.44mag vs. .44special $$$ diff

bollox

bollox

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I picked up some .44mag and .44spl ammo today and the special was far more expensive in round nose lead than the JHP of mag...any ideas why?
New to this caliber so sorry if this is a dumb question.
 
I for sure will be re-loading but the gun is not even here yet.. I am collecting brass... on the subject of reloading I saw that recent thread of what is needed to start, should I get a kit? or is it better to buy individual? Thx.
 
if you must have 44 special, ( ie a chambered 44 special gun) it's a simple matter to trim off that 1/8th of an inch length- or get a 44 sp trim die- mof, a lot of us use 44 special dies, you just don't turn the seater all the way down
 
For some calibres like .44 Magnum, .44 Special, or .45 Colt, reloading is a must if you actually want to shoot them in quantity. I wouldn't even consider owning my .44 Magnum if I didn't reload.

If you're going to load pistol ammunition in any quantity, I recommend a progressive press from RCBS, Dillon, or Hornady. The upfront cost may be more, but you won't regret having the additional capacity compared with the slow production rates of a single stage. If cost is that much of an issue, I would consider a turret press as a bare minimum.
 
tjhaile said:
For some calibres like .44 Magnum, .44 Special, or .45 Colt, reloading is a must if you actually want to shoot them in quantity. I wouldn't even consider owning my .44 Magnum if I didn't reload.
Click to expand...

+1. I just finished my first batch of reloads for .44 Mag and they cost me just under $0.22/round even with current primer prices. Factory ammo that I have seen is around $1/round. Granted, mine were light loads but even full house loads would only raise the price to around $0.26/round.

Mark
 
"...the gun is not even here yet..." You buy a Magnum revolver. You can load Magnum cases to Special velocities with no fuss. Same as you can with .357 Mag brass to .38 Special. Eliminates to lube gunk ring in the cylinders.
Buy a kit. Gives you everythng you need less dies and shell holder.
 
If you really want cheap, go to Cabelas.ca and get the Lee 50th anniversary kit (that's what I got when I first started). It costs about 125$, comes with a single stage press, Lee scale, powder dispenser, priming tools, case lube, powder funnel, primer pocket cleaning tool and some other stuff I forget. All in all, it is an all-inclusive kit that will allow you to start making ammo right away (you can order a set of required Lee dies from them as well while you're at it - Lee makes excellent carbide reloading dies, I have a few sets in different calibers).

Now, when I got into reloading, I also heard a lot of people saying that a single stage press is too slow. For me, however, the longest procedure in reloading is preparing the brass and measuring powder (I measure every round manually on the scale and I don't bother with the automatic powder dispenser that the kit came with - never even tried it yet, lol). The single stage press is excellent for a beginner and, even if you choose to get a more expensive multi-tasking press in the future, you will most likely choose to keep that single stage as a backup press.

All in all, the Lee 50th anniversary kit makes perfect bullets in all calibers (rifle & pistol). And I did reload .44 special on it already, as I use it in two of my antique six shooters. Can't beat the price... and very decent quality too.

:)
 
The 629 is a 44 mag, no? (Mine is.) I think what you were saying is that you wanted to shoot mild ammo in your 44mag, just as a 357mag usually shoots 38 Spl.

As you read above, reloading is a must. But, unlike 357/38Spl, you always load 44 MAg brass, never 44 Spl. 44Spl brass is rare. if you find any, send it to me. I also have a 44 Spl. revolver.

For all your loading, just use 44mag brass and add somewhere between 1 and 2 scoops of powder, depending on how much, flash, BANG and pain you want...
 
Oh for sure my 629 is .44mag, I just wanted (maybe in error) to get "lighter" loads to test it out. (Kind of like how most .357 owners mostly shoot .38spl it seems)

All insight is muchly appreciated and I will probably own my first reloading kit before the gun arrives.. it's like a hobby in side of a hobby and I have much to learn but am very much looking forward to it.
 
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