.444 Marlin cases to .410 shotgun

[David LaPell]

I recently came across a video showing how you can take .444 Marlin cases and make them into .410 shotgun rounds. Has anyone does this and if so, how do you seal the end of it? I have seen one person crime an overshot card over it, some seal it with wax or glue. I know where there's some .444 Marlin brass cheap so I was thinking about maybe getting it to try out.

[dbosman]

I'll point you at this article by C.E. (Ed) Harris.
Ed Harris: How to Make and Load All-Brass .410 Shotshells.
https://www.grantcunningham.com/2014/07/ed-harris-how-to-make-and-load-all-brass-410-shotshells/

He finishes up with "Glue top card or crimp, if a suitable die is available. "

Those glued wads won't necessarily hold up in the pocket of a hunting vest or a semi automatic, but for a single shot they are nice.

[rbuck351]

I have been using them for several years now. I made a wad cutter for my drill press to cut wads from cereal box type cardboard. I use an inverted 44 gas check over the powder then a wad, shot and another wad sealed in with silicone which works better than wax or a few other glues I tried. Probably won't hold up in a pump or auto. But if crimped in a 444 die and glued they might.

[brass410]

I'll point you at this article by C.E. (Ed) Harris.
Ed Harris: How to Make and Load All-Brass .410 Shotshells.
https://www.grantcunningham.com/2014/07/ed-harris-how-to-make-and-load-all-brass-410-shotshells/

He finishes up with "Glue top card or crimp, if a suitable die is available. "

Those glued wads won't necessarily hold up in the pocket of a hunting vest or a semi automatic, but for a single shot they are nice.

Yes these work very well over and over endlessly would also second the above mentioned article. If you can find them 9.3x74R work quite nicely for 3 inch 410 with minimal effort to fire form.

[kungfustyle]

Harbour freight has a punch set that you can make over shot cards and wads out of thick felt. https://www.ballisticproducts.com/Fiber-Filler-Wads/products/117/
https://www.buffaloarms.com/reloading-supplies-accessories/wads/vegetable-fiber-wads
Biggest thing with using brass is the lack of data. You have one load from the article above, and if you are out of 2400 powder, your out of luck. I reload plastic shot shells, here is how: Just punch out the old primer and use a pair of magnetic bit holders for an electric drill to seat the primer. 444 Marlin flare die to finish the crimp on a plastic shell, and a mec 8462410 to start the crimp. Load up with current data and wads.

[Harter66]

I made a few from 303 Britt and 30-40 brass also . I used a 45 Colts crimp to roll crimp but ultimately if there was any handling much beyond box to gun , glue or wax was essential .

Keep in mind that the chamber is stepped for the fold to open and 3/8" longer than the 2 1/2or 3" marked . For paper was loading add wad cards to raise the stack and standard data for one piece formed tapered cases . Plastic wads same data but over shot cards to make up the difference .

[blackthorn]

If these work as 410 cases, can you use a slug made for a 41 Mag in them?

[Outpost75]

If these work as 410 cases, can you use a slug made for a 41 Mag in them?

NO!

A .410" diameter bullet probably will not go through the choke and will blow the muzzle off!

An elongated bullet fired from a smooth bore will also keyhole and you will be lucky to hit a gallon jug at 25 yards.

A .390" diameter soft lead round ball should drop through the choke of its own weight, in most .410 barrels, and will produce 4-6" groups at 25 yards, just pointing the gun and aiming a plain barrel with bead sight.

Targets below were fired with my cylinder-bore H&R .410 after I cut off the split muzzle, the remainder of bore was .425" after the choke was gone, so I tested .44-40 black powder cowboy loads and round balls.

The targets tell the story.

248909248910

[blackthorn]

Thanks!

[nelsonted1]

I hunt in a historically shotgun only area which became pistol and shotgun a few years ago. We used to talk about making a .410-chambered shotgun with a 41 caliber rifled barrel.
The Indians had that single shot Ishipore Enfield .410 That were imported a couple times. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?267934-British-303-Converted-To-410
We would have shot .41 caliber bullets through it with .410 brass cases.
If we made the game wardens mad enough I wonder what they would have thought of our rifled "slug gun"

[Reverend Al]

The Indian Ordnance Factory Ishapore conversion single shot .410 Muskets were smooth-bored and not rifled. I anneal and then fire-form .303 British cases for use in mine. Using a single .410 round ball to duplicate the original military loading it will keep them on a standard rifle sighting in target at 50 yards, but accuracy is minimal to say the least. Still trying to work up a better load that might do a little bit better. They also loaded a "buckshot" load.

https://i.imgur.com/fy3HB4D.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FToT3vI.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6DeamkK.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/NAE2jfb.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cYtP7Lw.jpg

And as mentioned above 9.3x74R cases fire form nicely into full length everlasting brass .410 3" hulls ...

https://i.imgur.com/2nGYWEm.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qh9tkz9.jpg

[Drm50]

Me and a buddy where messing around trying to make a quasi rifle to get around Ohio slug only law. We fitted a heavy Brn 1919 MG barrel to Brit Enfield action. We bored barrel as smooth bore. We chambered it for 444 that were shortened and just necked enough in 41 die to hold bullet. The project was a flop. We tried 410 slugs and various 41 bullets and sizings. We got plenty of velocity but terrible accuracy. Ohio legalized rifled shotgun barrels and we never got around to finding a rifled 41 barrel. We used several powders too. H2400 was best but we never did get acceptable accuracy. We fired a few loaded with 410 Foster slugs in a IJ single shot that I had cut off and fitted with rifle sights and they shot better than factory slugs. I think because there was better uniformity in the slug being lightly crimped in case vs the factory roll crimp in plastic shell.

[too many things]

they work in SOME shotguns, some don't. head is bit thicker for SOME shotguns

[rbuck351]

I recently got a bunch of 303 berdan cases and have converted them to shotgun primers then thinned the rims so they fit in both my 410s. Quite a bit of work but they should last forever.

[NBraun]

I used 303 cases, and had to do the same as rbuck to get them to work in my .410

[BrassMagnet]

Check out this thread:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?339427-Weird-way-to-cook-Cream-of-wheat-10-grains-of-Red-Dot!

It starts with 9.3x74R and fire forms it to 3" .410. Sizing is with a .444 FL die with the stem removed. It will also work with 444 brass.
I have been told any 410 plastic hull data can be used in an all brass hull with a cardboard overshot wad to hold it all in place. Glue the overshot wad in place with Elmers white glue. You can "water seal" the wad in place, but why bother? A few drops will work.

Don't use extra fiber wads to make the load fill the case better. Extra wads can greatly increase pressure and cause even strong all brass cases to fail quickly!