keep them center mass but thats about it.

[sw282]

l am a sorry shot. Been shooting IHMSA Big Bore since the late 70s. l still trim my 44 cases and guess l always W I L L;-)

[Hickory]

Shooting skills are a degenerative skill.
Most people are at their best when they are in their 30's.

[mdi]

Well, here's another "I do it this way..." post. [smilie=s:

I have been reloading the 44 Magnum since '88. I have loaded everything from 123 gr. balls over a dusting of Bullseye to 310 grain ingots over near max/max loads of WC 820. My most accurate shooting was done with my Dan Wesson 44 H and I got quite a few sub 1" groups at 50', and many 1 1/4" (I was shooting indoors 80% of the time). I reload for 5, 44 Magnums, now use almost exclusively cast bullets (my best groups were with 429421s). I started with "standard" roll crimps then Redding Profile Crimps, and now split the crimping between a Lee collet crimp and the Redding crimp.I measured about 50-60 mixed cases once to see just how wide the case lengths vary, but I have never trimmed a 44 Magnum case...

[Hickory]

When my nephew got his Springfield Armory 1911 in 45 acp he asked me how often he would need to trim the cases.
I said never. You'll loose them before you ever need to trim them.
And so it is.

[Tripplebeards]

Just depends how tight you do or don’t want your groups. I’m sure when your shooting 50 yards or farther it’s going to make a difference. IMO there’s going to be enough pressure differences at this distance with various case lengths that your groups without a doubt are going to open up VS cases trimmed all to the same length. Probably not much of a difference till you shoot past 30 yards if I had to guess. I trim mine to the same length because I use them in my 44 mag rifles at longer distances. If you check out my home page you can see some of my 100 yard sub MOA cast boolit groups with my Ruger 77/44 and devastor boolits. I agree that trimming is probably not as nessary for minute of milk jugs at 15 yards. But if it were me...which I do...I trim all to the same length after every firing. One less variable I can eliminate. Especially if your at top end of your recommend loads.

The problem your going to have is inconsistent crimping with the various case lengths.

[megasupermagnum]

.002" is nothing to worry about. It won't effect crimps, and I really doubt you could ever measure it on paper. I also trim revolver brass, once fired. I find they grow a lot on the first firing. After the first trim, they don't seem to change length, even after 10+ firings. I swear some gets shorter.