44mag vs45 long colt

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kestak

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Greetings,

While forraging in the brass bin at the range, I noticed a few times that peculiar thing: 44mag brass mixed with 45 colt brass. In fact, each time I saw 45colt brass, there is some 44mag mixed with it at about the same spot in the 5 gallon bucket.

Yesterday, I took it out of the bucket and decided to clean it just out of curiosity. To my surprise, I found out a few 44mag brass with middle case failure on the longitulinal (4 out of 22). Moreover, I found out some pretty battered brass (not shinny, bottom has a lot of scratches) but also nice and shinny ones.

Let's speculate here:
- Is it possible that guy reloads and uses 44mag to shoot 45 colt?
- All the ones battered have a red mark on the primer. Is it lacker or a sharpy?
- That range sells Antlanta Ammo. It is reload ammo. Is it possible they reload 45colt and 44 mag in 45 colt?

Thank you
P.S.: For the first time, I saw 2 side by side 45acp brass in the bucket with a head separation. It was half tored up. Veryinteresting those buckets...
 
Yup, it sounds like someone dropped at least a cylinder full of .44 Rem Mags into a .45 Colt revolver.

Then the fool leaves his brass behind!
 
kestak;

Often reloaders mark their brass in some distinctive way so that they'll know which brass is theirs. I've seen this most often on the bullseye range, since alot of brass falls on the ground at once during shooting strings. The most common method of marking is a sharpie. However, some companies seal their primers, but mostly on military ammo. As I recall, S&B uses (or used in the past) red sealant on their primers, but this is the only company I know of that does it.

I think the cases you're looking at are ones that have been reloaded many times and shot until they split. This is not necessarily from being shot in the wrong chambers. A couple of heavy loads or many light loads will do this. It is likely that the loader loaded the last round on cases that were slightly split at the neck, foolishly, and then shot them one more time, which resulted in the splits. The scratches are probably from a damaged sizing die.

None of this is to suggest that the guy shooting those rounds isn't an idiot flirting with disaster, though.

-John
 
Greetings,

I took a very good look at the brass. On 43 cases, 11 had a mid case split.
None had a neck split or any damage. 13 had the brass VERY tarnished with "rush" like spots. 22 were still very shiny and had no blemish at all.

I mark my brass with a dremel and do a very little notch on the foot of the brass. With revolver brass this is no problem at all. With semi-auto, I make a smaller notch and never had any issue.

I decided to keep the 22 shiny ones but marked them distinctively (4 notches) and I'll reload them and see how they perform. If there is any neck split or anything abnormal, I'll simply discard them.

One interesting fact is that none of the 22 shiny ones has red mark on the primer.

I am quite curious to see if all the brass was bad of just those ones. Hehe. Anyway, I'll be very prudent and not load them as hot as the shells I know the source.

Thank you
 
John C said:
None of this is to suggest that the guy shooting those rounds isn't an idiot flirting with disaster, though.
Click to expand...

I agree. I always find .40S&W brass mixed in with .45acp or 9mm. Doesn't mean folks were using the wrong cartridge. If all the .44mag brass was split from mouth to rim I'd think differently.
 
Funny how this thread came up. A buddy on another forum posted how his stoopid cheapskate friend wanted to buy some rifle in 45colt (taurus?) but only loads for 44mag.

He was asking my buddy if there would be an issue with fireforming! a 44 mag shell in a 45LC gun. He just wanted to save money.

LOL

Dumb people sometimes learn that they are dumb the hard way.

I did once shoot a 9mm luger in my 45acp 1911 but that was purely an accident.
 
Greetings,

"I agree. I always find .40S&W brass mixed in with .45acp or 9mm. Doesn't mean folks were using the wrong cartridge. "

44mag, 45colt, 10mm are very rare to see in the buckets. 357mag is not common, but I pick up some brass every other weeks. the ones you named are filling up the buckets with 22...hehehehe

Thank you
 
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