a m e r i c a n p r a v d a
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How about 44-40? I love doing what folks say can't be done.
Modified for use with the 44-40
Attachment 288184
All of them that I reload for. .45 ACP is the easiest, 44-40 is the most as far as quantity, 45/75 and 50/95 are the most challenging.
44 Magnum. I enjoyed the challenge of loading this round. SAAMI is all over the map when it comes to chamberings in 44 mag. Those size differences makes a unique puzzle that was fun to crack. Thanks to the skilled and creative shooters and designers that helped through this process. But I think I have it figured out. You can have boolits that are TOO big. Cases need to be Lyman M Die type expanded. Jam them into the lands if you can. Dont go too light on boolits. Put the boolits deeper on the case if you must. Lube well or coat well.
You never know how you rank amongst men 'til you have seen what will break another man.
The original "Bluejay" US Army/ US Navy 1945-1970.
38 spl for me. I have loaded somewhere in excess of 70,000 in the last 54 years, and it is far and away my number one.
_________________________________________________It's not that I can't spell: it is that I can't type.
My favorite fun round to both cast and load for is also the 38 Special. The RCBS 38-140CM has become my all time favorite mold for the 38 Special, with 3.2 grains of Bullseye it will rival any wadcutter boolit I've ever used.
.41 Mag. .308 for sheer joy of easy to get super accurate loads,smokeless ,then either 45-70 or 44-40 WCF and B/P leaning on the 44-40 WCF currently. I want to kill a big Whitetail that I have been chasing for two years, only a giant three/six pointer that needs killing with a 230 gr. Accurate bullet and black powder .
I enjoy them all - probably my favorite is the 38 Colt Long loaded with a .375 heeled boolit to use in a 36 cap and ball revolver with a conversion cylinder. I enjoy casting the heeled boolits because they are different from the run of the mill internal lubed boolits for 38s/357 and the crimping process is different - requires a special shell holder and crimp die - smokeless or BP - it's all fun.
38 Special followed closely by the 45 ACP.
BTW: The early lime green RCBS carboard die boxes had printed on the end, "Reloading Is Fun". I believed it then and still believe it now.
Disclaimer: The above is not holy writ. It is just my opinion based on my experience and knowledge. Your mileage may vary.
I will step up,, I think the 45-60 WCF ( Chaparral ) is very easy to load & of course the 44-40 WCF .
coffee's ready ,, Hootmix.
I love everything about reloading except for case prep on necked cases. Not sure why, but I just don't like sizing/trimming/deburing.
.44 mag or special. Easy to handle. Least favorite is 9mm and I have 200 124 gr. XTP's sitting on the bench.....
By Far...22 Long Rifle. More of a challenge. Had to make molds, swaging dies, research to figure out powder, develop priming compound. and more...bought a lathe just for the project.
.44 mag loaded on my Dillon Square Deal B with powder coated cast boolits from 190 to 300g!
It's all chicken, even the beak!
I get a "bang" when i reload for cartridges that are no longer readily available. I not only enjoy the reloading aspect of it, but also the satisfaction of knowing that I'm saving money because some of the these cartridge's, even if they can be found, come with a premium. Additionally by reloading them, i'm able to keep them from "retiring"; 25-35 & 32-20 come to mind immediately, as does, albeit to a lesser extent, Rem 6mm. The 25-35 is challenging as the neck brass is thin and often wear's prematurely if not sized & flared properly but i'm always able to reload for it.
Sometimes there are problems obtaining .30 carbine, NOT if you reload them. If you shoot John C, reloading is just about a must nowadays.
.45 acp is enjoyable
30-06 with j-words and 7.62x54r with cast. Have a rebarreled Finn M39 that I have to slug the barrel on and that will be my 3rd Moisin rifle. Frank
For me it’s 45/70. Easy to load straight wall cases, that seem to last longer than my bottle neck cases.
A big plus is the large diameter boolits are easy to PC because they don’t fall over as easily as other smaller diameter boolits in the oven. And of course I enjoy shooting them in my Marlin lever gun I bought in the eighties.
Coming in to this party late, but I say it's a tossup between the .38/.357 and the .25-20 Stevens (.25-20 Single Shot). The derivative .22-3000 Lovell wildcat falls in there somewhere. But as I age out, I'm paying more attention to the little "boys' rifles" that I can shoot in the yard, so I've loaded more .32 Long Colt than anything over the past 18 months.
Cognitive Dissident
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |