Ballon Head REM-UMC .44 spl what to do with them

[10mmShooter]

I purchased a small lot of .44 sp brass WW, WRA definitely old and it had 25 balloon head cases REM-UMC with no extractor grove, The minute I looked in the case I new something was odd with primer pocket and the little mote around it. I'm sure they must have been made before the WWII. The wet tumbler made them look new, but the question is what to do with them ? Should the go in the novelty box ? or can they be safely reloaded to standard pressure .44 spl pressures <18kpsi ??

[Winger Ed.]

I'd put them in the novelty box and save them for 'show & tell'.

[Char-Gar]

They can be safely loaded to standard pressure but do not hot rod these cases. I have a lot of 45 Colt balloon head cases that I still load and shoot. The lack of an extractor groove can cause issues with a shell holder. Most shell holders are cut for cases with extractor grooves and the older cases on fit. I have found that the old Lyman J shell holders will take the older cases, but I pulled off a couple of rims trying to remove a case from the sizing die. After removing the stuck cases, I decided that was not a good idea.

To resize my old 45 Colt cases I used a push in and out Lyman Shell Resizer with an arbor press and then do the other steps with a Lyman 310 tool.

[Outpost75]

I still have balloon-head .44-40 cases. As long as they were not fired with meruric primers, which make them brittle, they are OK with standard loads.

[Green Frog]

Remember, Elmer Keith did a lot of the research leading to the 44 Mag with 44 Spl balloon head cases, so mild 44 Special loads should be fine, with two provisos;
1) As friend Outpost75 states, mercuric primers could have left them brittle... unfortunately you have no way of knowing other than try them out.
2) They may have become age hardened, so neck annealing might be in order.

Or you could save them for display and show how they were made "in the old days." IIRC, even old Elmer went to solid head cases as they became available.

Froggie

[dondiego]

They would be good for black powder loads.

[Snow ninja]

I have some that I use only for snakeshot loads.

And I also have some where I've opened up the primer pocket some and use wax loads. A slice of paraffin and a primer- no powder. And it makes a good practice round.