Author Topic: Birdshot for a .44 mag. (Read 2635 times)

henry1 · « **on:** March 28, 2003, 08:38:45 AM »

Hey there, does anyone know if you can reload shotshells for the .44's or do you just have to buy em? Does anyone know where you can get em for a really good price? I am gratefull for all info, Henry 15

Ka6otm · « **Reply #1 on:** March 28, 2003, 09:06:20 AM »

henry1,

Speer makes 'em and you can get them at Midway and probably other places as well. Midway has them for $7.03/50.

Click here http://www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/applications/esearch.exe/search?category_selector=all_products&search_keywords=Shot+Capsules

to take a look at the Midway prices, etc.

Ka6otm

Sixgun · « **Reply #2 on:** March 28, 2003, 10:14:48 AM »

Henry1,

Load 3.5 to 4 gr of Unique into a 44 mag case, use a wooden dowl to push a gas check tight against the powder, put in shot to almost the top of the case, place a gas check, cup side down, over the shot and crimp with a lee factory crimp die.

This load will kill grouse out to 30 feet and is great to thin starlings in your yard or shoot woodpeckers off the eves of your house. Oh yes, it will kill snakes too.

You can use whatever size shot you want to. I use 7.5 shot.

Sixgun

jpuke · « **Reply #3 on:** March 28, 2003, 12:04:55 PM »

Sixgun - what size gas check do you use? I've tried to do this with my 45 Colt and I can't get the gas check into the brass without leaving a huge bulge and making the brass useless. I even ran the gas check through a .452 sizing die first but still no go. I'd love to make my sixgun more versatile - let me know, thanks.

KN · « **Reply #4 on:** March 28, 2003, 12:11:53 PM »

I have done it both ways except instead of a gas check I use an empty case to punch out heavy cardboard wads. One on the top of the powder charge,charge with shot, then another wad on top. Heavy crimp, seal with nail polish. Works great. Truthfully its easier to use the Speer shot capsules. Just be carefull when crimping that you dont crack them. KN

Ka6otm · « **Reply #5 on:** March 28, 2003, 12:51:13 PM »

jpuke,

I can't speak for Sixgun, but speaking for myself, Lyman .44 Gas checks will fit snugly into an empty .44 Magnum case. No problems.

Ka6otm

dakotashooter2 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 28, 2003, 06:47:36 PM »

You could try a 410 wad over 3-4gr. of unique,trim the wad even with the case mouth, fill with shot put an inverted 35 cal. gas check "inside" the wad and crimp. I do this with my 41. mag. Tthe wads are a very snug fit and The 44 is not that much larger so it should work. The center of the pattern gets disrupted by the gas check though. I recall someone doing this with the 44 with good results

44 Man · « **Reply #7 on:** March 29, 2003, 12:33:03 AM »

I've played with shot loads in the past but never had much success. Because of barrel rifleing, paterns seem to open up too much beyond 10-12 feet. I could not dependably take starlings off the deck with them at 15 to 20 feet, this with 44 spl over 6 gr Unique. (although I did put a few holes in my bird feeder) Tried both gas checks and shot capsuls which allowed you to hold a little more shot. They did work great for snakes about 6-8 feet away, but at that range you can hit them with a .44 cal bullet. For starlings I now use either an air rifle or .17 HMR. (a .177 pointed pellet from an air rifle will sometimes not penetrate through the wing on a side shot, but will do fine on a front or back shot. Starlings are tougher than expected. I like to keep things quiet, so I may try a .20 air rifle) Good Luck 44 Man

Sixgun · « **Reply #8 on:** March 31, 2003, 04:36:15 AM »

I have not done this with a 45 but I have used the gas check method with both a 357 and a 44 mag. I just use hornady gas checks that are the proper size for the caliber I am shooting. The Lee factory crimp die will resize the case and crimp at the same time and should take care of any buldge you may get from the over the powder gas check.

From a handgun, this method has worked really good. I get a group about 15 inches accross at 20 to 30 feet with the gas checks right in the center. I couldn't ever get shot capsules to work good in my handguns.

From my 44 mag rifle, this didn't work too good. I got a donut shaped group with a big hole in the middle. I tried some shot capsules in this rifle and got really good groups out to about 50 feet. I know it will kill a tomcat at 50 feet and only send a German Shepard home at 100 feet.

In Idaho you can hunt forest grouse with any firearm. It dosen't have to be a shotgun. Pheasant and Chucker are upland game birds and you have to use a shotgun. I have killed lots of Grouse with these loads and one day I asked Jeff Wolfe, who was in charge of enforcement for Idaho Fish & Game if these loads were leagle for Pheasant and Chucker. His reply was, "It looks like a shotgun shell to me." I have asked several other enforcement officers since then and my impression is that some would give you a ticket and some wouldn't. Before I go hunting where I may be tempted to shoot a chucker with this load, I call the enforcement officer in the area and get his opinion.

Sixgun

John Traveler · « **Reply #9 on:** April 01, 2003, 08:37:31 AM »

In the .44 Mag revolver, I shoot homemade shot cartridges with good effect out to short .410 range.

Use .444 Remington Magnum cases necked down with a .41 Magnum sizing die and cut to cylinder length. Load consists of appx 6 grains Unique, overpowder card wad column, 7 1/2 or 8 shot, and a overshot card wad. Crimp heavy. A drop of candle wax helps to hold things together.

I've also used cutdown .410 plastic shot cups with good results. Load for about 1100-1200 fps for maximum pattern.

Sixgun · « **Reply #10 on:** April 01, 2003, 09:19:50 AM »

John,

When you say you neck down the 444 cases with a 41 mag die, does that mean that you re-size the whole case with a 41 size die or do you just neck down part way?

This sounds like something I would like to try.

Sixgun

Flash · « **Reply #11 on:** April 01, 2003, 03:16:44 PM »

He is most likely refering to resizing the first portion of the case to allow it to seat completely into the 44 mag cylinder. The 44 chamber inside the cylinder steps down to .429, from the larger outside case dimension. Therefore making it necessary to resize a 444 case to fit the .429 dimension and utilize the entire length of the cylinder.

John Traveler · « **Reply #12 on:** April 02, 2003, 08:22:26 AM »

That's correct, Flash! The .444 Rem Mag case nees to be necked down to fully enter the .44 Mag chamber.

Those cylinder-length .44 shot loads work real good for rats, mice, sparrows, and snake-getters. I've also pot-shot many grouse and and quail with them.

KN · « **Reply #13 on:** April 02, 2003, 12:13:09 PM »

What 444 rem mag? Are you meaning to say 444 marlin? I've never heard of a 444 rem mag. KN

Flash · « **Reply #14 on:** April 02, 2003, 01:43:06 PM »

Of course he is refering to the 444 Marlin. He just doesn't need to get "Beat-up" over it.

KN · « **Reply #15 on:** April 02, 2003, 04:15:44 PM »

I wasn't trying to beat him up, I just wondered if I was missing some thing. Shoot I even got out on the web trying to find "444 rem mag" thinking there might be a wildcat I hadn't heard of. KN

henry1 · « **Reply #16 on:** April 10, 2003, 02:29:49 AM »

I have some left over HS-6 powder and was wondering if I could use it to load shells for the .44. Or do you have to use shotgun/pistol powder like Uniqe or whatever it is they listed above? I was also planning on useing some 7 1/2 shot in the .44 that I have leftover from shotgun reloading. Will this combo work?

Chuck from arkansaw · « **Reply #17 on:** August 18, 2003, 04:34:06 PM »

Run them into a .41 die until they fit into the cylinder of your revolver and load with unique and cardboard wads. Glue in the top wad with epoxy. Holds around 1/2 oz. of shot. I even use it in a Rosi .44 special. Case is same length as cylinder.