Trimming 44Mag brass to 44Special

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dtalley

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Is it okay to trim Mag brass to Special length? I am almost sure it is ok but wanted to ask. My wife won a 44 special revolver the other day and I have some 44Mag brass that I am thinking I can trim to Special length. I have ordered dies and bullets, I have powder and primers and a 100 or so 44mag brass.

Thanks,
DT
 
Before you trim anything see if you can trade. Some people probably went cross eyed when they read that you were going to trim it and will offer a trade
 
Absolutely A-OK to trim down to special length. However, as Griff383 just said, a bunch of us are more than willing to make a trade. However, trading means getting something you haven't seen, and have no first hand knowledge of what it's had loaded through it. Maybe give it some thought?
 
My OCD would never allow it. I'd have to grind the REM MAG off of the headstamp or something. I think I only have 3 spl cases to my name. I'd send them to you if I thought it would help...
 
You may want to do something that will grab your attention like notch the rim with a file or something just as a memory trigger for you that it's not .44 mag. Even though it's about .1 difference in length, if you also load for .44 mag in a momentary lapse of attention they could conceivably end up in a tray destined to be charged for .44 mag. It doesn't sound like you load for .44 mag but just to be on the safe side I thought I'd mention it.
 
Yes you can trim them up and they will work fine. There are a LOT of people that would trade for the brass in a heartbeat. You do know that this is a first step to getting the Big 44 into your house don't you.:D
 
As posted, it will work, but it is a lot of trouble, and folks would be more than willing to trade. :)
 
.44 Special Brass is cheap and easy to get. The Gun Auction sites have it, as do many suppliers of reloading supplies and ammunition.

One could trim .44 Magnum into .44 Russian Cases too if one wanted...but, sometimes the case wall thickness increases as one go down, and, this then makes troubles for Bullet Fit, and or Cartridge fit into the Cylinder Chambers, etc.

Always best when possible, to just obtain the proper Brass to begin with, and, go from there...less hassle all the way around, and, right Head Stamps to boot!
 
Did it many years ago when I couldn't get special brass. Used a Forster trimmer powered by a half-inch electric drill. I then painted the heads with red fingernail polish, wiping off the flat surface, leaving the lettering filled with the red so I wouldn't get them mixed up with maggies at a later date.
 
I did it about 15 years ago but quickly bought some 44 special and shot up a few boxes to get the cases. too much work and the potential confusion with 44 mag.
 
I got some .44 Spl brass in a trade over 20 years ago. It was so cool I bought a .44 Spl. I still have it, plus another one, and want a 624 before I croak. :)
 
Well I've been digging through all my brass and I guess I sold or traded the 44mag brass because I can't find it now. Looks like I will be buying some brass.

Thanks for all the replies anyway
 
dtally, if you're in the Houston area Baileys House of Guns has a bin with once fired .44spc for .10 a piece, I picked some up there last week.
 
Thanks Shimitup. I am just down the street in Bryan. I go to Houston a couple of times a month I'll check it out. Where abouts it Baileys?
 
Heck, guys, I also made some shortie 44s out of 45 acp by running them up into an acp die with the expander stem removed and using a flat shell holder I'd made to fit the lyman AA press holder hole, then punching them out with a steel rod, then running them up into a 44 die til the "rim" topped out at the bottom of the die. I then loaded with light loads of BE and a 240 grain bullet.
At that time, no one in the area had any specials, there were no "Midways" and the internet was a spark in Al Gore's eye. I also had a Charter Bulldog with nothing to shoot in it.
Expediency begets inventiveness, sometimes.
I've got tons of stories of other modifications to original cases I've done....loading 11mm Egyptian, Danish, Spanish shells, modifying the cases to take shotshell primers instead of the impossible Berdans, and so on.
We've got it made today. Load and enjoy the wealth of components we have.
 
What am I missing here? Several posts mentioning marking 44Spl brass so it doesn't get used in a 44Mag???
 
The big fear is that people will use shortened 44 mag brass (to 44 spec length) and then load to 44 mag levels....with probable super high pressures...or, worse yet, load them to 44 mag pressures and shoot them in 44 specials. I wouldn't want one in my Charter Bulldog.
 
Didn't see anything about anybody trying to load up 44Mag loads. Just that the OP had acquired a 44Spl. There's a fine line between safety recommendations and over-reacting without all of the facts.
 
Question asked and question answered for anyone reading the thread who might be considering it. Lots of folks besides the OP and poster will be reading the thread. Just being safe by answering the question.
 
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