Idea for reloading some 444 marlin

[farrw0]

I have been thinking about trying to get some of the shotshell capusles for the 44 mag handgun and reloading them in the handi 444. It would be a reduced load and just used for close in work, snakes and maybe rabbits. Just wondering if anybody else had tried this and if so how it worked out. Kind of like the Judge pistol but longer. Thanks for any help or information.

[bikerbeans]

Never tried a shotshell pistol capsule in a rifle but I have tried shooting shotshells in a fully rifled shotgun barrel.  The centrifugal force expands the pattern so rapidily on a 12 ga. shot load that I couldn't break a clay pidgeon at 10 yards.  You basically shoot a ring or donut pattern that is rapidly expanding.  I think maybe the shot capsule might do the same thing.  Let us know if you try it, maybe it will work.   Another GBO member was thinking of trying this in a 357 Max Handi, but I haven't heard how it went.

Welcome to the forum.

BB

[petemi]

The only shot I have now is #4 and #5, so I haven't pursued it further.  I thought a muzzleloader sabot case might work better. Don't know, haven't been there yet.

Pete

[Swampman]

These post might be helpful.  I'd just load the .444 brass like a .410 shell.

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=15448

[NFG]

I've loaded357, 44S/44Mag and 45-120 shotshells.  Used the Speer shotshell caps in the pistols and used a gasket hole punch set to make overpowder wads for the 45-120 and a pair of scissors for the over shot wad. 

Just figure the shot weight as the bullet weight when working up loads...437gr equal 1 oz of shot.

I also cut down some 20 ga plastic shot sleeves to go around the shot column which helped keep the shot together in the rifled barrel, but it still scattered more than in a smoothbore...just like a cylinder bore shotgun.  I used #71/2 and 8 shot.

My experience was the same as BikerBeans.  Shot a couple of chickenswith the 44Mag shotshells but they didn't seem to be bothered at the shot...just ruffled their feathers and look at me dumb...but the next moring they were lying dead on the ground just below where they were roosting when I popped them.  At least the dogs had chicken dinner.  Never caught a snake close enought to try the 44Mag's on.

The problem with the pistol cases is very few pellets, rifling and no choke.

The 45-120 cases held about 1 oz of shot  I'm guessing and I used 800x powder...basically just fudged 28ga data from the Lyman shotshell manual, a cut down 0.070" nitro wad, filled the case with shot, covered with an overshot wad and used the seating die roll crimp  The few I did shoot would kick up a nice dust cloud at ~25 yds and roll pine cones around.  I think a 45-120 shotshell in a smooth bore would be similar to a 3" 410 shotshell or maybe a 28 ga....and a 444M would be likewise.  Maybe #9 shot would work well also with a sleeve or...

Seemed like a lot more work to produce a shot shell than just using a shotgun or a plain old bullet so I only did a few just to see the happs....

I wonder if a screw on choke similar to T/C's 410 choke would work on a 45-70 or 444 M Handi?  Maybe with some left hand threads to reverse the spin...I gotta think on this for a while.

Slightly OT...been fishing the last 3 days...limited out in trout (5 a day) every day, twice from the bank and once from my little electric motor boat...all planters from June...this from a small lake/res that has skunked me every time I went there (6 or 7 times a year)for the last 12 years.  All totaled that was 18' 8" of fish...maybe I finally figured out HOW to catch trout.  Hahahahahah

Luck

[wreckhog]

As long as it is all hypothetical, I'd spend beaucoup $ on 358JDJ brass, which is .444 necked down to .358, drop in a smidge of Unique, tap in a .357 shotshell with my pinky finger, jam the butt in an old truck tire, tie a string to the trigger and have at it. Hopefully it does not keyhole and never touches the rifling. For rabbits, I would (and do) come up with a Trail Boss/plated .430 bullet load.

[farrw0]

 Thanks for the input. I have not tried to do this yet... it is just something that I have had rolling around in my head for a while. This is my first post although I have been reading a lot on this forum. Again thanks for the input and I will post an results if I do try this.
 FW0

[NFG]

There isn't a thing wrong with "wonder if"...without ideas, then testing them we wouldn't have all the nice toys we have today.  Testing ideas are the only way to find out just how things work...sitting around naysaying is about as useful as hooters on a boar...and even if whatever you're testing doesn't produce the results you were hoping for doesn't mean what you did had no meaning...it told you where the problem areas were and then you can work toward a solution if you want.

I've done a WHOLE lot of things people said were stupid...AFTER I did them...and IF they came out mucked up...but NONE of THEM tried and failed...if it came out good, well you know that story.

Besides...if you let someone talk you into or out of something then you're letting someone else run your life.  I'm only concerned about what two people think of me...one's dead and the other is not long for this world.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with making up some 444M shotshells.  They will work better than a 44 Mag pistol, probably just as well as a 410 shotshell and you can use 410 shotshell wads.  Hey...what's not to like.

I would like to read of your results if you do some, to compare to my 45-120 efforts.

Luck

[NFG]

Made up a 45-120 shotshell FWIW...couldn't find my wad cutter so I used scissors and razor knife.  Weighed the shot...my 1 oz guess was off a bit, it actually weighed 550 gr or about 1 1/4 oz and you can see by the picture the overshot wad is sticking down about 1/8" so filled it would be closer to 1 5/16 oz.

I would guess using a 444M case you could do a 3/4 oz load without any trouble...basically duplicating a 3" 410 mag load by carefully working it out.

I'm sure many have made up 45-70 shotshells, I know some have made up 45-70 with 2-3 round balls and I calculated I could do 4-5 round balls in the 45-120 just haven't found that round toit yet.  

Anyway it isn't any more difficult than doing anyother shotshell.

The round went pop about like a 410 and 4 pine cones lost their command with extreme predjudice...no recoil in a 13# 45-120.

Pics of the amount of shot and loaded shotshell.







Luck

[Papa Jack]

I wonder if a guy could load the brass, push in an over powder wad (felt or cardboard or ?? ) and then pour in the shot to the top of the case, either pour some wax over the BB's or even put another card wad over them and roll crimp slightly...
 This would be fun  to play with, probably have to experiment a lot with the powder, why would these be so much different than any other brass shot shell? Maybe use 410 wads...
.... Just an idea.. "Papa Jack"