Stupid questions for straight-walled cases.....

[Flatlander.54]

Will be handloading for .44 Mag. sometime soon and I have never loaded for straight-walled cases.

 How critical is the case trim length in straight-wall cases?

 Should case length be kept at min. or max. length?

 Do you have to crimp for singleshot pistols?  (T/C Contender)

Thanks for any info fellas.

[KN]

I have never had to trim pistol cases. They don't grow like rifle cases do. I always crimp if I can, but it's not absolutely nessessary in single shots. You'll find that pistol rounds are alot easier and faster to load than rifle rounds. KN

[Jeff Vicars]

For the most consistent ammo all cases need to be the same length and a firm crimp applied, especially with H110 and Win. 296. Even with a single shot.

[Flash]

Straight walled cases do grow and need to be trimmed. I size mine, then trim them and get excelent groups as a result.

[HBL]

I make sure all my 44mag cases are trimmed to the same length. They will stretch with heavy loads.

I do not crimp for my contender but do crimp in my Redhawk.

In checking the velocities with a chronograph, in the Contender, my largest spread was only around 20fps with non-crimped loads. That is nothing when shooting 315gr. cast bullets that avg. 1850fps.

Crimping is normally done to eliminate bullet jump in the cylinder of revolvers between shots. Single shots, you don't need to worry about bullet jump.

 

HBL

[Chili]

I have been shooting 44 mag for 15 years. I would suggest that all your brass be trimmed to the same length for reloading puposes, so that you don't have to readjust the crimping die.

[Flatlander.54]

Good point Chili, one I hadnt thought of. Thanks. And thanks to everyone else for their opinions. As always you fellas are most helpful with all the info you guys share.

[Flatlander.54]

Thanks for the info fellas, its truly appreciated. Hopefully I will be able to start doin some loading in the not too far distant future. I have the press and dies, just need to get all the components together. Thats easier said than done with a little lady and two younguns runnin aroundto take care of.. :grin:
 I truely get alot of enjoyment and information out of these forums...and look foward to signin on every evening...even if nobody IS interested in my other .44 Mag barrel Im tryin to trade...  But seriously....Thanks for the help fellas. Ill post results when Im able to touch off some handloads. Thanks![/i]

[hunter]

KN I just  finished preping 100 .45 colt cases. They  were once fired by me. None were YET over the max. but they vaired alot. probley because of the different loads i shot out of them. in this case i either had to trim
or match up the differ lenghts to get the proper crimp(ruger bh). even with no crimp you will sooner or later have to trim.

[KN]

Hunter, I just happened to be in the middle of reloading about 8 lots of 44 mag when I came across this post. I went home and measured all the different lots I had on the bench and not one of them was over the max length. In fact most of them were still under the min length. Many of these cases have been reloaded 10-15 times. I will admit that there was enough variation from lot to lot that crimping would have been a pain if they were mixed. But I keep my cases separated by lots and load them in lots so I never have really had a problem with OAL. I remember reading several years ago ( I don't remember which writer it was ) about this subject in one of the gun mags and his take on the subject was that if a pistol case has exceeded OAL then its probably time to throw it away. Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissmissing the practice of triming cases, I'm sure it probably will produce more uniform ammo. But I don't know any one who can shoot a revolver well enough to measure the difference. I know I cant.  Just my $.02  KN