New with some questions

Pvt. Pyle · March 28, 2011, 11:16 PM

I thought of these things as I was reloading my first 200 .44 mag rounds.

So I guess just starting out with anything I am very precautions. I always think I am doing it wrong. So now that I am done with 200 without any huge problems I am really wondering about it! I got a few questions trying not to overwhelm myself here but here goes.

I started off with new Remington brass. Primed it. I set up the flare die and the seating die. So being as I got them all seated without anything funny happening to the case or bullet I believe I can say I have that die set up correctly.

When I set up the seating die I used a factory Hornady load, which I am using the same Hornady bullets. I ran the crimp down to where it hit a new and empty Remington brass and turned it just a little more then tightened that down. Then put in the Hornady and ran the seating deal down onto the top of the bullet. I am assuming that all my loaded rounds look like the Hornady and the bullets arent moving that I did it right?

The biggest worry I have right now is I looked at the Hornady book when I bought my powder and I am using the 240gr Hornady XTPs and I got H110 powder. The book says the max round is 24.1gr. I am at 23.7gr. So Im not necessarily worried about blowing my gun up. And being that it says that grain of powder puts it at 1350fps I dont believe I am going to blow any gun up if you can buy that at a store, and being that the H110 is about middle of the road burn rate according to the book I shouldnt be blowing any guns up right?

Next question is using that powder weight will that shorten the life of my brass? I dont know how many times you can reload a piece of brass but I know that if you load it light you get more. So with what I loaded approximately how many times can I load it? Or just keep loading it until I see cracks or splits or something like that?

I am not sure that I always want to shoot that load, so any of the loads listed in the Hornady Reloading Manual will make it out of my gun? I know these are maybe like duh questions but like I said I guess im being too cautious.

Thank you in advance

totaldla · March 28, 2011, 11:52 PM

I'm not seeing anything wrong with what you've done. H110 is not the sort of powder you'll blow a gun up with. I don't know what firearm you are shooting these rounds out of, but if a revolver, you might want to check the 4th round after firing 3. Just make sure your crimp is sufficient to keep bullets from pulling.

Brass will crack at the case mouth from flaring/crimping. Plain brass will go 10 or more cycles. Nickel-plated will crack a little faster. Using the Lee FCD will accelerate the wear. I've heard of, (but not seen personally), cylinders cut a little too generous that will result in split casings - but I think this is very rare.

I personally like CCI350 primers with H110 - my chronograph shows that they give me much lower Extreme Spreads in velocity. The 240gr XTP is a very good bullet.

Pvt. Pyle · March 28, 2011, 11:58 PM

I am assuming by pulling you mean that the recoil will work the bullet out of the case?

I have a 4" Ruger Redhawk. My buddy has a Taurus 44 Ported 6.5". I bought 1000 Winchester WLPs but I will try out the primers you suggest.

I am not too worried about my gun blowing up really. More worried about his Taurus...

PA-Joe · March 29, 2011, 06:25 AM

Well as a newby you did make one mistake. You should have only reloaded 20-50 rounds to make certain that they are doing what you expected. What if you had made a mistake, you would have 150 rounds that you cannot use. Also did you use a caliper to measure some of the loaded rounds to confirm the COL? Also check your seating stem to make certain that you are using the correct one. Most dies come with one stem for round nosed bullets and a second one for flat pointed bullets. There should be an extra stem in your die box under some foam.

89blazin · March 29, 2011, 06:47 AM

Nice job. You are preceeding in a safe fashion. A couple of things:

Any officially published load for your caliber will be safe to shoot through your pistol. I have several Rugers...love them.

Many reloaders run new brass through their resizer and work the mouth to ensure no burrs and knock the sharpness off the edge.

Did you actually get a crimp with your set-up?

I load JHP 240s for my 44 Special, I really like that round.

Read a lot and stay within your realm of comfort. If something is bothering you, ask and confirm ... and ENJOY!

totaldla · March 29, 2011, 11:12 AM

WLP give the same results as CCI350 for me. I've Chrony'd the two and they are identical. However, the WLP is a softer cup and I had a couple of them crack on the edge. When they crack you'll see a black soot ring around the primer. Check your breach face for pitting. If they don't crack - enjoy them. If they do crack, switch to CI350 and use the WLP for 45acp or something.
WLP is a good primer and it may have been the Remington brass or a bad batch, so don't quit using them.

Now Wolf Large Pistol Magnum are doo-doo and I strongly urge you to never buy them. They are total doo-doo, not worth the effort to write up all the bad things about them.

44mag load data info

Pvt. Pyle · March 29, 2011, 06:17 PM

Took the rounds out today. I looked at how the crimp reacted. I changed the adjustment after one box of 50 and the second box seemed a lot tighter. The first box moved a bit but never moved from the cannelure. I was trying to mess with it after I read the responses here. I tried to get it a little tighter than even what I have it at now but it seems any tighter I go it bows the brass a little bit. So I guess I am just going to have to leave it at that.

How often do I have to check this? Or once I know whats going on after a few I should be ok?

totaldla · March 29, 2011, 11:17 PM

You'll get a feel for the crimp as it depends on your setup. The Lee FCD is the easiest to use. Taper/roll crimps are more difficult to setup, but zillions of rounds are loaded this way, so it works.

As long as your crimp holds in the cannelure you are OK. Now you know what to look for. Have fun!

March 28, 2011, 11:16 PM	#1
Pvt. Pyle Senior Member Join Date: January 18, 2011 Posts: 116	New with some questions I thought of these things as I was reloading my first 200 .44 mag rounds. So I guess just starting out with anything I am very precautions. I always think I am doing it wrong. So now that I am done with 200 without any huge problems I am really wondering about it! I got a few questions trying not to overwhelm myself here but here goes. I started off with new Remington brass. Primed it. I set up the flare die and the seating die. So being as I got them all seated without anything funny happening to the case or bullet I believe I can say I have that die set up correctly. When I set up the seating die I used a factory Hornady load, which I am using the same Hornady bullets. I ran the crimp down to where it hit a new and empty Remington brass and turned it just a little more then tightened that down. Then put in the Hornady and ran the seating deal down onto the top of the bullet. I am assuming that all my loaded rounds look like the Hornady and the bullets arent moving that I did it right? The biggest worry I have right now is I looked at the Hornady book when I bought my powder and I am using the 240gr Hornady XTPs and I got H110 powder. The book says the max round is 24.1gr. I am at 23.7gr. So Im not necessarily worried about blowing my gun up. And being that it says that grain of powder puts it at 1350fps I dont believe I am going to blow any gun up if you can buy that at a store, and being that the H110 is about middle of the road burn rate according to the book I shouldnt be blowing any guns up right? Next question is using that powder weight will that shorten the life of my brass? I dont know how many times you can reload a piece of brass but I know that if you load it light you get more. So with what I loaded approximately how many times can I load it? Or just keep loading it until I see cracks or splits or something like that? I am not sure that I always want to shoot that load, so any of the loads listed in the Hornady Reloading Manual will make it out of my gun? I know these are maybe like duh questions but like I said I guess im being too cautious. Thank you in advance

March 28, 2011, 11:52 PM	#2
totaldla Senior Member Join Date: August 10, 2009 Location: SW Idaho Posts: 1,291	I'm not seeing anything wrong with what you've done. H110 is not the sort of powder you'll blow a gun up with. I don't know what firearm you are shooting these rounds out of, but if a revolver, you might want to check the 4th round after firing 3. Just make sure your crimp is sufficient to keep bullets from pulling. Brass will crack at the case mouth from flaring/crimping. Plain brass will go 10 or more cycles. Nickel-plated will crack a little faster. Using the Lee FCD will accelerate the wear. I've heard of, (but not seen personally), cylinders cut a little too generous that will result in split casings - but I think this is very rare. I personally like CCI350 primers with H110 - my chronograph shows that they give me much lower Extreme Spreads in velocity. The 240gr XTP is a very good bullet. __________________ Lee Auto Bench Prime Castor Oil Case Lube

March 29, 2011, 11:12 AM	#6
totaldla Senior Member Join Date: August 10, 2009 Location: SW Idaho Posts: 1,291	WLP give the same results as CCI350 for me. I've Chrony'd the two and they are identical. However, the WLP is a softer cup and I had a couple of them crack on the edge. When they crack you'll see a black soot ring around the primer. Check your breach face for pitting. If they don't crack - enjoy them. If they do crack, switch to CI350 and use the WLP for 45acp or something. WLP is a good primer and it may have been the Remington brass or a bad batch, so don't quit using them. Now Wolf Large Pistol Magnum are doo-doo and I strongly urge you to never buy them. They are total doo-doo, not worth the effort to write up all the bad things about them. 44mag load data info __________________ Lee Auto Bench Prime Castor Oil Case Lube

March 29, 2011, 11:17 PM	#8
totaldla Senior Member Join Date: August 10, 2009 Location: SW Idaho Posts: 1,291	You'll get a feel for the crimp as it depends on your setup. The Lee FCD is the easiest to use. Taper/roll crimps are more difficult to setup, but zillions of rounds are loaded this way, so it works. As long as your crimp holds in the cannelure you are OK. Now you know what to look for. Have fun! __________________ Lee Auto Bench Prime Castor Oil Case Lube

March 28, 2011, 11:58 PM	#3
Pvt. Pyle Senior Member Join Date: January 18, 2011 Posts: 116	I am assuming by pulling you mean that the recoil will work the bullet out of the case? I have a 4" Ruger Redhawk. My buddy has a Taurus 44 Ported 6.5". I bought 1000 Winchester WLPs but I will try out the primers you suggest. I am not too worried about my gun blowing up really. More worried about his Taurus...

March 29, 2011, 06:25 AM	#4
PA-Joe Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: NEPA Posts: 909	Well as a newby you did make one mistake. You should have only reloaded 20-50 rounds to make certain that they are doing what you expected. What if you had made a mistake, you would have 150 rounds that you cannot use. Also did you use a caliper to measure some of the loaded rounds to confirm the COL? Also check your seating stem to make certain that you are using the correct one. Most dies come with one stem for round nosed bullets and a second one for flat pointed bullets. There should be an extra stem in your die box under some foam.

March 29, 2011, 06:47 AM	#5
89blazin Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2009 Posts: 107	Nice job. You are preceeding in a safe fashion. A couple of things: Any officially published load for your caliber will be safe to shoot through your pistol. I have several Rugers...love them. Many reloaders run new brass through their resizer and work the mouth to ensure no burrs and knock the sharpness off the edge. Did you actually get a crimp with your set-up? I load JHP 240s for my 44 Special, I really like that round. Read a lot and stay within your realm of comfort. If something is bothering you, ask and confirm ... and ENJOY!

March 29, 2011, 06:17 PM	#7
Pvt. Pyle Senior Member Join Date: January 18, 2011 Posts: 116	Took the rounds out today. I looked at how the crimp reacted. I changed the adjustment after one box of 50 and the second box seemed a lot tighter. The first box moved a bit but never moved from the cannelure. I was trying to mess with it after I read the responses here. I tried to get it a little tighter than even what I have it at now but it seems any tighter I go it bows the brass a little bit. So I guess I am just going to have to leave it at that. How often do I have to check this? Or once I know whats going on after a few I should be ok?