Cut down 44 Mag. Brass to make 44 Sp.

[Alan in Vermont]

Does anyone here have experience with cutting down 44 Mag. brass to 44 Sp. length? I have the mag brass in hand, can't find Special brass anywhere. Just wondering how thick it gets and how fast, when you cut it back. I know I can inside ream it to get space for the boolit to seat without bulging the case but a reamer is a few days away. I've got a 45 pilot I can reduce to use trimming them back but never had a need for a reamer that size.

These are going into a Charter Bulldog. Don't know if this one is unique but it will very near swallow a full length Mag. case. Close enough to be scary, I think with a determined push you could chamber one far enough that it might let the cylinder close/turn. Anyhow, if I do cut some down I'll deface the headstamp so I can keep track of them, just in case I might own another Super before I check out.

[L Ross]

I cut down a couple hundred to 44 Colt length and shot them in repro conversion revolvers and a 1866 replica carbine chambered for 44 spl. Never reamed anything and they shot fine. 44 Colt is a bit shorter than 44 spl so it should work fine.


Duke

[detox]

You may have to use jacketed bullets afterwards. The thicker brass may swage down softer lead. Cut one down and seat bullet to see if it will chamber in cylinder.

[Any Cal.]

I cut some down for a Bulldog and it worked fine. No issues w/ lead boolits. Yes, the chamber length is scary!

[BCRider]

Is it really that tough to find Starline or other brand .44Spl brass at this point in time?

[Alan in Vermont]

Is it really that tough to find Starline or other brand .44Spl brass at this point in time?

It's worse than tough, current production is being made from Unobtanium. There is none to be found anywhere, "Out of Stock, No Backorders" seems to be the order of the day.

[jmsj]

Alan,
I needed some 44 special brass for a friend back in '08 and none could be found. I tried turning them down with my Lyman case trimmer and after 25 rounds I had had enough. I chucked them in a lathe using a modified Lyman case holder and a parting tool and was done in no time. I do not recall having any problem seating bullets after expanding the case with a "M" type expander and they chambered fine in his revolver.
jmsj

[35 Whelen]

Check Gunbroker. There's some there.

35W

[winelover]

Not really big on 44 SPL since all I own is 44 Mags. I do salvage the mags when the neck shows signs of splitting or I occasionally run across a case that is under the minimum length. I haven't run into any reloading problems with the cut down cases yet.

Winelover

[44man]

I don't think there is any difference between the brass except for length.

[Porterhouse]

Hey Alan,
I got some spl. cases sitting around. PM me if you're interested. They are stamped "3D" and I beleive, made by Starline.

[bobthenailer]

Ive trimmed alot of 44 mag brass that had slightly split necks to 44 special length for my friends Charter Arms 44 special, Bull Dog, with no issues . WHO LET THE DOG OUT UH UH !!

[454PB]

Ditto, I don't even own any .44 Special brass, it's all trimmed down .44 Magnum brass.

[dbosman]

There are a couple of trim dies on that big auction site, for converting .44 mag to .44 special.
You can flatten a hack saw blade on one side by running a file along that side, a few times. That makes sawing the excess off a LOT easier than using a case trimmer.

[Alan in Vermont]

The problem has been resolved, a member here came up with close to 100 rds at a very good price.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

hey if you still need i have a box of once shot black hills brass i'll trade
for the 44mag brass

[km101]

Hey Alan,
I got some spl. cases sitting around. PM me if you're interested. They are stamped "3D" and I beleive, made by Starline.


3D was 3D Investment Co. Doniphan, Neb. (unknown amount was made by Starline) just FYI

[kwilfong]

I ran into the same thing when I recently got a S&W M24; no SPL brass to be had. Came up with a couple hundred Mag cases & made an adapter to run my Lyman trimmer with a cordless drill.

[dougader]

Guys I have some new Starline 44 Spl brass I can let go of if you need some. $20/100 + $6 shipped in a small flat rate USPS Priority Mail box. Best way to contact me is at dougader@yahoo.com Not saying here that I am in business to sell this brass. I need to keep most of my order for personal use, but if you can't wait until the backorder date in April at Starline then I will let a couple hundred go at the above price (which is basically the per 500 price at Starline plus the shipping charge for a small flat rate box), plus a buck or so for gas to take it to the post office, lol.