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So, I've got about 300 mixed .44mag cases, about 200 of them are Winchester and the rest are a mixed lot. My problem is, the Winchester cases all measure between 1.262-1.268 or so but some of the others go as long as 1.280. I'm concerned about getting a consistent crimp and was going to trim everything to 1.260 but my Speer manual lists a trim to length of 1.275. Am I going to run into pressure issues if I trim them shorter? Most of my loads are for cowboy action shooting buy I'd like to start loading some heavier loads. Should I even bother trimming? Is it likely the variances will fit in the crimp groove?

Any help would be great, thanks.
 
for roll crimping cast lead,for cowboy shooting,the ones that measure 1.262-1.268 will work,just pick one that is in the middle and set ur depth and crimp to that one.I do it all the time.The others are too long to mix in with those for roll crimping,imho.
Set the longer ones aside after trimming ,and use them for the magnum-type loads..

what kind of load are u developing for cas..bullet and powder charge.?
 
I'm using Oregon Trail Laser Cast 200gr and 5.8gr of 231 or I think 6.6gr of Trail Boss but I'd have to check my book. They're both starting loads but the 231 loads shoot under two inches at 25 yards in both of my Blackhawks, and one ragged hole at that distance with my Rossi 92. The Trail Boss loads aren't as accurate but I'm going to make up some loads with increased charges and see if groups shrink at all, right now they're at about three inches. I haven't had a chance to shoot the Rossi at the 50 or 100 yard line yet.
 
trail boss is REAL wimpy powder,starting loads suck,medium loads suck a little less,but a good place to start.
I've also had good success with W231 in my 45colt loads.
Laser Cast bullets are mighty spendy for cowboy steel clanging,I have a local pard that can sell for a lot less money,and I"m pretty sure he ships.I can put u in contact with him if u like. The laser cast I'd save for the hotter loads.

for 100 yard shooting,255 grain bullets will usually out do the smaller ones,but test them and see,every gun and load shoot differently.

do u have an alias yet,and what is ur shotgun of choice.? I'm a coach gun man myself.
 
I haven't picked an alias yet, I've shot at a couple of matches but it's been un official. I've got an old Stevens 20 gauge SxS, the barrels are a bit longer than ideal for CAS but it's my quail gun too. I'd love the contact info for your buddy, right now I'm paying $55 for 500 of the laser cast but no one online, who has anything cheaper, has any in stock. I'll probably stick with 200gr for CAS but I've got a bunch of 240gr stuff for experimenting with hotter loads.
 
if u'll pm me ur email I can send a pic of a pricelist,they are 33.00/500, 66.00/1k. shipping is 10.00 for 500-5000 .that is for 200 grain,nothing larger avail.that I know of. prices could change of course.
give hime a call to verify,etc. his alias is Snappy Dan,heck of a nice guy. 503-901-3422
he's down here in vancouver,I shoot with him quite often.
save those laser cast boxes,they are very very handy around the loading bench. I have some I've had for at least ten years. ;)

see ya
Mike
 
Stick with the 200gr RNFP, that's the standard cowboy bullet for that caliber, it's also a standard magma mold. The 255gr sucks and tends to jam lever action rifles.

HP38/W231 (virtually the same powder) make good loads, as does titegroup, you can use hodgdon clays or trailboss, but both of those are really lousy powders for this caliber, trailboss is just a really lousy powder in general unless you're making loads so under powered they don't even meet SASS minimum power factor.

Also, don't worry about the crimp, as long as it's tight it really doesn't matter so much, a .012" variance isn't that bad in case length, I think winchester new bulk brass has more variance than that before anyone even shoots it :)
 
Yeah, wad cutters will feed in my Rossi but it's not exactly smooth. That's the main reason I've been using 200gr bullets, they're easier to find in a RNFP. I only bought a pound of the trailboss to try it out, it doesn't burn real clean, I use 231 for other calibers so I'll probably just stick with it since I've had good results so far.
 

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