Thread: 44-40 ammo

Originally Posted by rossi.45

LEE gear is made with cheaper materials but works fine . . for me

LEE molds work fine . . some are outstanding

1st shots with LEE 500grn bullet subsonic.
2 shots 45 yards
3 shots 100 yards just over 1 inch or 2 7mm
rounds loaded with LEE dies

Attachment 225725

I was told it's good to spend more on a decent mould.
There are supposed to be good ones out of Europe that cast hollow nose bullets.
I guess I should slug my bore and get the appropriate sized mould for my gun?
The Lee moulds all appear to be the same standard size from what I can tell.
Do I just need a mould, press and the right die to suit the brass?
There seems to be alot of different presses available I'm not really sure what I need to buy.

i will try to answer your questions inbetween watchin the leadup to the isle of man tt 2023 . . . just my opions tho

I was told it's good to spend more on a decent mould.
Nope . . amount you spend means nothing, does the bullet design/mold work in your gun.
Workmanship / quality is nice to use and own but it doesnt mean ya just gotta have it to succeed.
Ask yourself what you want to acheive and have at it . . if you go into this game with i want to save money you will fail unless your goals are very low.

back to the racing . . get back to ya later

Originally Posted by Old_School

I was told it's good to spend more on a decent mould.
There are supposed to be good ones out of Europe that cast hollow nose bullets.
I guess I should slug my bore and get the appropriate sized mould for my gun?
The Lee moulds all appear to be the same standard size from what I can tell.
Do I just need a mould, press and the right die to suit the brass?
There seems to be alot of different presses available I'm not really sure what I need to buy.

I buy all.my cast projectiles from someone else. I have all the gear to cast my own, but it's cheaper and easier for me to get them from someone else.

The only ones I cast are the .459 projectiles for the 45-70. Because all the ones in the shop are .457 or .458 which don't shoot well in my rifle.

If you have the opportunity, try and load some using other people's gear. I started using the Lyman press, then a Lee, then RCBS, and have ended up using the Dillons and the RCBS single stage.

Expensive gear doesn't always perform the best. My 308 dies are cheap and ugly but are very consistent with loading.

It's a science, and it's always good to have an opportunity to try gear so you know what suits your needs the best.

I use the dillon presses cause I load hundreds at a time, but I still use a single stage to crimp them.

Seek as much advice from many people to get an informed decision on what to get. Everyone has a bias towards certain gear or brands.

If you get all the info, then you end up buying once, rather than buying stuff that doesn't suit.

Like others on here, I've brought stuff on someone else's opinion and didn't suit what I wanted.

Just my opinion.

I guess I should slug my bore and get the appropriate sized mould for my gun?

Yes . . its good info to know

as an example of how things dont always follow the rules . . the bullet / powder combo i used yesterday was i thought a poor choice but it seemed to work.
TRAILBOSS powder i used at the makers max load but was much lower than the charge weight used on the web and to top it off the powder was rubbished by 9 out of 10 shooters.
The bullet nose seemed undersized, in a perfect world it would just touch the bore and ride down the barrel guiding the bullet on its way, the driving bands were not over groove diamater which we all know ya need for decent accuracy . . all n all it didnt seem to offer much in accuracy to get me to the +200 i would like . . but it is a Big heavy bullet which would smash stuff up close and one thing i have learned is give it a go ya just dont know till ya try it . . . keeping in mind ya can fail just as easily

my other great LEE bullet is the 185 grain in my .45Colt it just works in my Rossi . . great on animals and paper.
i have other more expensive molds that are just ok.
so dont get into your mind your going to pick the great mold by listenning to others, you might but dont count on it.

back to the racing . .

Slug the bore so you know what size it is - they varied over the years. (If you only want to shoot bblackpowder, it dopesnt matter what size the bore is, as long as you use pure lead bullets. (not wheelweights etc) with a little bit of tin only. 1 or 2 percent.)
If you are going to shoot smokeless, then the bore size matters. Traditional bore size for the .44-40 is .426-27. Then you have to source traditional .44 40 bulelts. If you are lucky and your bore slugs .430 .431, you will be able to use jacketed bullets made for the .44 magnum. (200- 240 grain ones.)

If you want to shoot lead bullets, then get a mould. Get one from Accurate Molds in the USA. Well priced and they ship quickly. Good molds. Get an aluminum one, with two cavities and get the bullet sized for lead with 2% tin at whatever bore size you want. (They make them to order) Bullets come out bigger or smaller depending on the alloy used. The more tin you put in, the bigger your bullet will be, hence why you have to specficy your alloy when your order teh mold. Get a Lee lead pot. They work well and are cheap.

If you are starting out reloading as well, get a Lee press, and lee .44-40 dies, and get the extra Lee Crimp Die, which is essential for loading the .44-40.

Large pistol primers. I am not sure where you get 44 brass from now, but try Magnum imports / OUtdoors shop in Wellington. They handle the CAS stuff. Or spend a ridiculous amount and buy a box of 50 factory just to get the brass.

Send me a message if you want. .44-40 reloading is a labour of love, but you can do it. Black powder is fun too - and dont worry about cleaning - the 44 40 and your rifle were deisgned for shooting black powder. All you have to do is clean it is pour some hot water down the bore, two patches through, and then a patch of oil until next time. Cleaning BP with this cartrige is much easier than cleaning smokeless, or your modern rifle.

Oh and stop asking that guy at your gunshop questions. He doesnt sound like he is going to be any use to you at all. Send me a Om if you have any questions. For years the .44-40 was my favourite cartridge to reload.

Started on Lee reloading equipment back in the 70's. Went through RCBS, Lyman etc over the decades. Lee works just fine, stay away from the bullet moulds though. They turned to rubbish for me very quickly.

If anyone is still looking I have 500 odd rounds to sell, currently listed on trade me. will do a significant discount if someone buys the whole lot.

@Todidits
Can you pm me re you 44-40