Author Topic: 445 SM (Read 956 times)

chamois1 · « **on:** May 05, 2012, 01:32:22 PM »

445 Supermag
From everything I have read , I would love to have a Hindi in this Caliber but in a 1 in 20 twist which will have to come from a stub barrel . Then can I find brass or can the brass be easily made from some other brass ? What kind of accuracy are you getting with the 1 in 38 twist barrels ?

Eddie

bucco921 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 05, 2012, 04:03:21 PM »

i dont have any pics but accuracy was really good out of my initial loads. I had some high pressure signs with h110 and have loaded up some new ones that i havent shot yet. Bullets were 240 and 300 xtp.

chamois1 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 05, 2012, 10:21:15 PM »

Was this a handi 44 mag barrel reamed to 445 or is it a custom barrel ? How is the recoil compaired to 45/70 ? Where do you find brass ?

petemi · « **Reply #3 on:** May 05, 2012, 10:59:31 PM »

Mines plenty accurate with the 1 in 38 twist shooting 240 - 260 gr. bullets. I wouldn't go to the expense of a stub to gain the 1 in 20. Just my opinion. I have some brass that was made by cutting .30-40 brass. The length isn't all that uniform. It works fine, but I seldom use it after buying an adequate supply of .445 brass.

.445 rifle load data is pretty scarce, but I'm sure the guys here will help with that. Good luck with the project.

Almost forgot. Mine was reamed with the GBO reamer, and recoil seems lighter than the .45-70.

Pete

petemi · « **Reply #4 on:** May 05, 2012, 11:08:33 PM »

Now that I think about it, Tim reamed it, but I think he used a rented reamer. It was a while ago.

Pete

chamois1 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 06, 2012, 02:08:39 AM »

Thanks Bucco and Pete . That's the kind of info I was looking for. I retired from the Fire Dept. in Fla. and go back down every couple years and do some camping in north Fla. with a bunch of the Firefighters I worked with. The 445 just seems like it would be the perfect caliber for hunting hog in the thick cover that you encounter there. I was thinking of sending one of my frame's to H&R for the 44 mag barrel. Ream, shorten and re-crown the barrel.
Thanks again for the help.

Eddie

petemi · « **Reply #6 on:** May 06, 2012, 03:33:55 AM »

Eddie, Check and see if you can get a 18 inch .44 Trapper barrel. I lived and hunted in Jax for four years. The .445 shortie would be perfect for hogs in that thick palmetto and pine. Wear your snake boots in that stuff.

Pete

bucco921 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 06, 2012, 03:46:54 AM »

Mine is 44mag barrel 1 in38twist 16 1\4 long. I really havent heard of anybody on here having accuracy issues. gl

chamois1 · « **Reply #8 on:** May 06, 2012, 04:16:27 AM »

Thanks , I'll give the 1-38 a try. Sure will be a lot less expensive.

10/4 on the snake boots. I lived in Orlando area for 16 yrs., and hunted all over Fla.
Lots of snakes. We even killed several pygmy rattlers inside the fire station over the yrs.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #9 on:** May 06, 2012, 10:56:42 AM »

See the GBO reamer sticky for a 445 reamer. If you're gonna order an accessory barrel, just order a 444 Marlin, then you'll get a 1:20" barrel that shoots .429" bullets up tp 405gr grain just fine, why mess with the 445 and scarce brass?

Tim

chamois1 · « **Reply #10 on:** May 06, 2012, 11:28:37 AM »

Thanks Tim
I hadn't though about the 444. So many options in the Hindi's . I'm 64 yrs old and have been hunting since I was about 12, have owned more guns than I can count. I always loved guns,
but had never even looked at a Handi until I found this site. Purchased my first Handi a little over a year ago. I now have 7 and several frame's. You guys are costing me a lot of money, but I love it.

Eddie

Couger · « **Reply #11 on:** May 07, 2012, 01:40:45 PM »

Quote from: quickdtoo

...... why mess with the 445 and scarce brass?

Ummm ...... scarce brass? Also could still use .44 Spl and Mangle-um fodder, too.

Of course a .444 is slouch either.

dpe.ahoy · « **Reply #12 on:** May 07, 2012, 05:50:30 PM »

Tim, you spoke my thoughts to a T. The 444 is one heck af a cartridge, will do more than the 445 with less expense on the brass , IF you can find it. Yes I like the 444, have a Handi and 3 Marlins so chambered and they are all shooters. One of the guys on Marlin Owners site has modified his 444MXLR to accept a cartridge lenght of 2.750 in. COL and is getting a 405gr. cast bullet out fast enough to produce over 4,000 ft lb of energy. With the Handi, it would be simple to ream the throat to allow that length COL and obtain like results. DP

Bugflipper · « **Reply #13 on:** May 07, 2012, 07:16:17 PM »

Quote from: Couger on May 07, 2012, 01:40:45 PM

Quote from: quickdtoo
...... why mess with the 445 and scarce brass?

Ummm ...... scarce brass? Also could still use .44 Spl and Mangle-um fodder, too.

Of course a .444 is slouch either.

Or you could go with a 444 and shoot 445 sm, 44 mag and 44 spl fodder.

Couger · « **Reply #14 on:** May 07, 2012, 09:52:54 PM »

Quote from: Bugflipper

Or you could go with a 444 and shoot 445 sm, 44 mag and 44 spl fodder.

Riiiiggght!

Go ahead 'flipper! And blow yerself up!

The .44's and the .445 are straight cases while the .444 is tapered with an "oversize" chamber compared to the smaller rounds. You'd likely end up with a lot of split cases if not gas blow-back too.

Bugflipper · « **Reply #15 on:** May 08, 2012, 12:03:39 AM »

Riiiiggght!

Go ahead 'flipper! And blow yerself up!

The .44's and the .445 are straight cases while the .444 is tapered with an "oversize" chamber compared to the smaller rounds. You'd likely end up with a lot of split cases if not gas blow-back too.

You are off a bit. Likely and if not aren't exactly what would be considered first hand experience. Fire forming produces decent accuracy. Factory ammo doesn't group as well but will not explode or split down the side. If you wish to resize the brass to .456 there are no issues.

dant · « **Reply #16 on:** May 08, 2012, 03:35:28 AM »

445 brass isn't usually hard to find and last time I looked it was about 42 bucks a hundred at Midway. Not sure but I think 444 brass is a bit more than that ?

quickdtoo · « **Reply #17 on:** May 08, 2012, 05:20:46 AM »

445 Brass has been out of stock at Midway a lot, is right now. Anyone that wants to shoot 44mag in a 444 chamber needs to be aware of the risk of the case splitting and 36000psi gas coming back at the shooters face thru the action, I wouldn't do it, the 444 Marlin isn't just a longer 44 mag, its case head is larger in diameter also. Trimmed 444 Marlin brass won't fit in a 445 chamber either and can't be resized to fit due to the solid case head being too large.

Tim

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,155668.msg1098673396.html#msg1098673396

chamois1 · « **Reply #18 on:** May 08, 2012, 10:32:47 AM »

Thanks for all the input form everyone. This has given me a lot to consider. I have already been stocking up on 444 brass for another wildcat project anyway.
Thanks again

Eddie

geezer56 · « **Reply #19 on:** May 08, 2012, 12:18:44 PM »

From the for what it's worth department: the 444 is deadly on hogs in the thick stuff. Use a 310 to 350 gr FP cast bullet and no piggie I have ever seen will stop the bullet on a broadside shot. End to end probably won't stop it either, unless it hit big bones.