445 SUPER MAG?WHAT IS IT?

[jeff223]

i have heard about this 445 super mag but i dont know what it is.

is it something like the 444?maybe made out of 444 brass?

[rickyp]

the 445 sm is a longer version of the 44 mag. the only place you can get brass is from starline you can shoot 44 mag and 44 sp. out of the barrel but you must clean it well before you use normal 445 sm rounds.

[PDM1]

The 445 supermag was one of the supermag series of cartriges invented by Elgin Gates for IHMSA competition.  Dan Wesson made the revolver and still makes revolvers in this caliber.  The case length is 1.6 inches long and loaded with a 300 grain cast bullet and some 1680 will equal a 454 casull in velocity and power.  Thompson also made this caliber for the contender.  It's a blast!! to shoot.

Paul

[jeff223]

thanks for the replies

i looked in Midway and i see the brass is a more money than the the standard 44 mag brass.do you feel that brass will always be made for this caliber from Starline?does the 445 have good case life like the 44mag and other straight walled cases?

i would think a rechambered contender barrel , 44mag to 445sm,would be a great deer barrel.is the recoil alot more than a 44mag?and alot less than a 45-70?

anyone have a contender barrel in 445 super mag?

[wheelgun]

I don't own a 445 but I have four 44 mags.Everything ( nearly ) I have read about rechambering a 44 mag to 445 has not been good.If your 44 mag barrel will not shoot to your expectations than a rechamber job will not help.You may get a few more f.p.s. but not enough to really make a difference.My opinion a 44 mag will do anything a 445 will do.The recoil has got to be a little more with more powder.My 44 mag 's don't recoil as much as my 45-70 maybe a little quicker.I would read up on the 445 before I rechambered it.Just my .02

[BIGBOREFAN]

If you are considering a 445 SM just go ahead and get a 445 SM. I have been pricing barrels from Fox Ridge and the run 240.00 I suppose if you could find a used 44 mag barrel for cheap and then have it reamed to 445 you could go that way but I don't think you are going to save much money. Just my 2 cents.


BBF

[fyrepowrx]

Jeff;

i have had several .445 supermags over the years, and shoot the caliber quite a bit. makes for a great contender chambering.

Recoil/muzzle blast is sharp, and seems to be more abrupt to me than in my .45-70 barrels. If you order a new barrel, get one with a brake or have it ported. Not sure i would want to shoot this one a hundred rounds a day if you are a silhouette shooter, but its superb for hunting.

My first one was a 10" bull, and it shot OK, but not anything to get excited about. I later tried it in a 14, and was much happier. I liked the 14 so well i later ordered a stainless 14" w/ brake from the custom shop. It is my most accurate .44 caliber barrel, and outshoots both my 10" & 14" .44 mag barrels. Even when shooting regular .44 mag loads it doesnt seem to mind the extra freebore. And the muzzle brake REALLY helps.

My next one was a 20" bull .445 barrel for my carbine. I figured it was heavy enough, and i could do without the brake; i was much mistaken. In a gun as light as a contender carbine it knocks the dickens out of me, after deer season is over it will go back to TC to have a brake installed.

Notice the Sierra data in the TC loading book shows a .445 will shoot a 300 grain bullet faster than the .45-70 and does it with less powder, and from a shorter barrel. Not knocking the .45-70, i love mine too, but there are times when i like the better .44 caliber bullet selection.

I dont think you will be disappointed with a .445... shoots great, hits hard, brass is readily available. just my experiences here, hope this helps.

[EdK]

I've become weary of trying to wring every last fps from a barrel and now think of it as a good way to get decent speed from heavier slugs. This way it is more potent than your 44 mag without a lot of extra recoil. I dislike brakes as I do not want to lose hearing and also do not want to deal with earplugs or active supression in the field (bear in mind I always take care during practice).

If you want ultimate speed in a heavy hitter, go 358 or 375 JDJ. If you will settle for reasonable speed and modest range, then a 300gr 44 slug at 1500, 1600 or 1700 fps can't be beat

[crawfish]

I’ve got a .445Super sort of. I have a 14-inch Contender from Reeder Custom Guns in his .41GNR#2 which is the .445Super necked to .41. As far as shooting goes I like it much better than my.44RemMag or my 45-70Gov. but not as well as my straight .41RemMag guns. There is a break on the barrel and I’m using the same data for the .445Super to work up loads for the .41GNR#2 and have found that in my gun the loads listed up to 265g class bullets work just fine.