.44 special short COL

[somis81]

OK I am a newbie, trying to follow data to the word and getting problems right and left.
I bought .44 bullets from Missouri Bullet Co.
They were #13 Cowboy Lead. After I started seating the 1st one I realized if I seated to the lowest part of the cannelure I was not going to get to the min .44 spl COL data of 1.450" thats according to my Lee die booklet.
I could only get to 1.4450" which is quite a bit less. I sent a email to Missouri Bullet Co but didnt get a reply yet.
Below is the email I sent to Missouri Bullet just in case I missed something.


Hey Brad,
Thanks for the reply.
I have one more question, when I seat your bullet in a .44 spl Winchester case, the minimum COL according to my Lee die set loading data is minimum of 1.450" ( Max 1.550" ) but if I seat your bullet to barely get the case to your cannelure to factory crimp it, I end up with 1.4450" which is quite a bit shorter than the minimal COL.
I am worried about the pressure in a shorter COL and am a newbie running into loading problems every time I get out of bed.

Usually they are false alarms, I am hoping this is also nothing to be worried about.
What say you?

Jerry

 

[JLDickmon]

just make sure it's crimped in the cannelure and work your load up accordingly.

It's essentially a round nose profile, that's truncated.

So you're not going to get the OAL that's specified by SAMMI

 

[ljnowell]

My guess is that you are shooting a lighter bullet with a round nose profile, dont worry about the short OAL. Start at the bottom of your load data and work up, just like normal. Better to be cautious than regretful, good on you, but have at it buddy!

 

[rcmodel]

The listed OAL in a manual is bullet specific.

Unless the Lee book is talking about the MB #13 bullet, which it isn't, that 1.450" OAL is meaningless.

Seat to the crimp groove (the one with no lube in it) on the bullet you are using, and your OAL for that bullet is correct.
Regardless of what the Lee manual says.

rc

 

[Sam1911]

Absolutely agreed. I use a lot of Brad's Cowboy No.5. The bullet will set the OAL for you when you crimp. In fact, you almost can't set the OAL to something other than what the bullets want. That deep, tapered crimp groove will pull the bullet down tight when you crimp. Work your load up as normal and you'll be fine.