Magtech 410 dimensions

[cjensen]

I am working on a project for my Super Comanche 45/410. I would like to find a longer cartridge to use in place of the 45LC to avoid the jump to the rifling. Looking at 444, 9.3X74R, and 405 Win. dimensions and non are quite right, particularly at the base in front of the rim. Can someone in possesion of some UNFIRED Magtech 410 brass, measure and tell me the dimensions @
1. Base diameter in front of the rim
2. Rim Diameter
3. Length
4. Diameter at the neck
Thanks

[MikeP]

I thought about using the .410 Magtech case with solids in my .45/.410 Contender barrel but did not for three reasons: the .444 case works so good, the .444 is designed as a very sturdy case for its relatively high pressure which meets and, in fact, exceeds my desire to load in a handgun, and I do not know how much pressure the .410 Magtech case can take, since the shotgun design pressure is only about 13,000 psi or so.

Having said that, I just measured a new, unfired .410 Magtech case as follows, in inches:

Base Diameter in front of rim: 0.472

Rim Diameter: 0.521

Length: 2.348

Diameter at neck: 0.459

I have loaded the brass Magtech .410 with 13 grains of Lil Gun and a half ounce of No 8 shot inside of a Remington plastic wad column, and she works extremely well!

As noted earlier, I am also very pleased with the .444 case in the .450 Mongo (.45/.444). I am shooting the .450 Mongo in a 10-inch .45/.410 Contender which has a beautifully carved handle from the 1970s, but the handle works better with light recoil versus heavy. However, it fits my hand very well and looks very good, so I'm sticking with it even with the Mighty Mongo.  I stopped my load development at this point at 18.5 grains of Lil Gun with a 332-grain Lyman cast bullet and polyester filler, achieving 960 fps. There are no signs of pressure, and I would assume the gun would take a lot more pressure and velocity, it's just that I won't. Even at my stopping point, this is potent medicine for deer and hogs, especially since I am shooting iron sights and won't be trying long distances anyway.

Incidently, besides showing no pressure signs, the .444 case actually has expanded only in the first half of its length. The rear half is still exactly the same diameter as unfired .444 cases, even after four reloads. It makes the case look a bit strange, larger front half than the rear half, but the bullet is held securely in place by the chamber-sized front portion, and accuracy has been fine. I don't think I want to feel the recoil necessary in the unscoped Contender to finish forming the rear of the stout .444 case. I'm happy with the way it is.

Good luck with your project. I think the .45/.410 barrel is the ultimate survival weapon, capable of taking about anything you would care to try for, from hummingbirds to, well, how big you wanna go?

[cjensen]

Mike, thanks for the reply. I think Ill toss out a few of those extra zero's.
Is the 332 grain lyman, the 330 grain gould hollowpoint sized down to .452?
That was pretty much my goal. A big heavy slow short range round.
I started with the 444 and found the strange bulge a little weird and thought I could find something longer and sized closer to the 45 colt. Accuracy with the 45 colt has been diappointing. Accuracy with 3 inch 410 slugs is surprisingly good. How is the accuracy of your 444/332/mongo?

[MikeP]

CJ, the bullet I am using for the .450 Mongo is the current Lyman mould production number 452651. It is described as a heavy bullet for the .45 Colt and .454 Casull. The nominal casting weight according to Lyman is 325 grains. With my metal mix, which is softer (for shooting deer), the bullet casts at 332 grains and .452 diameter. I am shooting the bullets without sizing them or putting on gas caps, and have experienced no leading to speak of at the 960 fps velocity. I’m sure if I pushed the bullet a lot faster, it would require the use of gas caps and/or harder metal. That would be no problem with the Mongo’s case capacity, but I’m not into hunting rhinos yet :-)

Relative to accuracy, I am very happy with my loads. I do not shoot from a bench or otherwise rested in any way, but from a seated nonrested position, which is the way I typically hunt from a ground stand. I can keep the shots within a close enough grouping at up to maximum range for me and iron sights, or about 50 yards, to reliably put down a hog or deer unless, of course, I get the jitters, a highly unlikely event ho ho ho. Any farther than that and, for me at least, it’s long-gun-and-scope territory. But since I typically hunt pretty deep woods, the pistol works just fine.

[rickyp]

1. Base diameter in front of the rim .4700
2. Rim Diameter .5205 thickness.0590
3. Length  2.3465
4. Diameter at the neck .4595 inside .4335